Balloon is a 5-elixir flying win condition that targets buildings, drops heavy bombs on the tower and a final bomb when it dies. Stop it before it reaches the tower: once it connects, a few hits can take a tower.

Quick answer: the most efficient counters to Balloon are Inferno Tower, Musketeer, Tesla, Minion Horde.

Best counters to Balloon

These cards deal with it safely and for little elixir. Tap a card’s name to open its own guide.

• 
  Inferno Tower 5 elixir
  Inferno Tower targets air, pulls the Balloon toward it and melts it before it reaches your princess tower.
• 
  Musketeer 4 elixir +1 elixir trade
  Musketeer shoots it from long range, so it takes damage the whole way to your tower.
• 
  Tesla 4 elixir +1 elixir trade
  Tesla hits air, pulls the Balloon to the middle and stays hidden from spells until it pops up.
• 
  Minion Horde 5 elixir
  Minion Horde kills it in seconds, and the Balloon can’t fight back against troops.

How to defend

• Place your building so the Balloon turns toward it in the middle of the arena, far from your princess tower, so the death bomb doesn’t hit the tower.
• Balloon often comes behind a tank (Lumberjack, Giant, Lava Hound) or with Freeze; keep a second air defender ready.
• Distract it early: the further from your tower it dies, the less the death bomb matters.
• Kill Lumberjack quickly but away from the Balloon: when he dies he drops Rage, which speeds the Balloon up.

Common mistakes

• Defending with ground troops: the Balloon flies, so only air-targeting cards and buildings can stop it.
• Answering only with Minion Horde while the opponent still holds Arrows: the spell clears the Horde and the Balloon connects.
• Keeping your air defenders on the far side of the arena; the Balloon flies straight to the tower.

After defending: the counterattack

Your air defenders and buildings usually survive the defense, and Balloon decks are often light on defense: counterattack in the lane where your defenders are.

Which spells kill it on their own?

At equal levels, whether a single spell takes this troop out without help from towers or other cards:

• Balloon (HP 1676): no single spell kills it

* Poison and Earthquake only kill it if the troop stays in the area for the whole duration. Values assume equal levels; level differences change the outcome.

Best decks against Balloon

Decks ElixirDeck’s deck builder makes against Balloon: each one is scored on both deck balance and its matchup against this card (all cards at the same level, evolutions and heroes unlocked). Every deck uses a different win condition; if your cards differ, you can adapt any deck to your collection.

Classic decks with a good matchup against Balloon

Each guide explains step by step how the deck is played.

• Skeleton King Graveyard · Great matchup
• Rune Giant Lumberjack · Great matchup
• X-Bow 3.0 · Great matchup
• Log Bait · Great matchup

Which decks use Balloon?

Guides to the classic decks that run this card; each one also explains what to play against that deck.

Build a counter deck from your own cards

Enter your player tag and ElixirDeck finds the best decks against Balloon with your cards and levels.

Matchups are estimated from card roles and well-known counters; player skill and card levels change the result a lot.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best counter to Balloon?

The most efficient counters to Balloon are Inferno Tower, Musketeer, Tesla, Minion Horde. Inferno Tower targets air, pulls the Balloon toward it and melts it before it reaches your princess tower.

What deck is good against Balloon?

Among the classic decks, Skeleton King Graveyard, Rune Giant Lumberjack, X-Bow 3.0 match up well against it. The best counter deck ElixirDeck builds is a X-Bow deck: Tesla, Knight, Hunter, X-Bow, Ice Spirit, The Log, Fireball, Minion Horde.

How do you get a positive elixir trade against Balloon?

Stop Balloon (5 elixir) cleanly with Musketeer (4 elixir) and you are 1 elixir ahead, enough to attack the other lane.

Balloon card guide: stats, decks and balance history →

How to counter other cards