Unless it's not excessively high, the average Elixir cost for a deck doesn't matter much as long as the player knows how to handle the situation and when to play each card. Even with a low-cost deck, a rookie player can get out-Elixired quickly by misplacing the units and ignoring the timing.
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That being said, once enough knowledge has been gained about Clash Royale and its complex gameplay system, a low-cost deck can be more difficult to deal with. Hog Cycle, for example, has been one of the most notorious decks in Clash Royale, and it still annoys a lot of players. That's mostly because low-cost decks allow the used cards to return to the player's hand much faster, while it would take the opponent a bit longer to retain the exact counter for that card.
Updated on November 19, 2025, by Hamza Haq: As Supercell introduces new cards, evolutions, and balance changes, the meta in Clash Royale shifts from season to season. A low-cost deck that works well in one season may not always remain so. That said, certain low-cost decks like the 2.6 Hog Cycle and the X-Bow Tesla Cycle have proven staying power. F2P players looking to invest their hard-earned gems and currency in one deck may find these more to their taste. The list has been updated with two additional decks that have proven to be evergreen, and a deck that has fallen out of favor in the meta has been removed.
Hog Cycle Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 2.6
- Skeletons Evolution (Elixir 1)
- Ice Spirit Evolution (Elixir 1)
- Ice Golem (Elixir 2)
- Musketeer (Elixir 4)
- Hog Rider (Elixir 4)
- Cannon (Elixir 3)
- Fireball (Elixir 4)
- The Log (Elixir 2)
Hog Cycle is still by far the best low-cost deck in Clash Royale. Although it might not give you a high success chance in high-level arenas, the Hog Cycle is still great for climbing up the ladder in Trophy's Road, especially in early and medium-level arenas.
The timing of deployment is the key to succeeding with the Hog Cycle. Hog Rider and The Log should always be used together, while Cannon and Musketeer will remain in defense to keep the enemies away from the crown tower. Both Ice Golem and Skeletons must be used to lure the opposite units into the middle of the battlefield and distract them from focusing on the crown tower.
X-Bow And Snowball Cycle Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 3.0
- Snowball Evolution (Elixir 2)
- Tesla Evolution (Elixir 4)
- X-Bow (Elixir 6)
- Knight (Elixir 3)
- Archers (Elixir 3)
- Skeletons (Elixir 1)
- Electro Spirit (Elixir 1)
- Fireball (Elixir 4)
Evolution Tesla is able to handle threats like Balloon, Hog Rider, Battle Ram, and others with ease. Knight is the de facto tank for anything that deals high DPS, whereas Archers can help deal with aerial threats. Fireball is there for things like Royal Hogs and Barbarians, while the Snowball can deal with Skarmy and slow down counter pushes.
During single elixir, it’s not a bad idea to use the X-Bow as a defensive unit, which also serves the dual purpose of supporting offensive X-Bows if you can cycle fast enough. On offense, the main idea is to place the X-Bow on the bridge while it is supported by the Tesla. Players can support this push using Fireball, Knight, Archers, or the Snowball, depending on the opponent’s response to the X-Bow.
In top ladder, it is almost impossible to get the X-Bow to lock onto the tower. This is why it is extremely important to use the Evo Snowball with this deck, as this card can put multiple ground units off the field, allowing the X-Bow to lock onto the tower. After the X-Bow, the Snowball is the most important card in this deck.
Archer Queen And Firecracker Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 2.9
- Cannon Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Firecracker Evolution (Elixir 3)
- The Log (Elixir 2)
- Ice Spirit (Elixir 1)
- Royal Delivery (Elixir 3)
- Archer Queen (Elixir 5)
- Royal Hogs (Elixir 5)
- Skeletons (Elixir 1)
Archer Queen is a strong damage dealer that can take away a big chunk of any tank unit's HP by activating her ability, but she is also quite reliable at dealing crown tower damage using the same tactic. Though, this deck provides Royal Hogs as the main tower-targeting unit.
So, deploy Archer Queen behind the King's Tower, and before she reaches the river, spawn Royal Hogs on the bridge. If possible, try to deploy an Ice Spirit as well. Archer Queen will deal with anything that is supposed to stop Royal Hogs from doing their job, and her ability must be used if the opposing unit is tanky.
The rest of the cards in this deck serve as defensive units, though Firecracker can also become a solid counter-attack unit when coupled with Royal Hogs.
Mega Knight And Pekka Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 3.1
- Pekka Evolution (Elixir 7)
- Mega Knight Evolution (Elixir 7)
- Ice Spirit (Elixir 1)
- Electro Spirit (Elixir 1)
- Arrows (Elixir 3)
- Bats (Elixir 2)
- Bomber (Elixir 2)
- The Log (Elixir 2)
Mega Knight was already a force to be reckoned with in the mid-ladder arenas, but the arrival of its Evolution made the card even more valuable and deadlier. Now, if you acquire Pekka's Evolution too, this could earn you many arena points in Trophy's Road.
Pekka and Mega Knight are the only units in this deck with significant survivability. Other units will always act as supporters for them, either on offense or defense. The key to succeed with this deck, however, is to always drop either Pekka or Mega Knight on the battlefield. Otherwise, the player will run out of Elixir quite fast, if both tanky units are neutralized.
Valkyrie And Goblin Barrel Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 2.8
- Valkyrie Evolution (Elixir 4)
- Goblin Barrel Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Princess (Elixir 3)
- Goblin Gang (Elixir 3)
- Dart Goblin (Elixir 3)
- Wall Breakers (Elixir 2)
- Cannon (Elixir 3)
- Ice Spirit (Elixir 1)
Being one of the best defensive units in the game, Valkyrie can deal with anything on the ground, and thanks to her Evolution, she can also be quite lethal for airborne units. This is built for spamming units Valkyrie to help her march forward while also distracting the opponent's defenses.
While Goblin Barrel and Wall Breakers should be sent out before Valkyrie, Dart Goblin and Princess can support her from behind. Keep in mind that these cards should not be spawned all at once. Let the opponent get rid of them one by one so that they run out of counters for low-HP spam units that will come next.
Miner And Poison Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 3.1
- Firecracker Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Knight Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Arrows (Elixir 3)
- Skeleton Army (Elixir 3)
- Barbarian Barrel (Elixir 2)
- Poison (Elixir 4)
- Tesla Tower (Elixir 4)
- Miner (Elixir 3)
Poison is one of the strongest spells in Clash Royale, but it's a little bit costly, which is why the player must deploy in an area that deals damage to more than just one enemy unit. The way to go with this deck is to deploy Miner next to a crown tower and then protect it with Poison. This way, both Poison and Miner will deal damage to the crown tower. The amount of damage might be slow, but it will be significant near the end of the match.
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In the Double-Elixir phase, while the Poison and Miner combo is executed, Firecracker and Knight can also be deployed next to the bridge to overwhelm the crown tower and deal more damage.
Miner And Balloon Cycle Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 2.8
- Knight Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Skeletons Evolution (Elixir 1)
- Miner (Elixir 3)
- Balloon (Elixir 5)
- Ice Wizard (Elixir 3)
- Bats (Elixir 2)
- Tornado (Elixir 3)
- Zap (Elixir 2)
Balloon is the win condition for this deck, and Miner’s main role in this deck is to tank for the Balloon as it makes its way toward the opponent's side of the arena. The Knight is an excellent, cheap defensive unit that can stall out heavy hitters like the Mega Knight. If the enemy has a way to counter Miner with something like a Mini P.E.K.K.A., the Knight can take up the mantle as the main tank as well.
The Ice Wizard is a crucial piece of the puzzle, as it can slow down pushes to a crawl, allowing the Bats to deal DPS and take out enemy cards. Depending on how aggressive the other players’ deck is, making smart use of the Tornado spell is necessary to help the Ice Wizard stall out pushes.
Since this is a cycle deck with extremely cheap cards, players can easily cycle and put down two or more Ice Wizards to counter slow pushes, like in the case of Golem Beatdown decks. If the enemy has Minions or a Minion Horde, using Zap and Tornado will be required to ensure the Balloon can reach the enemy tower.
Firecracker And Giant Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 3.0
- Firecracker Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Knight Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Cannon (Elixir 3)
- Giant (Elixir 5)
- Bomber (Elixir 2)
- Bats (Elixir 2)
- Skeleton Army (Elixir 3)
- Arrows (Elixir 3)
This deck uses a more classic approach to deal damage to the opponent's crown towers. The main goal is to send Giant forward and then support him with as many units as possible. Firecracker is the crucial supporter here, but Bats and Bomber could also help a lot if there is enough Elixir in the bank.
Both Knight and Cannon are best for defending and countering the opponent's push. Keep in mind that Knight is the only tanky unit on this deck after Giant. Using them together will leave the player's hand empty of units that can buy some time for them.
Miner And Royal Ghost Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 3.0
- Firecracker Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Tesla Tower (Elixir 4)
- Miner (Elixir 3)
- Knight (Elixir 3)
- Minions (Elixir 3)
- Barbarian Barrel (Elixir 2)
- Royal Ghost (Elixir 3)
- Arrows (Elixir 3)
This deck shares six cards with the Miner And Poison deck introduced earlier, but there is no Poison anymore. Instead, the player will need to use a combo of Royal Ghost and Miner, which cost one less Elixir compared to the Poison deck.
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Since poison cannot be countered, this deck will not have a 100% chance of effectiveness, but the damage dealt by Royal Ghost is significantly higher than that of poison. So, even if the amount of successful attacks is less than the Poison combo, the amount of damage dealt is deadlier.
Also, this deck uses Minions instead of Skeleton Army, and despite having the same cost, Minions cannot be destroyed using 2-Elixir spells like Zap.
Clash Royale
