Rune Giant is a 4-elixir building-targeting tank that enchants the two closest friendly troops: every third attack of an enchanted troop deals bonus damage. She does little damage herself; the danger is the boosted support, so take her down quickly and then deal with the troops behind her.

Quick answer: the most efficient counters to Rune Giant are Mini P.E.K.K.A, Inferno Tower, Skeleton Army, P.E.K.K.A.

Best counters to Rune Giant

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

• 
  Mini P.E.K.K.A 4 elixir
  Mini P.E.K.K.A kills her quickly for the same elixir, and once she’s gone her enchantment soon wears off.
• 
  Inferno Tower 5 elixir
  Inferno Tower pulls her away from your princess tower and its ramping beam takes her down before she connects.
• 
  Skeleton Army 3 elixir +1 elixir trade
  Skeleton Army takes her down fast because she only attacks buildings; just make sure no splash troop is right behind her.
• 
  P.E.K.K.A 7 elixir
  P.E.K.K.A kills her in a few hits, beats most of her ground support too, and then turns into a counterpush.

How to defend

• Kill the Giant first: without her, the enchantment soon wears off and her support becomes ordinary again.
• Look at the two troops closest to her; those are the enchanted ones. If they are ranged support like Dart Goblin or Firecracker, they are worth a spell.
• She is cheap and often crosses the bridge before her support. A building in the middle can pull her early.
• Spread your defenders out against enchanted splash troops so one boosted hit doesn’t take out several cards.

Common mistakes

• Ignoring the Giant to chase the support: she soaks your tower’s shots and keeps the enchantment going.
• Dropping a swarm on her while Bowler, Firecracker or another splash troop is right behind her.
• Spending a big spell on the Giant herself; spells are much better on the boosted troops behind her.

After defending: the counterattack

Rune Giant costs only 4 elixir, so the opponent usually has elixir left to defend. Counterattack with troops that survived cleanly, or pressure the other lane while they rebuild the push.

Which spells kill it on their own?

At equal levels, whether a single spell takes this troop out without help from towers or other cards:

• Rune Giant (HP 2816): no single spell kills it

* Poison and Earthquake only kill it if the troop stays in the area for the whole duration. Values assume equal levels; level differences change the outcome.

Best decks against Rune Giant

Decks ElixirDeck’s deck builder makes against Rune Giant: 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 Rune Giant

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

• LumberLoon Freeze · Great matchup
• Rune Giant Lumberjack · Great matchup
• Mighty Miner Wall Breakers · Great matchup
• PEKKA Bridge Spam · Good matchup

Which decks use Rune Giant?

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 Rune Giant 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 Rune Giant?

The most efficient counters to Rune Giant are Mini P.E.K.K.A, Inferno Tower, Skeleton Army, P.E.K.K.A. Mini P.E.K.K.A kills her quickly for the same elixir, and once she’s gone her enchantment soon wears off.

What deck is good against Rune Giant?

Among the classic decks, LumberLoon Freeze, Rune Giant Lumberjack, Mighty Miner Wall Breakers match up well against it. The best counter deck ElixirDeck builds is a Goblin Barrel deck: Goblin Barrel, Goblins, Princess, The Log, Goblin Gang, Hunter, Inferno Tower, Rocket.

How do you get a positive elixir trade against Rune Giant?

Stop Rune Giant (4 elixir) cleanly with Skeleton Army (3 elixir) and you are 1 elixir ahead, enough to attack the other lane.

Rune Giant card guide: stats, decks and balance history →

How to counter other cards