Balloon

"As pretty as they are, you won't want a parade of THESE balloons showing up on the horizon. Drops powerful bombs and when shot down, crashes dealing area damage."

Summary

 * The Balloon is unlockable from the Bone Pit (Arena 2).
 * It is a powerful troop that targets buildings (such as Crown Towers). It deals a massive amount of damage with its dropped bombs. When the Balloon is destroyed it drops a weaker, area damage bomb which damages nearby troops and buildings.

Strategy

 * The Balloon is most effective for destroying Towers because of its high damage. Its damage potential is best backed up with the Freeze spell.
 * When an opposing Balloon spawns, destroy it as fast as you can. Its high damage can be punishing if it reaches your buildings.
 * The Balloon will drop its first bomb "instantly" once it reaches a building, so be sure to take it out before it gets to your buildings.
 * The Balloon will get at least one hit if left alone and this can cause devastating damage.
 * Minions are very effective at taking out Balloons, as their fast movement speed allows them to reach the Balloon quicker and deal more damage.
 * Balloons can be distracted by deploying buildings like the Inferno Tower (which has an added bonus of the capability to destroy the Balloon).
 * Like the Giant Skeleton, it can also be used as bait for enemy ranged troops that can target the Balloon, as when it is destroyed, it drops a bomb that deals area damage.
 * The Balloon is similar to the Giant, since it targets buildings first and is unable to damage enemy troops (except for the bomb it drops upon destruction).
 * The Balloon has low hitpoints compared to more tanky troops like the Giant, so make sure that it is protected by other troops as the backup while it is heading to the opponent's arena towers and/or any buildings.
 * Using a Rage in conjunction with the Balloon will punish your enemy severely as the Rage allows it to reach the tower faster and also quickens its attacks by 1 second.
 * This strategy is powerful at the last 1 minute of the match or during Sudden Death since you will have additional Elixir to spawn troops (for example Spear Goblins, Mini P.E.K.K.A) to back it up.
 * This combo will give you 2 or 3 remaining Elixir (10 - (5 + 3)). For backup, Spear Goblins or Minions could be used. An attack like this could get you an easy Crown Tower at the very start of the game.
 * This strategy is risky however as it leaves your other Crown Tower wide open for attacks. It might result in an Crown Tower for a Crown Tower tradeoff. Take careful consideration when using it.
 * An effective counter to the Balloon is the Freeze Spell, since it will freeze the Balloon and the troops supporting it, preventing massive damage from being dealt to the player's Crown Towers and creating an Elixir advantage.

Trivia

 * On 23/3/16, a Balance Update increased its hitpoints by 5%.
 * The description is a reference to the popular Clash of Clans commercial, Balloon Parade.
 * Although the Balloon attacks by dropping bombs, it does not deal area damage. This is unlike the Bomber who deals area damage by throwing bombs.
 * The Balloon's death damage, regardless of level, is half of its DPS and 1/6 of its damage per hit.
 * The Balloon's card image is identical to the image of the Balloon in Clash of Clans, except for the re-skinned envelope and color change.
 * Unlike its counterpart in Clash of Clans, the Balloon attacks instantly when it reaches a building and its basic attacks do not deal area damage.
 * It appears to be the opposite to the Giant Skeleton.
 * This is supported by the fact that the Giant Skeleton does most of its damage from its bomb while the Balloon does most of its damage from its attacks.

Ballon