AI Overview: This P.E.K.K.A Poison deck averages 4.0 elixir and mixes a P.E.K.K.A and Miner with a Furnace and Minion Horde. In 2026 the Furnace’s best list wins 72.1% and the P.E.K.K.A’s wins 65.8%, but only one of eight Minion Horde lists is above 50%. The numbers all trace back to the October 2026 card data. Totals were added from the official card list.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The deck costs 32 elixir, which is 4.0 on average.
- P.E.K.K.A gained damage on July 6 (816 to 842), and her best list wins 65.8% over 754 battles.
- Furnace’s range fell from 6 to 5.5 tiles on June 1, and its best list wins 72.1% over 1,100 battles.
- Minion Horde’s best list wins 51.9%, and only one of eight printed lists is above 50%.
- Miner lost Crown Tower damage on July 6 (49 to 39), and Poison lost it on June 1 (184 to 168).
The P.E.K.K.A Poison List, Priced Card by Card
Here’s the thing: in challenges you will face Three Musketeers, Golem, Giant, Hog Lightning and Log bait, so he made an anti-meta deck from an old deck called GoHawks. The Miner is the main win condition.
| Card | Elixir | Job in the deck | 2026 status |
| P.E.K.K.A | 7 | Amazing defense, not played at the back | Damage 816 to 842 on July 6; best list 65.8% over 754 |
| Miner | 3 | Main win condition, pump hunter | Crown Tower damage 49 to 39 on July 6; best list 66.0% over 535 |
| Bandit | 3 | Dash, versatility, snipes across the bridge | No 2026 change; best list 72.1% over about 1,100 |
| Poison | 4 | Main push with the Miner, kills collectors | Crown Tower damage 184 to 168 on June 1; best list 68.6% over about 3,800 |
| Furnace | 4 | Chip damage, baits spells | Range 6 to 5.5 tiles on June 1; best list 72.1% over 1,100 |
| The Log | 2 | Swarm clear and chip | Crown Tower damage 41 to 35 on June 1; best list 65.1% over 3,500 |
| Electro Wizard | 4 | Reset and Fireball bait | Best list 72.1% over about 1,100; Hero added in October 2026 (small samples) |
| Minion Horde | 5 | Punishes spells, high DPS in the air | Best list 51.9% over 992; only one of eight above 50% |
The table lists all eight cards, their elixir costs and where each stands after the 2026 patches.
A heavy deck that acts like bait is a strange mix. The negative effect: the Minion Horde’s weak 2026 lists mean the deck’s punish card is its weakest link, and a player who relies on it may lose the tempo the old plan counted on.
What Changed in 2026
The P.E.K.K.A hits harder at 842, up from 816. The Furnace has a strong 72.1% best list, though it reaches half a tile less. The Electro Wizard is also strong at 72.1%. The Bandit is the same, at 72.1%. The Minion Horde is the soft spot.
Claims, rechecked. The Bandit is here for the dash and versatility, used like a Knight but more offensively. Her 72.1% best list in 2026 backs that. The Electro Wizard should not be dropped on a Battle Ram unless it is surrounded by a Skeleton Army or Goblin Gang, which is still sound advice.
The chip cards lost damage. The Miner hits for 39, not 49. Poison hits for 168, not 184. The Log hits for 35, not 41. This deck relies on chip, so each cut makes the plan a little slower.
Card pages: P.E.K.K.A, Furnace and Miner.
You can ignore their first Lavaloon and go for a three crown. The negative effect: that plan works only if the P.E.K.K.A lane survives, and a player who skips the defense may lose a tower for nothing against a Lava Hound deck.
How to Play It Today
Here’s the thing: use the Miner on Elixir Collectors, to chip the tower, and to tank for a counter-push. Start at the anti-Tornado spot until you know whether they have a Tornado. Miner plus Poison is the main push, cheap and hard to stop unless they predict with a Knight.
Tips. Poison should be used on collectors along with the Miner when they use a Goblin Gang or Skeleton Army to counter the Miner. The Furnace is great against a Night Witch behind a tank and against Log bait. Place the Electro Wizard beside the tower so he does not die.
Translation: the P.E.K.K.A should not be placed at the back unless it is double elixir. Show her only if they place a tank in the back, and play her once the tank is at the bridge. People tend to Fireball a Furnace, and then you punish with a Minion Horde plus a Bandit or Miner push, assuming they have no Arrows.
Elixir math: the P.E.K.K.A and Minion Horde take 12 of the 32 elixir. The other six cost 20, about 3.3 each, which keeps the deck from being too heavy.
Try it yourself: send P.E.K.K.A Poison Deck to the Clash Royale Deck Builder and tweak it to fit your levels. The average cost is 4.0 elixir; as a classic list it carries no 2026 win rate.
The Electro Wizard can be swapped for a Musketeer. The negative effect: the swap loses the spawn Zap, and the Electro Wizard’s strong 2026 numbers suggest it is worth keeping if you have it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is P.E.K.K.A Poison good in 2026?
Furnace’s best list wins 72.1% and P.E.K.K.A’s wins 65.8%, but only one of eight Minion Horde lists is above 50%, and this exact list has no tracker sample, so test the Horde slot first.
What does the deck cost on average?
32 elixir in total across eight cards, an average of 4.0.
What is the Furnace for?
Chip damage, forcing a reaction, and baiting out Poison or Fireball.
Where does the Miner go first?
The anti-Tornado spot, until you know if they have a Tornado.
What does the Bandit do here?
She dashes, snipes across the bridge, and handles a central 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.
Hey guys Lolman here, I’ve been playing around with the old GoHawks Deck and made my own version of it to counter the current meta.
When you run challenges you WILL face at the very least 1-2 (each), 3 musket, Golem decks and Giant. Hog Lightning and Log bait are common as well so I decided to try to make an anti-meta Deck. So far, have been having a lot of successes with this Deck!
lolman’s P.E.K.K.A Poison Deck
Cards Breakdown
Miner- Main win condition of the Deck! You will use this card on Elixir Collectors, to chip the Tower down as well as to tank for a counter push.
Make sure you start off at the anti Tornado spot till you make sure they don’t have Tornado. If they have Tornado, place Miner there. Only switching it up if they keep predicting your Miner because high chance they will mist predict and have to overspend if they try to Tornado it to the king Tower after prediction.
Poison- Miner + Poison is the main push. Cheap and almost impossible to stop unless they get a prediction Knight etc.
If they use cards like Night Witch to deal with Miner, that’s fine because she will die and Tower gets chipped as well. Poison should be used on collectors along with the Miner when they use something like Gang and or Skeleton Army to counter your Miner.
Furnace- To chip, to force a reaction as well as can be used to bait out a Poison/Fireball, allowing you to send Minion Horde along with a Miner in front and/or a Bandit underneath.
Furnace is also great vs Night Witch behind a tank as well as Log bait. If placed correctly, Furnace can even take out a Princess. This Deck relies on chip so you will want to protect this if you can afford it. This includes poisoning a Princess on their side of the map. I do this because I want to save the Log in case my opponent has the Barrel and/ or Goblin Gang.
P.E.K.K.A- Amazing defensive card.
Should not be placed down at the back unless in 2x Elixir. Only really should be shown if they place a tank in the back. Even then you can play her once the tank is at the bridge to melt it down. She is amazing vs Golem, Giant, other pekkas etc.
She is very tanky, even more HP than the Giant!
Now Inferno Tower might be more tempting to use vs say Lava Hound but remember you can just ignore their first Lavaloon and simply go for the 3 crown.
8/10 times I am able to get the 3 crown if they Balloon behind the Lava Hound when I start a P.E.K.K.A on the opposite lane. Only defense I put up is a Furnace, then I just support the P.E.K.K.A with an e-wiz and Bandit or Miner with finger on Log. Tombstone dies really fast to Bandit and you only have to Log the Goblin Gang or skeleton Army.
Minion Horde- People tend to Fireball a Furnace. If they do so, you can punish them with a Minion Horde+ Bandit or Miner push. Assuming they don’t have Arrows.
Late game, people usually throw prediction fireballs and this card allows you to punish them quite easily.
In a way, this Deck acts as a bait Deck. Capitalize on your opponents mistakes and make them pay 😉
Also the high DPS is amazing at taking down back-end troops behind a certain push making it far less threatening. Think of it as an Inferno Tower in air but at max DPS.
It was clear he was running Giant Lightning or would have Fireball or some sort of heavy spell because he’d already shown me that he had Bowler and Baby Dragon along with the Giant. I didn’t want to give value and he didn’t have Baby Dragon for the push as well so I was able to get of a super valuable Minion Horde which cleared up 10 Elixir and also did significant damage to the Baby Dragon which I ignored giving me a +9 Elixir trade. While it is prone to get Arrowed or Zapped for negative trades, the Minion Horde and Skeleton Army are 2 cards that can potentially also do the opposite and give you enormous Elixir advantages.
Electro Wizard
Can be swapped out for Musketeer. The reason I have him here is for his spawn Zap.
Though a common mistake I see people doing is dropping e-wiz on top of a battle Ram… Unless it’s surrounded by a smarmy or Goblin Gang DO NOT do this. You want to place him beside the Tower so your e-wiz doesn’t die.
E-wiz is also good for Fireball bait. If you are facing say Lava Hound with Fireball, they end up running Log and not Arrows giving you the greenlight to play your Minion Horde and then counterpush as well.
Bandit- This card honestly is here for the dash and versatility.
She is pretty much used like a Knight but in a more offensive manner. She can spine princesses, buildings across the bridge.
If you use this Deck on ladder and face Mortar, and the opponent places central Mortar? Use Bandit!
With her increased HP and quick dash I would put her much closer to one of the top 5 legendaries… just not there yet because she can be improved a bit. Perhaps by decreasing the dash range and increasing the damage. This would mean that she can’t take down buildings like Furnace and also harder to distract/ kite with say an ice Golem and also at the same time once closer might end up dong more damage.
Log- Clears away swarms and self-explanatory.
General Gameplan
Early game
Early on, one thing you want to avoid is placing a P.E.K.K.A in the back.
Not only will this put you in a 7 Elixir deficit, you could earn a Giant + Night Witch rush opposite lane for an example. If you don’t have Minion Horde that would almost be a GG push.
Start off passive, Bandit at the back or Furnace at the centre. Maybe even a Miner in the non Tornado-able spot on the corner away from the king Tower.
If they do Pump up, make sure to Poison the Pump. Remember, you have the P.E.K.K.A for the 2 Musketeers so you don’t always have to save the Poison for defense. Especially if they have heal. In this case, ALWAYS Poison Pump.
Mid game
Now here’s where you would most likely cycle miners.
Most of your damage will be coming in the last minute where you will throw in waves of Miner + Poison combos. Each push will potentially do only about 400 damage it’s best to get as much chip here as you can.
I always try to get about 3-4 fire Spirit waves through along with a few Miner hits and Poison.
Don’t change Furnace lane, unless it’s early on and there is a tank coming while your damage is about even on both opponent’s towers. Switching lanes with Furnace is fine in this case because you want the chip damage especially vs a player who defends Miner really well.
This Deck isn’t a P.E.K.K.A beatdown Deck where you P.E.K.K.A in the back. P.E.K.K.A in the back is fine but only do it at the late game or once you figured out your opponents Deck. If you believe it’s safe to do so then go ahead but it’s a Miner, Poison chip Deck with the P.E.K.K.A for tanks.
Late game
Honestly, around this point, I simply cycle Miner Poisons defending every push with P.E.K.K.A.
If she’s alive on the couterpush, I will use her to tank for the Miner. The opponent will spend Elixir on both fronts, usually giving me more Poison value.
You can make plays in this situation like torpedoing troops to the P.E.K.K.A and she will make sure that there is no counter push.
Place down furnaces and chip away till you take a Tower.
Despite P.E.K.K.A in the Deck, this is a 1 crown win Deck but can take 3 crowns, despite that you will want to go for a 1-0 victory.
Try to also get value on your Poison but if you are facing 3 Musketeers, unless they don’t have time to counter push, don’t waste the Poison on a Miner Poison push.
Match-ups
Golem Lightning
This is the easiest match-up to play against.
Miner+ Poison the Pump!
I like to go Miner on Tower and Poison on Pump. 9/10 times you get value with the Poison.
This way, you get Tower damage+ Poison on Pump. If they defend with a Night Witch and Miner hits the Night Witch that’s a ++ trade. 8 Elixir to take out 10 Elixir.
Keep your P.E.K.K.A hidden till they place the Golem. Keep your furnaces down and chip away.
Playing the Golem Deck, it’s hard to prevent Miner and Furnace chip. Whenever they play Golem, you want to use P.E.K.K.A on the same lane and it she take care of the Golem.
It’s okay to Poison defensively to prevent Bats from building up as well if your opponent plays Night Witch. It’s something I would recommend.
Hog Rider
Easy match-up.
Keep Furnace on at all times. P.E.K.K.A and Bandit along with Minion Horde are excelled answers to the Hog.
P.E.K.K.A should only be used if not facing Hog Freeze. Hog Freeze can be punishing if they are able to defend your push and especially late game when Elixir is 2x and they can afford to Freeze a P.E.K.K.A in place, because you will be unable to drop most down.
Log bait
So vs this, your opponent will most likely use Princess on your Furnace so Poison it off the map! Saving your Log. It’s a -1 trade but remember your Furnace will make up the value for it.
If they use Miner/Hog on the Furnace, protect it with an e-wiz or Bandit, making sure she dashes onto the target, allowing for a counter push with fire spirits.
If they Fireball your Furnace then rush with a Minion Horde + Bandit/Miner push.
Minion Horde is also a great counter to at the bridge, Knight and Princess and or Goblin Gang pushes. Making sure the Princess locks onto the Tower first.
P.E.K.K.A won’t do you much good other than to tank for your Tower in this match-up or taking down Hog if it’s a Hog Deck.
Miner
Vs Miner you can typically e-wiz the Miner or Bandit, depending on what you face, Miner beatdown or Miner control you can vary your playstyle.
Graveyard
I like to use the Minion Horde on the Graveyard and then e-wiz to get rid of Skeletons once the Minion Horde die to Poison.
Literally use P.E.K.K.A on top of the Bowler/Knight and/or use e-wiz and to deal with Baby Dragon. Meanwhile, you can just ignore the gy and Poison it. You will have a massive counterpush going for you.
Splashyard is an easy win. Avoid getting Tornado’d to the king Tower and try to save P.E.K.K.A for defense.
3 Musketeers
If you play carefully you WILL always win. Miner + Poison collectors. P.E.K.K.A on the 2 m and you can Minion Horde the other lane if the musket + Ram.
The Bandit version is easier to beat with this Deck because they don’t have the Minion Horde in that Deck.
If they are able to melt your P.E.K.K.A before it hits the Musketeers you are in trouble. So play carefully and don’t overcommit. Take out the pumps and you will be fine.
I think I covered the basics.
I had a lot of fun making this Deck that I created and hope you guys find success playing it.
Originally I had the Night Witch instead of the P.E.K.K.A in this Deck but I had trouble vs 3 Musketeers and playing the P.E.K.K.A increased my winrate a ton more!
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