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 was created during the course of the 2nd year anniversary of Clash Royale for the Modern Royale event by yours truly. This deck was originally designed just to help me get through the challenge and be done with it so that I could proceed to do other things. However after playing my first match with it become very clear to me that this was no ordinary deck as it proved to be very effective. I would have only lost on two occasions while playing the challenge but they were for two reasons:

1) After the first match up I decided to try out the Magic Archer in place of the Mega Minion (didn’t play too well and it didn’t work out) so I lost once there but that was not with the same version of the deck I’m presenting today.

2) At one point during a match on another account I was doing pretty well against an opponent and barely took any damage up until my net connection stopped working for around 15 seconds allowing the Royal Ghost my opponent deployed to go to town. When my connection did stabilize I almost won the match despite losing half a tower due to connection issues and I was just 1 poison away from victory but inevitably I lost as I was left so vulnerable during the connection drop.

Anyways this deck as you can see is one which is a bit of a Cycle deck and also a Miner-Poison/Miner-Control deck. In this deck we have two main win conditions which can be used interchangeably depending on the situation at hand in the form of the Miner (my fav Shovel Boi) as well as the Battle Ram(aka the Pencil). Now with regards to defensive firepower this deck is nothing short of a well-fortified control deck. In our deck we have both the Zappies and Ice Spirit to help with quick and improvised defensive combos and sequences to stall/buy you enough time to cycle to other cards such as your Mega Minion/Tornado/Executioner to finish up defense. Now despite this being a low cost deck with the Exe-Nado combo one should not be fooled into thinking this is just another low skill cap deck that everyone can have success with on their first go. While Exe-Nado is always there to help against the biggest of pushes it is not necessary to defend against every push. As a matter of fact I have used mainly Zappies, an Ice Spirit and Mega Minion to defend against almost everything I have fought so far and depending on the situation I’d consider either throwing in a Miner on defense or attempt to use a Battle Ram to kite the troops coming at me into the opposite lane. Because of how sturdy my win conditions are this is the main reason why I have no fear going up against a heavier deck such as a Mega Knight deck.

Realistically speaking the only decks which you should be extra careful against in normal match ups would be against Bait decks (unless you manage to activate your king tower with the tornado spell which makes life easier), P.E.K.K.A. decks and possibly Golem decks. Despite these decks being a bit more difficult to go up against it is still very possible to contend against them so long as you keep an open mind and are quick on the draw to respond appropriately to whatever they throw at you. The easiest of matchups would include decks such as Hog decks and Graveyard as you have the Tornado spell which hard counters the Hog Rider and you’ve also got both the Poison spell and Zappies to neutralize the Graveyard. For any other match up just take your time and always be aware of what’s going on.

For a slightly different experience using this deck consider swapping out the Ice Spirit for The Log. This gives you more of an edge against bait users in general and can be pretty to have around but you'll be missing out on several combos you can do with the Ice Spirit and other cards.

Offense

This deck is not super offensive so you will be playing like a control deck for the most part. Your main sources of damage would include the Miner, Battle Ram, Poison and Ice Spirit. Miner would be used to counter push at times with leftover units, get some chip damage on towers from time to time, to assassinate troops on the enemy’s side (particularly Princess) and also to make quick work of buildings such as the Elixir Collector. The Battle Ram on the other hand would be here to allow you to apply some serious pressure in the opposite lane should your opponent invest in a heavy card (eg Giant,Lava Hound or Golem etc) in the back of their king/crown towers so that they have to choose between absorbing a lot of damage or be forced to defend the rush and most likely be unable to continue supporting their push. Usually the latter is the case so it can make your next defensive sequence a bit easier for you.

If you are nearing ten elixir then what you should be doing is cycling an Ice Spirit at the river (if you really don’t need it right away (Zappies should still be in hand or next in rotation to help against anything else coming at you) to get some chip damage against the opponent’s tower as usually it is not worth stopping a solo Ice Spirit. This single fact would allow you the chance to chip away at towers for only one elixir from time to time while cycling your deck. During the later stages of the game when you can afford to be more aggressive you can consider using the Miner in conjunction with the Poison spell when you know what cards your opponent may defend with that are susceptible to Poison such as a Minion Horde, Skeleton Army, Goblin Gang, Night Witch, Flying Machine etc. Remember folks this is a control deck here so in general you should never commit too heavily as your deck’s strength lies with its ability to defend first and then counter push/chip throughout the match!

Defense

As I’ve said previously this deck falls under the control archetype and as such you will mostly be defending during your games. Your main defensive cards would be the Ice Spirit, Zappies and Mega Minion in most circumstances whilst the Executioner and Tornado combo may be used in dire moments when using your cheaper cards won’t be enough to handle whatever they’ve thrown at you. When defending try to make sure which cards you use are the best for the situation at hand as playing any card at the wrong time in any given match generally gives your opponent the chance to punish you for it. When standing up against heavier decks that pack cards such as the Mega Knight and P.E.K.K.A. you should try to use your Mega Minion on it to begin eating away at its HP. If however they have something that targets air (typically a ranged unit such as Musketeer or Ewiz) and does a lot of damage then you’ll want to kite the Mega Knight into the opposite lane and then use your Ice Spirit to help mitigate damage it would do to your tower. As for kiting troops generally speaking a well-placed Battle Ram in the opposite lane can do a great job at this. If it happens to be out of rotation then consider using a defensive Miner (assess the situation for how worth this may be) or split your Zappies in such a way that only one of the Zappies takes the damage while the other two in the opposite lane then draw’s the units attention and simultaneously stunning them in the kill-zone (middle of the arena where all three towers can hit the target if the king tower is awake.

In order to get the king woken up you’ll be relying on a well-placed Tornado spell. Using the Tornado can prove to be invaluable in a number of matches as once the king tower is woken up your defensive capabilities will be over 9000 (overdone joke, I know but you get the idea)! If you’re not too verse in the usage of Tornado then I would advise taking the time to practice using it as knowing how to use it and what situations can allow cleaner/more efficient defense with it can help you out a ton. For instance against a bait user you don’t necessarily need a The Log spell in the deck as if the king is awakened you can pull the Goblins from the barrel behind your crown tower or to the center of the arena to deal with them (depends on how the barrel is cast). As long as nothing is taking the crown tower’s attention you should be good to go but if for whatever reason this isn’t the case then group them up with the Tornado and immediately follow this up by dropping an Ice Spirit. This should effectively take care of the Goblns (as a -1 elixir trade off) but is a fair alternative play for when you are not using a version of this deck with The Log spell in it. If you’re fighting against a Balloon user then you can either defend with your Zappies and Ice Spirit, use a Mega Minion or if it seems feasible you may also defend by using an Ice Spirit + Tornado Combo. If your king is not awake wait till the shadow of the Balloon is really close to your tower and then once there drop your Ice Spirit and immediately use Tornado. Once awake you should be good to go by using a solo Tornado spell against them.

Never be afraid to use a defensive Poison spell. At times it is actually necessary to use a Poison on defense depending on how your opponent has been playing so be mindful of when you can use it. If you notice that your opponent is a Three Musketeer player and they’re wise enough to split them then what you should do is use the Tornado spell to group them up in to one lane and immediately poison (placement and timing is key) so that they all get poisoned and with the damage from the Tornado factored into it then you should manage to kill them on the opponent’s side of the arena, damage their tower and most importantly defend efficiently for a positive elixir trade!

Learning the micro interactions of all these cards in the deck will also be an essential part in mastering this and many other decks. For instance minor details such as how much of a difference a single Ice Spirit can make will prove to be very helpful. An example of this would be stopping a Mega Knight or Prince of any kind in their tracks as the Ice Spirit out speeds them both. Another good example of using it to get a lot of value would be to use it against units such as a Battle Ram in combination with other troops such as a Mega Minion for clean defensive sequences. As far as Zappies go one should note that splitting Zappies is almost always one of the best ways to use them against most things that target anything in their way. When facing a Royal Ghost two Zappies are enough to stop it completely! Against units that target only buildings you ought to stagger them so that they fire at different times which would effectively allow you to stun your target for much longer and buy you more time to cycle to any other cards you need to defend with.

Tips & Tricks!

• You should always take be patient when playing. Defend first and then counter push or chip when and where possible.

• Stay calm and collected so that you don’t panic and miss a chance to use your cards in the right way to defend efficiently against some pushes which may seem intimidating at first but aren’t hard to take down when the correct approach is taken.

• Making full use of the micro interactions in the game with your cards can make a hug e difference in the long term. Eventually they may allow you to gain an elixir advantage over your opponent or help you get your cards in rotation to always be one step ahead of them, whether it is for offense or defense.

• Against bigger pushes you can either kite troops into the opposite lane with a Battle Ram or defend by using a Miner and other units if Zappies and Ice Spirit etc are not in rotation. Defensive Miners should only be used when necessary as you usually need him for your chip damage and to deal with Princesses and Elixir Collectors.

• Poison can be used to get a lot of value by smothering multiple units and/or buildings on the enemy’s side of the arena while also casting it on the enemy’s crown tower. Poison can also be used on defense should a chance to get a lot of value presents itself.

• Tornado tech plays a key part in making this deck work. Ensure that you practice using this card as it will be useless for those without the knowledge and skill to use it.

• When defending with an Executioner try to place it directly in front of the oncoming push so that when you do use your Tornado spell you will not have him throwing his axe at any odd angles to miss units he could otherwise be hitting. Be wary of what situations you can and cannot use him in as there may be times your opponent can be ready for this by either making use of a predictive Miner to distract him (adjust Tornado placements to pull him in front of the Executioner if this is the case) or if they have a heavy spell such as a Rocket and in some cases if they use a Tornado of their own to bring the Executioner to their push so that he may be killed easily.

• Use your Ice Spirit to help against units such as both the Prince and Dark Prince to stop their charges. The Ice Spirit can even stop the mighty Mega Knight cold in his tracks so it is truly a card that possesses a lot of value in this deck. It can be paired with the Tornado spell to clear Minion Hordes if used right and can help you mitigate damage against a solo Musketeer. If defending against a Bandit drop it right in front of the Bandit before she starts to dash. This will freeze her momentarily allowing any other units that are around at the time to damage her significantly (alternatively you can just pull her to the king tower to activate it easily).

• Splitting your Zappies is usually pretty helpful so that they can’t all be splashed away at once by most units like a Mega Knight. Two Zappies are actually enough to deal with a solo Royal Ghost! Additionally if you wish to truly stall units coming down a lane such as a Golem or Giant etc then stagger the Zappies a bit so that the one in front fires first and the other two may join in a second or two later so that they can stun the target more often which would effectively keep it in place longer for you to get to other cards which may help you deal with it better.