Clash of Clans Troop Tier List 2026: Best Attack & CC Units

Forget everything you knew about troop rankings last year. When Supercell dropped Town Hall 18 and introduced roaming Guardians, the entire mathematical foundation of attacking shifted. High damage-per-second (DPS) is no longer the winning metric. Survivability is.

Managing a massive inventory of maxed Clash of Clans accounts gives our team a unique vantage point. We run thousands of friendly challenges every single week. We see exactly which units melt against the new defenses and which ones push through to secure the three stars. Below is our definitive, data-backed 2026 Troop Tier List, ranking the absolute best units for both flattening enemy bases and defending your own Clan Castle.

1. How the 2026 Meta Destroyed Old Tier Lists

Historically, building an army was simple. You took a heavy tank, put high-damage shooters behind it, and let them walk. That strategy now results in a 40% zero-star attack. Base builders adapted. Defenses evolved.

Surviving the Super Wizard Tower (The Swarm Killer)

The introduction of the Super Wizard Tower fundamentally changed troop viability. By merging two maxed Wizard Towers, this new defense gains the ability to chain its attacks across 15 different targets simultaneously.

Think about what that means. If you drop a Bat Spell or deploy a massive pack of standard Minions, a single shot from the Super Wizard Tower will vaporize the entire group. It bypasses the front-line tanks entirely. Because of this single building, any troop with low hitpoints that relies on overwhelming numbers has dropped straight to the bottom of our tier list.

2. Attacking Troop Tier List (S to C Tier Rankings)

We grade these troops based on their performance against maxed TH17 and TH18 bases. A troop in S-Tier is mandatory for competitive play. A troop in C-Tier should stay in your laboratory un-upgraded.

S-Tier (Meta Definers): Meteor Golem & Root Riders

Even after the heavy nerfs in February 2026, these two units rule the battlefield. Supercell reduced the Meteor Golem’s wall damage by 50% and slashed its HP by 16%. It did not matter. The true power of the Meteor Golem lies in its “Meteormites.” When deployed, these smaller units launch themselves over walls, immediately drawing the fire of the Longshot Guardian away from your heroes.

Pair them with Root Riders. While Root Riders also took a hit in recent patches, their ability to passively open compartments allows you to save spell capacity. You no longer need Jump or Earthquake spells, freeing up space for the mandatory Totem Spells needed to stun the Revenge Tower.

A-Tier (Core Pushers): Valkyries, Dragons & Witches

Tanks cannot win alone. They need damage dealers that keep pace with them.

• Valkyries: Their speed matches the Root Riders perfectly. When they enter the core under a Rage spell, they tear down Town Halls in under three seconds.
• Dragons: The safest air troop right now. They possess enough raw HP to survive a direct hit from the Longshot Guardian’s “Final Blow” explosion. When paired with the Minion Prince, they form the most reliable air attack in the game.
• Witches: The only exception to the “no swarm” rule. Why? Because you place them far behind your Root Riders. Their spawned skeletons run ahead, purposefully triggering traps and distracting single-target Inferno Towers so your main tanks survive longer.

B-Tier (Situational): Electro Dragons & Bowlers

Electro Dragons (E-Drags) are incredibly polarizing. Against a bad base builder who places air defenses exactly two tiles apart, E-Drags will chain lightning through the entire base for an easy win. Against a pro layout? They get stuck on high-HP storages and die to seeking air mines. They are strictly situational.

Bowlers suffer heavily in 2026. The Longshot Guardian’s death explosion easily wipes out an entire pack of Bowlers if they happen to be standing within its blast radius. They require too much Warden protection to be consistent.

3. The Ultimate Clan Castle Defense Tier List

If you are a Clan Leader, pay attention. Winning wars in 2026 often comes down to defensive Clan Castle combinations. A bad CC deployment gives the attacker a free Town Hall. A perfect CC deployment forces a 1-star time-fail.

The Anti-Root Rider CC Trap (Rocket Balloons + Ice Golem)

This is currently the most requested defensive combination in top-tier Clan War Leagues. Root Riders target defenses exclusively. They will ignore defending CC troops hitting them in the back.

When the attacker’s Root Riders enter the core, the Ice Golem pops out. When the Ice Golem dies, its freeze radius locks the Root Riders in place. Immediately, the Rocket Balloons surge forward and drop massive burst damage on the frozen tanks. Unless the attacker possesses lightning-fast reflexes with a Poison and Freeze spell combo, their entire push ends right there.

The Super Minion Sniper Setup

Old but gold. Super Minions outrange the standard Poison spell diameter. If an attacker drops their Poison poorly, the Super Minions will simply hover outside the toxic cloud and fire their long-range rockets at the Archer Queen. Three rockets from a maxed Super Minion will force the Queen’s ability instantly. Pair them with a Headhunter to slow down the enemy heroes, creating a lethal combination.

4. Building Your Master Strategy (The Next Step)

Knowing which troops perform best is only the starting line. Throwing S-Tier troops onto a map without precision timing will still result in a failed attack. You must understand the exact spell placements, hero equipment synergies, and funneling techniques required to break a maxed base. To execute these units at the highest competitive level, we highly recommend studying our complete COC army compositions guide. If you are battling the tricky merged defenses of the mid-endgame, utilizing our proven TH17 meta troops setups will save your attacks. Finally, if your clan is bleeding stars on defense, locking in the perfect TH18 Clan Castle troops strategy will single-handedly win you your next Clan War League.