Mortar Miner Deck Guide

Siege · Average elixir 2.8 · 4-card cycle 8 · Last updated: November 9, 2026

🏟️ Every card in this deck is unlocked by Arena 11 (Electro Valley). Best Arena 11 decks →

Mortar is a siege building that can fire at the enemy tower from your side, and it's cheaper than X-Bow. With Miner alongside it, troops coming to stop Mortar get hit by both Mortar and Miner. The deck is cheap and applies steady pressure.

Mortar Miner in the current meta

Based on 8,479 decks played in the last 4,372 Ranked battles of the top 200 players in the world (data from November 9, 2026):

“Siege (X-Bow / Mortar)” decks make up 5.7% of top players’ decks and win 52% of their battles. No deck close to the classic Mortar Miner list is among the 80 most played Ranked decks right now. That doesn’t make it a bad deck: top players simply prefer other decks at the moment. It’s still a good pick on Trophy Road and in friendly battles.

How often each card is played in the meta

Share of top players’ decks that include each card:

This section is updated weekly. The full list, refreshed every day: All meta decks →

Game plan

Place Mortar on your side, near the river, so it can reach your opponent's tower. When your opponent sends troops to destroy it, defend with Knight, Archers and Skeletons.

Send Miner to the tower for extra damage alongside Mortar's shots. Miner can also go after the backline troops attacking your Mortar.

Mortar works on defense too: it pulls building-targeting cards (Hog Rider, Giant) toward itself and shoots them.

Cards and their roles

• 
  Miner 3 elixir
  Second win condition. Damages the tower or the troops attacking Mortar.
• 
  Mortar 4 elixir
  Win condition. A cheap siege building that shoots the enemy tower from your side. Has a blind spot at close range.
• 
  Skeletons 1 elixir
  The cheapest cycle card. Distracts single-target troops.
• 
  Spear Goblins 2 elixir
  Cheap ranged damage. Hits air.
• 
  The Log 2 elixir
  Small spell. Pushes back swarms heading for Mortar.
• 
  Knight 3 elixir
  Mini tank. Stands in front of Mortar to protect it.
• 
  Archers 3 elixir
  Cheap air defense. Can be split into both lanes.
• 
  Fireball 4 elixir
  Medium spell. Clears support troops and finishes towers.

Tips

• Remember that Mortar can't hit troops right next to it; meet troops that get close with Knight or Skeletons.
• Place Mortar when your opponent has spent elixir or when you have an elixir lead.
• Sending Miner onto ranged troops your opponent uses against Mortar (like Musketeer) is a good trade.
• Don't risk Mortar while your opponent holds Earthquake or Rocket.

Strong against

• Against slow beatdown decks: constant Mortar pressure leaves them no time to set up a tank.
• Against building-targeting decks: Mortar pulls those cards on defense.

Struggles against

• Against building-killing spells like Earthquake and Rocket.
• Against strong air decks: Mortar can't hit air.

How to counter Mortar Miner

Based on its cards’ roles, these are the deck’s weak spots:

• Weak air defense (2 cards): flying cards like Balloon, Lava Hound and Minion Horde give it trouble.
• No tank killer: heavy tanks like Golem, Giant and Electro Giant, and Mega Knight, give it trouble.
• Only one small spell (The Log): bait it out with another swarm first, then play your main swarm.
• No splash troop: swarms like Skeleton Army, Goblin Gang and Minion Horde work well.

Known answers to its key cards

Mortar · How to counter

Miner · How to counter

Classic decks with a good matchup against it

• Log Bait · Great matchup
• Balloon Bowler · Great matchup
• LavaLoon · Good matchup

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

Missing a card?

If you don't own every card in this deck, or some are under-leveled, the ElixirDeck deck builder suggests the best replacements from your collection. Just enter your player tag.

Similar decks

• X-Bow 3.0 · Siege
• Hog 2.6 Cycle · Fast cycle
• Miner Poison Control · Control
• Mega Knight Miner · Control

General guides

• From a Bus Seat to the Meeting Room: My Years with Clash Royale
• How to Build a Good Clash Royale Deck
• Clash Royale Beginner's Guide
• Clash Royale Elixir Management: Positive Trades and Elixir Advantage
• Clash Royale Deck Archetypes: Beatdown, Cycle, Control, Siege and More
• Clash Royale Defense and Card Placement Guide
• Clash Royale Match Phases: Single Elixir, Double Elixir and Overtime
• Which Clash Royale Cards Should You Upgrade? A Card Level Guide