Mastering the Lava Hound Deck in Clash Royale: A Guide to Three Top-Tier Strategies

The Lava Hound, a legendary air troop in Clash Royale, is a formidable win condition known for its high health points (3581 at tournament levels) and its devastating Lava Pups spawned upon death. While dealing minimal damage itself, its ability to overwhelm defenses makes it a powerful asset. This guide explores three effective Lava Hound decks for the current Clash Royale meta.

Understanding Lava Hound Deck Strategy

Lava Hound decks operate as Beatdown decks, prioritizing the Lava Hound as the primary win condition, unlike Giant or Golem-based strategies. They typically incorporate multiple air support troops and one or two ground units for defense and distraction.

The core strategy involves deploying the Lava Hound at the back, behind the King Tower, to build a massive push, even if it means sacrificing some tower health. This methodical approach requires patience and strategic trades. The synergy with the Royal Chef champion card, which boosts troop levels, significantly enhances the Lava Hound's effectiveness. If unlocked, the Royal Chef should be used as your Tower Troop.

Top Three Lava Hound Decks

Here are three leading Lava Hound deck compositions:

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

Detailed breakdowns follow.

LavaLoon Valkyrie

This popular deck combines two powerful flying win conditions. Its 4.0 elixir cost is moderate, offering a faster cycle than many other Lava Hound decks.

The Valkyrie acts as a mini-tank, countering swarm troops like Skeleton Army or Goblin Gang, and even providing tank support against X-Bow decks. Guards provide consistent ground DPS against units such as Pekka or Hog Rider. The Lava Hound and Balloon are deployed together – the Hound tanks for the Balloon, ensuring it reaches the tower. Inferno Dragon provides air DPS against high-HP units, while Evo Zap and Fireball offer versatile spell support. Skeleton Dragons provide additional support and can reposition the Balloon.

Lava Hound Double Dragon

This deck leverages evolution cards effectively. While the Lava Hound remains the core win condition, the Evo Bomber delivers significant tower damage, and the Evo Goblin Cage provides robust defense against various win conditions.

Guards offer defensive support, and the Inferno Dragon and Skeleton Dragons provide air support. Lightning clears enemy defenses and deals tower damage, while Arrows handle swarms. The lack of a Balloon requires strategic Lava Hound pushes.

Lava Lightning Prince

A more accessible starter deck, this composition utilizes powerful meta cards.

Evo Valkyrie's tornado effect pulls in both air and ground troops, while Evo Skeletons provide DPS. The Prince offers additional tower pressure. Skeleton Dragons and Inferno Dragon handle air threats. The push strategy is similar to the LavaLoon deck, aiming for Royal Chef buffs. Mini-Pekka can replace the Prince for a lower elixir cost.

Conclusion

Lava Hound decks demand a different approach than cycle decks, focusing on sustained pushes. These three decks offer a solid starting point, but experimentation with card combinations is key to finding your optimal strategy.