Dragon

• Summary
  
  • The Dragon is a fearsome flying unit capable of attacking both . Similar to the , the Dragon's attacks are ranged and deal splash damage.
    
  • A Dragon does short-range splash damage when he attacks. This can only be noticed when used against and .
    
  • Dragons have no preferred target when attacking; they will simply attack the closest building. However, once they become aware of enemy , , or skeletons (either by being attacked themselves or by being near another friendly under attack), they will leave their previously targeted building and instead engage the enemy . Once all of the nearby enemy are defeated, the Dragons will proceed to attack the nearest structure.
    
  
  

• Offensive Strategy
  
  • Most Dragon strategies involve taking out as many as possible with other units (infantry, , etc.) or , as they are a significant threat to this powerful unit.
    
  • The and Dragon are like bread and butter. Dragons are slow but deal high damage per attack, so using a pure-Dragon army with Rage Spells can be effective. Since Dragons are air units this also saves the time of them moving through walls significantly.
    
    • Try to spread the Dragons along the edge of the base, as they will converge in the middle of the battle when you have reached the base's center. Then place a Rage Spell for mass destruction.
      
    
    
  • A powerful, but costly, strategy for 7 and 8 players (especially for ) uses a combination of Dragons and . Dragons can tank the and while target the . Which spells to bring ultimately depend on the layout of the defending base - An attacker should have a plan to destroy every as fast as possible, whether that involves extra , , , , or .
    
  • Dragons are mostly used to get and in , as their high cost doesn't make them great candidates for raiding, but strategic planning makes them easier to win battles.
    
    • At TH8, some careless opponents might poorly bunch together their Air Defenses together, allowing them to be taken down by Lightning Spells and Earthquake Spells. If they have a lot of resources, a Dragon raid is usually the best option as they can devastate the entire base once Air Defenses are taken out.
      
    
    
  • When using mass Dragon raids one should be careful of in the corners because their relatively slow movement speed does not make it great for moving around from corner to corner. To prevent this, attackers should bring some or or save their to take out lone buildings in the corners; it might mean the difference between a 99% 2-star and a 100% 3-star raid. A level 4 can hold a which can be used to speed up the Dragons if time is in short, though haste spells are better used for a frontal assault.
    
    • Some opponents may also put a nearby. In that case, one shall simply use their Barbarian King. It's also possible to put the Dragons in one of the corner buildings, then allow them to wreak havoc inside the base.
      
    
    
  • Dragons will attack the Barbarian King and Clan Castle Troops that cannot target air units if these troops are the closest target, despite their lack of anti-air capabilities. Be careful as these troops can distract your Dragons from attacking other more threatening targets, wasting time.
    
    • If the Barbarian King does not move near defenses, one can simply avoid deploying Dragons near him and use a Minion instead.
      
    
    
  
  
• Defensive Strategy
  
  • Dragons are one of the most powerful in the game, and as such it can be difficult to defend against them. Multiple high-level are critical for success against Dragons.
    
  • As a 8 player, keeping your semi-spread while protecting them with Storages and other high hitpoint buildings is the key to preventing most 3-star attacks using Dragons. If the are too close together, a single applied to a cluster of Dragons can quickly wipe out all three. Also, if two are placed close enough, an Earthquake + 3 Lightning Spells can destroy both.
    
  • Dragons are wonderful . As a flying unit, the Dragon is completely immune to attacks from most ground troops, and his splash damage capability makes it especially suited for destroying groups of and . His high health also helps him survive attacks from even multiple or (although a large group of either will usually be enough to destroy the Dragon). However, you can use spread your archers and wizards in a semi or whole circle around the dragon. This exploits the fact that dragons have a slow hit speed.
    
    • Alternatively, an army of Dragons can easily overwhelm a single dragon.
      
    
    
  
  

• Upgrade Differences
  
  • The Dragon undergoes significant visual changes at all levels.
    
    • Initially, the Dragon has green-colored skin and black eyes.
      
    • At level 2, the Dragon's skin turns from green to purple, matching his image in the . His eyes also turn purple.
      
    • At level 3, the Dragon's skin changes again to dark greenish-brown.
      
    • At level 4, the Dragon's skin turns a deep red; as part of the update announcement, referred to it as the new "ancient red dragon." His eyes also start flaming.
      
    • At level 5, the Dragon's skin turns into a brownish-crimson color. It also obtains golden horns near the back of its head and spikes on its back. Its wings also get larger.
      
    • At level 6, the Dragon's skin turns dark crimson in color. The edges of its wings take on a reddish shade.
      
    • At level 7, the Dragon's skin turns completely red in color. The tip of the tail also starts flaming.
      
    • At level 8, the Dragon's skin turns into a more maroon kind of color. The spikes on its neck turn to look like a bone-like material.
      
    
    
  
  

• Trivia
  
  • The first person to have reached over 4,000 (Jorge Yao) used an all-Dragon army to do so. He used 4 as support, one to take out troops and the rest to destroy an . This was his way to ensure 50% damage practically every time he attacked in order to become the top player and achieve this amazing feat.
    
  • You can have a maximum of 14 Dragons at one time in a complete set of fully upgraded . This number increases to 16 if you include the 2 that can fit into a level 8 or higher . On the battlefield, you can clone an additional 3 Dragons with three level 2 or higher .
    
  • The purple Dragon icon shown in the is actually a level 2 Dragon. The Dragon changes from green to purple after upgrading to level 2, matching its image in the .
    
  • The Dragon's attack was given a splash damage component as of the 12 March 2013 update, making them much more powerful against groups of ground troops.
    
  • The Dragon received new art as of the 23 May 2013 update; the new Dragon receives forelegs along with a line of small spikes down its neck and back. This new look is often debated among fellow players to which one looks the 'best', along with the .
    
  • The Dragon has a pair of paws and fire in his mouth since the 23 May 2013 update.
    
  • A Dragon's shadow is oval, not dragon-shaped.
    
  • The Dragon's upon-death skeleton is human-shaped.
    
  • The Dragon is the only to have different appearances at every level.
    
  • The Dragon is one of only two of which the picture in the resembles an upgraded , the other being the .
    
  • The level 3 and 4 Dragon has a very thin see-through line going through the base of the wing. However, this is barely noticeable.
    
  • Dragons do not attack walls, but can deal damage to them if indirectly attacking (for example, if it attacks over a ).
    
  • The January 2013 update added , stating that this resource is formed over eons from fossilized Black Dragon (then-maxed level 3 Dragon) bones. However, training or upgrading Dragons never involves .
    
    • This is more likely a reference over oil, a fossil fuel because Inferno Towers were powered by them.
      
    
    
  • An event lasted from 29/1/15 through 5/2/15, during which the Dragon's training speed was 5 times faster, along with the .
    
  • The Dragon has the 3rd highest DPS (140) out of all troops (the others being P.E.K.K.A. 240, and the Electro Dragon 240).
    
  • The Dragon, along with the , are the only troops in the game that are not in Clash Royale.