Overview
Ice Hound is the enhanced version of the Lava Hound, unlocked at Town Hall 12 with Lava Hound Level 5+. This freezing air tank features the Dish Served Cold ability—chilling targets with each attack (slowing attack speed) and freezing surrounding area upon death like Ice Golem. With 7,700 HP at max level (TH17)—highest HP of any offensive troop excluding Heroes—Ice Hounds excel at tanking Air Defense fire while slowing defenses, enabling support troops to destroy base safely. Upon death, spawns 10 Ice Pups (vs 8 Lava Pups) and freezes 7-tile radius for 4 seconds, disabling all defenses within range.
Ice Hounds revolutionized air tanking by adding crowd control to pure HP tanking. Unlike Lava Hound (pure damage absorption), Ice Hound slows defenses while tanking—Air Defenses attack 30% slower when chilled, reducing damage taken per second and extending Ice Hound survival time. Deploy 1-2 Ice Hounds targeting Air Defenses—they absorb fire while chilling defenses, then freeze area on death allowing Rocket Balloons/Dragons to destroy frozen defenses unopposed. However, Ice Hound has lower DPS (40 vs Lava Hound’s 56) and spawns fewer total pups (10 Ice Pups vs 18-24 Lava Pups depending on level). Best used when freeze control more valuable than raw pup numbers—particularly effective at TH13-16 where timing freeze with main army arrival secures 3-star.
📊 Stats & Capabilities
| Town Hall | Level | HP | DPS | Training Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TH12 | 5 | 6,500 | 35 | 690 Dark Elixir |
| TH15 | 6 | 7,200 | 38 | 750 Dark Elixir |
| TH17 | 7 | 7,700 | 40 | ⚔️ MAX — 810 Dark Elixir |
Key Attributes: Housing space 40, movement speed 20, training time 480 seconds (8 minutes), attack speed 2.0s. Special Ability – Dish Served Cold: Each attack chills target (slows attack speed by 30% for 3 seconds). Upon death: freezes 7-tile radius for 4 seconds (identical to Ice Golem freeze) + spawns 10 Ice Pups. Ice Pup stats: 400 HP, 60 DPS, speed 32. Targets: Air Defenses ONLY (ignores all other buildings/troops until all Air Defenses destroyed). Air unit, targets ground only.
⚔️ Best Attack Strategies
Ice Hound + Balloon Freeze Combo
Deploy 2 Ice Hounds targeting Air Defenses + 20-24 Balloons following behind. Ice Hounds tank Air Defense fire while chilling them (30% slower attack = Ice Hounds survive longer). When Ice Hounds die, freeze effect (4s) + 20 Ice Pups spawn. During freeze, Balloons destroy frozen Air Defenses and surrounding defenses unopposed. After freeze expires, Ice Pups continue tanking while Balloons clean up. More controlled than LavaLoon (Lava Hound) due to freeze timing. Dominant at TH13-15 for predictable 3-star execution.
Queen Charge + Ice Hound Support
Use Archer Queen with Healers + 1 Ice Hound for extended Queen Charges. Deploy Ice Hound to tank Air Defenses threatening Healers—Ice Hound absorbs fire while chilling Air Defenses (reduces damage to Healers by 30%). When Ice Hound dies, freeze effect stops Air Defenses for 4 seconds = Healers safe while Queen eliminates them. Ice Pups continue tanking post-freeze. This allows deeper Queen Charge penetration than Lava Hound (no freeze) or without any tank (Healers die). Effective TH12-16 Queen Charge enabler.
Electro Dragon + Ice Hound
Deploy 1-2 Ice Hounds + 8-10 Electro Dragons for chain lightning devastation. Ice Hounds tank Air Defenses while chilling them, Electro Dragons destroy buildings with chain lightning from safety. When Ice Hounds die near core defenses (Inferno Towers, Scattershots, Eagle Artillery), freeze effect (4s) stops all defenses while Electro Dragons unleash full chain lightning volleys. Freeze timing = critical—position Ice Hound death at core entry for maximum freeze value. Extremely powerful at TH13-14 where Electro Dragons excel.
Suicide Loon + Ice Hound
Deploy Ice Hound targeting Air Defense + 8-10 Balloons immediately following same path. Ice Hound tanks Air Defense fire, Balloons reach and destroy Air Defense rapidly. Before Air Defense kills Ice Hound, Balloons destroy it—Ice Hound then dies, freezes surrounding area for 4s + spawns 10 Ice Pups. Use freeze window to deploy next wave of Balloons attacking adjacent Air Defense—they approach frozen defenses unopposed. Cascading freeze strategy: Ice Hound 1 dies → freeze → destroy defenses → deploy Ice Hound 2 → repeat. Sequential freeze zones = methodical base destruction.
🎯 Strategic Tips
Chill Effect Mechanics
Every Ice Hound attack chills target for 3 seconds, reducing attack speed by 30%. Against Air Defenses (attack speed 1.0s), chill slows to 1.3s = 30% DPS reduction (300 DPS → 210 DPS). This stacks with Ice Hound’s tanking—7,700 HP tanking 210 DPS = 36.6 seconds survival vs tanking 300 DPS = 25.7 seconds survival. Chill extends survival by 42% through DPS reduction alone. Additionally, chilled defenses attack support troops (Balloons, Dragons) slower, reducing casualties. Chill effect = massive defensive debuff throughout Ice Hound lifespan.
Death Freeze Timing
Upon death, Ice Hound freezes 7-tile radius for exactly 4 seconds (identical to Ice Golem freeze). All buildings and defending troops in radius frozen—cannot attack, cannot move. Strategic timing critical: deploy Ice Hound to die when main army (Balloons, Dragons, Electro Dragons) arrives at core. Ice Hound death freeze = 4-second window where main army destroys frozen defenses unopposed. Mistimed freeze (Ice Hound dies before army arrives or after army passes) wastes freeze value. Practice timing Ice Hound deployment for optimal death-to-army-arrival synchronization.
Ice Pup Value (10 Pups)
Ice Hound spawns 10 Ice Pups on death (vs 8 Lava Pups from regular Lava Hound). Each Ice Pup: 400 HP, 60 DPS, speed 32. Combined stats: 4,000 HP and 600 DPS across all 10 pups. Ice Pups provide secondary tanking after Ice Hound death + freeze expiration. They absorb 4,000 additional damage (equivalent to another half Ice Hound) while dealing 600 DPS to remaining buildings. Against bases with 2 Air Defenses, Ice Pups often survive to provide cleanup—their 32 speed allows rapid repositioning across base after Air Defense elimination.
Air Defense Priority Targeting
CRITICAL: Ice Hound targets ONLY Air Defenses until all destroyed. Ignores Town Hall, Eagle Artillery, Inferno Towers, all other buildings—beelines directly to nearest Air Defense. This predictable pathing allows precise positioning. Deploy Ice Hound, it paths directly to Air Defense (no deviation), absorbs fire, chills defense, dies, freezes, spawns pups. After all Air Defenses destroyed, Ice Hound/pups attack nearest building (any type). Use Air Defense priority for strategic freeze placement—know exactly where Ice Hound will die based on Air Defense positions.
40 Housing Space Trade-off
Ice Hound costs 40 housing (tied with Super Dragon and Super Witch as highest). Comparison to Lava Hound: Lava Hound costs 30 space, Ice Hound costs 40 space = 33% more expensive. Ice Hound provides: higher HP (7,700 vs 6,800 at max), chill effect (30% attack speed slow), death freeze (4s disable), more pups (10 vs 8). For 33% more housing, gain 13% more HP + chill + freeze. Trade-off worth it when freeze control critical for timing. Not worth it when raw pup numbers more valuable (Lava Hound spawns 18-24 total pups with levels, Ice Hound only 10).
🛡️ Countering Ice Hounds
Multi-Target Inferno Towers
Set Inferno Towers to multi-target mode near Air Defenses. Multi-target Inferno engages Ice Hound + supporting Balloons/Dragons simultaneously at 400-500 DPS each. Even with 7,700 HP and chill effect, Ice Hound dies in 15-18 seconds to multi-target Inferno + Air Defense combined fire. Critically, multi-target Inferno ALSO damages support troops during Ice Hound tanking—killing 3-5 Balloons before Ice Hound dies. This reduces post-freeze army strength. After Ice Hound death freeze expires, depleted Balloon count unable to complete destruction. Multi-target Infernos = Ice Hound counter.
Spread Air Defense Positioning
Position Air Defenses 15+ tiles apart across base rather than clustered centrally. Ice Hound targets nearest Air Defense exclusively—dies near it, freezes 7-tile radius. If Air Defenses spread 20+ tiles apart, Ice Hound freeze only affects ONE Air Defense (7-tile radius doesn’t reach others). Other Air Defenses remain active, continuing to fire at Balloons/Dragons during freeze. Clustered Air Defenses (within 10 tiles) = Ice Hound freeze affects ALL simultaneously = total defensive shutdown. Spread = only partial freeze coverage = defenses remain active = attack failure.
Seeking Air Mines at Air Defenses
Position Seeking Air Mines adjacent to Air Defenses (2-3 tiles away). When Ice Hound approaches Air Defense, SAM triggers before Ice Hound reaches ideal death position. SAM damage (450) + Air Defense fire forces premature Ice Hound death—freeze activates 5-8 tiles AWAY from intended position (Air Defense itself). This freeze displacement wastes freeze value—Air Defense not frozen, Balloons arrive at Air Defense outside freeze radius, take full damage. Alternatively, if supporting Balloons follow close behind Ice Hound, SAM damages both = efficiency loss. SAM placement = freeze timing disruption.
Tornado Traps for Freeze Displacement
Position Tornado Traps 6-8 tiles from Air Defenses. When Ice Hound approaches Air Defense, Tornado pulls it 8 tiles away from Air Defense. Ice Hound continues targeting Air Defense but from displaced position. When Ice Hound dies, freeze activates at displaced location—8-12 tiles away from Air Defense (outside 7-tile freeze radius). Air Defense remains unfrozen, continues firing at Balloons throughout “freeze” duration. Tornado displacement = freeze value denial similar to SAM strategy. Both counter freeze positioning which is Ice Hound’s primary value over Lava Hound.
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