Bomber

"Small, lightly protected skeleton that throws bombs. Deals area damage that can wipe out a swarm of enemies."

The Bomber card is unlocked from the Training Camp (Tutorial). It is an area damage, medium-ranged troop with low hitpoints and moderate damage. A Bomber card costs 3 Elixir to deploy. The Bomber is a skeleton that carries a black bomb and wears a cap with golden-rimmed pilot's goggles.

Strategy

 * The Bomber is best used as a defensive troop, being able to take out Skeletons, Skeleton Army, Goblins, Spear Goblins and Archers more effectively than most other cards.
 * Even though it has low hitpoints, it is able to survive Arrows of a similar level. Therefore, using any spell that is more expensive is a waste of Elixir, as wasting a Fireball or Lightning to damage a Bomber results in an Elixir advantage for the opponent unless you manage to hit something else with the spell such as a Princess Tower.
 * A lone Bomber can be countered with a Zap or The Log alongside the help of a Princess Tower without the Bomber doing any damage. Hold the Zap ready, and when the Bomber is within range of the Arena Tower, cast the spell. The Arena Tower's damage along with the Zap's stun time of 0.5 seconds will prevent the Bomber from throwing any bombs for a positive Elixir trade.
 * For just three Elixir, the Bomber deals solid damage and is one of the cheapest counters to Barbarians due to his range. In fact, it takes a Bomber only three throws to kill same level Barbarians, and a Bomber two levels higher only requires two attacks.
 * It's not a good idea to try and protect your Barbarians with a mini-tank like a Knight, as this leaves you open to a major Elixir disadvantage.
 * A good way to counter a lone Bomber is to place a cheap unit like Skeletons or an Ice Spirit followed immediately by another cheap unit like Goblins. The first unit will distract the Bomber while the second unit destroys it.
 * The Bomber cannot attack air units, making it vulnerable against Minions and flying troops. However, when using the Bomber, the player can place protective troops such as the Giant or the Baby Dragon.
 * Because it is very light, the Bomber can be practically pushed by almost any other troop in the game. In particular, fast units like the Goblins can provide the Bomber with a major speed boost. Putting this card with Spear Goblins is a good idea since together they can engage targets within their comfortable range, making for a quick ranged point-target and splash damage backup for your other troops across the river, or even a quick and small push.
 * If protected by an Ice Golem, the Bomber can also take care of mini tanks like Elite Barbarians, the Knight, the Mini P.E.K.K.A., the Bandit and others due to his high damage per hit.
 * The Bomber is interchangeable with the Wizard, based on the player's taste and tactics.
 * The Bomber has a bigger splash radius than the Wizard, making him a more suitable choice to destroy hordes of ground troops. However, he cannot attack air troops and has fewer hitpoints.
 * The Bomber is also better in desperate situations where the player's Elixir is low, as he only costs 3 Elixir, as opposed to the 5 Elixir Wizard.
 * The Bomber pairs well with the Giant Skeleton, as it can take out swarms like the Skeleton Army, or small troops that try to distract the Giant Skeleton like Spear Goblins or Goblins. However, the Bomber can't attack air troops like Minions. Back it up with a splash unit like a Wizard or a Baby Dragon.
 * A good counter for the Bomber is the Bandit. The Bandit will dash towards the Bomber dodging the bomb thrown at her. Don't try this if the Bomber is protected by anything, though, as its high damage will defeat the Bandit before it can do any damage to the Bomber.

History

 * The Bomber was released with Clash Royale's soft launch on 4/1/16.
 * On 2/2/16, the February 2016 Update increased the Bomber's hit speed to 1.9 sec (from 2 sec).
 * On 3/5/16, the May 2016 Update fixed the "range bug" and decreased the Bomber's range to 4.5 (from 5) but its effective range is unchanged.
 * On 18/5/16, a Balance Update increased the Bomber's damage by 10%.
 * On 4/7/16, the Tournaments Update increased the Bomber's damage by 9%.
 * On 19/9/16, a Balance Update decreased the Bomber's hitpoints by 2% and increased its damage by 2%. This resolved a minor issue where Goblins couldn't kill an equal level Bomber in 3 hits at some levels, e.g. Level 7.
 * On 15/12/16, a Balance Update increased the Bomber's damage by 4%. This lets the Bomber one shot equally leveled Archers.

Trivia

 * It is one of the 11 cards associated with Skeletons, including Skeletons, the Skeleton Army, the Witch, the Tombstone, the Bomb Tower, the Giant Skeleton, the Balloon, the Skeleton Barrel, Guards and the Graveyard.
 * One of the loading screen hints states, "One day, Wall Breakers realized that they could do a lot more damage if they THREW the bomb rather than sat beside it. Imagine that..." This is an allusion to Clash of Clans, as Wall Breakers sacrifice themselves to destroy walls, while Bombers throw their explosives from a distance, out of harm. Also, the bomb he carries is similar to the Wall Breaker's bomb.
 * The Bomber is tied with Sparky for the shortest ranged ground troop with a 4.5 tile range.
 * The Bomber is one of the four ranged troops that cannot target air, along with Sparky, Cannon Cart, and Bowler.
 * The Bomber is one of the seven troop cards that inspired a troop in Clash of Clans, along with the Miner, the Baby Dragon, the Ice Wizard, the Night Witch the Battle Ram, and the Giant Skeleton.

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