AI Overview: This Hog Freeze deck averages 2.9 elixir, the cheapest in this series, and relies on Freeze to catch the opponent with one or zero answers. Freeze lost duration (4 to 3.5 seconds) in September and tower damage in June, but its best list still wins 72.3%. Hog Rider had no 2026 change, so the old fast-punish plan still has a base to stand on.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The deck costs 23 elixir, which is 2.9 on average, and it cycles faster than any other list in this series.
- Freeze lost duration (4 to 3.5 seconds) on September 8 and tower damage (45 to 37) on June 1, but its best list wins 72.3% over 792 battles.
- Hog Rider had no 2026 change, and his best list wins 61.2% over about 3,800 battles.
- Mini P.E.K.K.A had no 2026 change, and his best list wins 60.6% over 1,100, with only one of six printed lists above 50%.
- Goblins were reworked on August 4, and their best list wins 59.9% over 504 battles.
The Hog Freeze List, Priced Card by Card
Here’s the thing: Freeze pairs well with Hog because it only hits buildings and troops, not the tower alone. The plan was to push right away with few elixir and catch the opponent with one or zero answers, not to wait for 10 elixir like a Golem player.
| Card | Elixir | Job in the deck | 2026 status |
| Hog Rider | 4 | Main win condition | No 2026 change; best list 61.2% over about 3,800 |
| Freeze | 4 | Spell that holds the tower and troops | Duration 4 to 3.5 seconds on September 8, tower damage 45 to 37 on June 1; best list 72.3% over 792 |
| Mini P.E.K.K.A | 4 | Tank killer and punisher | No 2026 change; best list 60.6% over 1,100, only one of six above 50% |
| Goblins | 2 | Defense and fast pushes | Rework on August 4; best list 59.9% over 504 |
| Princess | 3 | Ranged defense and chip | Best list 65.1% over 3,500 (LogBait); Evo buff on August 4 |
| Ice Golem | 2 | Tank and kiter | Hitpoints 1,315 to 1,228 on September 8; best list 58.8% over 14,600 |
| Bats | 2 | Fast air cycle | No 2026 change; none of eight printed lists above 50% |
| Zap | 2 | Cheap reset spell | Crown Tower damage 58 to 48 on June 1; Evo Zap 77.0% over about 1,000 |
The table prices the eight cards and shows the October 2026 status next to each.
Freeze is the heart of this deck and it has been cut twice this year. The negative effect: another cut to duration or damage would shrink the window the Hog needs, and a player who relies on the old Freeze timing may find the Hog dying half a second too early.
What Changed in 2026
Freeze is half a second shorter, 3.5 seconds instead of 4, and hits towers for 37 instead of 45. That is still a strong card, with four of eight printed lists above 50% and a best of 72.3%.
The old matchup list, rechecked. Hog Freeze beats Bridge Spam, Bandit Miner cycle, classic Golem and Lava Miner Triple Minions. It was an even matchup against Mega Knight Balloon, and bait was controversial. None of those results can be rechecked on this site, so read them as claims from Grand Challenge games.
The rest of the cast is steady. Hog Rider, Mini P.E.K.K.A, Princess (65.1% over 3,500) and Bats had no 2026 change. Goblins had a rework in August. Princess is the main defense card, and the old advice to save Goblins to protect her from a Miner still fits.
Card pages: Hog Rider, Freeze and Mini P.E.K.K.A.
A cycle deck with weak air defense has a clear counter. The negative effect: Lavaloon is one of the hardest matchups, and if Lava Hound, which gained damage on October 6, becomes more popular, this list has only Bats and Princess to answer it.
How to Play It Today
Pump-punish: send a fake Goblins and Bats push with the Ice Golem on one side, then Hog in the middle to hit the pump. Tank-punish: when the opponent puts a Giant, Golem or P.E.K.K.A in the back, punish the other lane and take the tower.
Matchups. Against Mega Knight Balloon, the Princess disrupts the Mega Knight plan. Against bait, win the Princess battle and get the most value from the Goblins. Against Lavaloon, press all game and cycle fast, because the deck has weak air answers.
Translation: good starting moves are Princess in the back, a cycle of Bats or Goblins, or Hog on offense. Do not open with Hog and Ice Golem, because a Mega Knight answers it and leaves no kiter. Use Zap on Minions or Tombstones, since the Goblin Gang survives it.
Elixir math: only three cards cost 4 (Hog, Freeze and Mini P.E.K.K.A). The other five cost 11 in total, about 2.2 each, which is why the deck cycles so quickly.
Try it yourself: the Clash Royale Deck Builder can open Hog Freeze 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.
Fast cycles give the opponent less time to settle. The negative effect: the same speed means mistakes come quickly too, and a player who wastes the Freeze or the Princess early may have nothing to punish with for the rest of the match.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hog Freeze good in 2026?
Freeze’s best list wins 72.3% and Hog Rider’s best 61.2%, but Freeze lost duration in September, so this exact list has no tracker sample, and the Freeze timing is worth retesting.
How much elixir does the deck average?
2.9 elixir per card on average (23 in total).
Did Freeze get nerfed?
Yes. Its duration fell from 4 to 3.5 seconds on September 8, and tower damage from 45 to 37 on June 1.
What is the Pump-Punish?
A fake push on one side to pull defenders, then Hog down the middle to hit the Elixir Collector.
What beats Hog Freeze?
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.
Henlo my dear friends, I’m finally back!
If you don’t know me, my name is Norbysweg, and I started writing guides more than half a year ago!
At the moment I have quite good stats, sitting around 5200 trophies, and playing Grand Challenges every day!
Leaving that behind, today I’m bringing you this exceptional, surprising Hog Freeze deck, supported by two excellent defensive cards, the Mini P.E.K.K.A and Princess!
Now without further ado, let’s get right into the guide!
Hog Freeze Deck
Sitting at 2.9 Elixir, this deck is a beast at cycling and getting many princesses down.
Princesses are what offer your deck stability, by denying many troops from distance. Hot Freeze will prevent your opponent from advancing.
You can easily catch your opponent off guard with chip Goblins or Princesses because this deck often relies on catching your opponent with one to zero response!
I got several 12 wins with this deck, an average of 6 out of 10, and I most often got a tower with Mini P.E.K.K.A Freeze!
Cards Breakdown
Hog Rider – Your main win condition, of course.
One of the best cards to pair with Freeze, because of it targeting only buildings!
When using Hog Freeze, you want it to be the push that automatically gets damage, like a Fireball, Rocket, or whatever!
The Hog Freeze isn’t like a Pekka or Golem Push: Waiting for 10 Elixir, then starting it and getting value out of your troops, it’s about doing it right away when you have few Elixir, so you can catch them off-guard!
Mini P.E.K.K.A – Your secondary win condition, the Mini P.E.K.K.A is used as the main Tank Killer, as well as punisher!
There are two types of punishing with this deck, but I’ll talk about that later.
When defending a push with Mini Pekka, you most likely want it to deal its full damage, so protect it with Goblins, Ice Golem, or whatever you have!
Freeze+Mini Pekka kills every glass cannon push in the game, so keep that as an idea when defending huge pushes!
Princess – Your main defensive card!
The Princess is used to chip away and kill pushes from far away, while her being one of the most annoying cards in the game.
With Zap being overused in the Meta, there is almost nothing to kill a defensive princess!
If you’re playing against a Miner player, always save Goblins to protect your Princess!
Goblins – One of the most solid defensive cards at the moment, and also used in fast-paced pushes.
Bats – Essential in almost every deck right now, the Bats are fast, high-DPS air troops that kill and chip lots of cards like Pekka, Balloon, Hog, Giant, Mega Knight, and else!
Their high DPS can be used super effectively on offense, for example eliminating a Minion Horde while attacking, by Zapping it while the Bats kill them in the blink of an eye!
Zap – Essential on offense, less used on defense though! It insta-kills troops like Bats, damages Hordes, Gangs, Minions, Goblins, and also resets Inferno Dragons and else!
Ice Golem + Zap is something you’ll use very often against Balloon or Miner players!
Ice Golem – The main tank for both of your possible pushes, also an essential defensive card, being able to slow down and kill small troops such as Skeletons and Bats, while also damaging things above like Minions!It’s also the best kiting troop, being able to defend a
It’s also the best kiting troop, being able to defend a P.E.K.K.A or a Mega Knight just by kiting and killing with Bats, offering crazy value in games!
Freeze – I explained everything at the Hog part, so yea!
General Gameplan
Starting Moves
Your best starting moves are either Princess in the back, cycle Bats/Gobs, or Hog on offense!Never go Hog IG in
Never go Hog Ice Golem on offense as the first move, because they can easily counter with a Mega Knight, and destroy you after with no kiting left!
Responding/Punishing
As I said earlier, there are two types of punishes you can do with this deck!
- Pump-Punish: When your opponent pumps, the key is taking it out! Send a fake Goblins/Bats + Ice Golem push on one side, then immediately Hog in the middle so it takes out the pump!
- Tank-Punish: Be that a Giant, a Golem, a Pekka! It’s worth punishing the other lane! In this case, you want to take out the Tower completely! If they place a Hog Counter like a Mega Knight or Pekka on the other lane, it’s worth going with Hog too! A regular Tank-Punish would be Ice Golem+Mini Pekka+Bats/Goblins.
Don’t be afraid to punish the other lane! Always remember, if you punish the other lane, EVEN if you towertrade, you’ll have the advantage of you attacking on the other side of the map at 1-1!Against this deck, the only method you can win
Against this deck, the only method you can win is to control the incoming pushes!
It’s kind of hard when you counter a push, then you can’t counterpush because it’s going to the King. If they go for it, you have the advantage, if they don’t, you have the advantage! If they tank in the back you just punish and you’re fine!
Matchups
This deck can easily counter: Bridge Spam, Bandit Miner cycle, Classic Golem, Lava Miner Triple Minions
Lavaloon – One of the Hardest matchups to start off!
As you’ve probably noticed, you barely have two air counters in this deck, which are pretty weak against the tanky aspect of the Lava and the Balloon coupled with it.
To counter that, you want to put pressure the whole game, and cycle like a monster.
Get the most value out of Zaps. Most likely Tombstones or Minions. Goblin Gangs survive the Zap, and the Mini Pekka has to hit them like they would be full health.
Your best bet is getting a good push at the start.
Mega Knight Balloon – Pretty even Matchup!
They have the Mega for the Hog, but you have the Princess which completely f*cks up their playstyle!
Always save Goblins for protecting Princess from Miner, and Freeze the Balloon if needed.
If they use their Mega Knight, you can just push through their defense like it was nothing.
Just Hog+Ice G+Mini P, and a Princess somewhere in the middle. How can they defend it?
Bait – Pretty controversial matchup, you always have to win the Princess Battle and get most value out of your Goblins.
The best move you can pull out is pre-placing Goblins or placing them super fast when you see the Barrel, so they go around the Tower and Block all the damage.
Outcycle their Inferno Tower first, and use freeze on your second push, when they don’t have it in hand!
Hog Cycle – Get the most value out of Mini Pekka and always watch out for Bats!
Keep your Zap or Ice Golem in hand when defending, and get most value out of your Goblins.
Surprise Freeze can easily win you the game, but only use it when you feel like he has no elixir.
Replacements
FreeToPlay/Ladder
Guanek’s Deck
Pong’s Hog LJ
Popular Hog Rocket
Soo…. That was it guys!
Hope you enjoyed my new deck, because I sure did while playing it!
Don’t forget to tell your opinions, improvements in the comments below, and hope to see you in my next guide!
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