LaLo Attack Strategy Guide — Lava Loon for TH9-TH18

What Is a LaLo Attack in Clash of Clans?

LaLo (Lava Hound + Balloon) is the premier air attack strategy in Clash of Clans from TH9 through TH18. The strategy exploits a fundamental mechanic: Lava Hounds target Air Defenses exclusively, drawing all air-targeting fire while Balloons destroy defenseless buildings below.

A standard LaLo army composition includes 2-4 Lava Hounds and 20-30 Balloons. At TH11, the typical army is 3 Lava Hounds (90 housing space) + 25 Balloons (125 housing space) + support troops (25 housing space). The 3 Lava Hounds tank the 4 Air Defenses while 25 Balloons sweep the base in a surgical or mass deployment pattern.

Lava Hounds have 7,200 HP at max level and split into 8 Lava Pups on death, each dealing ranged DPS. This death mechanic means Lava Hounds continue providing value even after popping — the Lava Pups clean up buildings and distract defenses.

Balloons deal devastating damage to defenses (536 DPS at max level) but move slowly (12 speed) and have low HP (1,050 at max level). Without Lava Hound tanking, Balloons die to Air Defenses (400 DPS), Archer Towers, Wizard Towers, and Inferno Towers before reaching their targets.

LaLo succeeds when the Lava Hounds absorb sufficient Air Defense fire to let Balloons reach and destroy each defense. LaLo fails when Air Defenses are spread too wide for Lava Hound coverage or when Seeking Air Mines eliminate Lava Hounds before they reach Air Defenses.

How Do You Build an Anti-LaLo Base?

Air Defense Spacing is the foundation of anti-LaLo design. Place 4 Air Defenses in a diamond pattern covering all four base quadrants. Each Air Defense should be 10+ tiles from the nearest other Air Defense. This spacing forces the attacker to deploy Lava Hounds across a wide front rather than concentrating them on one side.

Seeking Air Mine Placement eliminates Lava Hounds before they reach Air Defenses. Place Seeking Air Mines 3-4 tiles from Air Defenses in the direction Lava Hounds will approach. A Seeking Air Mine deals 2,100 damage — removing 29% of a max Lava Hound's HP (7,200). Two Seeking Air Mines plus Air Defense fire destroys a Lava Hound in under 3 seconds, leaving Balloons exposed.

Air Sweeper Direction disrupts Balloon pathing. Air Sweepers push air troops backward, adding 2-3 seconds of travel time per sweep. Position Air Sweepers facing the most probable LaLo entry side. At TH11 with 2 Air Sweepers, angle them to cover 2 different approach vectors so at least one sweeper disrupts any LaLo angle.

Red Air Bomb Clusters counter Balloon groups. Air Bombs deal 350 damage in a 3-tile radius. Place 2 Air Bombs between defenses where Balloon groups transition from one target to the next. Paired Air Bombs deal 700 total damage — enough to destroy max Balloons (1,050 HP) when combined with any splash defense.

Wizard Tower Coverage provides sustained anti-air splash. Each Wizard Tower covers a 7.5-tile radius with splash damage. Distribute Wizard Towers so every base section has at least one Wizard Tower covering the airspace. A Wizard Tower killing 3 Balloons per volley can eliminate 10+ Balloons during a LaLo attack. Read the Trap Placement Guide for detailed Air Bomb positioning.

Browse anti-LaLo layouts at TH11 Anti-Air Bases.

How Do You Deploy LaLo Correctly?

Phase 1: Kill Squad or Queen Charge (0:00-1:00). Before deploying LaLo, eliminate 1-2 Air Defenses using a Queen Charge, Blizzard (Super Wizard + Battle Blimp), or ground kill squad. Reducing Air Defenses from 4 to 2-3 dramatically increases LaLo success rates.

Phase 2: Lava Hound Deployment (1:00-1:10). Deploy Lava Hounds one at a time toward separate Air Defenses. Each Lava Hound should tank one Air Defense. If 2 Air Defenses remain, deploy 2 Lava Hounds from different angles. Wait for Air Defenses to lock onto Lava Hounds before deploying Balloons.

Phase 3: Balloon Deployment (1:10-1:30). Deploy Balloons in surgical groups of 3-4, targeting specific defenses. Send 3 Balloons toward each Archer Tower, Wizard Tower, and Cannon along the attack path. Surgical deployment prevents all Balloons from clumping and dying to a single Air Bomb.

Phase 4: Spell Support (1:10-2:00). Use Haste Spells to accelerate Balloons through heavy-DPS zones (Inferno Tower range, multiple Archer Towers). Drop Freeze Spells on Inferno Towers or Air Defenses that threaten exposed Balloon groups. Use Rage Spells over groups of 6+ Balloons for maximum value.

Phase 5: Cleanup (2:00-3:00). Deploy remaining troops (Minions, Archers) to clean up percentage buildings in corners. Use the Grand Warden ability to keep surviving Balloons alive through final defensive fire.

What Spells Work Best With LaLo Attacks?

Haste Spells (1 spell space each) increase Balloon movement speed by 28 for 10 seconds. Faster Balloons spend less time exposed to defensive fire. At 1 spell space, Haste Spells are the most space-efficient LaLo spell. Carry 3-4 Haste Spells for surgical deployment behind Balloon groups entering high-DPS zones.

Freeze Spells (1 spell space each) disable defenses for 5.5 seconds at max level. Use Freeze Spells on single-target Inferno Towers (which can destroy a Lava Hound in 4 seconds) or on clustered Air Defenses + Wizard Towers to create safe passage for Balloon groups.

Rage Spells (2 spell space each) boost Balloon DPS by 180% and movement speed by 30%. Drop Rage on groups of 6+ Balloons attacking a dense defense cluster. One Raged Balloon group can destroy 3-4 defenses before the spell expires. Carry 1 Rage Spell for the highest-value deployment.

Poison Spell (1 spell space) handles defensive CC troops. Drop Poison on CC troops immediately when they emerge. Super Minions, Head Hunters, and Electro Dragons in the CC can devastate Balloon groups without a Poison Spell to slow and weaken them.

Clone Spell (3 spell space) creates copies of Balloons in a 3.5-tile radius. Situational but devastating when 8+ Balloons pass through the Clone area, doubling the attack force against the remaining base section.