AI Overview: This Executioner Bowler deck averages 4.1 elixir and stacks two splash troops behind a Giant. A 12-0-1 run and said it works at any Executioner level. In 2026 both splash cards lost range, 7.5 to 7 tiles, and the Bowler’s best list wins 72.3%, though this exact list has no tracker sample. Keep reading for the full card breakdown.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The deck costs 33 elixir, which is 4.1 on average, and the Giant, Executioner and Bowler cost 5 each.
- Executioner’s projectile range fell from 7.5 to 7 tiles on August 4, and his best Evolution list wins 59.9% over 504 battles.
- Bowler’s range fell from 7.5 to 7 tiles in August; his best list wins 72.3%, but the other six base lists won 42.7% to 45.1%.
- Giant had no 2026 change, and his best list wins 71.6% over 587 battles.
- Arrows hit towers for 75, not 93 (June 1), and the Mega Minion has no printed list above 50%.
The Executioner Bowler List, Priced Card by Card
The idea is simple. Put the Giant and Archers in front of the Executioner and Bowler, and let both splash troops grind.
| Card | Elixir | Job in the deck | 2026 status |
| Giant | 5 | Main tank for the push | No 2026 change; best list 71.6% over 587 |
| Executioner | 5 | Splash damage in both air and ground | Projectile range 7.5 to 7 tiles on August 4; best Evo list 59.9% over 504 |
| Bowler | 5 | Knockback and ground splash | Projectile range 7.5 to 7 tiles in August; best list 72.3%, other six base lists 42.7% to 45.1% |
| Archers | 3 | Ranged support and Graveyard counter | Best list 70.6% over 695; Evo Power Shot 168 to 140 |
| Mega Minion | 3 | Strong air and ground damage | No printed list above 50% (Hero 47.7%, base 44.7%) |
| Elixir Collector | 6 | Elixir engine for the double splash push | Only six tracked decks run it; touched in the October patch |
| Arrows | 3 | Spell that clears swarms | Crown Tower damage 93 to 75 on June 1; best list 68.7% |
| Tornado | 3 | Control card that groups troops for splash | No 2026 change; best list 64.7% over about 1,900 |
The table lists all eight cards, their elixir costs and where each stands after the 2026 patches.
A deck with two splash troops needs them to stay alive. The negative effect: both the Executioner and the Bowler lost range in August, so each now stands closer to the enemy, and a fast Hog or Prince can reach them sooner.
What Changed in 2026
The Executioner and Bowler reach half a tile less. The Giant is unchanged. The Archers’ base card is unchanged, and only their Evolution shot fell, from 168 to 140. The Arrows hit towers for less. The Elixir Collector was touched in October.
Claims, rechecked. The Executioner has a small stun and lots of range. The range is 7 tiles now, down from 7.5, so the same card reaches slightly less. The 12-0-1 run is a personal result and not a win rate.
The weak spots. The Bowler’s best list wins 72.3%, but six other base lists sit at 42.7% to 45.1%, so the card depends on its list. The Mega Minion has no printed list above 50%. The Collector shows up in only six tracked decks.
Card pages: Executioner, Bowler, Giant and Archers.
The Executioner cannot be Lightninged. The negative effect: that is a claim about how the card played in his season, and the data cannot confirm it for today, so a Lightning or Rocket on a bunched-up push is still a risk to plan for.
How to Play It Today
In double elixir or with several Collectors down, place the Executioner and Bowler together for mass damage.
Tips. The Executioner counters Minion Horde, Skeleton Army, Barbarians, Tombstone and Inferno Towers. Unlike Goblins or Minions, the Archers cannot be Logged, Arrowed or Zapped.
Translation: the Archers can kite when split, or defend against the Graveyard. Use Tornado to pull a push into the splash zone, and Arrows for Minion Horde and Skeleton Army. The Mega Minion kills Musketeers, Princesses and Hogs in a few shots.
Elixir math: the Giant, Executioner and Bowler take 15 of the 33 elixir, and the Collector another 6. The other four cost 12, exactly 3 each. An Executioner plus Bowler push is 10 elixir before the Giant.
Try it yourself: want to see how it feels? Open the Clash Royale Deck Builder, where Executioner Bowler Deck is waiting. At 4.1 elixir on average it is a clear example of its style; just remember it has no 2026 win rate behind it.
The deck has no Zap, so Inferno Dragons and towers can melt the Giant. The negative effect: with no reset spell, an Inferno Tower or Dragon still beats the tank unless support units are stacked, and the Mega Minion cannot cover that gap on the data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Executioner Bowler deck good in 2026?
The Bowler’s best list wins 72.3% and the Giant’s best wins 71.6%, but this exact list has no tracker sample, so test the Mega Minion slot first.
How heavy is this deck in elixir?
The eight cards add up to 33 elixir, so the average is 4.1.
When are the Executioner and Bowler played together?
In double elixir or with several Collectors down.
What can replace the Giant?
An Ice Golem or a Knight.
What is the weakness?
No Zap, so Inferno Dragons and towers can melt the Giant unless several support troops are stacked.
Original Guide, Kept in Full
The text below is the original page, kept in full. It was written between 2016 and 2024, so some details are out of date. The tips and numbers above use 2026 sources.
I’m dankmelk (IGN: DarkMilk) and I am a Mortar enthusiast but I also enjoy playing beatdown decks, which I will be showing you today.
This Executioner Bowler Beatdown Deck is almost completely unstoppable, 12-0-1 for me right now.
The deck is a strong Tournament and Ladder deck, no matter what level your Executioner is.
The Executioner is similar to the Mortar except much stronger. Combined with the Bowler, they are unstoppable.
The deck is sort of expensive but there is a work around, and I haven’t had any elixir problems so far. Note: I am playing at about 3800 trophies.
The Deck (levels in parenthesis)
Giant (7): The Giant is your main tank in the deck, bulky and strong, the Giant can protect your supporting troops with no problems.
Since the deck has no Zap, Inferno Dragons and towers can counter your Giant and melt it, but if you have a few support troops stacked up, the opponent won’t have enough time to take it out.
Can be replaced with Ice Golem or Knight if preferred.
Executioner (3): In my opinion, the Executioner is one of the best cards in the game atm.
It is extremely over-powered because it has a small stun, can hit air and ground, has lots of range, has splash damage and cannot be Lightninged.
The Executioner is a great defensive troop that has lots of offensive capabilities.
I normally use the Executioner for defense and then place a Giant and Archers in front of it.
The Executioner can take out a Minion Horde, a Skeleton Army, Barbarians, Tombstone, Inferno Towers, and many other defenses. This is what makes this deck strong, if it is combined with Bowler.
Use the Bowler as a defense and then transfer it over to offense, similar to Executioner.
During double elixir time or when you have several Collectors down, you can place both the Executioner and the Bowler together to cause mass damage.
Archers (11): I would say the Archers are one of the most useful troops in the game at this time.
They can take out Minions, Skeleton Army, Barbarians, support troops, etc with just a few shots. They are also an effective counter to the Graveyard.
Unlike Goblins and Minions, Archers cannot be Logged, arrowed, or Zapped.
While being a great defensive troop, the Archers can be placed behind the Giant along with most of the other cards in this deck.
Splitting Archers can be used as a kiting tactic or when you have ten elixir.
Replacements (not as versatile): Musketeer, Ice Wizard.
Mega Minion (7): The Mega Minion is one of the only troops of its kind.
It is the air P.E.K.K.A that causes great damage and cannot be ignored.
While causing mass damage, the MM serves as a great counter to Musketeer, Ice Wizard, Princess, Hog, Valkyrie, and most all troops because it can take them out in just a few shots, even with the recent balance changes.
Playing the Mega Minion against hordes of troops is not recommended because it will likely be obliterated. No recommended replacements.
Elixir Collector (7): I usually never use the Elixir Collector because it is one of those buildings that was nerfed and is rarely ever seen.
I thought that the Elixir Collector was completely useless until I started looking for a cheaper card and then I was like hey Elixir Collector might be good in this deck.
With the Elixir Collector, you basically want to stack up a few during normal Elixir time and as soon as it hits double Elixir time you can rush your opponent with a huge push.
If your opponent always plays Miner on your Collector then you can play your Collector in the corner and tornado the opponent’s Miner into the King’s Tower. Otherwise I would recommend playing the EC in the middle of the map, right in front of the King’s Tower.
Arrows (9): With spell bait, Goblins, and Minions becoming more popular I would suggest using Arrows instead of Zap since it can take out opponents troops that are a few levels higher. It also can hit air and kill Lava pups, giving you a big advantage over Lava Hound decks.
Could be replaced with other spells but it is not recommended.
Tornado (3): I think the Tornado is easily the most exciting card in the deck because of how many interesting uses it has.
A couple of them are: pulling a Miner/Hog/Elite Barbarians into the King’s Tower and activating it or you can clump troops together then completely make them disappear with the Executioner and Bowler because they cause great splash damage.
When you have a large Bowler, Executioner, Giant push coming in and you know the opponent will play Barbarians or several small troops you can tornado the troops right into the tower. This allows the Bowler and Executioner to go to work against the troops and hit the tower at the same time.
An alternative to tornado is Zap or Log if you just hate the Tornado.
General Gameplan
Normal Play: In normal elixir time, I try to defend my opponents pushes as much as I can.
Fast paced decks are harder to defend against because this deck is a little on the expensive side of decks.
When I play against an opponent who uses decks that include a tank with multiple supporting troops, I can defend really well because I have a lot of splash damage troops like Bowler and Executioner which can easily take care of an opponents deck.
When I have full elixir I try to place an Elixir Collector and stack them up because they provide a lot of support.
If I defend my opponent in normal elixir time I sometimes place a Giant down in front of my surviving support troops and get a small push going.
Double Elixir Time: As soon as I hit about one minute and I have a few Collectors down, I place a Giant, Bowler, or Executioner in the back on the side that I have most damage or the side that my opponent is attacking.
Once I do this I try to stack up as many troops right behind the Giant as I can. With a Giant, Executioner, and a Bowler down, it is very hard to counter.
I would say the strongest counter to Executioner and Bowler would probably be the Valkyrie because for some reason the knockback on the Bowler does not work when the Valkyrie is smashed between the two troops.
Long story short, just stack as many troops behind the Giant to overthrow your opponent, similar to most beatdown decks.
Defense: Depending on what your opponent plays, you can play a cheaper defense such as Archers, Mega Minion, or you can defend a little more expensively like Bowler, Archers.
Defending faster paced decks is the hardest deck to play against because they are so much faster then you. To defend against them you want to try to get the most out of every troop you place.
For example, if your opponent places a Miner with a Minion Horde or Goblins, you can defend with a execution right behind the Miner so it can hit the extra support troops as well.
When I play against an opponent who uses decks that include a tank with multiple supporting troops, I can defend really well because I have a lot of splash damage troops like Bowler and Executioner which can easily take care of an opponents deck.
Hog decks are the easiest to play against in my opinion because you can defend really cheap and can completely overwhelm them with big pushes, usually resulting in a three crown.
Conclusion
This deck has worked great for me in challenges as well as in ladder play around 3800 and I hope it works out for you.
Some things to remember that I bet you’ve heard a million times, never overcommit, watch your elixir, stay positive and never give up! DarkMilk out!
Sources
Researched from the following (no links, listed for transparency):
- CryptoAIMeta card guides for these cards, built from RoyaleTracker October 2026 samples and SeeMeta 2026 balance changes
- SeeMeta, Clash Royale balance changes 2026 (page updated October 2026), read through search summaries
- Supercell official Clash Royale API, card list (elixir cost, rarity, unlock arena)
- The original clash.world page (2016 to 2024), kept in full below