Clash Royale Super Lava Hound Guide - Theria Games

Introduction

The Clash Royale Super Lava Hound is a unique and powerful troop that appears in Clash Royale during special events and specific game modes. It is essentially a stronger version of the standard Lava Hound, featuring enhanced abilities and offering new strategic possibilities. Unlike permanent cards, the Super Lava Hound is not something players can unlock for their regular decks; its availability is limited to temporary events and modes.

This guide aims to provide a thorough understanding of the Super Lava Hound, including its abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and effective strategies for both deploying and countering it. By delving into these aspects, players can make the most of this powerful air unit when it appears in special game scenarios, allowing them to better tackle challenges and leverage its potential in battle.

Super Lava Hound Overview and Stats

The Super Lava Hound is a temporary troop in Clash Royale, introduced during special events and game modes. It is an enhanced version of the standard Lava Hound, offering greater power and utility in certain situations. Unlike regular cards, the Super Lava Hound cannot be permanently unlocked and is not available for use in standard ladder decks or regular game modes.

The Super Lava Hound costs 8 Elixir to deploy. Its primary target is buildings, and it focuses solely on attacking structures, ignoring other troops on the battlefield. It has a short, melee range when attacking buildings, meaning it must get close to its target to deal damage. The Super Lava Hound moves slowly across the arena, making it a tanky but sluggish unit that takes time to reach enemy towers. With very high hitpoints, the Super Lava Hound is exceptionally durable, surpassing the hitpoints of the regular Lava Hound, allowing it to absorb significant damage and act as a formidable tank.

While it deals low damage with its direct attacks, its true strength lies in its ability to absorb damage and the effects it creates upon death, such as spawning Lava Pups or creating additional strategic advantages. The Super Lava Hound resembles the standard Lava Hound but is larger and more imposing. It may feature unique skins, such as one with lava flowing from it, and is often described as a majestic, hovering mass of molten lava.

Deck

To make the most of the Super Lava Hound in special event modes, you’ll want a deck that complements its tanking abilities and exploits its unique death damage mechanics. Here’s a suggested deck built around the Super Lava Hound:

Super Lava Hound Deck

Super Lava Hound

The centerpiece of the deck, use it to tank damage and deal death damage when destroyed. Pair it with high-damage support troops to maximize its effectiveness.

Balloon

The Balloon pairs perfectly with the Super Lava Hound, as the Lava Hound absorbs damage, allowing the Balloon to focus on dealing massive tower damage. The LavaLoon strategy is one of the strongest combinations when it comes to air-based offense.

Inferno Dragon

The Inferno Dragon can target high-health tanks or buildings, such as the opponent’s Inferno Tower or Super Lava Hound, and burn through them quickly. It also serves as a solid air-targeting counter for enemy units.

Mega Minion

A reliable air unit that deals consistent damage and can help with both offense and defense. It’s an excellent support unit that works well behind the Super Lava Hound and can deal with enemy air threats.

Fireball

Fireball is great for dealing with medium-health units like the Wizard, Minions, or Mega Minion. It can also be used to clear out swarms of troops, especially after the Super Lava Hound has been destroyed and spawns Mini Lava Hounds and Lava Pups.

Tornado

The Tornado spell can be used to group up enemy units and pull them into the range of your Inferno Dragon, Mega Minion, or Balloon. It can also help reposition the Super Lava Hound or its spawns to control the battlefield.

Cannon

The Cannon serves as a solid ground-based defense, drawing attention away from your towers and protecting against enemy pushes, especially when paired with your air-focused cards.

Guards

Guards offer a great defensive presence against both ground and air threats. Their shield can absorb some damage, allowing them to stay alive longer and counter units like the Hog Rider, Elite Barbarians, or even Mini P.E.K.K.A..

This deck focuses on utilizing the Super Lava Hound as a tank and support for high-damage air troops, while also providing solid defense against both air and ground pushes. By pairing the Super Lava Hound with powerful damage-dealing units and spells, you can maintain pressure throughout the match.

Strengths

The Super Lava Hound has several key strengths that make it a formidable unit in special events. First and foremost, its high hitpoints make it a tank in the air, able to absorb significant amounts of damage from enemy defenses and troops. This allows it to protect more vulnerable, high-damage units behind it, acting as an essential front-line presence. Described as a juggernaut, it is much beefier than the regular Lava Hound, making it difficult to take down quickly.

Additionally, the Super Lava Hound’s death damage is substantial. Upon its defeat, it releases three fireballs, dealing high damage to surrounding enemy units. This explosion can effectively weaken or eliminate supporting troops the opponent places to counter the Super Lava Hound. The Mini Lava Hounds that spawn from its death also possess death damage, continuing the chain of destruction.

The Super Lava Hound provides sustained pressure on the opponent, thanks to its splitting mechanic. When it dies, it splits into two Mini Lava Hounds, and when those are defeated, they further split into a total of eight Lava Pups. This multi-stage splitting creates persistent offensive pressure, forcing the opponent to respond to multiple waves of air units, all while dealing with the threat of the Super Lava Hound’s initial explosion.

As an air unit, the Super Lava Hound has the advantage of being immune to ground-targeting attacks, which forces opponents to deploy air-targeting defenses to deal with it. This immunity allows for more flexibility in supporting other units, particularly ground units, during an attack.

Furthermore, the Super Lava Hound has the ability to bypass certain building placements due to its lower sight range, similar to other non-building-targeting troops. This can lead the Super Lava Hound directly to the Crown Towers in some scenarios, even when there are obstacles in its way.

Finally, the Super Lava Hound offers fun and engaging gameplay. Many players enjoy the chaos and excitement that comes with its unique death mechanics and the vast number of units it spawns, making it a dynamic choice in special events.

In summary, the Super Lava Hound excels at soaking up damage, dealing area-of-effect death damage, and maintaining constant pressure on the opponent with its splitting mechanic, all while being immune to ground-based attacks.

Weaknesses

Despite its strengths, the Super Lava Hound has several notable weaknesses that can be exploited by skilled opponents. One of its main vulnerabilities is its susceptibility to air-targeting units and buildings. While it is immune to ground attacks, it can be quickly neutralized by units like the Inferno Tower and Inferno Dragon, whose escalating damage can melt through its high hitpoints. Other air-targeting units such as the Wizard and Mega Minion can also deal significant damage, and buildings that distract or slow down the Super Lava Hound can disrupt its path.

Another weakness is its vulnerability to specific card combinations. The Tornado and Executioner combo is particularly effective, as the Tornado can group the Super Lava Hound, its Mini Lava Hounds, and Lava Pups together, making them all vulnerable to the Executioner’s area damage.

The Super Lava Hound also has a low initial damage output. While it has high hitpoints and strong death damage, its direct damage to buildings is very low. As a result, it relies heavily on the death explosion and the damage dealt by the Mini Lava Hounds and Lava Pups. If these secondary units are effectively countered, the 8 Elixir investment for the Super Lava Hound may not result in substantial tower damage.

Additionally, the Super Lava Hound is ineffective as a shield for ground troops. Opponents can easily bypass it with ground-targeting units to directly attack supporting ground troops, making it less useful as a protective tank.

Its slow movement speed is another drawback. Since it moves at a slow pace, the Super Lava Hound takes a considerable amount of time to reach the opponent’s towers, giving the opponent plenty of time to prepare defenses and build up Elixir for a counter-push.

Experienced players are also likely to find the Super Lava Hound predictable, as its mechanics are similar to those of the regular Lava Hound. While powerful, its behavior is familiar, making it easier to counter if the opponent is prepared.

Furthermore, the Super Lava Hound’s high Elixir cost of 8 Elixir can be a significant drawback. If it is misplayed or countered effectively, the Elixir disadvantage can leave the player vulnerable to a strong counter-push, making it harder to defend.

Lastly, the death damage from the Super Lava Hound and its Mini Lava Hounds can backfire if not managed properly. If supporting troops are placed too close to the exploding Super Lava Hound or Mini Lava Hounds, they can take damage or even be destroyed, so careful troop placement is essential.

In summary, while the Super Lava Hound is a powerful offensive unit, its weaknesses—such as vulnerability to air-targeting units, specific card combinations, slow speed, high cost, and potential for death damage to backfire—can be significant drawbacks if not used strategically.

Strategies for Using the Super Lava Hound

To maximize the effectiveness of the Super Lava Hound in special events, consider using the following strategies:

The Super Lava Hound’s high hitpoints make it an excellent air tank, capable of absorbing damage from enemy defenses and troops. This allows you to deploy more fragile, higher-damage air units, such as Minions, Mega Minion, Phoenix, or Balloon, behind it to safely reach the opponent’s towers and deal damage without taking too much damage themselves.

Pairing the Super Lava Hound with high-damage air troops can create a devastating offensive. A popular strategy is the LavaLoon combo, where the Super Lava Hound acts as a tank for a Balloon, allowing the Balloon to deal massive damage to the enemy towers. Additionally, pairing it with an Inferno Dragon can help counter enemy tanks that might otherwise threaten the Super Lava Hound, providing added protection for your push.

Capitalizing on the Super Lava Hound’s death damage is key to maximizing its effectiveness. Its initial explosion, dealing three fireballs, can clear or severely damage surrounding enemy troops. Using spells like the Tornado to pull enemy troops closer as the Super Lava Hound is about to die can ensure that they take full advantage of the death damage. Additionally, the death damage of the Mini Lava Hounds that spawn after it dies further contributes to creating chaos for your opponent.

The Super Lava Hound targets only buildings, so it will ignore enemy troops. You can use this trait to your advantage by positioning it in such a way that it creates a clear path directly to the opponent’s towers. Its lower sight range also allows it to bypass certain building placements, making it difficult for the opponent to stop it with defensive structures.

Given the Super Lava Hound’s vulnerability to air-targeting units like the Inferno Tower, Inferno Dragon, Wizard, and Mega Minion, it’s important to include support cards to counter these threats. Spells like Fireball or Lightning can clear out enemy support troops or reset the damage of Inferno Towers and Dragons, giving your Super Lava Hound more breathing room to reach the enemy towers.

Since the Super Lava Hound costs 8 Elixir, deploying it requires careful elixir management. It’s essential to ensure you have enough Elixir to defend against a potential counter-push if your Super Lava Hound is dealt with. Consider building an Elixir advantage before committing to deploying the Super Lava Hound, especially considering its high cost.

The Super Lava Hound excels at sustaining pressure through the subsequent Mini Lava Hounds and Lava Pups that spawn upon its death. Even if the Super Lava Hound is countered, these smaller units continue to put pressure on the opponent, forcing them to respond. Keep in mind that the Lava Pups should be dealt with first to prevent them from overwhelming your defenses.

Using supporting units like the Firecracker can also help bait out Arrows, allowing your Lava Pups to attack the towers without being destroyed by spells. This can create more consistent damage over time and force your opponent to spend Elixir on clearing the Pups.

Lastly, although not a primary strategy, some players experiment with fast cycle decks to quickly cycle back to multiple Super Lava Hounds. While potentially risky, using Elixir collectors to enable faster cycling of the Super Lava Hound can be an option if you have the Elixir management to support it.

By applying these strategies and adapting to your opponent’s deck and tactics, you can effectively use the Super Lava Hound to dominate in the special game modes where it appears.

Strategies for Countering the Super Lava Hound

To defend against the Super Lava Hound effectively, there are several key strategies to consider.

Since the Super Lava Hound is vulnerable to air-targeting units and buildings, deploying cards like the Inferno Tower or Inferno Dragon can quickly eliminate it with escalating damage. Other air-targeting units, such as the Wizard, Executioner, Mega Minion, Minions, and Bats, are also useful, particularly when used to target the Lava Hounds and Lava Pups that spawn. Defensive buildings can also help distract the Super Lava Hound, buying time to eliminate it with air-targeting units.

The Tornado and Executioner combo is a powerful strategy for controlling the Super Lava Hound and its spawned units. The Tornado can pull the Super Lava Hound, Mini Lava Hounds, and Lava Pups into a single location, allowing the Executioner to deal area damage to all of them at once. If the Executioner destroys the Super Lava Hound, it can immediately target the Mini Lava Hounds and then the Lava Pups. The Tornado also provides a way to reposition the Super Lava Hound, potentially avoiding its death damage from affecting your Crown Towers or key defensive units.

To minimize the damage from the Super Lava Hound’s death damage, it’s important to spread out your defenses. Avoid grouping attackers together, as the explosions from the Super Lava Hound and Mini Lava Hounds can quickly take out multiple troops. Instead, focus on attacking with one or two units at a time, spreading them out to reduce the impact of the death damage.

Be sure to prioritize eliminating the supporting air units that often accompany the Super Lava Hound, such as the Balloon or Inferno Dragon, as these can pose a greater threat to your towers. Cards like the Mega Minion are effective for dealing with these support units, reducing the overall threat posed by the Super Lava Hound push.

Remember that destroying the Super Lava Hound is just the first step. Afterward, you’ll need to manage the Mini Lava Hounds and the Lava Pups that spawn from its death. Having area-of-effect damage spells like Fireball or Log, or splash damage units such as the Wizard or Executioner, can help clear the swarms of smaller units and prevent them from overwhelming your defenses.

Make good use of spells to manage threats effectively. Fireball and Lightning can eliminate key air-targeting units, such as the Wizard, and Lightning can reset the damage of Inferno Towers and Inferno Dragons, making it easier to deal with these counters. Poison can be useful for dealing continuous damage to the Super Lava Hound and the units it spawns, while Snowball can be used to cycle or disrupt supporting troops.

Placing defensive buildings can distract the Super Lava Hound and pull it away from your Crown Towers, allowing your defensive units more time to deal with it.

Finally, keep in mind that the Super Lava Hound deals low damage to towers, making it less of a direct threat. If you can efficiently manage the spawned units, your opponent’s high Elixir investment may not lead to significant damage on your towers.

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively counter the Super Lava Hound and minimize the threat it poses in special game modes. Adapt your approach depending on the support cards your opponent uses alongside the Super Lava Hound.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Super Lava Hound is a temporary Legendary card featured in specific Clash Royale events, such as the Super Cards Draft Challenge. While it resembles the regular Lava Hound, the Super Lava Hound sets itself apart with enhanced abilities, particularly its death damage in the form of three fireballs and its ability to spawn two Mini Lava Hounds upon defeat. These Mini Lava Hounds, in turn, split into Lava Pups, creating a multi-stage chain reaction that keeps applying pressure on the opponent even after its initial defeat. This ability makes it a resilient offensive threat capable of sustaining pressure throughout the battle.

The Super Lava Hound’s primary strength lies in its role as a high-hitpoint air tank that targets buildings, making it ideal for shielding other high-damage air troops like the Balloon and Inferno Dragon in strategies such as LavaLoon. Additionally, its death damage provides an extra offensive tool, potentially wiping out or severely damaging enemy support units.

However, the Super Lava Hound is not without its vulnerabilities. It is highly susceptible to air-targeting units and buildings such as the Inferno Tower, Inferno Dragon, Wizard, and Mega Minion, all of which can effectively neutralize it. Specific card combinations, like the Tornado and Executioner combo, can also disrupt its ability to spawn units and pose a threat. The high Elixir cost of 8 requires careful management, and its slow movement speed allows opponents more time to prepare their defenses.

To maximize the Super Lava Hound’s potential, players should focus on leveraging its tanking ability to protect high-damage air units, capitalizing on its death damage, and using its building-targeting trait to create clear paths to enemy towers. When countering it, the key strategies involve using air-targeting defenses, employing combinations like Tornado and Executioner, spreading out defenses to minimize death damage, and preparing for the multiple waves of Lava Hounds and Lava Pups it spawns.

Ultimately, the Super Lava Hound, while powerful in the special event modes, is a temporary card and not intended for regular ladder play. Its unique mechanics introduce new dynamics to Clash Royale battles during these events, challenging players to adapt their strategies for both offense and defense.