AI Overview: This Giant cycle deck averages 2.9 elixir and uses a Giant, a Mini P.E.K.K.A and plenty of spells to chip a tower. Giant had no 2026 change and wins 71.6% in his best list, but Fireball, Zap and The Log all lost tower damage, which slows the chip plan. All figures come from the October 2026 card data.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The deck costs 23 elixir, which is 2.9 on average, and the Giant is the only card above 4.
- Giant had no 2026 change, and his best list wins 71.6% over 587 battles.
- Fireball lost Crown Tower damage twice (207 to 172 to 159), Zap lost it once (58 to 48), and The Log lost it once (41 to 35).
- Mini P.E.K.K.A had no 2026 change, and his best list wins 60.6% over 1,100 battles.
- Minions have a best list of 65.2%, and every printed Ice Spirit list wins 56.7% or more.
The Giant Cycle List, Priced Card by Card
The Giant is the only pushing card, and the plan is defend, then counterattack.
| Card | Elixir | Job in the deck | 2026 status |
| Giant | 5 | The only pushing card | No 2026 change; best list 71.6% over 587 |
| Mini P.E.K.K.A | 4 | Counter-push partner and tank killer | No 2026 change; best list 60.6% over 1,100, only one of six above 50% |
| Fireball | 4 | Versatile spell for chip and support | Crown Tower damage 207 to 172 to 159; best list 60.4% over about 4,700 |
| Zap | 2 | Cheap spell for swarms | Crown Tower damage 58 to 48 on June 1; Evo Zap 77.0% over about 1,000 |
| Bats | 2 | Fast air cycle | No 2026 change; none of eight printed lists above 50% |
| Minions | 3 | Cheap support that survives Zap and Log | No 2026 change; best list 65.2% over 2,300 |
| Ice Spirit | 1 | Freeze and cheapest cycle card | Hitpoints 230 to 215 on August 4; every printed list 56.7% or more |
| The Log | 2 | Ground swarm spell | Crown Tower damage 41 to 35 on June 1; best list 65.1% over 3,500 |
The table prices the cards and adds the October 2026 status of each.
A deck with three spells that lost tower damage leans harder on the Giant. The negative effect: if the Giant is trimmed or an opponent finds a clean answer to him, the deck has no second win condition to turn to, and the old chip plan may fall short on every tower.
What Changed in 2026
The Giant is steady and the spells are weaker. Fireball hits a tower for 159, not 207. Zap hits for 48, not 58. The Log hits for 35, not 41. In double elixir you can afford to throw Fireballs around for chip, despite the damage nerf against towers, and that is even more true now.
Those are opinions or numbers from the old game and cannot be rechecked on this site, so read them as one view. The Giant’s 71.6% best list is a small sample at 587 battles.
The support cards held up. Minions have a best list of 65.2%, Bats have no list above 50%, and Mini P.E.K.K.A has 60.6%. Many players call Minions the MVP in Giant decks, because they survive a Zap and a Log, and that part still reads well.
Card pages: Giant, Mini P.E.K.K.A and Fireball.
The negative effect: with all three spells trimmed, the cheap defense is a bit weaker too, and a player who falls behind in the first minute has little to come back with.
How to Play It Today
Because the Giant is cheap, plop him at the bridge just before a defense is finished, and your defending units walk behind him for a strong counter-push. He rarely built his own pushes.
Tips. Build your own push only rarely. Hold Fireball for groups, and use Zap for swarms. The Log kills Skeleton Army and Goblin Barrels. Bats cycle quickly and can pull Inferno Tower fire away from the Giant.
Translation: use Fireball with Zap to take out Zappies, Flying Machine and Fireballies. Use Zap on Skeleton Army and Bats, and with your own Bats to redirect an Inferno Tower beam onto them. The Minions behind the Giant are hard to ignore, since the opponent needs one card that answers both.
Elixir math: the Giant costs 5 and every other card costs 4 or less. The other seven cost 18 in total, an average of 2.6, which is how this deck cycles so quickly.
Try it yourself: Giant Cycle Deck is one tap away in the Clash Royale Deck Builder, preloaded and editable. Its average is 2.9 elixir. No win rate exists for it in the 2026 tracker data.
Cycle decks win on speed. The negative effect: against a patient defensive deck, a long game may end in a draw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Giant cycle deck good in 2026?
Giant’s best list wins 71.6% and Minions’ best 65.2%, but the three spells all lost tower damage, and this exact list has no tracker sample, so read it as direction.
How much elixir does the deck average?
2.9 elixir per card on average (23 in total).
Why use Minions in a Giant deck?
They survive Zap and Log and cannot be ignored behind the Giant.
Did Fireball change?
Yes. Its Crown Tower damage fell from 207 to 172 and then 159.
What is the deck weak to?
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.
Hey again, it’s Zigge here.
Today I’m going to share with you one of the most enjoyable decks I have ever made.
This is a Giant Mini P.E.K.K.A cycle deck which relies heavily on pressure and counterpushing potential to get through damage.
This deck focuses on chipping away multiple times, but can also take a tower quickly if it really needs to.
Let’s see what we’ve got!
| Deck | Cards | Avg elixir | Needs |
| Deck in this guide | 2.9 | Arena 11 (The Log) |
Pros
- Fast cycle
- Lots of spells
- Great offense
Cons
- Lacks on defense
- Weak against defensive decks
- Hard to learn
The Giant Mini P.E.K.K.A Cycle Deck
Giant
This is the main and only pushing card of this deck.
Giant has the most health for its cost, rocking 668,8 per 1 Elixir, compared to the Golem’s 532 (not including Golemites).
Due to his cheap cost, you can plop him down at the bridge just before a defense is finished.
Your defending units will go behind him and make for a strong counterpush.
This is the winning strategy in most cases; defend and counterattack.
You rarely want to build up your own pushes (I’ll talk about that later).
Fireball
In my opinion the most versatile spell in the game.
It’s great at taking out Zappies, Flying Machine and Fireballies* ,when combined with a Zap.
It’s great on defense but helps the most on offense when it comes to just pushing through damage regardless of the Elixir cost.
In x2 Elixir you can afford letting Fireballs flying left and right just to chip off damage here and there, despite the damage nerf against crown towers.
*Fireballies are units (typically ranged attackers) who almost die to fireball, but not quite.
Zap
The small lightning bolt that will always be a part of Clash Royale’s meta game.
Great at taking out Skeleton Army and Bats, but it shines the brightest when combined with a Giant and your own Bats, to redirect the Inferno Tower laser beam onto the Bats.
You can never go wrong with Zap in your deck, and there will always be a situation where you want to use it, whether if it’s to clear up a bunch of medium health units after a Fireball, or if it’s to remove low health units immediately.
Minions
The MVP in Giant decks.
Because of their ability to survive a Zap (and log) it’s one of the best cheap cards to put behind him and they can’t be ignored.
It’s not very hard to take out Minions on their own, but with a Giant tanking it’s a different story, especially since you are likely ahead in Elixir and with a couple spells at your fingertips
They will have to find a card that takes out both the Giant and the Minions, or at least distract them long enough for their tower to take them out after the Giant.
Bats
The cheaper but more fragile substitute for Minions.
If your opponent has any type of Inferno unit, Bats combined with Zap are your first hand pick.
Due to their extremely high dps, they will tear down your opponent’s defending units in a flash unless your opponent has an Ice Golem, Zap or a very well placed Ice Spirit.
Keep track of your opponent’s cycle, so that they don’t have a hypothetical Zap in hand when you decide to play your them.
Having your Bats zapped away immediately then having your Giant melt to an Inferno Dragon is not how you want to play this game.
Mini P.E.K.K.A
We finally get to the card you’ve all been waiting for.
This deck revolves around the Mini P.E.K.K.A than it does around the Giant.
Based on what deck your opponent is playing, you have to play your Mini P.E.K.K.A differently, which also changes how the whole deck functions.
The more comfortable you are with Mini P.E.K.K.A defense, the more success you will have with this deck.
It’s important to keep your Mini P.E.K.K.A alive at all costs, without it, you have nothing on defense, so don’t waste it either!
Ice Spirit
The best card in the game.
Go check it out here!
The Log
You will find lots of uses for this cheap spell even with Zap and Fireball in your deck.
Neither of the other spell take out Goblin Barrel as well as The Log does, and it’s also the best spell against Princess or Goblin Gang.
It’s very easy to play as long as you time it right and don’t throw it out too early.
General Gameplan
Early Game (3:00-2:00)
As always you wanna figure out what deck your opponent is running.
The most important thing is to keep track of what Giant and Mini P.E.K.K.A counters they have.
At this point you shouldn’t be attacking so much, just lay back and defend.
Mid Game (2:00-0:30)
Here’s your time to shine.
Counterattacking is easy and you will probably have figured out what your opponent is trying to do in order to win.
Defend with Mini P.E.K.K.A then put your Giant and one pack of flyers at the bridge.
Be ready with spells and react accordingly depending on what your opponent counters with.
Late Game (0:30-)
This deck can take a tower if it really needs to.
You have three spells, the most health for its cost in the game and one of the best DPS units.
This deck doesn’t do very well in the late game, so stack up all you’ve got and hope for the best.
Matchups
Hog Rider
This is the ideal matchup for this deck.
Mini P.E.K.K.A + Ice Spirit takes out their Hog Ice Golem combo and then sets you up for a counterattack.
Spells are very important in this matchup, since you need to clear out the small units they will most likely have in their deck.
Zap and The Log do a great job at this, and Fireball combined with either The Log or Zap can take out their Musketeer.
Golem
This matchup is a bit harder.
You can’t counterattack as much so instead you have to pressure your opponent with Giants at the bridge when they pump up or play their Golem.
Golem decks usually don’t have a single counter to Giant and Minions, so when they’re out of Elixir, rush them at the bridge.
Mini P.E.K.K.A does well vs the Golem and Golemites.
Fireball and the Log take out the Night Witch they will most likely have behind, and the Bats and Mega Minion will be finished by a Zap.
Lava Hound
This is one of the tougher matches.
You have to be very offensive because of your opponent’s weak defense.
Never let them get down the Lava Hound and Balloon combo. Save your Zap for their Lava Pups and instead use The Log against their Skeleton Army. \
If they have Zap, use Minions on defense.
If they have Arrows, use Bats!
X-Bow
Definitely one of your better matchups.
You have as cheap of a cycle as them, and you have the perfect counter.
It can sometimes be hard to get through, and most of your damage will be done by spells.
They don’t have a great counter to either Minions or Bats, and most of the time they won’t have a small distraction unit for your Mini P.E.K.K.A.
Giant
Another pretty simple matchup!
Out-cycle them and take out their push with Mini P.E.K.K.A and Fireball.
Miner
Hardest match of them all.
It will be very difficult to break through their defense.
They have an even cheaper cycle than you, and the perfect counter for all of your cards.
You have to defend well and try to chip their tower down slowly.
That’s basically it for me guys, make sure to comment down below what you think, or don’t. I don’t really care.
Until next time, stay tuned!
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