Lava Hound Decks Top Tier

The Lava Hound, a legendary air troop in Clash Royale, targets enemy buildings. Its high health (3581 HP at tournament levels) makes it a formidable win condition, despite dealing minimal damage. Upon death, it spawns six Lava Pups, further pressuring defenses. Its effectiveness has led to the evolution of various Lava Hound decks throughout the game's history.

Lava Hound Deck Strategies

Lava Hound decks function as Beatdown decks, utilizing the Lava Hound as the primary win condition, unlike Giant or Golem-based strategies. They typically incorporate numerous air support troops and one or two ground units for defense. The core strategy involves deploying the Lava Hound at the back, creating a powerful push even at the cost of tower damage. This approach is slow and deliberate, often requiring strategic tower health sacrifices for overall victory. The Lava Hound's popularity surged with the introduction of the Royal Chef, whose ability to upgrade troops synergizes exceptionally well with the Lava Hound. Using the Royal Chef as your Tower Troop is highly recommended when employing a Lava Hound deck.

Top-Tier Lava Hound Decks

Three prominent Lava Hound decks currently excel in Clash Royale:

• LavaLoon Valkyrie
• Lava Hound Double Dragon
• Lava Lightning Prince

Detailed Deck Analyses:

LavaLoon Valkyrie

This popular deck combines two powerful flying win conditions. Its 4.0 elixir average allows for quicker cycling compared to other Lava Hound decks.

The Valkyrie serves as a mini-tank against swarm troops (Skeleton Army, Goblin Gang), while Guards provide ground DPS against units like Pekka or Hog Rider. The Lava Hound and Balloon are deployed together; the Hound tanks for the Balloon, aiming for direct tower hits. Inferno Dragon offers air DPS against high-HP units. Evo Zap resets towers/troops, and Fireball eliminates counters or deals direct tower damage. Skeleton Dragons support the Balloon push.

Lava Hound Double Dragon

This deck leverages the Evo Bomber for significant tower damage and the Evo Goblin Cage to counter various win conditions (including Royal Giant).

Guards provide DPS and tower defense. The absence of a Balloon necessitates strategic Lava Hound pushes. Inferno Dragon and Skeleton Dragons provide air support, while Lightning eliminates defensive troops/buildings and Arrows handle swarms.

Lava Lightning Prince

A beginner-friendly deck featuring strong meta cards.

Evo Valkyrie's tornado effect pulls in both air and ground troops. Evo Skeletons provide DPS. The Prince offers secondary tower pressure. Skeleton Dragons and Inferno Dragon handle air threats. The push strategy mirrors the LavaLoon deck. Mini-Pekka can replace the Prince for lower elixir cost.

Conclusion

Lava Hound decks require a different approach than cycle decks, focusing on a slow, powerful push from the back. Experimentation with card combinations is key to finding the perfect fit for your playstyle. The decks presented here provide a strong starting point for mastering this effective strategy.