Having strong defending Clan Castle troops can be the difference between an attacker getting 3 stars against your village or failing to even get a single star. They can also be used to help defend your village from people raiding your resources, however they are most important for Clan Wars, so make sure that your Clan’s Clan Castles are filled during preparation day.

There are a number of strong troop combinations you can use in your Clan Castle, below are some suggestions for each Town Hall level along with an explanation of its strengths.

General Tips

Donate max level troops - Try and ensure the troops are maximum level. If you clan is at least level 5, donated troops will be boosted by 1 level and if your clan is level 10 of greater, they will be boosted by 2 levels. This will allow lower Town Hall levels to donate higher level troops.

Lower level troops are better than no troops - If the preparation day is coming to an end and some Clan Castles are still empty, donate suitable troops even if they won't be max level.

Variety is important - Although it may be easier to donate the same set of troops to every Clan Castle, this makes it predictable for the enemy when they are planning their attacks. If they know what Clan Castle troops will emerge, they will be prepared. Keeping them on their toes can help give your clan the edge.

Avoid filling a Clan Castle with the same troop - There can be exceptions to this rule, however in general it is best to have a mixture of troops in the Clan Castle. For example, if you were to just use Balloons, they will emerge and move at the same speed and direction as a group, making them easy to cover with a Poison Spell and take out with splash damage troops. A mixture of troops moving at different speeds will make this more difficult.

Ensure the Clan Castle can protect against both air and ground attacks - If the Clan Castle troops can only attack ground units, they will be ineffective against air attacks and vice versa. Having a mix of troops so that both attack types can be defenses against is key.

Consider the likely attacks the Town Hall level will defend against - Donate troops that are effective counters for attacks you think will be used against that town hall level. If you expect Hog Riders or Valkyries, a Baby Dragon and/or Balloon can be effective at clearing groups of ground based troops. If you expect a LaLoon attack, a Dragon or Baby Dragon can be effective at taking out groups of Balloons.

Avoid mixing a Baby Dragon and other air troops - The Baby Dragon receives a 2x damage boost when not near friendly air troops, so ensuring it’s the only air troop in the Clan Castle will ensure this damage bonus is always in effect.

Troop donation order does not affect deployment order - The order that troops are donated to the Clan Castle does not affect the deployment order. The order troops will deploy is determined by the lowest housing space first, then lowest level first.

Jump To

Town Hall 8

Town Hall 9

Town Hall 10

Town Hall 11

Town Hall 12

Town Hall 13

Town Hall 14

Town Hall 15

Town Hall 16

If you haven’t upgraded your Clan Castle for your current Town Hall level, use troop suggestions for Clan Castle capacity you have available.

At Town Hall 8, the priority for the for the defending Clan Castle troops is damage, especially against the common groups of troops commonly seen such as Hog Riders, Valkyries and Balloons.

1 x Dragon, 1 x Balloon - Hog Riders, Valkyries or Balloons can be common attacks at TH8 and the area of effect damage from a Dragon and Balloon can quickly take out groups of attacking troops.

1 x Baby Dragon, 1 x Witch, 3 x Archer - The Baby Dragon can be very effective at taking out groups of troops. The skeletons spawned by the Witch can be effective at weakening Hog Riders or even slowing down a low level Archer Queen from a TH9 attacker.

At Town Hall 9, the priority is a combination of higher hit point troops and damage, especially combinations that can slow down or stop a Queen Walk.

1 x Lava Hound - A Lava Hound can be very effective at slowing down the enemy Archer Queen due to its high amount of hit points and the Lava Pups spawned can do a substantial amount of damage to her. Great for slowing down Queen Walks or the Archer Queen in a group of troops.

1 x Baby Dragon, 1 x Witch, 1 x Valkyrie - The Baby Dragon can be very effective at taking out groups of troops, the Witch spawning Skeletons can distract single target troops or the Barbarian King/Archer Queen and the Valkyrie can take out groups of low HP troops/Skeletons spawned by Witches.

1 x Electro Dragon - The Electro Dragon can take a lot of damage due to its high hit points and can be very effective at taking out groups of troops such as Bowlers, Hog Riders, Valkyries and can even take out a medium level Archer Queen (level 23 or lower) from full health with a single hit.

1 x Dragon, 2 x Balloons - The Dragon has high hit points and will move faster than the Balloons out of the Clan Castle. This should result in the attacking troops targeting it first while the Balloons move into position and do large amounts of splash damage to them.

At Town Hall 10 and 11, a Queen Walk/Queen Charge can be a common start to an attack, so defending troops capable of slowing that part of the attack down can be effective. Groups of Bowlers and Witches can also be commonly seen, so splash damage troops (such as a Baby Dragon) are a good choice.

1 x Baby Dragon, 1 x Ice Golem, 1 x Valkyrie, 2 x Goblins - A Baby Dragon can be very effective at taking out groups of ground based attacking troops or Balloons. The Ice Golem can keep attacking troops occupied/frozen, providing the Valkyrie and Baby Dragon with additional time to damage the attacking force. Goblins may seem like a strange choice of troops, however their high movement speed and comparative DPS ensure they reach the attacking troops first, distracting them while the other Clan Castle troops move into range.

1 x Baby Dragon, 2 x Witch, 1 x Archer - The Witches spawning Skeletons can be a great distraction for the attacking troops while the Baby Dragon takes out groups of lower HP troops.

1 x Lava Hound, 1 x Balloon - A Lava Hound can be very effective at slowing down the enemy Archer Queen due to it’s high amount of hit points and the Lava Pups spawned can do a substantial amount of damage to her. Unless the attacker has a lot of DPS troops in range, the Balloon will be in range of their troops before the Lava Hound has been taken out and it will be able to clear out groups of ground troops.

2 x Super Minions, 1 x Headhunter, 5 x Goblins - Super Minions are very effective at putting an end to a Queen Walk due to their initial attack being out of the Queen's range and doing high damage. If your attacker isn't prepared with a Freeze spell, they will quickly overpower her. The Goblins will leave the Clan Castle first and distract the Queen, allowing the Headhunter to poison her.

At Town Hall 12, a Queen Walk/Queen Charge can still commonly be seen at the start of an attack, so defending troops capable of slowing that part of the attack down can be effective. Troops with area of effect damage for taking out groups of Hogs, Bowlers, Witches or Balloons can also be a sensible choice.

1 x Baby Drag, 1 x Ice Golem, 1 x Witch, 3 x Goblin - A Baby Dragon can be very effective at taking out groups of ground based attacking troops or Balloons. The Ice Golem can keep attacking troops occupied/frozen, providing the Witch and Baby Dragon with additional time to damage the attacking force. Goblins may seem like a strange choice of troops, however their high movement speed and comparative DPS ensure they reach the attacking troops first, distracting them while the other Clan Castle troops move into range.

1 x Lava Hound, 2 x Balloon - A Lava Hound can be very effective at slowing down the enemy Archer Queen due to its high amount of hit points and the Lava Pups spawned can do a substantial amount of damage to her. Unless the attacker has a lot of DPS troops in range, the Balloons will be in range of their troops before the Lava Hound has been taken out and they will be able to clear out groups of ground troops.

2 x Ice Golem, 1 x Baby Dragon - Ice Golems in the defending Clan Castle are very effective at slowing down an attacking force. If your Clan Castle is placed deep within your village, it will ensure the attacking troops are in range of multiple defenses while they are frozen. The Baby Dragon with high splash damage will make light work of groups of Bowlers and Witches while they are frozen.

3 x Witch, 4 x Archers - Witches can be very effective at stalling a Queen Walk. If the attacker doesn’t have a Poison Spell or has poor placement of one, the Witches can spawn Skeletons at a rate greater than the Queen can take them out. This can force the attacker to waste time, use the Queen’s ability prematurely or have to send in additional troops to assist.

40 x Archer - Usually a large number of the same troop in the Clan Castle isn’t as effective as a mixture, however with the larger capacity Clan Castle at TH12, this many Archers can make it difficult to lure all of them in a single group. This can result in the attacker using a Poison Spell prematurely leaving a number of Archers in the Clan Castle still, ready to emerge later. A group of Archers this large can do a high amount of DPS, enabling them to take down Heroes and other troops effectively.

1 Witch, 4 x Headhunters, 4 Goblins - This can be a strong counter for a Queen or Warden walk. The Goblins will be the first troops out of the Clan Castle, followed by the Headhunters and finally the Witch. The Goblins can distract the Queen or Warden, allowing the Headhunters to poison them and can force early use of the ability or even take them out.

2 x Super Minions, 2 x Headhunters, 4 x Goblins - Super Minions are very effective at putting an end to a Queen Walk due to their initial attack being out of the Queen's range and doing high damage. If your attacker isn't prepared with a Freeze spell, they will quickly overpower her. The Goblins will leave the Clan Castle first and distract the Queen, allowing the Headhunters to poison her.

Town Hall 13 sees similar attacks as Town Hall 12 with groups of Hogs, Miners and Yetis being common. Slowing these groups of troops down to allow the high damage defenses more time attacking them can be effective.

3 x Ice Golem - Ice Golems in the defending Clan Castle are very effective at slowing down an attacking force. If your Clan Castle is placed deep within your village, it will ensure the attacking troops are in range of multiple defenses while they are frozen. With 3 Ice Golems, the attacking troops will be held in place under fire from the defenses, which should result in a number of troops being taken out.

1 x Baby Drag, 1 x Ice Golem, 1 x Witch, 1 x Valkyrie - A Baby Dragon can be very effective at taking out groups of ground based attacking troops or Balloons. The Ice Golem can keep attacking troops occupied/frozen, providing the Witch, Valkyrie and Baby Dragon with additional time to damage the attacking force.

3 x Witch, 9 x Archer - Witches can be very effective at stalling a Queen Walk/Queen Charge. If the attacker doesn’t have a Poison Spell or has poor placement, the Witches can spawn Skeletons at a rate greater than the Queen can take them out. This can force the attacker to waste time, use the Queen’s ability prematurely or send in additional troops to assist.

1 x Lava Hound, 1 x Ice Golem - A Lava Hound can be very effective at slowing down the enemy Archer Queen due to its high amount of hit points and the Lava Pups spawned can do a substantial amount of damage to her. The Ice Golem will further slow her progress down potentially resulting in a "time fail" on the attack.

45 x Archer - As with using mass Archers at TH12, this many Archers can make it difficult to lure all of them in a single group. This can result in the attacker using a Poison Spell prematurely leaving a number of Archers in the Clan Castle still, ready to emerge later. A group of Archers this large can do a high amount of DPS, enabling them to take down Heroes and other troops effectively.

1 Witch, 4 x Headhunters, 9 Goblins - As with this combination at TH12, this can be a strong counter for a Queen or Warden walk. The Goblins will be the first troops out of the Clan Castle, followed by the Headhunters and finally the Witch. The Goblins can distract the Queen or Warden, allowing the Headhunters to poison them and can force early use of the ability or even take them out.

1 x Ice Golem, 1 x Witch, 3 x Headhunters - This can be an effective combination against air based attacks due to the Witch and Ice Golem distracting Dragons while the Headhunters rush towards the Grand Warden (or other heroes). This can cause them to trigger their abilities prematurely, allowing the Giga Inferno and other key defenses to inflict substantial damage.

2 x Super Minions, 1 x Witch, 1 x Headhunter, 3 x Goblins - Super Minions are very effective at putting an end to a Queen Walk due to their initial attack being out of the Queen's range and doing high damage. If your attacker isn't prepared with a Freeze spell, they will quickly overpower her. The Goblins will leave the Clan Castle first and distract the Queen, allowing the Headhunters to poison her.

Defending troops that slow down the attacker or require quick reactions from them can be effective at Town Hall 15.

1 x Lava Hound, 3 x Headhunter, 2 x Archer - A Lava Hound can be very effective at slowing down the enemy Archer Queen due to its high amount of hit points and the Lava Pups spawned can do a substantial amount of damage to her. The Headhunters will reach her first and can sometimes knock her out on their own if the attacker isn’t prepared.

2 x Super Minion, 2 x Rocket Balloon, 1 x Headhunter, 4 x Archer - Super Minions are very effective at putting an end to a Queen Walk due to their initial attack being out of the Queen's range and doing high damage. If your attacker isn't prepared with a Freeze spell, they will quickly overpower her. The Rocket Balloons will reach the Queen very quickly and if the attacker drops a spell on them once they reach her, the Super Minions will likely be out of the spell radius.