AI Overview: Dart Goblin is a 3-elixir Rare troop that shoots poison darts from long range and dies to almost anything. In October 2026, RoyaleTracker’s best Dart Goblin list, a Log Bait deck with Evo Skeleton Army, Evo Goblin Barrel and Hero Knight, won 65.3% over 3,700 battles at 2.9 elixir. The top four lists won 57.6% or more.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- Dart Goblin lists average 2.5 to 3.4 elixir, so they cycle fast.
- The best October 2026 list won 65.3% over 3,700 battles at 2.9 elixir.
- The top four lists won 57.6% to 65.3%; the other four won 44.2% to 46.8%.
- The most played list, 12,300 battles with Skeleton King and Mother Witch, won 46.2%.
- SeeMeta lists a Dart Goblin Evolution poison buff on June 1 and Wall Breakers changes on August 4 and October 6.
Table of Contents
What a Dart Goblin Deck Is
Dart Goblin is a cheap ranged chipper. He shoots fast from far away, poisons what he hits, and is so fragile that any spell kills him. A Dart Goblin deck uses him in a spell-bait or cycle list, where every card is cheap and the other player runs out of answers.
The short version: Dart Goblin is the cheap chip card that keeps a bait deck moving. He pressures a tower for 3 elixir and soaks up a spell. The catch: alone he does very little.
What changed: SeeMeta lists Dart Goblin’s Evolution poison damage rising on June 1 (51 to 64 at stage 1, 115 to 128 at stage 2). Around him, Goblin Barrel‘s first hit got faster on October 6 (0.4 to 0.3 seconds), and Wall Breakers lost damage on August 4 (350 to 281) and regained some on October 6 (281 to 302). What it means: the bait cards are a little sharper.
Wall Breakers moved down and up in two months, and two of the top three lists run them. If they are cut again, the 63.5% and 61.9% lists need a new second win condition. The negative effect: a deck with two win conditions loses half its plan to one nerf.
Best Dart Goblin Builds Right Now
The top three Dart Goblin lists are Log Bait decks with the same core of Evo Skeleton Army, Evo Goblin Barrel, Princess and Ice Spirit: 65.3% with Hero Knight (3,700 battles), 63.5% with Hero Valkyrie and Tesla (2,200), and 61.9% with Hero Valkyrie and Cannon (4,200). A fourth, with Evo Royal Ghost and Dark Prince, won 57.6% over 2,000.
| Build | Cards | Avg elixir | Needs |
| Evo Skeleton Army, Evo Goblin Barrel and Hero Knight | 2.9 | 65.3% (3.7k battles) | |
| Evo Skeleton Army, Evo Goblin Barrel and Hero Valkyrie with Tesla | 2.9 | 63.5% (2.2k battles) | |
| Evo Skeleton Army, Evo Goblin Barrel and Hero Valkyrie with Cannon | 2.8 | 61.9% (4.2k battles) | |
| Evo Royal Ghost, Evo Skeleton Barrel and Hero Goblins | 3.0 | 57.6% (2.0k battles) | |
| Mega Knight, Goblin Gang and Skeleton Barrel | 3.4 | 46.8% (6.1k battles) | |
| Evo Skeleton Army, Evo Skeleton Barrel and Skeleton King | 2.5 | 46.2% (12.3k battles) |
The pattern: the top four lists average 2.8 to 3.0 elixir and run Evo cards in two slots. The four lists below 47% either add Mega Knight (3.4 elixir) or run the Skeleton King cycle. What it means: keep it cheap and keep the Log Bait core. Still unknown: the Skeleton King cycle is the most played list and wins under 47%.
Try it yourself: open the Clash Royale Deck Builder with the Evo Skeleton Army, Evo Goblin Barrel and Hero Knight build in the table above already loaded. It averages 2.9 elixir. This exact list is not in the tracker sample, so it has no win rate; it is the 65.3% list with The Log swapped for Giant Snowball.
How to Play a Dart Goblin Deck
- Cycle first. Play the cheap cards to get to your Barrel.
- Bait the spell. Dart Goblin and Princess make them use The Log or Zap.
- Barrel after the spell. Send it when their Log is in your cycle.
- Defend cheap. Ice Spirit and Skeleton Army stop most pushes for little elixir.
- Track their small spells. If both Zap and Log are used, the Barrel lands.
Goblin Barrel got faster on October 6 and its Evolution decoy lost damage on August 4. If the Barrel is buffed again, Log Bait gets even harder to defend. The negative effect: a card that is hard to defend becomes a target for the next nerf.
How to Counter a Dart Goblin Deck
- Keep a small spell: Zap or The Log handles Goblin Barrel and Dart Goblin.
- Kill Dart Goblin on sight: a Firecracker or Arrows ends him for 3 elixir.
- Inferno Tower: stops the one big push they have.
- Do not over-defend: chasing small bait loses the elixir race.
The catch: if you waste your small spell on a bait card, the Barrel lands on the next cycle.
Is a Dart Goblin Deck Worth Using Now?
Is it worth it? Yes, in a Log Bait list. The top four lists won 57.6% to 65.3%. The catch: the four lists outside the core all won under 47%.
Log Bait fills the top three spots. If a nerf follows, it is likely to hit Princess or Ice Spirit, which sit in all three lists. The negative effect: players who build around it may have to switch again.
Go deeper: For the full bait plan, read our Log Bait guide and our Hyperbait guide. For another cheap cycle, see our Rocket Cycle guide. The Clash Royale Deck Builder is the quickest way to build your own version, because it keeps a running average cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Dart Goblin deck?
In October 2026, RoyaleTracker’s best printed list was Evo Skeleton Army (3), Evo Goblin Barrel (3), Hero Knight (3), Princess (3), Ice Spirit (1), Dart Goblin (3), Inferno Tower (5) and The Log (2) at 65.3% over 3,700 battles.
Is Dart Goblin good in 2026?
In Log Bait, yes. Four printed lists won over 57%.
What counters Dart Goblin?
A small spell, Arrows, Firecracker and Inferno Tower.
Did Dart Goblin get buffed?
SeeMeta lists a poison damage buff for the Evolution on June 1.
How much elixir does Dart Goblin cost?
3 elixir. He is a Rare troop.
What cards go with Dart Goblin?
Goblin Barrel, Princess, Ice Spirit, Skeleton Army and The Log.
Original Guide, Kept in Full
The text below is the original guide, kept in full. Its stats and win rates are older than the 2026 data above.
Hey guys it’s Dart Goblin FTW (Regeneration) here and before I begin I have a couple of warnings before using this deck.
| Deck | Cards | Avg elixir | Needs |
| Deck in this guide | varies | Arena 15 (Mirror) |
This deck is not for you if:
- A: You hate using spell bait.
- B: The cards aren’t up to high enough levels.
- C: Cycling isn’t your thing. Don’t worry, mine’s still in the garage(Ba dum tss)
Totally funny story about the origins of this deck
Okay so I was playing with my friend in a 2v2 and we were messing around with the decks( because we kept losing) and my friend got this great idea to make the most expensive deck possible (you can try this too if you want to find out for yourself so I’ll give you a hint: The average elixir cost is 6.6 and you need mirror).
So I make the expensive deck and I swear we didn’t lose. We actually tied 1-1 and were 2 Rockets away from winning.
So that got me thinking: The opposite of the most expensive deck possible is the cheapest deck possible (again, the average elixir cost this time is 1.7).
I took that 1.7 elixir deck and shuffled some cards around to see if I can make a decent deck.
The end result is this deck and a ticket to Challenger 1 (How did this happen OMG)!
Obnoxious 2.7 Elixir Spell Bait Deck:
Rocket
Technically the win condition, but you won’t be using Rocket as much as other win conditions like Hog.
IMO the cheapest win condition is Miner, and that’s who I originally had, but not only did I miss not having Poison, I also missed having a decent defensive option. Yeah, Miner CAN work as a weaker Knight on defense, but he just can’t deal the damage Rocket does.
I found that Rocket WINS GAMES. That crucial 500 damage at the end is just too important to not have.
So if you want to have a Moison deck, go ahead, but that’s a different deck and I’m pretty sure someone else wrote a guide about it.
Dart Goblin
What kind of Dart Goblin FTW would I be if I didn’t try to squeeze him into this deck?
He is underrated, and actually is very important to this deck. Use him on defense, and/or for chip damage(depending on the situation).
You usually won’t get to place troops in front of him since he’s so fast, but if that ever happens, make sure you bait out Log/Arrows with another troop the other lane so that he does massive damage!
I’ll even give you 4 reasons why he’s better than Princess:
- Does more DPS, and is better on defense and counterpushes(especially great behind troops!)
- Counters more cards than Princess(Especially Graveyard!)
- Easier to level up
- 1v1 counters Princess(He takes a hit, kills Princess, and goes on to get 2 more hits off the Tower)
Now some say that Princess does more initial damage and is better against swarms. But there’s already another card for that.
Fire Spirits
Another underrated card!
For 2 Elixir, get rid of the swarms Dart Goblin can’t handle.
Minion Hordes? Elixir puddle. Barbarians? NEARLY DEAD. Princess? Support troops like E-wiz and Witch? Distract and they too are GONE. 3M? Add Log and you gain +5 Elixir(if they are together, which they rarely are…), or pair them with Ice Spirit(Ice Spirit has to land) and gain even more Elixir!
Another troop that you can place at the bridge as a threat, and to bait out Log/Zap.
If you’re lucky, some people will even miss with the Log or better yet, Arrows them!
Ice Spirit
BEST 1 ELIXIR CARD (IMO).
I just can’t see why it’s better than 1 Elixir Skeletons (maybe against P.E.K.K.A it’s better?), and at this point it’s pretty obvious why: 1.5 second Freeze (everytime you use this card in x2 Elixir you actually gain .1 of a second in Elixir since Elixir generates at 1.4 seconds!)
It also provide easy chip damage on the Tower and splash so that multiple troops can be affected.
Why would you want to replace this card (Unless you don’t have it and at that point, I’m sorry but you’re missing out. GET THIS CARD AS SOON AS YOU CAN).
Goblin Gang
That Spear Goblins buff was also an indirect buff against the Gang: They do more damage now.
They’re much more of a threat, and IMO are officially better than Skeleton Army.
Yeah they give up a hit to Hogs and are less “swarmy”, but they are Zap resistant, can target air, and are easier to level up.
And even better, are more likely to deal damage when placed at the bridge (sometimes the Spear gobs get hits off if the Gang gets countered with a Log or Arrows).
Use them against aggro troops like Elite Barbarians and P.E.K.K.A, and against pretty much most win conditions(probably not Balloon) like Miners, Graveyard (if they don’t get spelled away that is), Hogs, etc. And of course, Royal Giants(Ugh).
Knight: Utility man.
He just counters so many troops it’s hard not to have him in a deck.
e might need help against tanks and swarms, but he soaks up damage and kills troops like Bandit and E-wiz.
Of course, the most famous example of when you’d be using him against is Mega Knight. On your side, an unsupported Mega Knight will be shut down by Knight, and if they do add supports, add your own.
He also can counter E-Barbarians if Goblin Gang goes down, better paired with Ice Spirit.
Overall a great card to have.
The Log
Use it against Goblin Barrels or to finish off support troops(when Knight isn’t in hand). If they don’t have Goblin Barrel, you can use it against the other spell bait-common troops like Princess and Goblin Gang.
Don’t forget that you also have Goblin Gang and Fire Spirits to deal with Barrel as well. Other than that, pretty simple.
Mirror
Surprise! I have 2 counters to your obnoxious troops!
Knight not in hand and they rush with E-Barb+Zap? Put down the Gang, then when they Zap it, PUT IT DOWN AGAIN!
It’s just so satisfying to have a second Gang or a second Knight to counter that pocket card.
You won’t be using it too much in 1x Elixir (as it causes some Elixir disadvantages) but in 2x Elixir, my favorite move is to Mirror the Rocket to finish them off.
Just make sure they can’t get your Tower first and the 2 Rockets can get you the win (add Log if necessary).
The higher level, the better it is.
Replacements and Card Levels:
The card levels for commons (Especially spirits) should match your opponent’s king Tower levels.
If you face level 10 opponents a lot, make it number 1 priority to level up the Spirits first, then the Goblin Gang(so that they survive Zap), then the Knight.
Dart Goblin should be no more than 3 levels under the opponent’s king Tower level. This way Dart Goblin will always get 4 hits off at full health.
Rocket sort of doesn’t matter, but better if higher.
Mirror should be no less than 5 levels lower to common cards, 3 levels lower to rare cards, and 2 levels higher to legendary cards so that the mirrored card levels are 1 level higher. If you have level 6 Dart Goblins, Mirror should be level 3. If you have a level 10 Knight, Mirror should be level 5, etc.
Log is fine unless you face level 13 Goblins in which case, level 2.
The level up priorities are from highest to lowest:
- Ice Spirit
- Fire Spirits
- Goblin Gang
- Dart Goblin
- Knight
- Rocket
- Mirror
- Log
If you made the common Zap for Log replacement, Zap is number one priority.
Gameplan:
Chip damage.
Not much else to say.
Start off with Ice Spirit, Fire Spirits, Goblin Gang, or Dart Goblin at the bridge, or Knight at the back.
Rocket any Pump and support troops next to a Tower.
Pro tip: If you know your opponent is running beatdown, wait till the support troop gets near the bridge, and when they drop their tank in front of the support troop, Rocket it.
This will make it easier to deal with the tank as you only need a Knight or a Dart Goblin. Your pushes will almost always be split lane, for example Ice Spirit+Fire Spirits on one lane, Goblin Gang on the other.
The side that has less health should be the side you attack, while the other side is enough of a threat. So like in the Gang and Spirits example, Goblin Gang would deal more damage so use them on the side with less health.
Figure out what spells your opponent has, and adjust accordingly.
You will want Goblin Gang and Dart Goblin on defense, so usually sacrifice the spirits(unless they use something like Minion Hordes, in that case save the spirits).
Get enough chip damage to be able to Rocket away your opponent to victory, and you should be all set.
Make sure you know how to counter your opponent’s cards before you do anything risky on offense.
Don’t waste your Gobin Gang if the opponent has Elite Barbarians.
If you don’t have Mirror or Knight, you’re going to waste your other counters to their cards overdefending and will probably lose the game.
However do note that cycling is not a problem with this deck. It’s one of the benefits.
It is also great in Tournaments since the spirits will connect, and Zap won’t get rid off Goblin Gang.
Matchups:
Golem: The hardest one.
Beatdown is hard enough, but a well supported Golem mitigated with a Knight and Goblin Gang.
You will need Dart Goblin in the middle (on the opposite side so that it still attacks the Golem), Knight on the supports and Goblin Gang on the Golem.
Toss in the spirits to buy time and if you can, Rocket all of the supports.
Usually troops like Night Witch will dominate because the Rocket can’t get the spawned Bats after death. You will definitely lose a crown, so try to get as much damage in on both sides, and make sure you take a Tower.
If they race you, just make sure your whole push won’t get spelled away and have Knight tanking.
Lavaloon
Haven’t seen a lot of these, but if you come across one, you have both spirits, Mirror, and Dart Goblin.
Rocket them to death, or Rocket the Balloon in a pinch.
Mega Knight/P.E.K.K.A
Knight for Mega Knight, Goblin Gang, Mirror, Dart Goblin, and/or Knight for P.E.K.K.A.
Toss in spirits if needed, Rocket them to death.
Giant
Goblin Gang, Dart Goblin, and/or Ice Spirit for Giant, Knight on support.
Get value out of Rocket, and pretty much chip them to death.
Siege
For once, YOU CAN ACTUALLY OUT CYCLE THEM.
You can either Rocket the X-Bow, or have Knight tank while you Log and Dart Goblin their troops away.
The better Rocket cycler wins.
Moison
Knight.
Graveyard
Dart Goblin behind your king Tower, Knight for the mini-tank, and Log and Gang if necessary.
Should be pretty easy.
Hog Rider
Out cycle your opponent’s Goblin Gang counters, and distract the Hog support with Knight. Dart Goblin if necessary.
Rocket them to death, and when you Rocket, make sure you have Ice Spirit in hand.
Cancer decks
Just Rocket them to death, Knight, Spirits, Mirror, and/orGang for either Royal Giant or Elite Barbarians.
In a pinch, you can try to Rocket the E-Barbarians away(takes practice though).
That’s all folks, and since this deck is so weirdly effective and catches people off-guard, you can get 1-0 wins with it.
Have fun messing around with it, and until then, have a clashtastic day!
-Dart Goblin FTW (Regeneration)
Sources
Researched from the following (no links, listed for transparency):
- RoyaleTracker, best decks with Dart Goblin (October 2026 tracker samples)
- RoyaleTracker, best decks right now, normal battles (data from October 9, 2026)
- SeeMeta, Clash Royale balance changes 2026 (page updated October 8, 2026)
- Supercell, Clash Royale October balance changes 2026 (October 6, 2026)
- Clash Royale card data used by the Deck Builder (elixir costs and card types)
- Supercell official Clash Royale API, card list (elixir cost, rarity, Evolution and Hero flags)