Best TH18 Attack Strategy: Dragons, Throwers, Ruin Witch

The best TH18 attack strategy in Clash of Clans right now is still a Dragon Duke air attack or a Thrower smash, with Ruin Witch as the highest-scoring option in Supercell's own war data. Town Hall 18 is the max level as of November 12, 2026, and Supercell's November season post says Town Hall 19 arrives mid-month. This guide covers what the official usage and three-star numbers say, how to run each top army, which units the October 2026 balance changes moved, and what to watch when Town Hall 19 lands.

Checked against Supercell's October 2026 balance post, July Balance Update and November season post on November 12, 2026.

Usage and three-star rates in this guide come from Supercell's balance posts, which measure TH18 versus TH18 attacks in Clan Wars and Clan War Leagues. Strategy names such as Hydra, Thrower Smash and Super Bowler Smash are community labels, not official terms. Town Hall 19 details are not public yet beyond the mid-November timing.

What is the best TH18 attack strategy right now?

There is no single best army. Supercell's data shows three clear leaders, each with a different strength. The table summarizes them.

Strategy	Core units	What the official data says	Status after October 2026
Dragon Duke air (dragon armies)	Dragon Duke, Dragon Riders, Dragons	Most popular war army, about 20% of attacks (July)	Fire Heart lost its bonus damage and some HP; trap protection cut twice in 2026
Thrower smash	Throwers, Healers, tanks such as Yetis	Second most popular; with dragons, about 40% of attacks (July)	No direct nerf in October
Ruin Witch	Ruin Witches behind a main army	About 76% three-star rate, highest of any meaningful troop (October)	Ruin Knights now 18 housing, slower, less HP and damage
Ground alternatives	Hog Riders, Miners, P.E.K.K.A, Meteor Golem	Under 3% usage each, 20% to 35% three-star rates (October)	All buffed in October

If you want one army to learn this week, Thrower smash is the safest bet, since it was not touched in October while both of its main rivals were. If you already play dragons well, keep doing it, but expect slightly lower results from Fire Heart than before.

How do you run a Dragon Duke air attack at TH18?

Use the Dragon Duke as the tank in front of Dragon Riders or Dragons, with the Minion Prince and the Grand Warden set to air mode in support. In this role he trades his solo rage for protection: his Royal Rampage, which doubles damage and adds 50% attack speed, only triggers when he is separated from friendly flying units.

The Duke unlocked on March 1, 2026 at Hero Hall level 9, which requires Town Hall 15. Key points for the air version at TH18:

• Stun Blaster: lets him shut down single-target Inferno Towers, the Monolith and the Revenge Tower long enough for the dragons to survive.
• Pets: the Phoenix and Angry Jelly are the common pairings. Do not pair him with Sneezy, whose Boogers cancel Royal Rampage and expose him to air traps.
• Traps: his trap damage reduction fell from 50 to 40 in May and was cut again in July, so Seeking Air Mines hurt more than they used to.
• Dragon Riders: max level HP went from 6,200 to 6,000 and damage per second from 520 to 510 in May, with a further small cut in July.

The solo Duke opener is also popular. Sent alone with Fire Heart and a Flame Blower or Stun Blaster, he can clear a compartment by himself. Supercell's October data put Fire Heart in about 40% of all attacks, with Duke attacks using it three-starring 66% of the time against 56% without it. The October change removed Fire Heart's damage bonus, lowered its bonus HP by about 8% and cut max healing from 150 to 140 per second, so the opener still works but forgives fewer mistakes.

How do Thrower attacks work?

Throwers are long-range Elixir troops that hit both ground and air targets, unlocked at Barracks level 18 (Town Hall 16). They do huge damage from behind a tank line but die quickly if left exposed.

1. Build a funnel first. Open the sides with the Barbarian King or Archer Queen, or a Siege Barracks, so the main army walks into the core instead of around it.
2. Lay down tanks. A line of Yetis or Golems absorbs fire while the Throwers attack from range.
3. Spread the Throwers in a line. Clumped Throwers die to splash from the Scattershot and Eagle Artillery.
4. Support them. Healers keep Throwers alive in the second most popular TH18 war army. The Grand Warden's Life Gem and Rage Gem combo also suits them, and Heroic Torch helps the funnel.

Throwers also replace Super Bowlers in a Warden walk, since both have similar range to the Grand Warden and can share Healers and Rage Spells.

Is Ruin Witch still strong after the October nerf?

Yes, but less forgiving. Supercell measured her three-star rate at about 76% in TH18 wars before the change, then made her Ruin Knights lighter, slower and a little weaker.

The Ruin Witch is a Dark Elixir troop unlocked at Dark Barracks level 13 (Town Hall 16). She does nothing on deployment, walks to the rubble of destroyed buildings, vacuums it up and summons Ruin Knights. Three rules matter:

• Never deploy her first. She cannot attack, so single-target damage from the Monolith, single Infernos and the Revenge Tower deletes her.
• Place her behind the main army so the Knights spawn inside the base, where they act as extra tanks.
• Respect Spring Traps now. Ruin Knight housing dropped from 20 to 18 in October, which means Spring Traps can launch them. Before the change they set traps off without being thrown.

Which spells and Siege Machines matter at TH18?

The Totem Spell is one of the most used spells at high Town Halls. It costs 1 spell space, stuns buildings where it lands and pulls defensive fire onto a high-HP Totem that counts as both a ground and an air target.

Use Totems away from your main push so defenses retarget onto them. They are weak to single-target damage, cannot trigger traps, and defenses will still hit a closer troop instead of the Totem. Supercell flagged the Totem as high on its watchlist in July, so a change is possible.

The Sky Wagon, unlocked at Workshop level 9 (Town Hall 17), flies over walls and launches barrels of Minions, a Balloon, a Baby Dragon and one Clan Castle troop each. Supercell removed one barrel, one Minion and one level from its troops in May after it appeared in too many attacks, and a single Seeking Air Mine can still take a big chunk of its health. Your army itself has 352 housing space at max Army Camp level, and a level 13 Clan Castle adds 55 more.

What TH18 defenses do you need to plan around?

Plan every TH18 attack around the Guardian, the Revenge Tower and the Super Wizard Tower, then check air defense ranges if you are flying.

• Guardians: the Smasher (melee splash) and Longshot (ranged splash) hit ground and air, but only one defends at a time. The Logger Guardian added in 2026 had its rolling range cut by two tiles in July.
• Revenge Tower: gains power and HP after 5, 20 and 40 buildings are destroyed, so a slow attack faces a stronger tower late.
• Super Wizard Tower: made by merging two Wizard Towers; its Super Wizard chains attacks across up to 15 targets, which punishes swarms.
• Air Bombs and Giant Arrow: Air Bomb range went from 900 to 1,100 in May, and Giant Arrow now deals double damage to Air Defenses.

Which TH18 armies got buffed in October 2026?

Supercell buffed the armies almost nobody was using. Hog Rider, Miner and P.E.K.K.A each appeared in under 3% of TH18 war attacks with three-star rates of 20% to 35%.

Hog Riders and Super Hog Riders gained HP, Miners and Super Miners gained HP at max levels, P.E.K.K.A got more damage, and the Meteor Golem got more HP, which also raises its Meteormites' HP. The Meteor Golem had already received the largest buff in the July update. Frozen Arrow gained 5 percentage points of slow at every level and a higher max damage (168 to 175), and Portal Pendant now gives the Minion Prince up to 1,200 bonus HP. These are worth testing in friendly challenges, but the official data still favors the three leaders.

What happens to TH18 strategies when Town Hall 19 arrives?

Supercell's November 1 post says Town Hall 19 arrives mid-month but gives no date, and it runs a "Last Town Hall 18 Challenge" from November 9 to 15. New Town Halls usually bring new troop and defense levels, so expect the war meta to shift once players upgrade. Before you jump, use the Clash of Clans upgrade priority guide to plan the first weeks, and finish key offense upgrades while the Hammer Jam event (50% off upgrade costs and timers, November 1 to 15) is running.

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