Author's Recommendations
Before you read onward I would like to suggest that you wonderful readers out there check out the video linked to game-play of the deck on my own YouTube Channel. Doing this should give you insight into how I would handle myself in battle and I would also explain my thought process so that you understand why make the decisions that I do. Aside from deck guides (both written and video format) I also upload some videos which are casual, contain funny moments/montages (at the end of some videos not all) and I also give my insight into the game with quick tips etc when I have the chance. If you all do enjoy the deck and have success with it and you're interested in what I do then make sure to visit my channel and consider subscribing for more Clash Royale content. I hope that you all enjoy the deck and guide and have a ton of success and fun while using it!
Cheers everyone! 🍻
Overview
This deck like many other control decks is meant to be played very carefully for the most part so that you are able to mitigate most if not all the damage you can whenever your opponent makes a move. Unlike the classic control decks which lean on the Inferno Tower as their main defensive counter measure you will be relying heavily on the P.E.K.K.A. for clean defenses. Note that by using the P.E.K.K.A. in this deck rather than an Inferno Tower match ups against decks which may carry cards such as Balloon can make for a difficult match up especially if it is an “old school” Lava-Loon deck which has cards such as Lightning and Arrows which would easily clear your Ewiz and Minions etc. If this is what you’re up against then you should try to prevent your opponent from being able to get their main push in order but applying enough pressure with an offensive move of your own by utilizing cards such as the Bandit and Miner to keep them on their toes and expending elixir in the opposite lane. This should be done against heavier decks which should prevent them from getting their units in line for their ideal pushes.
Offense
Since this deck is a control deck then you will want to chip with cards such as the Miner when you’re nearing full elixir and you can afford to use him on the towers (provided that there are no specific cards that you need to counter such as a Princess or Elixir Collector). Your main offenses will typically stem from a successful counter-push when you are able to mitigate most if not all damage from your opponent’s last push. Some cards you may be able to counter push with would include the Miner, Ewiz, P.E.K.K.A. and Bandit. Using these cards you can orchestrate some very nasty counter pushes by making full use of left over units that can really frustrate your opponents. If you’re counter pushing with a P.E.K.K.A. make sure that you reserve some Minions to distract an Inferno Tower if there is one to mirror your P.E.K.K.A. (be played against it). When you’re pushing remember to conserve just enough elixir so that you’re not putting yourself in a position to lose a tower due to carelessness.
During your pushes try to have at least one spell handy for whatever may come your way. Usually Zap is very useful to have around to deal with a wide array of situations. It can clear swarms, reset charges and make troops and buildings switch targets etc so it can help your P.E.K.K.A. and Miner to do much more damage and pressure your opponent on their own. If you see your support units are about to die or even you have nothing stopping your near dead P.E.K.K.A. from reaching the arena tower and there’s a Miner close by then you can stun the tower with Zap and open up a whole new can of worms for your enemy to deal with. Poison may also be handy when you have a sizable elixir advantage over your opponent and you have got a fair push going with your Miner or P.E.K.K.A. tanking for your supporting units. If the enemy drops multiple glass cannons such as a Wizard, Musketeer or Night Witch to defend against the push then a single Poison that smothers them and the enemy tower can prove to be very valuable. Additionally when the Poison spell is cast it can act as an area of denial so it protects units such as you Miner, P.E.K.K.A. and whatever else is in its radius from enemy swarm units. This can help make the difference between you being able to get that final push to take a tower or not during the most intense moments of any given match.
Defense
Your main lines of defense will come from making full use of your versatile cards such as Ewiz, Minions and P.E.K.K.A.. If your opponent has something that targets a building then most of the time you may want to lean on using a tombstone against troops such as a Hog Rider/Battle Ram. Do note that if placed incorrectly a Hog and Battle Ram can bypass a Tombstone and additionally if the Tombstone is dropped in advance the opponent is more than likely going to push the opposite lane for their troops to bypass it. If your opponent has Poison and you feel that they would try to predict the area in which the Tombstone will be placed then either vary the placement of the Tombstone if there isn’t any ranged support or any sort of splash troops following it up so that you can still pull the Hog whilst avoiding the poison OR you can consider investing in the P.E.K.K.A. at when you feel its best (usually in Double Elixir) if she isn’t needed on defense against any other units such as a Giant Skeleton, Golem, Mega Knight, Elite Barbs etc and their various support troops. If your opponent plays Xbow-siege then you’ll want to keep a P.E.K.K.A. handy to tank for the bow and deal with that as a threat. Should they have an Inferno Tower in this circumstance or any other then you should try to predict where and when it will be planted by having Minions handy in order to distract it from scorching your P.E.K.K.A.. Note that more “upbeat” or meta Xbow decks may possess an Ice Golem so be careful of when you are deciding to drop those Minions otherwise they’ll be susceptible to an Ice Spirit/Ice Wizard/Zap spell. If you are at an elixir advantage however you can consider using the Miner when P.E.K.K.A. is out of rotation and deploy him behind the Xbow at times and combo with a Poison Spell that smothers both the Xbow and the arena tower. Any other type of match up can still be dealt with if you adjust your plays to suit and work on using the best strategies you can formulate despite the match up. If you can’t take a win then always consider going for a draw as its much better than a loss any day!
Tips & Tricks!
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Switch up Miner placements to avoid being predicted easily unless they have something like a Tornado in hand in which case you play Miner when it's out of rotation.
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Hover Minions at the bridge or near wherever you suspect an Inferno Tower/Dragon will be dropped if you're planning to keep a P.E.K.K.A. alive longer after a successful defense.
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Know when and where it's best to use P.E.K.K.A. whether it’s for offense or defense. Typically best to save to her for Double Elixir unless needed immediately against an opponent begins a strong/heavy push in one lane where you can get a lot of value when using her on defense against the support and then tanking units.
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Be wary of when you want to use Minions/Ewiz to defend against cards such as a Balloon. Sometimes the opponent may try to use predictive Arrows at times for Minions so the next time a Balloon is coming down your lane consider using the Ewiz if possible.
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Try to let your opponent make the first move so you can adapt your play-style to suit and find a way to best use your cards against their deck.
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Avoid pre-planting Tombstones if an opponent carries Hog Riders or Battle Rams.
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Don't always over-commit by sending Miners for chip damage as there are times when you'll need every bit of Elixir to defend if they rush you harder for investing in a lone Miner or even combo of Miner and other units on offense.
P.E.K.K.A. will be your go-to defense against many ground units. she can help you gain some much needed elixir advantages when used on defense.
P.E.K.K.A. should ideally be reserved for defense only unless there is no clear troop she has to be kept in hand for.
Pushing with P.E.K.K.A., especially earlier on in the match, can be a gamble so know when you want to support her and when you should conserve your elixir.
One of your most flexible cards. Ewiz can be used to support your P.E.K.K.A. on offense after being used for successful defense your end to stress users who have an Inferno Tower/Dragon.
He can be used to make enemy troops change targets to something you would rather have taking damage (eg forcing a miner to switch targets from the tower/collector). Additionally he may be used to stall oncoming troops such as Elite Barbarians and Balloons etc.
Can be used in conjunction with other cards such as the Bandit and Miner to make a quick and deadly counter-push
The bandit is a great pseudo tank for your counter-pushes and she can hold her own in 1v1 battles against many units when you're counting on her for defense. She can low-key take out a wide array of glass cannon troops such as Wizard, Musketeer or even things like a Bowler with a little assistance from the tower.
She can help cycle the deck and even pressure opponents into expending their elixir to defend against her formidable dash attack. Each dash is about 1 Fireball's worth of damage. Value!
Her dashing mechanic allows her to present some possibilities that can be game changing to users. Take advantage of this by using her against weakened or medium HP troops that are staggering some distance from their comrades to get the most bang for your buck when investing 3 elixir into your Bandit.
Miner can be used primarily in this deck as a source of chip damage when you're at an elixir advantage and you don't need to reserve him for anything else.
Avoid playing him when the enemy has Tornado in hand and try to change up his placements when they don't to make it harder to predict where he'll pop up.
Deploy him to deal with those annoying enemy Princesses and Elixir Collectors.
Send the Miner in to deal with enemy supporting units that are glass cannons while your P.E.K.K.A. is tanking so that you can disarm a counter-push before it even begins. Smart thinking, am I right?
Avoid over-committing elixir by sending in Miners when you're not in a position to defend your opponent's advances with ease. If they catch you low on elixir they can really capitalize on little mistakes that are made.
When you jump into a match then you’ll want to ensure that you’re ready to defend against whatever your opponent throws at you. You should ideally try to make use of your elixir (before leaking too much while waiting for the 1st move to be made) by cycling a Bandit or Minions. Playing the Miner as your first move for the game is totally fine if no other suitable play can be made but always remember that doing this against an opponent who uses a bait deck (which typically makes use of cards such as the Princess) will result in you being 1 step behind them as they will then be able to play around a bit more freely knowing one of your counters to their Princess is now out of the way. Additionally if your opponent is running a heavy deck which makes use of the Elixir Collector and they also have another card which you need to reserve your Poison spell for then you may find yourself in some problems so just be very sure when you are going to drop that first Miner.
Once the first move has been made by your or your opponent you can then begin to “feel out” their decks and get an idea of what you’re up against. The sooner you’re able to identify their deck (or at least any key/major cards in their deck) the sooner you’ll be able to formulate some sort of a game plan to follow while playing the match. Remember not to over extend on your initial pushes least you be punished for unnecessary over commitments by giving your opponent a sizable elixir advantage to work with. Also as you move on to the mid game stage try to set up your card rotation to counter your opponents by reserving counter cards for whenever any particular card is in their hand so that you can quickly counter it without much difficulty. A good example of this would be constantly saving The Log for their Goblin Barrels. Finally always try to be efficient at managing your elixir correctly, however there may be times when it is necessary to expend a little more elixir than you normally would but you should use your best discretion before deciding to do so.
Once you’ve identified your opponent’s deck you will then want to make sure you set up your card rotation as mentioned previously. Keep playing carefully so that you never give your opponent room to break past your defenses or at least mitigate most damage if you can’t stop it all. When possible try to make a few mini pushes with cards such as the Bandit or Miner when you can afford to so that you might get some damage while defending with the P.E.K.K.A., Minions, Tombstone and/or Ewiz etc.
During double elixir you can potentially use combos of cards that are more expensive such as Miner + Poison however always read the situation to know if it is necessary. If your defense is solid and you can sneak in even a little chip damage every now and then when your bigger pushes can’t seem to connect then make the most of it and you should be good to go.
