Goblin Drill is a 4-elixir building that digs to your tower and keeps spawning goblins; when it breaks, more goblins come out. It’s cheap, constant pressure, often paired with Wall Breakers, Bomber or Poison.

Quick answer: the most efficient counters to Goblin Drill are Knight, Valkyrie, Bomber, The Log.

Best counters to Goblin Drill

These cards deal with it safely and for little elixir. Tap a card’s name to open its own guide.

• 
  Knight 3 elixir +1 elixir trade
  Knight tanks the goblins and destroys the drill next to your tower, then becomes a counterattack.
• 
  Valkyrie 4 elixir
  Valkyrie’s spin hits the goblins and the drill at the same time, including the goblins that pop out when it breaks.
• 
  Bomber 2 elixir +2 elixir trade
  Bomber clears each wave of goblins from behind the tower for only 2 elixir.
• 
  The Log 2 elixir +2 elixir trade
  The Log damages the drill, clears the goblins around it and knocks them back before they reach the tower.

How to defend

• Defend quickly: the longer the drill stays, the more goblins it spawns.
• Place splash troops right on the drill so they also hit the goblins that appear when it breaks.
• Opponents often add Wall Breakers or a Miner in the other lane; keep a cheap answer for both.
• Your tower already damages the drill; a cheap troop next to it is often enough.

Common mistakes

• Using a big spell like Fireball on the drill when cheap troops do the job.
• Answering with a slow single-target troop while goblins keep spawning.
• Forgetting the goblins that come out when the drill breaks.

After defending: the counterattack

Goblin Drill decks are cheap and fast. After a clean defense with Knight or Valkyrie, push the surviving troop to the bridge.

Best decks against Goblin Drill

Decks ElixirDeck’s deck builder makes against Goblin Drill: each one is scored on both deck balance and its matchup against this card (all cards at the same level, evolutions and heroes unlocked). Every deck uses a different win condition; if your cards differ, you can adapt any deck to your collection.

Classic decks with a good matchup against Goblin Drill

Each guide explains step by step how the deck is played.

• Hog 2.6 Cycle · Good matchup
• Mortar Miner · Good matchup
• LumberLoon Freeze · Good matchup
• X-Bow 3.0 · Good matchup

Which decks use Goblin Drill?

Guides to the classic decks that run this card; each one also explains what to play against that deck.

Build a counter deck from your own cards

Enter your player tag and ElixirDeck finds the best decks against Goblin Drill with your cards and levels.

Matchups are estimated from card roles and well-known counters; player skill and card levels change the result a lot.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best counter to Goblin Drill?

The most efficient counters to Goblin Drill are Knight, Valkyrie, Bomber, The Log. Knight tanks the goblins and destroys the drill next to your tower, then becomes a counterattack.

What deck is good against Goblin Drill?

Among the classic decks, Hog 2.6 Cycle, Mortar Miner, LumberLoon Freeze match up well against it. The best counter deck ElixirDeck builds is a X-Bow deck: Hunter, Knight, Tesla, X-Bow, Ice Spirit, The Log, Fireball, Minion Horde.

How do you get a positive elixir trade against Goblin Drill?

Stop Goblin Drill (4 elixir) cleanly with Bomber (2 elixir) and you are 2 elixir ahead, enough to attack the other lane.

Goblin Drill card guide: stats, decks and balance history →

How to counter other cards