Air Defenses are a super high powered air-only defensive structure designed to take down those high hit point troops like the Dragon. Topping out at 360 damage per shot at level 9 and shooting one shot per second they deal the highest consistent damage per second from any defense in the game! Too bad they can't shoot Golems! Air Defenses were so powerful that SuperCell had to develop a troop that specifically targets the AD. That troop the Lava Hound will shoot across the base and camp out over the Air Defense protecting the rest of the troops from their potent rockets. With this in mind many advanced players will place Seeking Air Mines and Hidden Tesla Towers around their Air Defenses to help support them.

       Placing the Air Defenses on your base can be a tricky proposition now that the Earthquake Spell and Lightning Spell is such a common tool in the destruction of the AD. Players will use an Earthquake Spell followed by 2 Lightning Spells on one Air Defense (destroying it) and continue to spawn their troops in large groups as close to the remaining Air Defenses in hopes to overwhelm and destroy them before they themselves get shot out of the sky. To combat this advanced players use a number of different strategic placements of their Air Defenses including placing them behind the high hit point storages, placing them in triangle patterns (or squares when they have 4) all within each others range and placing them near the core of the base forcing the attacking player to clear most of the base before they reach the Air Defenses. No matter the strategy there is a common goal in all Air Defense placement.. Keep them away from the Edge ESPECIALLY out of the reach of the Archer Queen when she is outside of the outer layer of walls.

EZE TIP There is a "sweet spot" for the AD to defend against the infamous Queen Walk.. or any Walk for that matter. The trick is to keep the AD out of the range of the attacking troops but to make sure the AD range just barely covers the outskirts of the outer walls. The goal is to allow the enemy Archer Queen to pass by the Air Defenses but once she does the Healers are at risk of straying too close to the outer wall and in the Air Defenses crosshairs. This will take some practice, moving the AD back and forth a tile or 2 after watching the replays on the attacks on your base. There I go saying that again.. Watch the replays on your base!

       Air Defenses work well used in combination with other defenses. Many players will place a Cannon directly in front of the AD so they can protect each other. Many others use the AD in combination with 2 storages and an Archer Tower. This cube-type of defensive structure forces air troops to push their way over the 2 storages in order to eliminate both air threats. When placing the AD on your base keep one thing in mind at all times.. Balloon Pathing. Hordes of Balloons can overpower the Air Defenses in large numbers so make sure there are defenses placed in front of the Air Defenses and that they are placed in a way that would encourage the Balloons to take a path away from the high valued anti-air targets.

       Upgrading your Air Defenses should be one of the 1st things on your priority list at every Town Hall upgrade ESPECIALLY at TH 7-8 where the Dragaloon is such a popular attack. They are extremely expensive but that’s for a good reason.. They are worth it. At TH 9-11 maxed Air Defenses for that TH LvL will not only defend your war base/ village very well but may even intimidate attacking players from even attempting using air attacks all together. Setting your X-Bows on ground and air will increase your chances of preventing an air strike all together. Personally I always suggest to upgrade the Hidden Tesla Towers 1st from TH 8 and up but many players have the Air Defenses 1st on their list due to the huge damage increase that every upgrade brings to your total overall defense. In addition to the Value that you will gain from the upgraded Air Defense there is also a peace of mind when considering the War Weight (also called Base or Raw Weight). Air Defenses are one of the lowest defenses on the War Weight list maxing out at a minuscule 450. This is due to their Single Target capabilities and the fact that they can only defend against air troops. The Value for this defenses so much greater than it's weight that this is basically a no-brainer on the upgrade order list.

       Overall the Air Defenses are a vital part of your overall defenses. Without fully upgraded Air Defenses you will be vulnerable from air attacks and there are plenty of quality players out there just waiting for you to make that mistake so they can exploit it and you.