Deck Review: Lava + Lightning!

What's up Clashers! Today we are featuring a deck created by the user Josh. Check it out!

This deck got me into legendary arena - I have won hundreds of matches using it. I got the lava hound in a super magical chest which I received from battle while I was moving up and down between arenas 5 & 6 as a level 8. I managed to make it all the way up to arena 8 & 9 with it, just after I got to level 9. The Ice Wizard and Miner can be replaced if necessary.

LAVA + LIGHTNING DECK

START OF THE GAME

A lot of people who use similar decks to this one start with the Tombstone. However I don't recommend it, because it is the only building in the deck - this means a Hog or Giant user can wait for the Tombstone to decay and then start a push knowing that you have no defensive building in your hand. So I usually start with a Lava Hound if I have the Tombstone as backup in case they start a quick opposite lane push. As strange as it sounds I usually don't back up the first Hound that I play - this allows me to see what they use to counter the lone Lava Hound. If neither of these cards are available, I play Minions at the bridge to get some chip damage or an Ice Wizard behind the king tower then I wait for my opponent to make a move.

THE MAIN PUSH

The main push you will use to take towers in this deck consists of the Lava Hound, Mega Minion, Miner and possibly the Lightning Spell.

Place the Hound in the very bottom left or right tile (depending on the lane you are pushing) instead of placing it behind the king tower, otherwise this allows your opponent to drag the Hound into the other lane away from their most damaged tower. Once the Hound has been placed, put down the Mega Minion directly behind the Hound - this will protect the Mega Minion and make it push the Hound slightly faster. Just before the Hound pops, send in the Miner at the BACK of their tower - this stops the opponent from hitting the pups, any backup units AND the Miner with a single spell such as the Fireball.

Now, you may be wondering about the Lightning Spell. I recommend hiding it from the opponent until double elixir unless there is a prime opportunity to use it and get great value out of it. You should use the Lightning Spell if the opponent places an Inferno Tower, it will reset the Inferno back to minimum damage and take away a large amount of its health. You should always be patient with this spell - always look to hit 3 different targets to make the most of the 3 strikes. Offensively, it can instantly take out the Wizard, Ice Wizard, Musketeer and Mega Minion which are all good counters for the Lava Hound - and it can also kill the Three Musketeers for a 3 elixir profit, plus the Inferno Tower suffers heavy damage from it as mentioned earlier. Defensively, it can remove backup units behind a tank such as the units I covered earlier.

CARD SUBSTITUTION

Lava Hound (7)

This is the key card in this deck. It cannot be replaced.

Miner (3)

I only received this card after reaching legendary arena. The Miner's role in 90% of decks is irreplaceable as he is very unique, he is essentially a pop-up tank. However, before I received him I used the Ice Spirit in his place. You could also use the Goblin Barrel instead, or maybe even the Graveyard if you have it unlocked.

Lightning Spell (6)

This card is very useful against Inferno Towers, as the Zap alone isn't powerful enough to stop them from killing your Hound. It also provides amazing value if you can hit multiple units with it. Possible replacements are the Rocket & Fireball.

Zap Spell (2)

Very useful for taking out zap-able units like the Skeleton Army or Spear Goblins, and also resetting the Inferno Tower or Sparky if the lightning is unavailable. The best replacement for Zap are the Arrows. Arrows also allow you to completely kill Minions or the Minion Horde for a great profit - which spell you use is all down to personal preference. I slightly prefer Zap as it is a good last resort option for resetting an Inferno Tower or Sparky.

Ice Wizard (3)

The Ice Wizard is unique due to his decent hitpoints and unique slow ability, and he is excellent for defence, but he can be replaced with any defence-capable unit. These include Guards, Skeleton Army, Ice Golem, Wizard, Spear Goblins or Fire Spirits.

Mega Minion (3)

The Mega Minion is a very difficult card to replace, because it has high damage like the Minions but cannot be completely stopped by Arrows or a Fireball, provided it isn't massively under-levelled. There really aren't many brilliant counters for it that cost 3 or less elixir. If this card isn't available, a Baby Dragon could be a possible replacement, or possibly a Minion Horde.

Tombstone (3)

The Tombstone is the only defensive building in this deck. It is, in my opinion, underrated - it distracts many high damage troops such as the Pekka, Mini Pekka, Prince and Sparky, plus it is a good distraction for Giants and Hog Riders and it can even keep the Princess at bay as she takes longer to fire than the Tombstone takes to spawn Skeletons. Possible replacements are the Cannon or Tesla, as they can distract building targeting troops and deal good damage to them.

Minions (3)

The Minions are one of my favourite cards in the entire game for their versatility. They are brilliant both offensively and defensively with their high damage and fast speed. They can tear down a tower if they are left unchecked behind a tank. There isn't really a card that is as versatile in offence and defence as the Minions in my opinion, but the Goblins or Archers could be a decent replacement.

STRENGTHS:

- Three Musketeers Decks

The Lightning Spell will utterly destroy the Three Musketeers. Just make sure you ONLY use the Lightning Spell on the Three Musketeers, and don't waste it on anything else or it could be game over.

- Spawner Decks

The Lightning Spell will kill the Tombstone & the Furnace, heavily damage the Goblin Hut and will take the Barbarian Hut to below 50% health. The Hound can soak up Spear Goblin damage and the Mega Minion and Minions can assassinate the Barbarians.

- Zap Bait Decks

Play normally but save the Arrows or Zap for the Skeleton Army, the Minions will kill the Goblin Barrel, and the Mega Minion does a good job at distracting the Minion Horde.

WEAKNESSES:

- "Airfecta" (Lava Hound, Inferno Dragon, Mega Minion) Decks

This type of deck usually beats me if the opponent is good. The Inferno Dragon won't be killed by Lightning unless you also use the Zap to finish it off, but this cost 8 elixir to counter 4. I have beat these decks before using my deck but you need to be ready and stop the Inferno Dragon locking onto one of your towers at all costs. Thankfully I rarely ever face this deck anymore.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you on the battlefield!