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By GamGem ResearchLast updated 26 Oct 2026

For Lava Hound: no balance change in the official notes reviewed (9 Jul balance, 30 Aug update).

Tank · official Fan Kit art

Lava Hound

Dark Troops

Splits into Lava Pups when defeated. Unlocks at Town Hall 9 (Dark Barracks level 6).

RoleTankcontrolled vocabulary

Space30 housingcommunity wiki

TargetsAir defenses (air unit)community wiki

Unlock buildingDark Barracks level 6community wiki

Town Hall unlockTH9community wiki

Your level

Max at TH147game max 8 · wiki rows

Next upgradeMaxed for TH14Next level needs TH17.

Current maximumTown Hall 18official · no TH19 Source buildCommunity wiki · 15 Oct 2026level rows Last verified26 Oct 2026facts vs 30 Aug 2026 update Latest balance for this unitNot changed on 9 Jul 2026official balance notes SeasonPortal Panic, 1–31 Octofficial · temporary content separate

Start from a situation:

Your Town Hall

Show only levels available to me

TH18 is the current maximum. Greyed Town Halls are below this unit's unlock.

Should I upgrade?

rule of thumb: 8% or more

Nothing to upgrade at TH14

Your level is the cap for TH14. Next level needs TH17.

Impact: No change until the next Town Hall.

Armies affected while it upgrades

Lava Hound air pushstill usable (lab only blocks this research)

Lava Hound + Balloon mixstill usable (lab only blocks this research)

Compare two levels

DPS2024+20%

HP1315+15%

Cost to reach8k10k

Time to reach——

Town HallTH9TH17

What each level gives7 of 8 levels · available at TH14

Level table: community wiki rows, read 15 Oct 2026 (https://clashofclans.fandom.com/wiki/Lava_Hound). Armies and counters further down are editorial.

LvlDPSHPCostTimeTHΔ DPS

▌ your level▌ next upgradegreyed = needs a higher Town Hallcost = dark elixir at the Laboratory

What it's for

community reference

Battlefield jobSoak defensive fire so the damage units can work.

DeployFirst, at the front of the push, before the damage units follow.

Bad atLittle damage of its own; single-target defenses that ramp up on high hitpoints.

TargetsAir defenses (air unit)

Space30 housing

✓ Farming✓ War✓ Ranked✓ Clan CastleBeginnerSupport

Armies that use it

Lava Hound air push

Optimal

TH9+WarHardAirNo hero

Rage Spell ×3boost
Lava Hound ×2damage
Freeze Spell ×2control

Why it's here: A Lava Hound soaks the air defenses; Freeze covers the ones that survive.

Sample composition · GamGem editorial · not a usage statistic

Lava Hound + Balloon mix

Learnable

TH9+FarmingMediumAirNo hero

Lava Hound ×2damage
Balloon ×6damage
Rage Spell ×3boost

Why it's here: Balloons pull defenses, Lava Hound cleans up behind them.

Sample composition · GamGem editorial · not a usage statistic

What stops it

community reference · mechanics, not usage stats

Direct counters

Air Defense · airHigh single-target damage to air units.Fails when: Air defenses are frozen or destroyed first.
Seeking Air Mine · trapHeavy burst on one flyer.Fails when: A tank triggers the mines first.

Soft counters

Air Sweeper · airPushes flyers back and slows them.Fails when: Flyers approach from outside its arc.
Wizard Tower · splashSplash hits a whole group at once.Fails when: Units spread out or arrive behind a tank.

Counterplay conditions

Clan Castle troops · defending troopsDefenders pull units off the buildings.Fails when: Defending troops are lured out and killed first.

Which bases it struggles on

Counter conditions: A counter works only when the target is inside its range and unsupported. Tap a base type for the condition built from the rows above.

splash / threatother buildingsair defense

What the last balance changed

Official notes · 9 Jul 2026

Date: 9 Jul 2026
Old value: —
New value: —
Source: Official balance notes

For your army: Lava Hound is not in the 9 Jul 2026 change list, so guides written since the TH18 release still apply to its stats.

The 9 Jul 2026 update changed Dragon Duke, Dragon Rider, Logger, Electro Dragon, Meteor Golem and Druid. Supercell's stated goal was to reduce Dragon-heavy TH18 armies: Dragon armies were roughly 20% of TH18-vs-TH18 war attacks, and Dragon plus Thrower-Healer armies roughly 40%.

Patch history (3 entries)

15 Oct 2026Level table read from the Clash of Clans community wiki. [community]
30 Aug 2026August update: no change to this unit listed in the release notes. [official]
9 Jul 2026July balance update: not in the changed list. [official]

Ask about this unit

Answers use only the rows on this page and cite them.

How much to trust this page

Town Hall maximum (TH18)official
Balance statusofficial
Unlock and spacecommunity wiki
Level tablecommunity wiki
Armieseditorial sample
Counterseditorial

Watchdog: no official post since the 9 Jul 2026 balance update changes this unit; level rows follow the wiki.

Where sources disagree: None recorded. The level rows come from one source, the community wiki (15 Oct 2026); the official posts publish no per-level table to compare them with.

Community opinion (dated, not evidence): No dated community opinion is held for this unit.

Event check: No Portal Panic interaction recorded for this unit. Totem Thrower is temporary and separate.

Send to a teammate

Lava Hound · Tank · 30 housing (GamGem)
TH14: level 7 / max 7
Use when: The push needs a wall of hitpoints in front
Avoid when: Bases with strong single-target defenses and no support behind the tank
Armies: Lava Hound air push; Lava Hound + Balloon mix
Counters: Air Defense, Seeking Air Mine, Air Sweeper
Balance: not changed 9 Jul 2026 · TH18 is the max