AI Overview: This Mortar Tesla deck averages 2.9 elixir and cycles two buildings with cheap troops. It was tuned over three versions and reached 3,500 trophies on modest card levels. In 2026 the Tesla lives 25 seconds, not 30, and the Mortar’s base lists win 41.9% to 51.9%, though this exact list has no tracker sample. Each card is checked one by one below.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The deck costs 23 elixir, which is 2.9 on average, and the Bowler is the heaviest card at 5.
- Tesla’s lifetime fell from 30 to 25 seconds on June 1, but its hitpoints rose from 1,152 to 1,182.
- Bowler’s projectile range fell from 7.5 to 7 tiles; his best list wins 72.3%, while six base lists win 42.7% to 45.1%.
- Archers’ best list wins 70.6% over 695, though the Evolution shot fell from 168 to 140.
- Mega Minion has no printed list above 50%, so it is the weak link here.
The Mortar Tesla List, Priced Card by Card
Here’s the thing: this is a siege deck with two buildings and a strong cycle. The idea is simple. Defend your tower, drop the Tesla and Mortar when you can read the reply, and use cheap cards to protect them.
| Card | Elixir | Job in the deck | 2026 status |
| Ice Spirit | 1 | Cheap cycle and freeze | Hitpoints 230 to 215 on August 4; every printed list 56.7% or more |
| Fire Spirit | 1 | Cheap cycle and swarm control | Hitpoints 230 to 215 (Aug 4), damage 207 to 215 (Sep 16); best list 62.9% over 707 |
| The Log | 2 | Swarm control and pushback | Crown Tower damage 41 to 35 on June 1; best list 65.1% over 3,500 |
| Archers | 3 | Hard-to-remove support | Best list 70.6% over 695; Evo Power Shot 168 to 140 |
| Mega Minion | 3 | Air DPS and ground support | No printed list above 50% (Hero 47.7%, base 44.7%) |
| Tesla | 4 | Defensive building that buys time | Lifetime 30 to 25 seconds, hitpoints 1,152 to 1,182 on June 1; best list 64.2% over 1,800 |
| Mortar | 4 | Win condition from your side | Base-card lists 41.9% to 51.9% |
| Bowler | 5 | Splash tank and Mortar guard | Projectile range 7.5 to 7 tiles in August; best list 72.3%, other six base lists 42.7% to 45.1% |
Use the table to compare the eight cards by cost, role and 2026 status.
A siege deck is rare, and rare decks surprise people. The negative effect: the Tesla lost five seconds of life, so the buffer it gives the Mortar is shorter, and a patient opponent can wait it out. Count the seconds before you expect the Mortar to be safe.
What Changed in 2026
The Tesla lives 25 seconds with 1,182 hitpoints. The Bowler reaches 7 tiles. The Archers’ Evolution shot is 140. The Ice Spirit and Fire Spirit have 215 hitpoints. The Log hits towers for 35. The Mortar and Mega Minion are the weakest on win rate.
Claims, rechecked. The deck is billed as reachable with card levels no higher than 10, 7, 4 and 1. That is a level claim the tracker does not report. The 23-elixir sum is exact. Read the numbers as a starting point, not as law.
The weak spots. Six of eight Bowler base lists win under 46%, and the Mortar is mostly under 52%. Mega Minion one-shots lower-level Archers at tournament levels, a risk for this list. A lost tower opens a free Mortar hit for the opponent.
Card pages: Mortar, Tesla, Bowler and Archers.
Siege players read the opponent’s cycle and counter the counter. The negative effect: with Tesla and Mortar both trimmed or middling, the read has to be sharper than before, and one wrong guess costs a tower.
How to Play It Today
Here’s the thing: put the Tesla on the river, slightly inward of the bridge, and the Mortar outside it one tile back. Use the rest of your troops to protect or delay damage on the Mortar. Do not lose a tower, because the opponent can then drop troops on your Mortar.
Tips. Before the Mortar lands, think about the answer the opponent will play, then keep the hard counter to that answer in hand. Archers paired with the Ice Spirit are difficult to remove. Before a session, glance at the linked card pages, as a balance patch can quietly change a trade.
Translation: the Ice Spirit gives a 1.5-second freeze for reaction time. The Fire Spirits shine against the Horde, Minions, Barbarians and Goblins. Use the Log whenever it earns value, unless you need it for the Princess, Skeleton Army, Barrel or Barbarians.
Elixir math: the Bowler costs 5 of the 23 elixir, and the Tesla and Mortar cost 4 each. The other five cost 10, or 2.0 each. That is the cheapest cycle in the batch.
Try it yourself: the Clash Royale Deck Builder can open Mortar Tesla Deck with all eight cards placed. Its average cost is 2.9 elixir. Treat it as a classic list, since the tracker holds no win rate for it.
Only play this deck if the card levels can hold. The negative effect: as players level up, a modest siege list finds it harder to stay near 3,500 trophies. Defend well and efficiently, or the strong-card advantage disappears. Check your levels against the current ladder every few weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Mortar Tesla deck good in 2026?
The Bowler’s best list wins 72.3% and the Archers’ best list wins 70.6%, but the Mortar’s base lists win only 41.9% to 51.9%, and this exact list has no tracker sample, so test the Mega Minion slot first.
What is the average elixir cost?
Add the eight costs and you get 23; that is 2.9 per card.
Where should the Tesla and Mortar go?
Tesla on the river slightly inward of the bridge, Mortar outside and one tile back.
What can replace the Log?
Zap or Arrows, though neither is quite as good.
Why not lose a tower?
The opponent could then drop troops on your Mortar.
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.
Hi guys and gals Galbers Gaming here. As I often state I only do guides when the deck is capable of reaching 3500 trophies with card levels no more than 10/7/4/1 (although this is becoming harder and harder as Clashers upgrade their cards – I’m currently holding back) which brings me to introduce the Mortar Tesla Siege Cycle Deck.
This is a really satisfying deck. It went through three different forms before I found this variant and pushed over 3500 with it, but any of those decks should have been capable of reaching 3500 eventually (through luck of the draw), however the final version is in my view the strongest and that deck includes:
Looking at the above it’s no wonder I enjoy playing the deck as six of cards (the non building units) are among my favorites and individually they are very strong cards in the game right now, so perhaps it’s not so surprising that this deck is so successful. For those who don’t have the Log you can switch it out for Zap or Arrows, both of which aren’t quite as good as the Log but they will do.
Strategy
To put down the Tesla on the river slightly on the inward side of the bridge allowing the placement of the Mortar on the outside and one tile back. From here you use the rest of your troops to protect or delay damage happening to your Mortar.
As with most siege decks there is normally an element of premeditation. By this I am referring to you the siege player knowing what card cycle your opponent is on and what card he or she is going to play in response to you dropping your Tesla/Mortar so that when they do you can hard counter their counter! For example you drop down your Mortar they drop their Skeleton Army which you anticipated and thus mow it down with your Log. And as this is a siege deck there is an element of that premeditation but not nearly as much as other siege decks due to your Tesla which buys you some reaction time, the Ice Spirit also does this too. Another big advantage that you have when playing this deck is the rarity of it, people just don’t know how to respond to it.
It is imperative that you do not lose a tower. Once you lose a tower you have to attack the other side because your opponent now has the ability to drop troops on your Mortar. Losing a tower also allows your opponent more options to attack and to disrupt you Mortar play. So, defend well and efficiently and your opponents will really struggle to deal with it.
Ice Spirit: This you use to cycle through your deck and allows you some reaction time through its one and half second freeze. Before I had the Tesla in the deck I used to drop the Mortar, wait half a second then drop the Ice Spirit and see how the opponents responds, if they didn’t you still get a hundred odd damage from the little spirit on the enemy’s tower.
Fire Spirits: This like the Ice Spirit you use to cycle through your deck and is exception good versus Minion Horde, Minions, Barbarians, Goblins, etc.
Log: If you don’t need to save it for a particular instance, eg: Princess, Skeleton Army, Goblin Barrel or Barbarians, then use this whenever there is some value (thus becomes a cycle card) and/or you want to delay unit(s) getting to your Mortar in which case you’ll also get damage on the opponent’s tower.
Archers: Supporting units which are difficult to remove from the field which makes them strong. Very good when paired with Ice Spirit. Be wary of the Mega Minion (7) which when at Tournament Levels one shots Archers (9).
Mega Minion: This card is just a beast, again difficult to remove from the field, has big damage and has added value because its move speed is slow thus has longer time over ‘the area of battle’ before getting killed off by the enemy’s tower or whatever.
Tesla: A card which doesn’t see much play but is strong when played in this offensive defensive position, on the river protecting the Mortar! The relatively quick attack speed with the ability to hit ground and air as well as invulnerability when buried makes this card extremely valuable in this style of play.
Mortar: Not much needed here, you want this fella to bombard the enemy’s tower. Value can be gained when it hits troops (as well as the tower) which were dropped at the King’s Tower, freezing troops with the Ice Spirit on the tower is a nice bonus :). Normally place this one tile back from the river, behind the Tesla and make sure not to place behind the stones on the far side of the arena as this is out of range of the enemy’s tower.
Bowler: I have not played with this card that much, missed the boat with Goison. I really like him, he works exceptionally well in this deck due to his knockback (delay) and this deck’s playstyle – funnelling troops on the bridge. He is also very strong in defence and can even tank some hits if need be.
Reference topics:
- Best ways to use Fire Spirits
- How to use The Log properly
- Ultimate guide to Mega Minion
Other Notes
The only deck that will give you issues is a Lava Hound deck but bear in mind these are generally difficult to deal with. If the Lava Hound player tries to defend against your strategy you can certainly pull off win or a draw but if the player ignores it and just pushes down the other lane, chances are with the opponent.
Versus Giants you want to use your cards cycling capability to get damage on the enemy’s tower, this works because Giant decks are typically all about the big expensive push which you are able to disrupt due to your cheap cycling cards that forces the opponent not to be able to get that big push off. Don’t be afraid to swap lanes forcing your opponent to not get off his/her big push, you don’t want to place your Mortar down only for the opponent to drop a Giant on the Bridge. Also you should bear in mind that your Mortar has a minimum range, if troops are in this range it will ignore them. This is an advantage as it can target supporting troops as well as the enemy’s tower if need be.
In summary, I was really surprised how well this deck worked. The forward Tesla with supporting troops really shuts down just about everything, it is a very difficult style to play against. If you have any questions please just let me know.
Please don’t forget to subscribe to Galbers Gaming’s channel for more strategy and tips in Clash Royale.
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