Goblin Machine Deck Guide: Best Builds and Counters

This is a low-cost deck that I have found to be pretty effective for my personal style of play. The average cost for this deck after the recent updates is 3.3. I’ve read that this may be too low of a cost (based on the idea that low-elixir cards do not generally have many hp), but I think the P.E.K.K.A. does an adequate job tanking, and the low average elixir cost of the deck means a relatively quick turnover which brings the P.E.K.K.A. up relatively often.

Here are the cards and why I think they work well in this deck:

Rage Hogbot Deck for Arena 7+

P.E.K.K.A. – The P.E.K.K.A. is one of the true foundations of this deck. It is the only true tank of the deck, and really the only card in the deck that I use that way. The high-elixir cost of the P.E.K.K.A. is offset by the low cost of the remainder of the deck, so that I can enjoy the advantages of the P.E.K.K.A. over some other tanks. One of those advantages in this deck is the P.E.K.K.A.’s ability to attack other units and not just buildings. No other unit has the same number of hit points, packs the same punch, and will hit other units. This means that the P.E.K.K.A. cannot only absorb a significant amount of damage, but is unparalleled in one-on-one combat against other big guys. One could argue that Sparky hits harder in a single zap, but it’s hit points and DPS are far less. The P.E.K.K.A.’s hit points, single hit damage, DPS, and ability to attack both moving land units and buildings makes it a versatile force from defensive end to offensive end.

Zap – Zap has a couple of main roles in this deck. Primarily, I use it to keep skeletons, goblins, etc. off of the P.E.K.K.A. Because the P.E.K.K.A is pretty sturdy, he can stay upright in the midst of a skeleton army while I get my Zap out, and he can make his way to and through a nearby inferno tower if I can reset it with Zap. Zap also helps to more quickly stop some slightly more sturdy groups from taking my P.E.K.K.A. apart if I can use it on a group like Minions, Minion Horde, Three Musketeers, etc in combination with long-range shots from the Princess. Finally, Zap can, of course, be used to do it’s own damage anywhere on the map, and can be especially helpful for quickly taking out those towers that just barely survived previous attacks.

Skeleton Army – Skeleton Army is here as a quick means for taking down the big boys. They are easy for my opponent to take out with any splash damage or area effect damage spell, but they currently only cost 3 elixir in the game, and they keep the opponent’s tanks from just marching up to my towers. The opponent has probably already paid at least 5 elixir to get a tank out, and my 3 elixir skeleton army means they are going to have to spend at least 2 more to keep that tank alive. An army of skeletons can also deal some damage to a building if ignored, especially when boosted with some Rage.

Mega Minion – This is possibly the most replaceable card in this deck for me. It doesn’t have a terribly specific role in this deck, and is included mostly for value. At just a 3 elixir cost, the Mega Minion flies, isn’t terribly frail, hits okay, and has a little bit of range. I use it mostly in a defensive way in this deck, sicking it on single units or small groups of ground units who are not able to attack air units. There is not a lot of air defense in this deck, so the Mega Minion helps out there.

The Log – The Log is a defensive beast. I like to drop it just before the bridge to wipe out all of the small units on the opponent’s defensive road and to also do a little extra damage to the tower at the end. The Log is great for clearing a path for the P.E.K.K.A. and even the Hog Rider if your opponent throws something down prematurely in front of him. At 2 elixir each, Zap and The Log are a wonderful combination for taking out low-hp units, buying a split second with knockback/stun, or doing a small bit of unstoppable damage to a tower. The advantage to The Log over Zap is that even if your opponent staggers large groups of low-hp units to try to offset splash or area damage losses, The Log still wipes them all out. The knockback of The Log can mean the game for you if it buys you an extra swipe by your rage-spelled P.E.K.K.A.

The Princess – Her range alone makes her worth her low elixir cost of 3. She can stand outside of tower archer range and fire volley after volley of flaming arrows into them. While that is a fortunate quality, it is not her primary function in this deck. In this deck, her primary job is to cover the P.E.K.K.A. (and also the Hog Rider) from afar. She deals area damage to land and air units from a remarkable distance and is perfect for keeping groups of low-hp units from tearing your P.E.K.K.A. apart. Combined with Zap and The Log, she really helps clean up those small nuisances anywhere on the board. She is small and fragile, but the opponent who does not dedicate some elixir to stopping her will soon regret it. She is the primary air defense unit for the deck and is essential in that duty. It is imperative to keep at least one of her and the Mega Minion on the board whenever possible or the deck is easily countered with even low-cost aerial units.

Hog Rider – We all know the benefits of using the Hog Rider. He is fast, does not need to make use of the bridges, and does impressive damage to towers. The main intended attack of this deck is to pair the Hog Rider with a P.E.K.K.A., drop a Rage spell over top of the two of them and watch them pound a tower to dust. Together, they are impressive indeed, and they need very few hits to accomplish their goal. They can be separated, though, against opponents with dedicated defenses. While the P.E.K.K.A. necessarily demands your opponent’s attention and resources to stop, you can zip a Hog Rider down the opposite side of the arena and drop a Rage on whichever of them has the most opportunity at a tower.

Rage – As mentioned a number of times above, Rage is the buffing spell that allows this deck to take down a tower even if the opportunities to do so are limited. This is not a constant push deck, and the P.E.K.K.A. and/or the Hog Rider are only going to reach the towers a limited number of times and for limited periods of time. Therefore, it is essential that the P.E.K.K.A. and/or Hog Rider achieve maximum DPS against the towers when they reach them. This is the role of Rage in this deck. I very rarely use it for unit-versus-unit skirmishes, as the innate power of the units in this deck is generally enough to clear a path or keep a tower defended until time expires.

How It Works:

There’s really no trick to it. It is all very simple, straight-forward, and intuitive. The P.E.K.K.A moves slowly, so it doesn’t matter whether you play it first at the bottom edge and play your supporting troops as it makes its way to the bridge or whether you play your supporting troops at the back edge and save enough elixir to play the P.E.K.K.A. at the bridge as they reach the bridge. The Hog Rider is particularly fast, so you’ll want the P.E.K.K.A. to be over the bridge and on the other side before you start the Hog Rider. This also gets the opponent focused on using his units to attack your P.E.K.K.A., which gives your Hog Rider a better chance to make it to the tower.

The main goal is to get the P.E.K.K.A and the Hog Rider to the tower and to start your Rage spell there as soon as they get there. If they get there with plenty of health and with little resistance, drop the Rage so that they can still be inside it after they take down the side tower and move on to the crown tower. This does not take long, and you should still have a bit of Rage left by the time they begin attacking the crown tower. If they face a significant amount of resistance on the way in, and it doesn’t appear that they will survive to attack the crown tower, I find it best to drop the Rage further back so that it still covers the attack on the side tower, but also covers any support troops behind the P.E.K.K.A and Hog Rider.

The initial lead march of the P.E.K.K.A. over the bridge and to the tower should be covered and supported by the support troops, Zap, and The Log. Remember, the P.E.K.K.A. will attack units and not just march blindly for the tower, so while he can definitely hold his own against other single land units, you should keep the way as clear for him as you can so that he reaches the tower as quickly and with as many hit points as possible. The Princess will stand on your side of the bridge and fire in far enough to hit the side tower and any groups of low-hp units that threaten the P.E.K.K.A. The Mega Minion and the Skeleton Army are available to play defense if your opponent chooses to attack in another area instead of defending against your attack.

It is only going to take 2 or 3 seconds for your P.E.K.K.A. and Hog Rider to take down a relatively healthy side tower under Rage. Once you’ve done that, if you’re still behind or you’re tied, you can start over on the other side or on the crown tower, depending on which it seems your opponent is more intent on defending. If you’ve now gained the advantage (which is probable because one successful attack takes a tower down quickly), you have the option of playing defensively. You’ve got Skeleton Army to swarm tanks, The Log and Zap to erase large groups of low-hp units, and P.E.K.K.A.’s fearsome swing to mow down individual medium-hp and high-hp units. Tuck The Princess behind whatever tower your opponent is marching against, and let her rain area damage down on their units from half the arena away. Sit you Mega Minion on any invaders who can’t defend themselves against aerial units.

Every now and then you’ll run into an opponent who is going to pour everything into effectively countering the P.E.K.K.A. and Hog Rider combined attack in a way that just doesn’t allow you to get to that tower very effectively. In this case, you have a couple of options. I keep pouring the P.E.K.K.A. attack on them, so that they have to stay committed to stopping it. P.E.K.K.A. is a formidable foe, and it takes a concerted effort to stop him if you can keep the swarms off of him. The good news is that this is a very low-cost deck, so it’s not unusual to have a little extra elixir to play something off to the other side while keeping your main game going. For 3 elixir, you can sit The Princess on your side of the bridge on the opposite side of the arena and begin chiseling away at that tower. For 4 elixir, you can let a Hog Rider run on that other side, and for another 2 elixir, you can throw him some Rage. Now your opponent either has to let up on defending against your main P.E.K.K.A. attack or they have to ignore your weak side assault. It might be that your opponent is eventually able to stave off both sides, but usually not before you’ve done some damage somewhere. What’s more, if they are busy doing all of that defending, there’s not much of an opportunity for them to mount an attack of their own.