Best TH18 Base Layouts 2026

How to Execute

1. 1

   Identify all Tornado Trap positions before attacking — Tornado Traps pull invisible troops into concentrated fire and completely negate Blizzard Spell protection if the spell is dropped over one

2. 2

   Queen Walk one base side if hero levels support it — destroying the Merged Inferno Tower on the Walk side dramatically reduces Root Rider HP loss during the invisible push windows

3. 3

   Lure CC troops with a Balloon — kill with Poison Spell well away from the Root Rider deployment zone

4. 4

   Deploy 5 Healers in a line along the Root Rider entry edge before releasing the Root Riders — Healers must be established before Root Riders take defensive fire

5. 5

   Release all Root Riders in a horizontal spread across the entry side — they immediately begin wall destruction and advance toward the first defense cluster

6. 6

   Wait 10 seconds for Root Riders to group near the first major defense cluster before dropping Blizzard

7. 7

   Drop first Blizzard Spell on the combined Root Rider and Healer formation just as they approach the highest-DPS defense cluster — the entire formation goes invisible simultaneously

8. 8

   During first Blizzard window: drop first Rage Spell on the invisible Root Rider cluster — combined invisibility and DPS boost is the most dangerous attack combination at TH18

9. 9

   Bat Spell on the Spell Tower area while Root Riders are invisible — bat skeletons force Spell Tower to cast on skeletons

10. 10

    First Healing Spell immediately when first Blizzard expires — Root Riders become visible and take concentrated fire simultaneously

11. 11

    Drop second Blizzard Spell when Root Riders reach the Merged Inferno Tower or inner TH compartment — this covers the most critical defensive zone at TH18

12. 12

    Second Rage Spell during second Blizzard window for the final TH push

13. 13

    Second Healing Spell if Root Riders arrive at the TH compartment with reduced HP after Blizzard expires

How to Counter It

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  Tornado Traps positioned near likely Blizzard drop zones are the highest-priority counter at TH18 — they pull invisible Root Riders into fixed positions directly under Merged Inferno Tower and Multi-Archer Tower coverage, negating the invisibility protection entirely

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  Giant Bomb clusters inside each wall ring trigger on proximity regardless of Blizzard — the more wall rings a base has, the more Giant Bomb detonations accumulate during the attack

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  Bomb Tower continuous splash fires throughout both Blizzard windows dealing unavoidable area damage to all Root Riders in its splash radius — the only standard defense that functions fully during Blizzard

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  Merged Inferno Tower positioned near the TH with surrounding wall layers activates during both Blizzard windows — even at reduced output during invisibility, it fires the moment Root Riders become visible, dealing maximum burst damage at peak HP vulnerability

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  Maximize trap density inside the second and third wall rings where most Blizzard spells are dropped — at TH18, trap level matters significantly, so upgrading all Giant Bombs, Spring Traps, and Seeking Air Mines to max is the most important Legend League defensive investment

How to Execute

1. 1

   Plan the Queen Walk side: identify the base half with the Merged Inferno Tower and Eagle Artillery — removing both during the walk is the primary Queen Walk objective

2. 2

   Deploy 4 Healers then the Archer Queen along the identified base edge

3. 3

   Queen Walk for 60–90 seconds — trigger ability when HP drops below 20%; aim to clear Merged Inferno Tower, Eagle Artillery, and one Spell Tower

4. 4

   While Queen walks, send a Balloon to lure CC troops from the opposite side — kill with Poison Spell

5. 5

   Immediately after Queen Walk ends, deploy Hog Riders on the cleaned Queen Walk side — defenses are eliminated so Hogs move through quickly

6. 6

   Release all Miners behind the Hogs simultaneously — they dive underground and surface beside defenses Hogs have not yet reached

7. 7

   Deploy Rocket Balloons behind and between the Hog-Miner formation — they fly to Air Defenses and Xbows from above while ground troops handle surface-level defenses

8. 8

   Drop first Healing Spell on Hog-Miner cluster as they face the first remaining Inferno Tower or Multi-Archer Tower

9. 9

   First Rage Spell when Miners, Hogs, and Rocket Balloons all converge near the base center — all three layers are active simultaneously

10. 10

    Haste Spell on Rocket Balloons when they approach a surviving Air Defense cluster

11. 11

    Activate Grand Warden ability when the three-army cluster faces Merged Inferno Tower fire from any surviving Tower

12. 12

    Second Healing Spell on the Hog-Miner cluster at the inner base ring

13. 13

    Second Rage Spell at the TH area for the three-layer final convergence push

14. 14

    Third Healing Spell at the TH compartment if Hogs or Miners arrive critically low

How to Counter It

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  Double Giant Bomb pairs in the main Hog pathing corridor between outer defenses are the most efficient single counter — eliminating Hog groups before they can create the three-layer dilemma

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  Seeking Air Mines beside Air Defenses burst Rocket Balloon groups before they establish altitude over their targets — multiple Air Mine clusters across different Air Defense buildings force Rocket Loons to take unavoidable losses

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  Single-target Inferno Tower on the Queen Walk side burns through Healer regeneration faster than the Queen can sustain — forcing early ability use limits how much of the base she can clear before the three-army deployment

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  Merged Inferno Tower positioned away from the base edge ensures it is not accessible from the Queen Walk side — protecting it means the three-army assault faces the highest-DPS defense at TH18 with no pre-removal

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  Giant Bomb clusters inside inner wall compartments accumulate damage against Miners as they surface — the more inner rings a base has, the more Giant Bomb trigger opportunities exist throughout the three-layer assault

How to Execute

1. 1

   Scout the base and identify the highest-threat defensive building — Merged Inferno Tower or Spell Tower with Invisibility are the primary Lightning Spell targets at TH18

2. 2

   Use all 5 Lightning Spells to destroy or critically weaken that building before deploying troops

3. 3

   Lure CC troops with a Wall Breaker — kill with Poison Spell before the main army

4. 4

   Build a wide entry funnel: deploy 2 Wizards far left and 2 Wizards far right of the attack angle — burn both corners before placing Golems

5. 5

   Deploy both Golems at the center of the funnel — dual Golems split Merged Scattershot and Multi-Archer Tower fire

6. 6

   Use Wall Breakers to open the primary wall ring between the Golems

7. 7

   Deploy all Super Witches in a horizontal spread directly behind the Golems — spacing them 3 tiles apart for maximum Big Boy spawn distribution across the front

8. 8

   First Jump Spell to advance the full army through the second wall ring without stalling

9. 9

   First Bat Spell on the highest-threat remaining defense — bat skeletons distract that building from the Super Witch formation

10. 10

    First Rage Spell on the Super Witch and Big Boy cluster at the Eagle Artillery or Merged Scattershot zone

11. 11

    Second Jump Spell for the inner TH ring access

12. 12

    Second Bat Spell at the TH area for final skeleton distraction coverage

13. 13

    Trigger Royal Champion ability in the TH compartment — she removes the final perimeter defenses while Big Boys overwhelm the TH itself

14. 14

    Second Rage Spell on the Big Boy and Super Witch cluster in the TH compartment for the 3-star finish

How to Counter It

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  Merged Scattershot positioned to cover the main Super Witch approach angle fires at the formation and Big Boy cluster as they sweep inward — its wide splash area hits multiple Big Boys per projectile at TH18 density

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  Giant Bomb clusters at the base center punish Big Boy swarms that converge after Super Witches reach mid-base — the convergence point is predictable and Giant Bombs there trigger on the densest part of the skeleton swarm

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  Multi-target Inferno Tower handles grouped Big Boys more efficiently than Single-target at TH18 — each bolt hits multiple Big Boys simultaneously and the continuous fire depletes skeleton numbers faster than they spawn

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  Spell Tower with Poison Spell continuously weakens both Big Boys and Super Witches over time — at TH18 where Super Witches have maximum HP, accumulated Poison damage is the only way to reduce them without a direct targeting defense

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  Bomb Tower continuous area splash deals unavoidable damage to Big Boy swarms regardless of skeleton density — positioning it inside the base center where Big Boys always converge maximizes total damage output across the full attack duration

How to Execute

1. 1

   Equip Grand Warden with Electro Owl before attacking — his passive chain-lightning fires at targets near the Super Dragon formation throughout the entire sweep

2. 2

   Scout all Air Defense and Spell Tower positions — Spell Tower with Invisibility disrupts the Super Dragon sweep by making target buildings temporarily untargetable

3. 3

   Use all 5 Lightning Spells on the most isolated or highest-level Air Defense — verify complete destruction before deploying anything

4. 4

   Send 2 Balloons to lure CC troops — kill with Poison Spell before Super Dragons appear

5. 5

   Deploy Super Dragons in a wide horizontal spread along the base edge farthest from remaining Air Defenses

6. 6

   Space Super Dragons 3–4 tiles apart — chain-lightning from adjacent Super Dragons causes friendly fire damage if spacing is under 3 tiles

7. 7

   Set Grand Warden to Air mode and deploy him at the rear of the formation

8. 8

   Drop first Rage Spell when Super Dragons converge on the Eagle Artillery and Merged Scattershot zone simultaneously

9. 9

   Activate Grand Warden ability when the formation faces concentrated burst from Merged Inferno Tower or Multi-Archer Tower coverage

10. 10

    Second Rage Spell at the TH area for the final sweep where surviving Air Defenses are most concentrated

11. 11

    First Haste Spell on Balloon cleanup when they approach the Ricochet Cannon zone

12. 12

    Second Haste Spell on Balloons during the final perimeter cleanup after all major defenses fall

How to Counter It

• 🛡

  Air Sweeper is the single highest-impact counter to Super Dragon Spam at TH18 — it pushes the formation backward and resets chain-lightning proximity, adding several seconds of Air Defense exposure that compound across multiple Air Defenses

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  Seeking Air Mine pairs beside each Air Defense deal burst damage to Super Dragons approaching — at TH18, all Air Mines should be at max level for maximum burst output against the high-HP max-level Super Dragon formation

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  Multi-Archer Tower fires at multiple Super Dragons simultaneously — its multi-target mechanics make it more efficient against spread air formations than single-target Inferno Towers

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  Spell Tower with Invisibility disrupts the planned Super Dragon sweep by making buildings temporarily untargetable — Super Dragons repath around the invisible area, breaking chain-lightning formation spacing and proximity

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  Eagle Artillery centrally positioned fires throughout the full sweep duration — at TH18 where Eagle Artillery is at max level, cumulative damage across a full Super Dragon sweep is significant even against max-HP Super Dragons