Mortar is a 4-elixir siege building that lobs shells from very long range, so it can hit your tower when placed at the bridge. It has a blind spot right next to it and can’t hit air, and it takes a moment before it fires. You beat it by attacking the Mortar itself instead of letting it shoot.

Quick answer: the most efficient counters to Mortar are Miner, Knight, Earthquake, Goblin Barrel.

Best counters to Mortar

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

• 
  Miner 3 elixir +1 elixir trade
  Miner digs directly onto the Mortar, where it can’t hit him, and destroys it together with its support.
• 
  Knight 3 elixir +1 elixir trade
  Knight walks into the blind spot and hits the Mortar, while also tanking for your other cards.
• 
  Earthquake 3 elixir +1 elixir trade
  Earthquake deals heavy damage to buildings and also hurts troops defending the Mortar.
• 
  Goblin Barrel 3 elixir +1 elixir trade
  Goblin Barrel thrown onto the Mortar puts three goblins in its blind spot, where they destroy it quickly.

How to defend

• Anything standing right next to the Mortar is safe from its shells. Send cheap ground troops to its feet.
• Mortar can’t hit air: Minions, Bats or Mega Minion attack it freely.
• When it targets your tower, place a cheap troop in front to pull its shots, then destroy it.

Common mistakes

• Placing several troops close together on its path, so one shell hits all of them.
• Ignoring it because its first shots are slow; a locked-on Mortar deals steady damage to the tower.
• Over-committing on the Mortar lane while the opponent pressures the other lane with Miner or Goblin Barrel.

After defending: the counterattack

Mortar decks are cheap and cycle fast. After you destroy the Mortar with a positive trade, attack the opposite lane right away: their defense usually relies on cheap buildings and small troops.

Best decks against Mortar

Decks ElixirDeck’s deck builder makes against Mortar: 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 Mortar

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

• Mortar Miner · Great matchup
• E-Giant Tornado · Great matchup
• Log Bait · Great matchup
• Giant Double Prince · Good matchup

Which decks use Mortar?

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 Mortar 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 Mortar?

The most efficient counters to Mortar are Miner, Knight, Earthquake, Goblin Barrel. Miner digs directly onto the Mortar, where it can’t hit him, and destroys it together with its support.

What deck is good against Mortar?

Among the classic decks, Mortar Miner, E-Giant Tornado, Log Bait match up well against it. The best counter deck ElixirDeck builds is a Goblin Barrel deck: Goblin Barrel, Knight, Hunter, Spear Goblins, The Log, Princess, Inferno Tower, Rocket.

How do you get a positive elixir trade against Mortar?

Stop Mortar (4 elixir) cleanly with Miner (3 elixir) and you are 1 elixir ahead, enough to attack the other lane.

Mortar card guide: stats, decks and balance history →

How to counter other cards