Winning attacks in Clash of Clans rarely come down to picking the single “best” army composition, because the right strategy depends on your Town Hall level, your hero and equipment progress, the base you’re facing, and even whether you’re farming resources, pushing trophies, or attacking in a Clan War. That said, certain troop compositions have proven consistently reliable at specific Town Hall ranges because they match what those Town Halls can realistically fund and support. This guide walks through how attack strategy evolves from the mid-game through the current end-game Town Halls, focusing on the reasoning behind troop choices, not just a list of army names to copy. If you’re earlier in progression and want the fundamentals of village building and troop unlocks first, check out our complete Clash of Clans guide before diving into these compositions.
What Actually Makes an Attack Strategy “Good”
A strong attack strategy balances three things: tank troops that absorb defensive fire, damage troops that clear buildings, and support in the form of spells, siege machines, and heroes that remove obstacles or turn a losing fight into a win. Before committing to any composition, look at what it’s designed to beat. Ground-based strategies generally struggle against bases with strong central Inferno Tower or splash coverage unless they include a plan to deal with single-target damage, while air strategies live or die based on how well anti-air defenses are covered and whether your army can survive a Seeking Air Mine or seeking Air Defense fire long enough to reach the core. No composition is universally correct, the goal is matching your troops, spells, and heroes to the weaknesses of the specific base in front of you.
Town Hall 9 to 10: Building Core Attacking Habits
At these Town Halls, players are usually working with a mix of Dragons, Golems, Witches, and early Bowlers, alongside Barbarian King and Archer Queen levels that are still climbing. This is the stage where fundamentals matter most: correct troop deployment order, using Heal and Rage Spells at the right moment, and reading a base before attacking rather than during. GoWiPe (Golem, Wizard, Pekka) and Dragon-based air attacks are common because they’re forgiving of imperfect execution while still teaching the timing and funneling skills needed for harder Town Halls. Spending time mastering deployment speed and spell timing here pays off far more than chasing a “meta” army too early.
Town Hall 12 to 13: Balancing Ground and Air Options
Town Hall 12 and 13 introduce stronger defenses that punish sloppy attacks, but also unlock troop and hero upgrades that make several strategies viable. On the ground, Yeti-based spam strategies paired with Super Archers have become popular because they’re straightforward to deploy while still overwhelming bases through sheer troop volume rather than precise execution. On the air side, Electro Dragon attacks sent through the center of the base, supported by an early Rage Spell and the Grand Warden’s ability, remain effective because Electro Dragons chain lightning damage between defenses, clearing multiple buildings at once. Adding the Minion Prince hero at this stage provides extra tanking value and helps absorb air trap damage that would otherwise thin out your main air force. At TH13, the priority is choosing one strategy, whether ground or air, and practicing it enough to execute consistently rather than switching armies every attack.
Town Hall 14 to 15: Hero-Driven, High-Value Attacks
By Town Hall 14 and 15, hero levels and equipment start to matter as much as troop composition. Attacks at this stage often rely on using heroes and their abilities to remove a base’s most dangerous defense early, clearing the way for the main army to sweep through with less resistance. Super Witch compositions, sometimes with Super Bowlers as a viable swap depending on the base layout, form a strong core at TH15, typically supported by Valkyries or Baby Dragons to add extra damage and cleanup power. Siege machines, such as the Battle Blimp or Stone Slammer depending on your preference, help deliver Clan Castle troops or extra firepower directly where it’s needed instead of relying on ground pathing alone. The key skill at this stage isn’t picking exotic troops, it’s sequencing: knowing which defense or hero to neutralize first so the rest of the attack unfolds cleanly.
Town Hall 16 and Beyond: Late-Game Compositions
At Town Hall 16 and the highest current Town Halls, Electro Dragon-based air compositions remain a reliable option, typically paired with Balloons for additional single-target damage, and supported by a mix of Rage and Freeze Spells to push through concentrated defensive fire and to lock down dangerous single-target defenses temporarily. Heroes at this stage carry significant weight thanks to equipment loadouts, and pairing the right equipment with the right troop composition can be the difference between a comfortable three-star and a narrow two-star. As new Town Halls and troops continue to be added, the specific “best” army will keep shifting, which is why understanding the underlying logic, tanking, damage, and support, matters more long-term than memorizing any single composition.
Reading a Base Before You Attack
Regardless of Town Hall, scouting matters. Before deploying anything, identify where the Clan Castle troops will pull from, where splash defenses are concentrated, whether the base is compartmentalized tightly or loosely, and where the weakest point of entry is likely to be. Attacks that fail often do so not because the troop composition was wrong, but because the attacker deployed into a well-defended compartment instead of a weaker one, or failed to account for the Clan Castle’s range. Spend a few extra seconds scanning the base layout before committing troops, since a well-chosen composition deployed in the wrong spot will still fail.
Practicing and Adjusting Your Strategy
The fastest way to improve as an attacker is deliberate practice against similar base layouts, not constantly switching strategies after a single failed attack. Use Friendly Challenges or lower-stakes attacks to test a composition’s execution before relying on it in war or Clan War Leagues, where mistakes are costly. Pay attention to which part of the attack consistently goes wrong, whether it’s spell timing, troop funneling, or hero ability usage, and adjust that specific element rather than abandoning the whole strategy. Because Supercell periodically rebalances troop stats and costs, a composition that dominated one season may need adjustment the next, so stay open to tweaking troop ratios or spell choices even within a strategy you already know well.