Best Army Compositions for Every Town Hall Level 2026

Choosing the right army composition is one of the most important decisions you make in every Clash of Clans attack. The wrong army against the wrong base means a guaranteed fail, while the right composition can make even difficult bases look easy. But with dozens of troops, spells, and hero equipment combinations available, knowing what works best at your Town Hall level can be overwhelming.

This guide covers the best army compositions for every Town Hall level from TH7 to TH18. For each level, you will find the top war army, the best farming army, and a trophy pushing option — with full troop counts, spell loadouts, and tips on when to use each one.

How to Read This Guide

For each Town Hall level, we list:

• Best War Army — The composition most likely to 3-star in clan wars
• Best Farming Army — The cheapest and fastest army for collecting resources
• Best Trophy Army — The army that wins the most attacks for trophy pushing

All compositions include Clan Castle (CC) troop recommendations where applicable. Spell counts assume max spell capacity for that Town Hall level.

TH7TH7 — Best Armies

Town Hall 7 is where Clash of Clans starts to get interesting. You unlock Dragons, the Barbarian King, and Dark Elixir troops.

Barbarian troop

Best War Army: Mass Dragon

CC: Balloons or Dragon

How to use: Deploy all Dragons in a line from one side. Drop Rage Spells as they move through the base. At TH7, mass Dragon is almost unbeatable — Air Defenses cannot handle 10 Dragons.

Best Farming Army: Barch (Barbarian + Archer)

How to use: Find dead bases with full collectors. Deploy Barbarians in a line to tank, then Archers behind them to collect from exposed collectors. Cheap, fast training, and gets the job done.

Best Trophy Army: Mass Dragon

Same as war army. At TH7, Dragons dominate everything.

TH8TH8 — Best Armies

TH8 unlocks Golems, Valkyries, P.E.K.K.A, and the powerful GoWiPe strategy. You also get Dark Spells.

Best War Army: GoWiPe

CC: P.E.K.K.A or Valkyrie

How to use: Deploy Golems to tank, Wizards behind to funnel, then P.E.K.K.As through the center. Rage and Heal as they push through the core. Poison enemy CC troops.

Best Farming Army: Barch

Still the most efficient farming army. Fast training, zero Dark Elixir cost.

Best Trophy Army: DragLoon

How to use: Deploy Dragons to tank, Balloons behind targeting Air Defenses. Rage through the core.

TH9TH9 — Best Armies

TH9 is a major power spike. You unlock the Archer Queen, Lava Hounds, Baby Dragons, Witch, and Jump Spell. This opens up GoWiWi, LaLo, and Queen Walk strategies.

Best War Army: GoWiWi (Golem + Witch + Wizard)

CC: Golem or Bowler

How to use: Golems tank the front, Wizards funnel, Witches spawn skeletons behind. Jump into the core, Rage for damage, Heal through splash.

Best Farming Army: GiBarch

How to use: Giants tank defenses, Wall Breakers open compartments, Barch grabs resources. Heal Giants when needed.

Best Trophy Army: LaLo (Lava Hound + Balloon)

CC: Lava Hound

How to use: Use heroes to take out one Air Defense, deploy Lava Hounds toward remaining ADs, surgical Balloons behind. Haste to speed them along. Minions for cleanup.

TH10TH10 — Best Armies

TH10 unlocks Inferno Towers on defense and Miners on offense. The Siege Machine donation system becomes available for receiving from TH12+ clanmates.

Best War Army: GoBoWitch

CC: Siege Machine (Wall Wrecker) + Bowlers

How to use: Golems tank, Bowlers and Witches push through with Jump and Rage. Freeze Infernos. The Wall Wrecker opens a path straight to the core.

Best Farming Army: Mass Miner

How to use: Deploy all Miners in a group from one side. Pre-place Heal Spells along their path. Miners burrow underground and self-heal, making this incredibly efficient.

Best Trophy Army: Queen Walk + Miners

How to use: Queen Walk one side to create a funnel and take value. Deploy Miners on the other side with Heals. Rage the Queen if she takes heavy fire.

TH11TH11 — Best Armies

TH11 unlocks the Grand Warden, Eagle Artillery, and Electro Dragon. The Warden changes everything — his Eternal Tome ability makes army groups temporarily invincible.

Electro Dragon troop

Best War Army: E-Drag + Loon

CC: Stone Slammer + E-Drag

How to use: Baby Dragon + heroes funnel the sides. Deploy E-Drags in a line, Balloons behind targeting defenses. Stone Slammer goes to the core. Rage the chain lightning, Freeze Air Defenses and Infernos. Warden Tome when Eagle fires.

Best Farming Army: Sneaky Goblin

How to use: Sneaky Goblins are invisible for the first seconds after deployment. Drop them in waves targeting resource storages and the Town Hall. Jump or Earthquake to access deeper storage compartments. Fastest loot in the game.

Best Trophy Army: GoWitch + Bat

CC: Log Launcher + Yeti

How to use: Ground push with Golems, Witches, and Bowlers through one side. Warden Tome for the core. Deploy Bat Spells on the opposite side with Freeze support on Wizard Towers.

TH12TH12 — Best Armies

TH12 unlocks Siege Machines (you can build your own), Yeti, and the Giga Tesla on the Town Hall. Having your own Siege Machines is a massive power boost.

Best War Army: Yeti Smash

CC: Log Launcher + Yeti

How to use: Ice Golems tank, Yetis and Witches push through with Rage. Healers sustain the push. Warden Tome in the core. Bat Spells for backend cleanup with Freeze on Wizard Towers.

Best Farming Army: Sneaky Goblin + Super Wall Breaker

How to use: Super Wall Breakers open compartments, Sneaky Goblins dive in for resources. Extremely fast and efficient.

Best Trophy Army: Hybrid (Hog + Miner)

CC: Siege Barracks or Log Launcher

How to use: Kill squad with heroes to take out key defenses. Deploy Hog/Miner pack on the opposite side with Heal Spells. Warden walks with the Hybrid pack.

TH13TH13 — Best Armies

TH13 unlocks the Royal Champion — the fourth hero. Having 4 heroes changes the game entirely. You also get the Scattershot defense and access to more powerful troop levels.

PEKKA troop

Best War Army: GoBoWitch + RC

CC: Log Launcher + Yeti

How to use: Standard GoBoWitch push with the addition of the Royal Champion on a separate angle. RC snipes key defenses with her Seeking Shield while the main army pushes through.

Best Farming Army: Sneaky Goblin

Same as TH11-12. Still the fastest resource collector.

Best Trophy Army: Hybrid

Same as TH12 Hybrid but with the Royal Champion adding a third attack angle. RC goes to a separate side to snipe defenses the Hybrid pack would otherwise miss.

TH14TH14 — Best Armies

TH14 adds the 6th Builder (from Builder Base), upgraded hero pets, and stronger troop levels. Bases are more fortified but your offensive tools are significantly more powerful.

Best War Army: Super Witch Smash

CC: Log Launcher + Yeti

How to use: Earthquake the core. Ice Golems tank, Super Witches spawn Big Boys that deal massive damage. Healers keep the push alive. Rage through the center. Warden Tome for concentrated fire.

Best Farming Army: Sneaky Goblin + Super Wall Breaker

Still the king of farming efficiency at TH14.

Best Trophy Army: Root Rider Smash

Root Riders become available at TH15, but TH14 players use a Yeti Bowler variation:

TH15TH15 — Best Armies

TH15 unlocks Root Riders — the game-changing troop that redefined the meta. Root Riders ignore walls and deal massive damage, making them the core of most strategies from TH15 onward.

Best War Army: Root Rider Smash

How to use: Earthquake the core, funnel with heroes, Root Riders + Witches push through. Rage the core, Freeze Infernos. This is the start of the Root Rider era.

Best Farming Army: Sneaky Goblin

Unchanged. Sneaky Goblins dominate farming at every TH level once unlocked.

Best Trophy Army: Hybrid

Hybrid with all 4 heroes and RC providing a third attack angle remains one of the cleanest trophy pushing strategies.

TH16TH16 — Best Armies

TH16 adds the Monolith defense and hero equipment system. See our full TH16 Attack Strategies guide for detailed breakdowns.

Bowler troop

Best War Army: Root Rider Smash

Same core composition as TH15 but with max-level troops and hero equipment. The Monolith requires Freeze or kill squad planning.

Best Farming Army: Sneaky Goblin

Same as previous levels.

Best Trophy Army: Hybrid or PEKKABoBat

Both are strong at TH16. Hybrid for spread bases, PEKKABoBat for bases where you can split ground push and bat cleanup.

TH17TH17 — Best Armies

TH17 brings all 4 heroes to near-max levels with full equipment access. See our TH17 Attack Strategies guide for full details.

Best War Army: Root Rider Smash

The dominant strategy continues. Full equipment access makes the push even more devastating.

Best Farming Army: Sneaky Goblin

Still unmatched for farming efficiency.

Best Trophy Army: Sui LaLo

At TH17, skilled LaLo attackers can 3-star bases that ground strategies struggle with.

TH18TH18 — Best Armies

TH18 introduces the Spirit Fox — the fifth hero. See our TH18 Attack Strategies guide for complete breakdowns of all strategies.

Root Rider troop

Best War Army: Root Rider Smash

Root Rider Smash with 5 heroes and max equipment is the most consistent 3-star strategy at TH18.

Best Farming Army: Sneaky Goblin

Sneaky Goblins remain the best farming army at every level from TH11 onward.

Best Trophy Army: Hydra (E-Drag + Root Rider)

The Hydra strategy combines air and ground for devastating multi-angle attacks in Legend League.

Universal Farming Tips

No matter your Town Hall level, these farming principles apply:

• Use cheap armies. Barch (TH7-10) and Sneaky Goblins (TH11-18) cost a fraction of war armies and train in minutes.
• Target dead bases. Look for bases with full collectors — gold and purple bubbles visible on collectors and drills.
• Drop trophies if needed. Lower leagues (Gold, Crystal) have more dead bases with exposed loot.
• Farm during events. Supercell events often boost loot or reduce training costs.
• Always have an army ready. Start training your next army before attacking so there is no downtime.

How to Choose the Right Army

Picking the right army depends on three factors:

1. 1Your goal — War 3-star, farming loot, or pushing trophies each require different compositions.
2. 2The base layout — Compact bases favor Smash strategies. Spread bases favor Hybrid or LaLo. Clustered buildings favor E-Drags.
3. 3Your skill level — Start with simpler strategies (Smash, E-Drag) and work up to Hybrid and LaLo as you improve your funneling and spell timing.

General rule: When in doubt, use Root Rider Smash (TH15+) or GoWiPe/GoBoWitch (TH8-14). These strategies are the most forgiving and work against the widest range of bases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best army in Clash of Clans 2026?

Root Rider Smash is the best overall army from TH15 to TH18. For lower Town Hall levels, Mass Dragon (TH7), GoWiPe (TH8), GoWiWi (TH9), and GoBoWitch (TH10-14) are the top picks.

What is the best farming army?

Barch (Barbarian + Archer) from TH7-10, and Sneaky Goblins from TH11-18. Both are cheap, train fast, and grab maximum resources with minimal effort.

Is LaLo better than Root Rider Smash?

LaLo has a higher skill ceiling — a perfect LaLo attack can 3-star bases that Smash cannot. But Root Rider Smash is more consistent and forgiving. Use Smash as your default and LaLo for bases where ground strategies struggle.

What CC troops should I request?

For war: Yeti (ground strategies) or Electro Dragon (air strategies) in a Siege Machine. For farming: anything is fine — farming armies do not rely on CC.

How important are spells?

Extremely important. Spells are often the difference between a 2-star and a 3-star. Learn when to Rage (entering the core), Heal (through splash zones), Freeze (on Infernos), and Haste (ahead of Balloons).

Should I upgrade troops or spells first?

Always upgrade your primary war army troops first. If you use Root Rider Smash, prioritize Root Rider, Witch, and Rage Spell upgrades. Then upgrade your farming troops (Sneaky Goblin, Barbarian, Archer).

Find the perfect base layout for your Town Hall level in our base layout collection, and check out our TH-specific attack guides for detailed strategy breakdowns:

• TH16 Attack Strategies
• TH17 Attack Strategies
• TH18 Attack Strategies

Now go build the perfect army, Chief.