AI Overview: The Giant Graveyard deck uses Giant as the push leader and Graveyard as the second win condition, at 3.6 elixir. It plays in three phases: open at the back, defend with Giant and Musketeer, then finish in double elixir. Graveyard lost a skeleton in 2026, and Giant has the best sampled deck on the site at 71.6%.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The old list: Graveyard, Giant, Arrows, Skeleton Army, Minions, Snowball, Musketeer and Dark Prince.
- The average is 3.6 elixir: 29 elixir over 8 cards.
- Graveyard lost a skeleton (13 to 12) on June 1, and Arrows lost tower damage (93 to 75).
- RoyaleTracker’s best Giant deck won 71.6% over 587 battles, with no 2026 Giant change.
- The old plan says to start with Giant at the back and to keep distance between Giant and support.
The Eight Cards
It calls the synergy great and says there are few blunders to make with it.
| Card | Cost | Job in the old list | 2026 note |
| Graveyard | 5 | Win condition | Skeletons 13 to 12 on June 1 |
| Giant | 5 | Push leader, second win condition | No change; best deck 71.6% |
| Arrows | 3 | Clear swarms and Minions | Tower damage 93 to 75 |
| Skeleton Army | 3 | Defense and support | No change |
| Minions | 3 | Air defense and attack | No change; best deck 65.2% |
| Giant Snowball | 2 | Stops Goblins and Skeletons | Tower damage 54 to 45; Evo nerfs |
| Musketeer | 4 | Air defense and push support | No change |
| Dark Prince | 4 | Defense and offense | Hit speed 1.4 to 1.3; hitpoints up 5% |
The short version: two win conditions, three cheap tools and three support cards. The check: 5 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 + 4 + 4 is 29, and 29 over 8 is 3.6. The old average holds.
Giant has no 2026 change and a 71.6% best deck, which makes him a likely target for the next patch. The negative effect: if Giant is trimmed, this deck would lose its main tank, and Graveyard would have to carry the plan alone.
Phase 1: Open and Read
Open at the back: start with Giant in the back, Dark Prince or Musketeer. Never at the bridge.
Answer the first reply: if they place a Princess or Goblins behind their King Tower, use Arrows. Then put the Musketeer or Dark Prince behind the Giant at a distance.
Why the distance: it stops a Mega Knight or P.E.K.K.A from dropping right on your support. See the Giant guide and the Musketeer guide.
Phase 2: Defend and Rebuild
Damage from the first push does not matter much. Now you know their cards. Giant with Musketeer or Dark Prince is enough to defend most pushes. If they place an Inferno Tower, put the Giant at the back and a Skeleton Army in front, so the tower does not lock onto the Giant. Arrows come in handy for swarms, and Snowball is best against Skeletons, Inferno Dragon or Skeleton Army.
What it means: the Giant is both a defense and an offense. The catch: use Graveyard only if their defense is easy to clear. They cannot stop Giant and Graveyard at the same time.
If Supercell keeps cutting Graveyard numbers, Giant Graveyard may rely more on its Giant half. The negative effect: a deck that depends on one card to land a spell can become predictable, and good players will punish the pattern.
Phase 3: Double Elixir Push
Full force: Giant leads, with Musketeer, Dark Prince and Arrows behind, and Graveyard as the finisher.
Protect the Musketeer: if they try to kill her, put the Dark Prince at the bridge.
The takeaway: double elixir is your advantage. If they defend, repeat the attack and defend cycle. See the Graveyard guide and the Giant Snowball guide.
Matchups
Against Inferno Tower: put the Giant at the back with a Skeleton Army in front, so the tower does not lock onto the Giant.
Against Mega Knight or P.E.K.K.A: keep your support at a distance so they cannot drop right onto it.
Against Princess or Goblins at the back: use Arrows.
Against Skeletons, Inferno Dragon or Skeleton Army: Snowball is the low-elixir answer.
The short version: each rival card has a cheap answer in this list. The catch: the answers were written for the 2021 meta, so test them.
On free-to-play cost, the deck has two Epics and one Legendary, which makes the score good. Skeleton Army and Dark Prince are the Epics, and Graveyard is the Legendary. Giant, Musketeer, Minions and Arrows are easy to level.
A 71.6% best deck for Giant could draw a nerf, and Graveyard has already lost a skeleton. The negative effect: a double nerf would make this deck’s two win conditions weaker at once, and players would have to rebuild.
The Cost of the Big Push
The big finish uses a lot of elixir. Giant (5), Graveyard (5), Musketeer (4), Dark Prince (4) and Arrows (3) add up to 21. At the normal rate of one elixir every 2.8 seconds, that is about 59 seconds of elixir. At double rate, one every 1.4 seconds, it is about 29 seconds. That is why the old plan saves the full push for double elixir and builds the lead first. If your lead is small, wait one more cycle, because a push that falls short leaves you open to a fast counter.
- Before the push: hold at least 9 or 10 elixir.
- During the push: keep Arrows and Snowball in hand.
- After the push: expect a counter and keep Skeleton Army ready.
The takeaway: the finish is only as good as the elixir behind it. See our Collector or cycle card page for another way to build a lead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cards are in the Giant Graveyard deck?
Graveyard, Giant, Arrows, Skeleton Army, Minions, Snowball, Musketeer and Dark Prince.
What is the average elixir cost?
3.6.
When should you play Graveyard?
When their defense is cleared easily, so Giant and Graveyard come at the same time.
What changed in 2026 for this deck?
Graveyard lost one skeleton, Arrows and Snowball tower damage fell, and Dark Prince hit faster.
Where should the Giant start?
At the back, not at the bridge.
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)