AI Overview: This Mortar Mirror deck averages 2.9 elixir across its seven fixed cards and cycles fast. The Mortar chips in single elixir, and Mirror doubles it once the bar fills faster. Mortar base lists won 41.9% to 51.9%, so it needs care, and this exact build has no tracker sample. Every price, rarity and 2026 change is rechecked below, so you can trust each number and skip the guesswork.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The seven fixed cards cost 20 elixir, which is 2.9 on average, and the Mortar and Tesla cost 4 each.
- Mortar base-card lists won 41.9% to 51.9% in the 2026 sample.
- Tesla’s lifetime fell from 30 to 25 seconds on June 1, and its best list wins 64.2% over 1,800.
- Knight’s best list wins 67.1% over 1,000, and his Hero shield was cut from 768 to 512.
- Ice Spirit’s hitpoints fell from 230 to 215 on August 4, and every printed list won 56.7% or more.
The Mortar Mirror List, Priced Card by Card
The big idea. Play the first Mortar on defense and Mirror it on offense. Your defensive Mortar then supports the mirrored one.
Matchups. Against Hog or Ram, the Tesla and Knight hold. Against beatdown, the Mortar hits the tower while the Archers work. Against spell-heavy decks, keep the Tesla back. The point: build the second Mortar only when the first one is safe.
| Card | Elixir | Job in the deck | 2026 status |
| Mortar | 4 | Win condition in single elixir | Base-card lists 41.9% to 51.9% |
| Mirror | varies | Second Mortar in double elixir | No fixed price: it costs the last card played plus 1; no 2026 change found in the site card data |
| Knight | 3 | Tank and counter-pusher | Best list 67.1% over 1,000 (LogBait); Hero shield 768 to 512 |
| Ice Spirit | 1 | Cheap cycle and value | Hitpoints 230 to 215 on August 4; every printed list 56.7% or more |
| Archers | 3 | Ranged defense | Best list 70.6% over 695; Evo Power Shot 168 to 140 |
| Tesla | 4 | Tank killer and second building | Lifetime 30 to 25 seconds, hitpoints 1,152 to 1,182 on June 1; best list 64.2% over 1,800 |
| Zap | 2 | Cheap spell and reset | Crown Tower damage 58 to 48 on June 1; Evo Zap 77.0% over about 1,000 |
| Guards | 3 | Shielded defense | No 2026 change; best list 50.1%, the other seven 42.2% to 48.7% |
The table shows each price, role and 2026 note. Mirror has no fixed price, so the average here counts the other seven cards.
Zoom out. The Mortar’s results are close to a coin flip. If it loses another point of range or damage, the plan leans on the Tesla, and a double-building deck is hard to hold together. A weaker Mortar would slow the whole plan, and that slowdown is the first negative to watch.
What Changed in 2026
The short version. The Mortar is the card to watch, with base lists between 41.9% and 51.9%. Tesla has a shorter life. The Knight’s base card is steady, but his Hero is weaker. Ice Spirit has less health. Zap hits a tower for 48.
Plain talk. The deck is cheap to run and fun to learn. It is not a top list. Treat it as a good way to practice defending and counting elixir.
One more way to see it. The Mortar is a patient artist. It takes time to draw, and the Mirror is a stamp that makes a second copy. Without time, neither works.
In plain English. The Mortar is the same, the Tesla lives a bit less, and the Knight is a little weaker in Hero form. For a cycle deck, those are small changes.
Claims, rechecked. The write-up calls the deck the start of a series for overleveled Mirror cards. It says the Mortar’s dead zone helps with chip damage at a cheap 4 elixir, which is right. It also prefers the Knight to the Ice Golem, an opinion. Treat every figure as a starting point, not a rule.
The fine print. The Archers are the strongest piece of the defense, with a best list of 70.6% over 695, though their Evolution shot fell from 168 to 140. Guards are weak, with a best list of 50.1% and no other above 48.7%.
Card pages: Mortar, Mirror, Knight, Tesla and Archers.
Zoom in. A deck that relies on two buildings is easy to bait. A Rocket or Lightning from the other side can hit both at once, and then the Mirror trick costs you the game. If the Tesla slips in a coming patch, expect the deck to feel clumsy until you adjust.
How to Play It Today
Defend first. Use the Mortar early on defense, then Mirror it on offense in double elixir. The mirrored copy costs 5, one more than the Mortar.
Last word. Short games reward a clear plan, and this list gives you one. Learn the first two plays, then trust the rest to follow.
Quick recap. Mortar first, Mirror later, Knight in front, Tesla behind. The Mortar’s weak data is the main 2026 caution.
Reality check. Siege decks reward patience, and a rushed game breaks them. If you hate waiting, try a different list.
Bottom line. Pick this list if you like cheap, fast siege decks. Mortar on defense, Mirror on offense, and keep the Tesla ready.
Worth knowing. Mirror can also copy a troop in an emergency. Be sure you chose the right card first, because Mirror makes a good play twice and a bad one twice.
Upgrade order. Level the Mortar, Archers and Tesla first. The Knight comes next. Ice Spirit, Zap, Guards and Mirror can wait.
Tips. Protect the Archers as much as the Mortar. They act like two small King Towers, and the Ice Spirit gives value when combined with another card. Open the linked card pages before you queue, since one balance patch can flip a trade.
Use the Knight as a wall. He shields the Mortars, and he works as a counter-pusher too. The original prefers him to the Ice Golem for that reason.
Elixir math. The Mortar and Tesla cost 8 of the 20 fixed elixir. The other five cost 12, or 2.4 each. So the cycle is quick enough to find Mirror again and again.
Try it yourself: Mortar Mirror Deck is ready to play: the Clash Royale Deck Builder loads it in one click. It costs 2.9 elixir on average, and because no tracker covers this exact list, there is no 2026 win rate. Mirror is left out of that average, since it costs one more than the last card played.
Zoom out again. Cycle decks with buildings fall behind when spells get cheaper. A single Rocket or Lightning on the field can undo the whole siege.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Mortar Mirror deck good in 2026?
Tesla’s best list wins 64.2% and the Archers’ best wins 70.6%, but this exact list has no tracker sample, so test the Guards slot first.
What is the average elixir cost?
20 elixir across the seven fixed cards, or 2.9 on average, with Mirror left out.
How should Mirror be used?
Mirror the Mortar on offense after playing the first one on defense.
What counters Mortar Mirror?
Rocket, Lightning and fast pushes that reach the Mortar before it settles.
Does this deck need epic cards?
Only two, Mirror and Guards. There is no legendary.
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, what is going on, it’s ya boi, SparkynadoMeisterBro, here with my second hand-typed guide and the beginning of a series: “Mirror Overleveler’s Deck,” or M.O.D.!
It is for the people who had overleveled their Mirror for overleveled mayhem!
Or, you know, those that want to try mirror.
Anyway, let’s get into the deck, shall we?
The Deck
Mortar
Your Main win-con for single elixir.
In single elixir, this card gets some mean damage in to the tower, with the dead zone really helping to get chip damage with the cheap 4 elixir cost.
Mirror – Your Main win-con for double elixir, and a valuable card in many other situations.
You mainly want to use this to mirror the Mortar on offense, while playing the first one on defense. Congrats, your first defensive Mortar now supports the mirrored one!
You can use it with other troops in emergencies, too, but be aware what the correct card to use Mirror on should be.
I made a Mirror guide, you might want to check it out at here.
Knight – Your beefy boi.
I prefer him over Ice Golem because he can do quite the work by himself even at lower levels despite his nerfs!
He is your big tank for your Mortars, and a good counterpusher as well.
Very good synergies in this deck.
Ice Spirit – Cycler and value grabber.
He is a master of positive elixir trades and poses great synergies with any card in the game.
Mainly use in combo with another card to get good value.
Archers – Even if a bit underleveled, these girls pack a big punch, essentially being 2 fragile king towers.
The ultimate defense card, protect these girls as much as you would your Mortar for maximum defensive value!
But don’t overcommit, mind you.
Tesla – Your tank killer and secondary Mortar support.
Probably one of the best defensive buildings right now asides from Inferno Tower.
Properly supported, the Tesla kills everything in range like a beast.
Feel free to put this 3 tiles from the river and in the middle as you can still place the first Mortar behind it to get value against Princesses from both lanes.
Also does great when tanking for the mirrored Mortar. Use it as so if you can spare the defense.
Guards – Underrated defensive beasts.
Great lone Prince and even lone Dark Prince counter because of their long attack range and shields. Extremely zap-proof, as their shields are still up even after the zap. Provides great inferno protection as well with their shields as the beam resets when they break.
Think of it as a Skeleton Army that does slower but spell-proof damage, or a spell-proof Goblin Gang that can’t hit air.
Combo it with Ice Spirit and you can even kill a Hog without a single hit!
Zap – Self explanatory.
Reset Infernos for the teammate, kills swarms and sometimes goblin barrels, kill minions with Zap + Ice Spirit etc.
Overall a great spell.
Replacements
Replacements wouldn’t be recommended as they can change the way you are supposed to play, but go ahead.
Gameplay
Single Elixir
Don’t be afraid to reveal Mortar, as it can get good and vital early damage in single elixir.
The reasons to use Mortar defensively is to pull Hogs to the middle if your Tesla is not in cycle, or to chip the opponent’s buildings from your side.
If you used Mortar defensively, feel free to Mirror the Mortar on offense. The chip damage is needed.
Make sure the Mirror is available or is the next card if you plan on doing a mirrored Mortar offense, I have countless times forgot that for some dumb reason.
Try to refrain from using Mirror in single elixir unless it is the very beginning where they don’t know all the cards, you use an offensive mirrored Mortar, or really need it on defense.
A good defensive card to Mirror is Archers, as they are beasts at getting positive trades.
Another good defensive card to Mirror is Guards. Mirrored Guards usually kills the rest of a push that you tried to defend with the first.
Zap is a card that in most situations you want to try not to Mirror, but if you are playing against Zap bait, it comes in real handy. It also doubles the time that Infernos take to destroy things.
You should have plenty of elixir when you place a mirrored Mortar, a whopping 5 elixir at best, unlike the mirrored X-Bow, with 3 elixir at best, so simply be prepared to support it reactively.
Build up an elixir advantage over your opponents, and don’t lose it by overcommitting!
Guards are decent threats to towers. If they don’t have a valkyrie or other great splash cards, you can rush the other lane with Guards + Ice Spirit when the opponents overcommit, as the combo can almost take a tower if ignored!
Work with your partner in 2v2s.
If he places a tank, feel free to place Mortar when he gets to the bridge, and some archers as well, or place it on the other lane for double lane pressure while deciding which push is better to support or which counterpush is going to hurt more.
Double Elixir
Unleash the Mortars!
You can cycle defensively with Mortar and offensively with mirrored Mortar really quick, leading to both a good defense and offense that is hard to beat!
Cycle to another regular or mirrored Mortar for double lane pressure if they fail to take down the first mirrored Mortar!
Feel free to go all-out aggressive, but if you aren’t, just defend with pesky Mortars when you take a tower. 😉
Matchups
Beatdown – Decent to Hard matchup.
Includes Golem, Giant, etc. pushes, including Double Prince with a tank.
Hardest it gets is against Golem Double Prince as keeping your Tesla alive to kill Golem and Mortar to splash support is a challenge, but by all means possible and repeatable.
Mirroring Guards is an option to consider against the Double Prince as long as you have knight to tank the Dark Prince’s splash.
Easiest it can get is against PEKKA decks. You have an excellent distraction: Guards.
Takes 6 hits for the PEKKA to kill them all, giving other support a lot of time to work on her, about 10 seconds if left alone without tower support.
With the dead zone of the Mortar, that’s about 2 Mortar shots. But, if arrowed, it can be reduced to 5.5 seconds without tower support, or 1 Mortar shot, and if the guards are within tower range after being arrowed it is probably around 2 seconds.
Play your Guards wisely, PEKKA has quite the walk to make before reaching the Mortar.
You have a partner as well, so hope they can stop some of this as well.
Royal Giant – Decent matchup.
Pesky things can tank for Mortar easy while sniping it’s health away just as good.
Hope your partner can supply another win con, or have Mortar tank the shots while the RG is in range, mirror your Mortar opposite side and push, and have your partner deal with the rest of the RG.
Bridge Spam single lane – Easy Matchup.
You have Guards, Knight, Ice Spirit, and Tesla to deal with garbage spam.
Bridge Spam includes Double Prince, Hog Rider, E-Barbs, etc.
Bridge Spam double lane – Easy to Decent matchup.
Same as Bridge Spam single lane, but try to draw both sides to the center and defend it well.
Log/Zap Bait – Easy matchup.
Defensive Mortar absolutely wrecks Inferno Towers and Princesses, 1-shotting equal level Princess on equal levels and chipping down Inferno Towers.
Zap Barrels, and you have a Mirror just in case you had to use it elsewhere. If you swapped Zap for Log, it is much easier, as you can log the barrels easy, and if there is a second Barrel you can Mirror Log.
If they use Inferno Tower or Dragon on your Mortar, use a predictive Guards and Archers to distract and destroy, and zap if it targets Mortar somehow.
Any Goblin Gang placed will most likely get shredded by them.
Balloon (No Lava Hound) – Decent matchup.
Pain in the arse it is. You’ll want Tesla tanking the Balloon along with a possible Ice Spirit if you want the Tesla to live, otherwise Ice Spirit + Archers and hope it dies before it gets a hit off on Mortar.
Defending them is easy, just be aware of a Freeze or Rage spell, it’s what makes them hard.
Lava Hound – Decent to Hard matchup.
It gets hard against Lavaloon as you only have Archers, Tesla, Ice Spirit, Zap, and Mirror to deal with it.
If it is Lavaloon, refrain from using Tesla until Balloon comes out, then get the Tesla to target Balloon safely. Meanwhile use Archers instead for Lava Hound. Mirror any vital cards lost.
For other Lava Hound decks, watch the support carefully and pull the push to the center with Mortar/Tesla, and play Knight to tank support while Archers pick them off.
Avoid having Archers target Lava Hound because that is a lot of DPS gone when trying to take down support.
Other Siege – Easy to Decent Matchup.
You have a defensive Mortar tanking for the Siege weapon while also chipping it and their support as well, meanwhile mirror Mortar for your own offensive.
Don’t overcommit.
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