Pairing the massive hitpoints of the Lava Hound with the devastating burst damage of the Balloon creates an aerial synergy that has dominated the competitive meta for years.
However, playing LavaLoon effectively requires an incredibly specific mindset; you are abandoning the ground war entirely, which leaves your towers highly vulnerable to fast rushes.
Building the Armada
As the Hound approaches the river, you drop the Balloon directly behind it, slightly closer to the outer edge of the map.
If the opponent has already used their Zap or Arrows, these Pups will deal massive swarm damage to the tower, perfectly complementing the Balloon's heavy single hits.
- A perfectly timed Lightning spell will instantly destroy the opponent's Inferno Tower and Musketeer, clearing the path.
- The 'Miner' is a fantastic secondary win condition for this deck.
- If they rush the opposite lane, let the tower fall; use your elixir to ensure your LavaLoon takes their tower instead.
The Painful Ground Defense
Because your deck is filled with expensive, flying units, you have very few cheap, sturdy ground troops to stop an incoming Elite Barbarian or Battle Ram rush.
You must become incredibly comfortable with your Princess towers taking damage; if your tower is at 1000 health, you must remain calm and focus on building your final, unstoppable air push in double elixir.
| What Stops You | The Solution |
|---|---|
| Inferno Tower (Melts the Lava Hound instantly) | Use a Zap spell to reset the damage beam, or use Lightning to severely damage the building and stun it |
| Executioner + Tornado Combo | Do not clump your Balloon directly behind the Hound; space them out significantly so the Tornado cannot group them |
The Unstoppable Force
You are trading early ground vulnerability for late-game aerial invincibility.
Take to the skies, weather the ground assault, and drop the bombs.
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