Summary
- Elixir cost matters less with proper card management and timing.
- Low-cost decks can be challenging due to faster card turnover.
- Low-cost decks are effective in climbing but can be countered easily in higher ranks.
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 February 4, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat: Clash Royale meta continues to change with the new seasons, new evolutions, and new cards arriving, but low-cost decks are still some of the best card compositions in this game to out-Elixir the opponents and spam them with powerful troops.
Having a low-cost deck in Clash Royale lowers the chance of getting out-Elixired, which provides more room for making a mistake. And that is something quite important for the newcomers and inexperienced players in this game.
Low-cost decks are great for climbing up the ladder, but in the higher arenas or ranks, they are usually countered easily.
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.
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.
Pekka And Rune Giant Deck
Average Elixir Cost: 3.4
- Firecracker Evolution (Elixir 3)
- Pekka Evolution (Elixir 7)
- Rune Giant (Elixir 4)
- Arrows (Elixir 3)
- Knight (Elixir 3)
- Barbarian Barrel (Elixir 2)
- Miner (Elixir 3)
- Bats (Elixir 2)
Rune Giant, Pekka, and Firecracker and some of the most powerful cards in the current Clash Royale meta, and having them all together in a not-so-expensive deck will rule the battlefield.
This deck delivers a lot of flexibility for attack, as Rune Giant can basically build a great damage dealer from every unit. So, Rune Giant remains the focus of the deck, and the player can couple it with different units each time. Firecracker and Pekka is, of course, the ideal combination, but Miner and Knight could also work quite well. The same is true for Miner and Pekka.
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.
