Horde Invasion in Clash of Critters can become difficult once you reach the later waves. The enemies get stronger, bosses start appearing more often, and one wrong movement can quickly ruin an otherwise good run. However, players have started using a flexible formation that makes the mode much easier to manage.
The main idea behind this setup is not simply placing the strongest Critters on the board. You also need to understand lane positioning, element coverage, buffs, boss mechanics, and when to move your units. Here is a beginner-friendly breakdown of the strategy.
1. Use Frog as Your Main Fire Damage
One of the strongest parts of this Horde Invasion setup is the Frog. While some players prefer running two Blitz Mains, Frog can be an excellent alternative when you want strong area damage.
A Tier 2 Frog can already deal impressive damage, especially when upgraded properly. Its attack can cover a large area, making it useful against groups of Fire enemies appearing during the later waves.
The recommended approach is to prioritize Frog’s upgrades and eventually push it toward Level 7. This gives it enough power to handle large groups without relying entirely on your teammate.
Frog is especially useful because its attack can cover multiple lanes and several enemies in depth. This makes it a strong option when Horde Invasion starts throwing several enemies into the field at once.
2. Build Around Different Element Types
You should not build your entire team around one type of damage. Horde Invasion becomes much easier when you have Critters capable of dealing with different enemy elements.
A balanced setup can look something like this:
- Frog: Main Fire damage
- Voltmeare: Lightning damage
- Mantis: Grass damage
- Panda: Additional Grass damage
- Dun Beetle: Rock damage
- Tidian: Water damage
- Butterfly: Additional support against Water enemies
- Cheer Flutter: Front-line healing and support
- Bat: Team buff
- Toucan: Team-wide buff
The exact formation does not need to be identical every time. Your available Critters, their tiers, and your teammate’s setup should determine which units you bring.
If your Panda is not strong enough, Bud Bow can also be considered for Grass damage. Its ability to target bosses makes it useful when dealing with stronger enemies later in the run.
3. Coordinate Your Formation With Your Teammate
One of the biggest differences between an average Horde Invasion run and a good one is communication.
You do not always need to use exactly the same formation as your teammate. Instead, look at what they are already using and fill the missing roles.
For example, if your teammate already has strong Fire damage, you can focus more on Lightning, Grass, Rock, or Water coverage. This prevents both players from wasting valuable positions on the same type of damage.
Some Critters can also provide useful buffs to both sides. If you notice your teammate is missing one of these units, you can place yours in a position that benefits the entire team.
The important thing is to pay attention to the board rather than blindly following one fixed formation.
4. Use Bat on the Ally Side for a Better Buff
The Bat is another important part of this strategy. Its position matters because placing it on your ally’s side can provide a stronger buff compared with keeping it entirely on your own side.
Because of this, players should remember to move their Bat whenever they reposition the rest of their formation.
This is an easy detail to forget during the later waves. You may be concentrating on bosses, moving units away from attacks, or protecting your main damage dealer. However, leaving Bat in the wrong position can reduce the overall strength of the team.
Whenever you move your formation, check Bat as well.
5. Move Your Formation Before the Sand Worm Appears
The Sand Worm is one of the main reasons you need to understand positioning in Horde Invasion.
Around the middle part of the run, you should start preparing your formation before the Sand Worm appears. The strategy involves pulling some Critters toward the back while moving another lane toward the front.
This allows the Sand Worm to interact with the units you want it to pull while keeping your important damage dealers in safer positions.
There is also an important detail involving Wave Flutter. You do not want its bubbles to accidentally affect units that need to be pulled into the front. If the wrong unit gets stunned or put to sleep, the Sand Worm’s behavior can become less useful for your formation.
So before the Sand Worm arrives:
- Move vulnerable units away from dangerous positions.
- Prepare your front lane.
- Keep your main damage dealers protected.
- Check where your Bat is positioned.
- Move Wave Flutter if its effect could interfere.
- Watch the enemy lanes before committing to a move.
6. Understanding the Sand Worm Pull
When Critters are pulled into the front area by the Sand Worm, there is a restriction on how they can be moved. The affected Critters cannot always be freely swapped with other units.
Because of this, do not wait until the last second to decide where everything should go.
Planning before the Sand Worm appears is much easier than trying to fix the formation after your units have already been pulled forward.
This is particularly important during repeated Sand Worm waves, where the same mechanic can disrupt your formation multiple times.
7. Keep Cheer Flutter Near the Front
Cheer Flutter is useful for keeping the front line alive. Its healing and support abilities make it a good choice when your frontline units are taking heavy damage.
It can also survive reasonably well when upgraded, making it more useful than simply placing a high-damage unit in the same position.
Do not rush to upgrade every support unit, though. Save your resources for the Critters that provide the most important buffs or damage for your current formation.
Cheer Flutter becomes particularly important during the later waves when bosses can quickly damage multiple units.
8. Prioritize Important Level 7 Upgrades
Upgrading everything equally is not always the best way to spend your resources.
Instead, focus on Critters that provide major benefits to the whole team or significantly increase your damage.
Some of the units worth prioritizing include:
- Frog
- Panda
- Toucan
- Bat
- Silver Seir
- Tidian
- Other major damage dealers in your formation
Frog is especially worth upgrading if you are using it as your main Fire damage source. Its area coverage becomes much more valuable as the number of enemies increases.
At the same time, you should avoid spending too many resources on units that do not contribute much to the current strategy.
9. Save Resources for Revives and Emergency Moves
Do not spend every available resource just to upgrade your units as quickly as possible.
Later waves can become chaotic, and you may need resources to bring back a fallen Critter. Having nothing left when a key unit dies can make the difference between surviving and losing.
The general approach is to upgrade your important units while keeping enough resources available for emergencies.
You can leave some lower-priority units at lower levels if necessary. The goal is not to make every Critter Level 7 immediately. The goal is to create a formation strong enough to survive the upcoming wave.
10. Prepare for the Yeti and Volcano Bosses
The later Horde Invasion waves are where the strategy is really tested.
The Yeti can be particularly dangerous because of its freezing roar. When it appears, it can disrupt your formation and deal heavy damage.
This is why Wave Flutter’s survivability and fast recovery can become important around the later waves. Upgrading it shortly before the dangerous Yeti section can help your formation survive longer.
The Volcano boss is also dangerous because it can have multiple lives. If you allow it to pass through without removing those lives, you can lose several points of health from the run.
When a Volcano appears, do not automatically attack it at the expense of everything else. Look at the board and determine which enemies are actually threatening your remaining health.
11. Don’t Panic During Waves 34 and 35
Waves around 34 and 35 can be extremely stressful because multiple bosses and dangerous enemies can appear close together.
This is where players often make mistakes by moving Critters too quickly.
Instead of immediately dragging units around, take a moment to inspect the board.
Look for:
- Which boss is closest to the end.
- Which enemy is about to deal damage.
- Which element is needed.
- Whether your main damage dealer is in the correct lane.
- Whether Bat is still giving the correct buff.
- Whether Wave Flutter is interfering with the formation.
- Which enemy can safely be allowed to pass.
Sometimes the correct move is to let one boss pass while focusing your damage on another enemy that is a bigger immediate threat.
12. Try Mantis and Other Alternative Damage Dealers
The formation does not have to revolve around Frog and Blitz Main. Mantis is another strong choice, particularly when upgraded.
A high-tier Mantis can provide reliable Grass damage during the early and middle parts of the Horde Invasion. Having both Mantis and Panda can give you strong coverage against Grass-related targets.
Other options worth testing include:
- Blitz Main
- Frog
- Mantis
- Budo
- Mushroom
- Hog or Pig
- Dun Beetle
- Voltmeare
Your best option depends on the tiers and upgrades available on your account.
13. Use Voltmeare for Single-Target Lightning Damage
For Lightning damage, Voltmeare can be a strong choice because of its single-target performance. While other Critters may have different advantages, Voltmeare can be useful when you need something that can focus its damage on tougher enemies. This creates a useful division in the formation:
- Frog handles Fire enemies and groups.
- Voltmeare focuses on Lightning damage.
- Mantis and Panda handle Grass.
- Dun Beetle provides Rock coverage.
- Tidian and Butterfly help with Water enemies.
This type of elemental coverage is one of the reasons the formation can remain effective through many waves.
14. Move Units Instead of Leaving Them in One Place
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is treating their formation as permanent. Horde Invasion requires you to adjust your Critters as the waves change. A position that works perfectly in one wave may become dangerous in the next. You can move units to:
- Avoid enemy attacks.
- Change which lane they attack.
- Protect a weaker damage dealer.
- Allow the Sand Worm to pull specific units.
- Keep important buffs active.
- Target a dangerous boss.
- Make better use of area attacks.
Do not be afraid to move units when necessary. The formation is supposed to be flexible.
15. Use Silver Seir at the Right Time
Silver Seir can provide an important buff to the team, but timing matters.
Instead of immediately placing it at the beginning, consider waiting until your other important Critters are already on the board. Once the required attacks have been completed, the resulting buff can remain active unless the unit dies and needs to be brought back.
This makes Silver Seir particularly useful as a late addition to the formation.
The main idea is simple: get your important units onto the field first, then use Silver Seir when you can maximize its buff.
The current Horde Invasion strategy in Clash of Critters is less about using one perfect formation and more about understanding how each Critter works together. Frog can provide excellent Fire area damage, Voltmeare can handle strong Lightning targets, while Mantis and Panda help with Grass coverage.
The biggest improvement, however, comes from learning when to move your units. Sand Worms, Yetis, Volcano bosses, and other late-wave threats can completely change the board. A formation that works early in the run may need to be moved around later.
If you are struggling with Horde Invasion, try a setup built around Frog, Voltmeare, Mantis, Panda, Bat, Toucan, Cheer Flutter, and appropriate elemental support. Adjust the remaining slots according to your teammate and available Critter tiers.
Most importantly, do not expect every run to be perfect. Watch your damage numbers, learn which units perform best against each enemy type, communicate with your teammate, and practice moving your formation before the dangerous waves arrive. With better positioning and resource management, reaching the later Horde Invasion waves becomes much more consistent.