Hog Lightning Deck: A 3.1 Elixir Cycle With Mini P.E.K.K.A

By Unstoppable · Deck Building · Oct 13, 2026

AI Overview: This Hog Lightning deck averages 3.1 elixir and uses the Hog Rider with Lightning, Mini P.E.K.K.A and Ice Golem. In 2026 the Hog Rider had no change with a best list of 61.2%, and Lightning’s best wins 72.1%, though it hits towers for less. Every figure is based on the October 2026 card data. Each cost was totaled from the official card list.

Last Updated: October 2026

Key Points:

• The deck costs 25 elixir, which is 3.1 on average.
• Hog Rider had no 2026 change, and his best list wins 61.2% over about 3,800 battles.
• Lightning lost Crown Tower damage on June 1 (286 to 265), and its best list wins 72.1% over 736 battles.
• Mini P.E.K.K.A had no change, and only one of six printed lists is above 50% (best 60.6%).
• Ice Golem lost hitpoints on September 8 (1,315 to 1,228), and The Log lost tower damage on June 1 (41 to 35).

The Hog Lightning List, Priced Card by Card

Here’s the thing: this is an adaptation of an old, popular deck, tested after a Lightning buff. The Hog Rider cannot be swapped without changing the core of the deck. He expected it to become the meta again among competitive players, though it also works on ladder.

Below, every card gets its cost and a 2026 status check.

A Hog deck lives or dies on reading the opponent’s hand. The negative effect: Mortar hard counters the Hog Rider and advised playing defensively for a draw, so a deck like this has a clear ceiling against siege.

What Changed in 2026

The Hog Rider did not change, and his best list is solid at 61.2%. Lightning is strong at 72.1% for its best list but hits towers for 265, not 286. The Princess is strong at 65.1%. The Mini P.E.K.K.A is the soft spot. Bats have no printed list above 50%.

Claims, rechecked. The deck was tested with a Lightning buff, and
would return to the meta. Lightning’s best list of 72.1% in 2026 supports that the card is strong, though it lost tower damage in June. His note that Ice Golem can be swapped for a Knight still stands, since the Knight has a 67.1% best list.

The cheap cards. The Log hits towers for 35, not 41. The Ice Golem is softer, at 1,228 hitpoints. Goblins were reworked on August 4, with a best list of 59.9%. The Hog Rider is the core and cannot be replaced.

Card pages: Hog Rider, Lightning and Mini P.E.K.K.A.

Never to overextend or play reckless Hog Riders. The negative effect: a cycle deck needs patience, and a player who plays too passively may run out of time, while one who plays too fast may lose elixir for nothing.

How to Play It Today

Here’s the thing: the best starts are the Princess, Ice Golem or Bats behind the king tower, or the Goblins at the bridge. Play it slow and see what counters the opponent has. In single elixir, chip with the Hog and Goblins or Bats, and hide the Lightning unless they place a collector.

Substitutions. Skeletons or Ice Spirit can replace the Goblins for a quicker cycle. Inferno Dragon can replace the Mini P.E.K.K.A for better air but worse ground defense. Minions can replace Bats for better air defense with a slower cycle. Archers can replace the Princess.

Translation: in double elixir, go for Hog plus Lightning pushes and try to finish a Princess tower. Against Golem or Giant, save the Hog for when they use a pump or play the tank in the back, then hit with the Ice Golem and Hog. Always save the Mini P.E.K.K.A for their Hog Rider, then counter-push.

Elixir math: the Lightning takes 6 of the 25 elixir. The other seven cost 19, about 2.7 each, which is how the deck cycles back to the Hog.

Try it yourself: the Clash Royale Deck Builder has Hog Lightning Deck preloaded, so you can swap a card or two before a match. The average sits at 3.1 elixir. No 2026 win rate exists for this exact list.

Lava Hound is much more difficult for this deck. The negative effect: with Bats weak in 2026 and few air answers, a Lava Hound push can be hard to stop, and the Lightning plan needs a very good read.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hog Lightning good in 2026?

Hog Rider’s best list wins 61.2% and Lightning’s wins 72.1%, but only one of six Mini P.E.K.K.A lists is above 50%, and this exact list has no tracker sample, so respect siege decks.

What is the average cost of the eight cards?

It averages 3.1 elixir, from 25 elixir spread over eight cards.

When should Lightning be used?

What is the plan against Three Musketeers?

It is an easy matchup, since Lightning and Mini P.E.K.K.A destroy them.

What counters the Hog here?

Mortar hard counters it, so play defensively and aim for a draw.

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, Unstoppable here! Today, I’ve decided to share with you, a (somewhat) new Hog Rider cycle deck that I went 12-0 with in a grand challenge!

It is actually an adaptation of an old deck that was very popular a few months ago that I decided to test with the new Lightning buff.

Expect it to become meta once again among competitive players but also works just as well on ladder.

Here’s the video of my last 6 games, some of which I had to make spetacular plays to win with:

Substitutions

• Hog Rider → Can NOT be substituted without changing the core of the deck
• Goblins → Skeletons or Ice Spirit can be substituted in for a quicker cycle
• Mini P.E.K.K.A → Inferno Dragon can be substituted in for better air but worse ground defense
• Ice Golem → Knight can be substituted in for a more “ladder friendly” version
• Bats → Minions can be substituted in for better air defense but slower cycle
• Princess → Archers can be substituted in if you don’t have Princess
• The Log → Arrows or Zap can be substituted in if you don’t have the Log
• Lightning → Fireball, Poison, and Rocket can all be substituted in for Lightning

General Gameplay

In order to utilize this deck to its maximum potential, you never want to overextend or play reckless Hog Riders.

As for starting plays go, the best ones are: Princess/Ice Golem/Bats behind the king Tower or Goblins at the bridge.

I like to play it slow and attempt to see what counters my opponent may have to my win condition or if they have any win conditions of their own.

During single Elixir, its best to try to just chip at their Princess towers with Hog Rider + Goblins/bat pushes and try not to reveal Lightning unless they have Elixir Collector or use a lot of Elixir to defend my Hog Rider.

Once it reaches Double Elixir, I have usually figured out what counters and win conditions my opponent has so I will go in for Hog + Lightning pushes and attempt to finish off their Princess Tower.

Watch my gameplays with live commentary:

Matchups

Beatdown

Against Golem or Giant, you always want to attempt to save your Hog Rider for when they either use Elixir Collector or play their tank in the back, then you want to hit them hard with Ice Golem + Hog and maybe Goblins or Bats depending on their spells.

Against Lava Hound, its much more difficult but beatable due to the fact that you can spread their spells thin by properly using your Princess and Bats as well as just lightninging their Lava Hound support units.

Hog Rider

Always save your Mini P.E.K.K.A for their Hog Rider and then go in for a counter push either same lane as your defensive Mini P.E.K.K.A or opposite if they are low on Elixir.

If you know how to keep track of what cards your opponent has in their hand you can get away with defending their lone Hog Riders with either Goblins or Bats for a positive Elixir trade and then capitalize with a counter push.

Three Musketeers

A very easy matchup due to the fact that you have both Lightning and Mini P.E.K.K.A which absolutely destroy them.

During single Elixir, save your Lightning for their Elixir collectors and use your Mini P.E.K.K.A on their Musketeer pushes and during Double Elixir you can begin to Lightning their 2 Musketeers as well as Tower because they won’t have time to place any more Elixir collectors and get value from them.

Princess is also a very valuable card in this matchup because most three Musketeer decks use Zap and Miner instead of Log so you just defend your Princess from their Miner with Goblins and get lots of value from her.

X-Bow & Mortar

If you are playing against Mortar on ladder, I would always recommend playing very defensively and attempt to draw since Mortar hard counters Hog Rider.

X-Bow however, is much easier since your Lightning will be able to hit their X-Bow and their Tower which lets you chip at them the entire game and then finish the Tower off with a Hog Rider.

Since most Mortar and X-Bow decks use Log, make sure to utilize your Bats to keep control of the match.

Spell Bait

This is typically a very fair matchup for both sides since you have Log for their Goblin Barrel and they have Tornado/Tesla/Inferno Tower for your Hog Rider.

However you can get an edge on your opponent by defending their Goblin barrels with your Bats or Goblins and then going in for Hog Rider + Lightning + prediction Log (for their Goblin Gang) pushes in Double Elixir and completely outplaying them for the win.

This is very hard to pull off however and the safer way to win would to just continually Lightning their Tower + whatever they put near it like Inferno Tower or Princess.

These games will usually come down to the wire but if you remember what I’ve said here you should be able to pull out a win.

That’s all for this deck guide, if you have any questions feel free to tweet me @Unstoppable_CR or check out my YouTube channel for a more in depth guide. I’ll be doing deck guides weekly so make sure to stay connected.

See you in the arena!

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