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Introduction to Clash of Clans Witch Detailed Guide
The Witch is a unique Dark Elixir troop available at Town Hall level 9 in Clash of Clans, offering a blend of ranged damage and the ability to summon Skeletons. She serves as a potent support unit capable of turning the tide of battle with the right strategy. This guide covers the Witch’s features, offensive and defensive strategies, synergies, and weaknesses to help you effectively utilize her in your gameplay.
Strengths
Continuous Skeleton Summoning
Witches spawn a steady stream of Skeletons that act as a frontline distraction for defenses. These skeletons can overwhelm defenses and trigger traps, making the Witch excellent for swarm tactics and support behind tanks.
Ranged Splash Damage
The Witch’s main attack deals splash damage from range, allowing her to hit multiple targets at once. This makes her effective against groups of buildings or clustered enemy troops, especially when protected properly.
Strong Support Role in Hybrid Armies
Witches shine in hybrid compositions like GoWiWi (Golem, Wizard, Witch) or Bowler-Witch attacks. Their skeletons distract defenses while other troops do the heavy lifting, giving the army depth and sustained pressure throughout the battle.
Weaknesses
Fragile and Vulnerable to Splash Damage
Witches have low hitpoints and are easily taken out by Mortars, Wizard Towers, and especially Multi-Target Inferno Towers. If not protected by tanks or spells, they can be wiped out quickly along with their skeletons.
High Housing Space and Training Cost
Each Witch takes up 12 housing space and costs a significant amount of Dark Elixir. This makes them expensive and limits how many can be used in a single attack without sacrificing balance in your army composition.
Skeletons Are Easily Cleared by Splash Defenses
Although skeletons are useful distractions, they are very fragile. A single Mortar, Bomb Tower, or Giant Bomb can eliminate dozens at once, removing the Witch’s main utility and leaving her exposed.
Key Features
The Witch is a Dark Elixir troop that unlocks at Town Hall 9 after upgrading the Dark Barracks to level 3. Known for her splash damage and the ability to summon Skeletons, the Witch serves as a versatile support troop in both offense and defense.
Summoning Skeletons:
The Witch’s key feature is her ability to summon Skeletons to assist in battle. These Skeletons act as distractions, drawing the fire of defensive units and allowing other troops to advance. The Witch can summon a limited number of Skeletons at a time, and once these are defeated, she will summon more. This mechanic can overwhelm enemy defenses when used in large numbers, particularly when paired with tanks like Golems or P.E.K.K.As.
Attack Behavior:
Witches have no preferred target and will attack the closest building or defense. However, they prioritize engaging enemy troops, Heroes, or Skeletons if they are nearby. Once all the enemy troops are eliminated, the Witch will switch to attacking the nearest structure. This makes Witches effective for clearing out troops and defenses while also dealing with trash buildings efficiently.
Synergies
Golems and Ice Golems:
Giants (Town Hall 9-10):
Skeletons:
Spells:
Offensive Strategies
Support Troop:
The Witch is best used as a support troop due to her relatively low hitpoints. To maximize her effectiveness, place her toward the back of your attack, allowing other, more tanky units like Golems or P.E.K.K.As to absorb the incoming damage while the Witch stays safe and summons Skeletons. This positioning ensures that she can continue dealing splash damage to enemy troops and buildings without being targeted too quickly, allowing her to have a longer impact on the battle.
Avoid Grouping:
Position your Witches in a spread-out formation across the battlefield. By spacing them apart, splash defenses like Mortars, Wizard Towers, and Bomb Towers will be less likely to hit multiple Witches at once. This minimizes the damage to your Witches and allows them to continue summoning Skeletons and dealing damage. If possible, deploy your Witches at different entry points around the base. This forces the enemy’s splash defenses to spread their fire, giving your Witches a better chance of surviving.
Use high-health tanks, such as Golems or P.E.K.K.As, to distract splash defenses. Tanks will absorb the damage, allowing your Witches to remain protected and continue their attack. Deploy Witches along with other troops, such as Barbarian Kings or healers, to keep the splash defenses distracted while your Witches deal damage from a safe distance.
Skeleton Tanking:
Witches are excellent at creating a steady stream of Skeletons, which serve as a distraction for enemy defenses. The more Skeletons a Witch summons, the better they can tank damage, allowing your other troops to focus on key targets without being interrupted. At higher levels, Witches can summon many more Skeletons. This creates a significant distraction for defenses, as they will target the Skeletons instead of your primary attacking troops. These distractions give your main damage dealers, like Wizards, Archers, or Heroes, more time to clear the base.
The summoned Skeletons can take the brunt of splash damage, such as from Wizard Towers or Bomb Towers. While the Skeletons don’t have high health, their numbers can overwhelm defenses and protect your more valuable troops. When combined with splash-damaging troops like Wizards or Super Wizards, the Skeletons generated by the Witches can keep defenses focused on low-priority targets, allowing your high-damage units to clear the base more efficiently.
As the Skeletons swarm over enemy defenses, they can draw fire from important structures like Archer Towers, X-Bows, or the Clan Castle. This buys time for your other troops to deal damage, allowing you to progress deeper into the enemy base.
Yeti Smash:
Witches fit perfectly in the Yeti Smash strategy, where Yetis are used to tank damage, and Witches provide splash damage and summon Skeletons. The Yetis absorb fire from defenses like Wizard Towers and Mortars, while Witches summon Skeletons to distract enemy defenses, allowing Yetis and other troops to deal damage to key targets. Witches provide additional value by summoning a large number of Skeletons, further aiding the tanking and creating opportunities for your troops to reach the core.
Super Archer Smash:
The Super Archer Smash strategy focuses on using Super Archers to deal high damage from a distance, while Witches provide support by summoning Skeletons. The Skeletons act as distractions, taking hits from splash defenses and allowing your Super Archers to stay alive longer. Pairing Witches with Super Archers helps to tank damage and deal with enemy defensive structures while the Super Archers focus on high-value targets.
BoWitch (Bowlers + Witches):
In the BoWitch strategy, Bowlers roll their rocks to damage large areas, while Witches summon Skeletons to distract defenses. The Witches provide a steady flow of distractions for splash damage defenses like Mortars, Wizard Towers, or Bomb Towers, while Bowlers damage structures in a straight line. Witches add additional support, especially for dealing with enemy defenses that could pose a threat to the Bowlers. The synergy between Bowlers’ high damage and Witches’ tanking ability makes this strategy effective in many scenarios.
All-Witch Army:
An all-Witch army, supported by spells, can potentially topple most base designs because the large number of Witches can summon hundreds of Skeletons. Walls won’t last long because of the additive damage from all the skeletons. This strategy works as long as the Witches can reliably stay alive. It is recommended to back them up with tanks such as the Golem.
Dealing with Defenses:
Take out Wizard Towers, multi-target Inferno Towers, or Scattershots with Lightning Spells to decrease splash damage. This allows Skeletons to stay alive longer and act as distractions.
Defensive Strategies
Giant Bombs:
Giant Bombs can pose a significant threat to Witches and their summoned Skeletons. When a Giant Bomb detonates, it causes massive damage in a small area, which can quickly wipe out the low-health Witches and the nearby Skeletons they summon.
To counter this, it’s essential to position Witches carefully during attacks. Deploying them at a safe distance from Giant Bombs and other high-damage traps, such as Spring Traps or Bombs, will minimize the risk of losing them too early in the raid. Additionally, using a combination of tanking troops, such as Golems or Yetis, can help absorb the impact of these traps, protecting Witches and allowing them to continue summoning Skeletons and dealing damage.
Bomb Towers:
Bomb Towers can be a significant threat to Witches due to their ability to rapidly destroy Skeletons and deal damage to the Witches themselves. Upon destruction, the Bomb Tower’s death bomb deals substantial damage in a small area, which can wipe out the newly summoned Skeletons and cause heavy damage to the Witches.
To mitigate this, it’s crucial to plan your attack with caution when facing Bomb Towers. Using tanky units like Golems or Yetis to absorb the initial hits and protect the Witches can keep them safe for longer. Additionally, placing the Witches further behind other troops in your attack can reduce the chances of them being locked onto by the Bomb Tower. Timing your attack to trigger the Bomb Tower’s destruction when the Witches are not in the immediate vicinity can also help prevent significant losses.
Clan Castle Defense:
Witches placed in Clan Castles can be highly effective in defending against attacks due to their ability to summon large swarms of Skeletons. These Skeletons can overwhelm attackers, especially if they aren’t prepared to deal with the sheer volume of distractions. A lone Barbarian King or Archer Queen can easily be overwhelmed by these Skeletons, even if they use their abilities.
To counter Witches in the Clan Castle, attackers should consider using splash damage units like Valkyries or Baby Dragons. Valkyries can clear out large groups of Skeletons with their area-of-effect attack, while Baby Dragons can target the Witches and their summoned Skeletons from a distance, minimizing the risk of being overwhelmed. Additionally, using Poison Spells to slow down and damage the Witches and their Skeletons can be an effective way to neutralize this threat before the Clan Castle troops cause significant damage.
Counters to Witches:
🔹Air Attacks:
Witches have no air defense, making them vulnerable to air attacks. Units like Dragons or Electro Dragons can easily target and eliminate Witches while staying out of range of most ground-based defenses.
🔹Poison Spell:
A single Poison Spell can effectively take out Witches and their summoned Skeletons. The damage over time from the Poison Spell is especially effective in neutralizing them, especially when they are clustered together.
🔹Valkyries:
Valkyries are a strong counter to Witches due to their splash damage. They can quickly eliminate large groups of Skeletons and focus on the Witch, making them a powerful option in taking her down.
🔹Splash Damage Units:
Units like Wizards can clear out multiple Skeletons at once with their high splash damage. This helps prevent the Skeletons from overwhelming your troops and allows you to focus on other threats.
Clan Castle Placement:
Positioning the Clan Castle behind walls can help protect Witches from being targeted by splash damage units and other threats. By placing the Clan Castle in a well-defended area, you make it harder for enemies to access the Witches directly. Additionally, the walls can slow down enemy troops, giving the Witches more time to summon Skeletons and deal damage. Be mindful of the placement of splash damage defenses, like Mortars and Wizard Towers, to ensure that the Witch’s summoning abilities are protected as much as possible.
Skeleton Traps:
A Witch, when properly protected, can be a great counter to P.E.K.K.As. The Witch’s ability to summon Skeletons creates distractions, drawing the P.E.K.K.A’s attention away from more crucial targets. With a steady supply of Skeletons, the Witch can gradually whittle down a P.E.K.K.A’s health while staying safe behind defensive structures or support units. If the Witch is well-protected from splash damage or ranged attacks, she can destroy the P.E.K.K.A with ease, as the P.E.K.K.A will struggle to target the Witch while being overwhelmed by the Skeletons.
Traps:
A Spring Trap is particularly effective against a single Witch, especially when it’s level 2 or higher. While the Witch’s summoned Skeletons do not trigger traps, the Witch herself is vulnerable. If the Spring Trap is placed strategically, it can eliminate the Witch by knocking her out of the battle, removing the potential for her to summon additional Skeletons. This is especially useful when the Witch is part of a larger group of troops, as it limits her ability to support the attack and disrupt defenses.
Poison Spell Towers:
Poison Spell Towers are highly effective against Witches and their summoned Skeletons. The Poison Tower’s effect deals continuous damage over time, weakening and eventually destroying both the Witches and their Skeletons. This makes the Poison Tower a strong counter to Witch-heavy strategies. Since the Witch’s main strength lies in her ability to summon large groups of Skeletons, the Poison Spell Tower’s consistent damage will gradually eliminate the skeletons and significantly reduce the Witch’s offensive capability. Proper placement of the Poison Tower can greatly hinder a Witch-based attack, especially in areas with a high concentration of troops.
Counters
Splash Damage:
Mortars and Wizard Towers are particularly effective against large groups of Skeletons, which is a major drawback for Witch-based strategies. When Witches are grouped, their summoned Skeletons often become a prime target for splash damage from these defenses. This can significantly reduce the number of Skeletons available to distract and overwhelm defenses. To minimize this risk, it’s crucial to spread out your Witches and Skeletons or use other troops to help absorb the splash damage. Additionally, using spells like Freeze or Lightning can help neutralize these splash-damaging defenses early in the attack.
Bomb Tower:
That’s right. The Bomb Tower can be a major obstacle in Witch-based attacks due to its ability to quickly destroy large groups of Skeletons and damage Witches with its explosive death bomb. This makes it a key target to neutralize early in the attack. Using spells like Lightning or Earthquake to weaken or destroy the Bomb Tower before it can deal significant damage is a good strategy. Alternatively, sending in tanks like Golems or Giants to absorb the Bomb Tower’s damage while your Witches and other troops clear the base can also help mitigate its impact.
Inferno Towers and Scattershots:
Exactly, multi-target Inferno Towers and Scattershots are significant threats to Witches. Their ability to target and continuously damage multiple Skeletons at once, as well as focus on the Witch herself, can quickly wipe out large portions of your attack force. To counter this, it’s crucial to use distractions or tanking units, such as Golems or Ice Golems, to absorb the damage. Additionally, spells like Freeze can be employed to temporarily disable these high-damage defenses, giving your Witches and Skeletons more time to deal damage. Carefully planning the path of your attack and timing your spells is key to mitigating these threats.
Low Hitpoints:
That’s correct. Witches can be extremely powerful when used in the right strategy, especially with their ability to summon Skeletons and deal splash damage. However, their low hitpoints make them vulnerable to swarming tactics from high-damage or fast-moving troops like Barbarians, Minions, or even high-level Heroes. To maximize their effectiveness, it’s important to protect them with tanks like Golems or Ice Golems to absorb the damage. Placing them behind a defensive line and using spells like Heal or Freeze can also help extend their lifespan, allowing them to continue summoning Skeletons and dealing damage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
❓What do Witches do in Clash of Clans?
Witches attack with ranged splash damage and continuously summon skeletons during battle. These skeletons act as a meat shield, distracting defenses, and absorbing traps. The Witch’s ability to spawn troops makes her extremely valuable in long-lasting battles and hybrid army compositions.
❓What’s the best attack strategy using Witches?
Witches are most effective in splash-heavy hybrid attacks, especially GoWiWi (Golem, Wizard, Witch) and Bowler-Witch combinations. These strategies use Golems to tank while Witches and Bowlers clear buildings with ranged splash and skeleton swarms. Proper funneling, Jump or Wall Breakers, and Rage or Freeze spells are key to success.
❓When are Witches unlocked, and how much do they cost to train?
Witches are unlocked at Town Hall 9 when the Dark Barracks are upgraded to level 5. At level 1, training a Witch costs 275 Dark Elixir, increasing to 550+ Dark Elixir at higher levels. Despite the cost, their sustained skeleton generation makes them a powerful support troop in mid-to-late game wars.
❓How do I counter Witches in defense?
To counter Witches effectively, use Multi-Target Inferno Towers, Wizard Towers, Mortars, and Bomb Towers—all of which deal splash damage to quickly eliminate skeletons and the Witch herself. Spells like Poison can also wipe out skeleton waves and weaken the Witch if she’s stuck in place.
❓How many skeletons can a Witch summon at once?
A Witch can summon up to 6–12 skeletons at a time, depending on her level. However, there’s a limit to how many active skeletons she can have at once. If they die, she will continue generating more, making her excellent for maintaining battlefield pressure as long as she stays alive.
