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

If you’ve ever wanted a deck that can take you places even when underleveled then this is one to consider using. This Giant Witch deck is an adaptation of one which I covered recently on my channel and posted about here on Stats Royale. If you’re familiar with my guides already you should know that these decks I present are pretty powerful when used correctly and full of details to help you use the deck in question with great success so if this is your first time reading one of my guides and you enjoy it then I’d encourage you to check out some more!

As a side note I had this deck appraised once again by pro player Saunadude who would have rated it to be a 7.5/10 which is a very good rating all things considered. It is very viable on ladder, even if one or two cards might be underleveled (in my case it was the Witch) and I think it is pretty good for those of you who are FTP out there since it does only pack two legendary cards and two epics as compared to the first variant I posted about which had only 1 legendary card. Additionally once you're above 4400-4600 you might see less of the ever present over leveled Elite Barbarians so if you think you need more air defense as you move through higher trophy ranges then feel free to sub out the Valkyrie and replace her with other cards that can help you out greatly against air such as a Mega Minion, Bats or even Minions.

Anyways today’s featured deck is indeed a variant of the deck which I covered once before on my channel and is actually one I would encourage all with a fair leveled Giant to try out as its proven to be very reliable even against tougher match ups. Generally speaking, this deck is of a hybrid build with the Miner and Giant as your main win conditions, Valkyrie and Inferno Dragon being your best defense and Goblin Gang and Witch as your supporting units and also spell bait. When you find yourself facing a hard match up what you should be doing is playing a bit more defensively and avoid using the Giant as much. If you catch your opponent at times when they’ve burnt key spells such as a Zap or The Log it gives you a window of opportunity to use either your Goblin Gang with the Miner on an opposite lane rush if going the same lane isn’t working out for you and if the situation calls for it you can also use the Inferno Dragon as well once the Zap is out and they have nothing left to stun it or swarm it. With this in mind you’ll realize that this deck thrives on defensive plays and then counter pushing very well. Using the cards and their different mechanics to your advantage you should be able to handle almost any match up in the current meta but be advised that going up against decks which use the Hog Rider may be a bit more difficult than other matches since its fast moving and targets buildings but as you will see in the video guide, it’s a very winnable match as I’ve demonstrated in several instances. Lava Loon is also another hard match up but if you can get the Inferno Dragon to disarm their Balloon while pushing you should be fine as their Hound would fall next and not get off much damage.

If any of you readers have questions about this deck feel free to drop a comment on the video and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. Hope you all enjoy the tips that follow!

Offense

In this deck your main sources of damage may stem from any of the following:

• Damage dealt by either the Miner or Giant when deployed
• Incidental damage from a Spear Goblin or two when split/cycling
• Incidental damage from the Witch or Inferno Dragon being left ignored when left with very little HP and they connect to the tower.

Knowing this you may not always need to amass a very large push on every occasion. With ladder matches now lasting 3 minutes when above 4k trophies you can play for the long game and take only a single tower while defending or split your damage as you go along so as to have higher odds of winning when you manage to tower trade against harder match ups. If you intend to start a beatdown push after learning what you’re up against then it may be best to start off with a Witch in the back if you know their spells aren’t gonna kill your Witch in one go like Lightning or Rocket would. Doing this would then allow you to get some wiggle room to use other cards more freely and aggressively late game in those situations as they won’t be able to use them against other troops that get grouped up when pushing.

Since your deck does have some cards that are susceptible to spell bait you need to be careful not to run too low on elixir. Always try to keep 4-5 elixir handy so that you may still be able to defend fairly well when your opponent starts to come at you. Also when playing try to keep track of your opponent’s counters and win conditions. If you do this then you should then be able to prioritize your card usage and know when and where each card may be needed. If you see your opponent burning through their spells and key cards such as Valkyrie or any other troop capable of splashing you might find a chance to rush with your Goblin Gang and Miner while simultaneously pushing the opposite lane. Basically if you can divert their attention in one lane with a Giant and possibly Witch after making some positive elixir trades then rushing the opposite lane when they begin to over commit on defense will allow you to stretch their elixir even thinner and also help get you some much needed damage in tougher match ups.

Defense

Defense is still a very key factor in this deck despite the ability to be played as a traditional beatdown deck. Your main defensive cards will be the Valkyrie and the Inferno Dragon and as mentioned before your defenses can work out best when you can catch your opponent with key cards out of rotation such as their Zap and now Fireball and Giant Snowball. If you know they rely on troops that stun make sure you can block the Ewiz from stunning the Inferno Dragon with your Giant/Valkyrie or even your Goblin Gang then you can effectively burn down their tanks. Remember to try to keep your Valkyrie handy against people who have Three Musket, Elite Barbarians and any sort of glass cannon supporting unit such as a Wizard which aids their main tanks.

At time you may need to improvise your defenses when facing very difficult match ups or when you’ve been caught with ideal counters out of rotation. If you should happen to have cards such as the Giant or Miner in hand and no other troop/spell available can handle what’s coming your way then do not hesitate to use them defensively. The Giant can be used to pull troops into the opposite lane much like you would with an Ice Golem. As a matter of fact if you had been opposite lane rushed when you just dropped a troop such as a Witch or Inferno Dragon in the back of one lane then you can use the Giant or Miner to help you kite the oncoming troops into your push so that you can manage to hold your own. This may not always work out but it’s definitely worthwhile if executed correctly and saves you unnecessary tower damage. When using your Goblin Gang on defense try to adjust the position of them on occasion when you’re trying to defend against single target units such as the Prince or a Mini P.E.K.K.A. to avoid being easily predicted with spells such as The Log. In cases where there are Fire Spirits in the mix make sure to either be rid of them with a well-timed Zap spell which splashes not only the Fire Spirits but also the troop(s) in question coming down your lane. Additionally, if you can help it then you should try to avoid defending in the same ways every time to avoid becoming predictable. This mostly applies with defending using the Goblin Gang or the Inferno Dragon as some may be ready to swarm it right as you’re deploying it. With all of this in mind you should thread very carefully when in battle to avoid giving your opponent’s an opportunity to breach your defenses.

Tips & Tricks!

• Avoid using the Goblin Gang on every occasion to defend. Instead, mix it up a bit now and then by using your Valkyrie or Inferno Dragon depending on your priorities.

• Always start your Miner in the anti-tornado position if he must be played but be careful not to use him when they have cards such as the Elixir Collector or Princess which would be better targets than just the tower itself.

• Be careful when starting up a push in the back with your Witch. Always keep in mind their spells so you know if it’s worth baiting out or if it’s better to play her closer to the bridge when pushing. Remember it’s not always bad if you get a Fireball and possibly Zap/The Log out of their hand by playing her in the back as it might tempt your opponent into burning their spells and if they stretch their elixir too thin you might be able to rush them with your Miner and possibly Goblin Gang.

• Split pushing is one of the best ways to get damage done and it never hurts to split your damage either especially against tougher match ups to make life easier for you come the late game. If you can mount a Giant Witch push in one lane it may tempt them to use either a lot of Elixir or burn cards which are pesky for you to deal with which would essentially allow you a small window of opportunity to rush the other lane.

• You can always kite troops into the opposite lane if some things make it too difficult to defend in one lane. Divide and conquer is something you might literally need to do in order to get by at times so keep your wits about you to know when such tactics may be necessary.

• Poison may be very useful to help deal with swarms. Whether it be on offense when you can clip a building, most notably an Elixir Collector and smother a tower (and if possible other troops) or on defense when a mammoth push is coming your way it can help you out in a pinch if things are left in the area of effect long enough. With this in mind be careful not to get baited out of your Poison in matches against a Graveyard user as they will be very likely to have either a Poison spell of their own on your Witch/Gang or Freeze if necessary which can cause you a lot of problems even if you decided to use your Valkyrie which might be considered a tier 2 Graveyard counter.

• Be careful not to be chipped out against any Miner based decks. At times you might want to look into their habits of placements to try to block it from connecting by either using a Goblin Gang if you’re trying to bait a Zap spell for some reason or if you’re not feeling like that would be a suitable counter you can try using your Giant or Valkyrie to block it. Again keep in mind the consequences of your actions as cards such as the Valkyrie are very crucial to most of your defenses.

• Your Valkyrie and Goblin Gang can help you out against bait users running the Goblin Barrel. Place the Goblin Gang in the back of your crown tower as the barrel soars across to your side so the Goblins fan out and swarm those that spawn from the barrel to prevent all tower damage if it’s executed correctly. Should you wish to use your Valkyrie against the barrel then deploy her in front of your crown tower if they did not toss you a duke barrel. This instantly kills two out of three Goblins. It might be possible to kill all three Goblins by placing her on the side of your crown tower just as the barrel is touching down but I have not had this work out for me just yet at the time of writing this. Videos on YouTube would suggest it is possible. All in all, be careful they start throwing duke barrels to avoid being countered by your Valkyrie. Keep a close eye on it and learn to read where it’s being tossed to handle it appropriately.

• At times when your Giant tanks aggression you can consider using the Miner to deal with glass cannons if you can’t or don’t wish to burn a Poison spell on them. This might be very crucial to do when facing Tornado users to possibly mess up their defenses if done correctly.

• The Miner can be used to distract pre-planted P.E.K.K.A.s if placed in the opposite lane near the middle of the arena but still closer to the crown tower. For more detailed steps see my previous guide using the other variant of this deck or check the video for this one where I placed the Miner in the right spot against a P.E.K.K.A. but was unable to pull it off successfully due to him countering my Miner just before the P.E.K.K.A. crossed the middle of the arena to go into the opposite lane.