TH18 Dragon Rider Guide 2026 -- Peak Air Force War Attack

TH18 Dragon Rider is the most powerful air attack configuration in the game. Six to seven Dragon Riders (maximum count with 380 housing), five Dragons, four EDrags, and max Grand Warden air mode create an air wave DPS that three-stars bases in under 2 minutes when the approach angle bypasses the Multi-Archer Tower. The Ricochet Cannon and Monolith remain completely irrelevant to air troops. Only the Multi-Archer Tower, Eagle Artillery, and remaining Air Defenses require management. At maximum Dragon Rider count and maximum Warden ability, TH18 Dragon Rider is the most reliable air three-star in any TH18 war matchup.

Army Composition and Spells

Standard TH18 Dragon Rider (380 housing): 6 to 7 Dragon Riders (super boost, 60 to 70 housing), 5 Dragons (100 housing), 4 Electro Dragons (100 housing), 5 Balloons (10 -- cleanup), filler Minions (remaining ~100). Spells: 3 Lightning + 1 Earthquake (destroy one AD), 2 Rage, 2 Freeze (Multi-Archer Tower and Eagle Artillery), 1 Haste. Clan Castle: Dragon or Balloon. Warden on air mode. RC Electro Owl max-level ground support adjacent to approach edge.

Step-by-Step Execution

Step 1 -- Lightning pre-attack: Destroy the AD most directly in the approach corridor. At TH18, five ADs may be present -- removing one reduces anti-air concentrated fire by 20%. Step 2 -- Multi-Archer Tower routing: Place the deployment point where the Multi-Archer Tower is perpendicular to the Dragon Rider line. Step 3 -- Max RC Electro Owl: Deploy RC adjacent to the approach edge. Max Electro Owl chains to the maximum targets per bolt including Air Defenses and Multi-Archer Tower. Step 4 -- Seven Dragon Rider deployment (if housing allows): Drop Dragon Riders across an 8 to 10 tile wide line. Five Dragons immediately behind. Four EDrags behind Dragons. Step 5 -- Max Warden air mode: Behind the combined force. Activate on Multi-Archer Tower burst on the lead Dragon Rider or Eagle Artillery burst. Max ability at TH18 is the longest invincibility window in the game. Step 6 -- First Rage: Outer ring engagement. Seven Dragon Riders with Rage deliver the highest single-wave air DPS in the game. Step 7 -- First Freeze: Multi-Archer Tower concentrated burst on lead Dragon Rider. Step 8 -- Second Rage: Inner ring / Town Hall approach. Second Freeze: Eagle Artillery burst. Step 9 -- Haste on Balloons and Minion cleanup.

Seven Dragon Riders at TH18

Seven Dragon Riders simultaneously firing at seven different defenses while mounted on seven Dragons creates the highest single-wave multi-target DPS in Clash of Clans. Each Dragon Rider-Dragon pair fires at a different defense target, meaning seven defenses are destroyed simultaneously within a 3 to 5 second window. This multi-target simultaneous destruction clears the outer ring faster than any ground attack strategy at TH18.

Browse TH18 war bases at our TH18 war base collection.