If the Golem is the undisputed king of ground-based Beatdown, the 'LavaLoon' combination is the terrifying, uncontested emperor of the skies.

You must learn to absorb massive amounts of damage without panicking, trusting that your unstoppable aerial armada will eventually crush their base.

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.

While the Hound slowly dies, the Balloon reaches the tower completely untouched and drops a bomb that instantly erases half the tower's health.

• Placement is everything.
• Never play the Lava Hound if you are down on elixir in the first two minutes.
• The single biggest counter to LavaLoon is the Minion Horde; Arrows will instantly clear the sky for your Balloon.

Sacrificing the Ground

You must rely entirely on cheap 'distraction' units, like the Tombstone or Guards, to kite and stall enemy ground threats.

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.

Ruling the Skies

Mastering LavaLoon requires a fundamental shift in how you view tower health and resource management.

The air belongs to the Hound.