Lava Hound: Upgrade Cost, Max Levels and Upgrade Time

The Lava Hound is a beloved troop known for its impressive attacking and defending abilities. Perhaps its most notable use is in the renowned LavaLoon attack strategy, where it plays a crucial role. What’s remarkable is that, despite being around for years, the Lava Hound has remained a dominant troop in clan wars and trophy-pushing. With a maximum level of 6, the Lava Hound has massive hitpoints but only deals a small amount of damage per second. Nonetheless, this hasn’t stopped it from being a meta-favorite for a long time.

When the Lava Hound is destroyed, it unleashes a fiery explosion that releases small but mighty Lava Pups. These speedy little pups have a lightning-fast movement speed of 32 and are capable of attacking both air and ground targets. The number of Lava Pups spawned by a Lava Hound depends on its level, with a maxed-out Lava Hound spawning up to 18 Lava Pups upon destruction. Not only do these Lava Pups pose a threat to opposing troops, but the destruction of the Lava Hound itself also deals a significant amount of death-damage to its target.

Lava Hound Max Levels

The Lava Hound becomes available at Town Hall 9 and has a certain max level at each Town Hall level. It gets no new level at Town Hall 14 and 15. Here is a breakdown of the maximum level of the Lava Hound for each Town Hall level:

• Max Level of Lava Hound at Town Hall 9 is level 2.
• Max level of Lava Hound at Town Hall 10 is level 3.
• Max level of Lava Hound at Town Hall 11 is level 4.
• Max level of Lava Hound at Town Hall 12 is level 5.
• Max Level of Lava Hound at Town Hall 13 is level 6.

Lava Hound Upgrade Cost & Upgrade Time

Level	Upgrade Cost (Dark Elixirs)	Upgrade Time	Town Hall level
2	35,000	2 days, 12 hours	9
3	50,000	4 days, 6 hours	10
4	85,000	6 days, 6 hours	11
5	135,000	10 days	12
6	200,000	13 days	13

How to use Lava Hound

In offense, the Lava Hound is often paired with Balloons to wreak havoc on enemy bases. One of the reasons for its popularity is the Lava Hound’s ability to distract Air Defenses, which are a massive threat to air troops. With its massive hitpoints, the Lava Hound serves as a powerful distraction for these defenses, allowing other troops to move in and take them out. Typically, players deploy a Lava Hound directly on the Air Defense, causing it and other nearby defenses to focus on the Lava Hound. Then, a layer of Balloons can be deployed to take out these defenses while they’re distracted by the Lava Hound. This strategy has proven to be very effective in taking out powerful and well-designed bases.

When it comes to defense, the Lava Hound’s massive hitpoints can serve as a significant obstacle for attacking troops, slowing them down and giving defensive buildings more time to deal damage. Additionally, the Lava Hound’s death damage can prove highly effective against enemy heroes. But perhaps one of the most interesting defensive aspects of the Lava Hound is the Lava Pups that it releases upon destruction. These pups can be a major distraction for enemy troops, drawing their attention away from key targets and potentially changing the course of their attack.

Ice Hound

At Town Hall 12, players who upgrade their Lava Hound to level 5 will gain access to the Ice Hound, a super version of the troop with a unique freezing ability. The Ice Hound’s “Best Served Cold” ability can slow down its targets, making it an extremely valuable defense troop. The Ice Hound has higher hitpoints than its predecessor, the Lava Hound, but has a slightly higher housing space requirement of 40, compared to the Lava Hound’s 30.

Despite spawning fewer pups than the Lava Hound, the Ice Hound’s pups, known as Ice Pups, are incredibly powerful. They too have a freezing effect on their targets, making them a valuable troop during an attack or defense. Additionally, when the Ice Hound is destroyed, nearby defenses and troops will be frozen for a couple of seconds, adding great value to your base’s attack and defense capabilities.

Overall, the Ice Hound is a significant upgrade from the Lava Hound. In defense, its ability to slow down attacking troops can give the defensive buildings more time to deal damage, and its Ice Pups can prove to be valuable distractions, drawing enemy troops away from key targets. While the Ice Hound’s slightly higher housing space requirement may make it less attractive to some players, its unique capabilities make it a valuable addition.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lava Hound