Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, community sites named in the text and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Tunneler Cannons and Stab Shots
A tunneler digs a deep hole in a single shot. Its projectiles explode the moment they reach the target, one after another inside the same game tick, so each blast clears space for the next TNT to move in and explode deeper. minecraft.wiki calls it the most effective damage type in many situations.
How does a tunneler work?
Minecraft processes entities one at a time inside each game tick: one TNT moves and explodes, then the next. In a tunneler the first projectile explodes and opens a gap; the second moves into it and explodes; and so on until that group is used up. A group lit together is called a prime phase, and several phases can be chained to go deeper.
Speed matters. The TNT should move no more than about 2 to 5 blocks per tick sideways, depending on how tough the target is, or its path is not fully cleared and later TNT stalls.
How do you time the projectiles?
The projectiles should only tick once after the propellants explode. minecraft.wiki describes a 0-tick delay: light the propellants and projectiles in the same game tick, with the propellants fed through a repeater and the projectiles through a comparator, so the projectiles tick after the propellants. A one-game-tick delay can come from a trapdoor with scaffolding above and two observers. Two ticks can come from a repeater, comparator, piston or observer.
Faster projectiles make deep damage easier, so a first tunneler should use many propellants and a clear path between boosters and projectiles.
How do you tune a tunneler?
- Find the first game tick where the projectiles reliably hit the target, by trial and error.
- Fire a test shot with plenty of projectiles. The depth, minus 1 or 2 blocks, is roughly how many TNT that phase needs.
- Repeat for more prime phases. More phases improve efficiency with diminishing returns, but each one lowers reliability.
- Keep at least 2 to 4 TNT in the last phase.
- Move TNT between phases and nudge the launch point block by block to squeeze out extra depth.
This guide is written for targets with a blast resistance from 5 to 9, which covers stone, cobblestone and end stone. See blast resistance.
What is a stab shot?
A stab is a downward tunneler, mostly in lazy-chunk cannons, although players use the word for tunnelers in general. Projectiles and injectors are carried to just above the target, where powder snow cancels their motion. The projectiles tick first; the injectors then land in exactly the same spot and explode instantly. Because the explosion centre is about 0.06 blocks above the TNT's feet, this pushes the projectiles straight down, and they behave like a perfect downward tunneler. See lazy chunk cannons.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tunneler cannon?
A cannon whose projectiles explode one after another in the same tick, so each blast clears room for the next and the shot digs a deep hole.
What is a prime phase?
A group of projectiles lit together. Tunnelers often chain several.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.