AI Overview: This Royal Ghost Graveyard deck averages 3.4 elixir and plays as a control list. The Ghost defends, the Goblin Hut chips, and the Graveyard punishes at the end of a counter-push. Royal Ghost’s best list wins 77.0% over 993 battles, though 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 deck costs 27 elixir, which is 3.4 on average, and the Graveyard at 5 is the heaviest card.
- Royal Ghost’s hitpoints fell from 1,210 to 1,152 on October 6, and its best list wins 77.0% over 993.
- Graveyard’s top deck wins 71.6%, though its skeletons went from 13 to 12 on June 1.
- Goblin Hut had no 2026 change, and its best list wins 72.1% over 736 battles.
- Poison’s Crown Tower damage fell from 184 to 168 on June 1, and its best list wins 68.6%.
The Royal Ghost Graveyard List, Priced Card by Card
The big idea. Defend, then counter. The Ghost and Ice Wizard stop the push, and the Graveyard turns the leftovers into a tower hit.
Matchups. Against Hog cycle, the Ghost and Guards hold while the Hut chips. Against beatdown, Tornado and Ice Wizard split the push. Against bait, Poison clears the swarm and keeps the Graveyard safe. The point: this deck wins by answering, not by racing.
| Card | Elixir | Job in the deck | 2026 status |
| Royal Ghost | 3 | Defense and counter-push | Hitpoints 1,210 to 1,152 on October 6; best list 77.0% over 993 |
| Graveyard | 5 | Win condition | Top deck 71.6%; skeletons 13 to 12 on June 1 |
| Ice Wizard | 3 | Slow and splash defense | Best list 64.6% over 1,400; Hero freeze cut on September 16 and October 6 |
| Goblin Hut | 4 | Constant chip pressure | No 2026 change; best list 72.1% over 736, second 63.5%, the other six 41.8% to 46.1% |
| Poison | 4 | Big spell and Graveyard partner | Crown Tower damage 184 to 168 on June 1; best list 68.6% over about 3,800 |
| Ice Golem | 2 | Cheap tank and bait | Hitpoints 1,315 to 1,228 on September 8; best list 58.8% over 14,600 |
| Guards | 3 | Shielded defense | No 2026 change; best list 50.1%, the other seven 42.2% to 48.7% |
| Tornado | 3 | Pull and splash combo | No 2026 change; best list 64.7% over about 1,900 |
Here is each card with its price and the 2026 numbers.
Zoom out. Three legendaries and a heavy win condition make the list costly. If the Graveyard gets another trim after the June cut, the punish gets slower, and the Ghost has to hold the game alone for longer. A weaker Graveyard would slow the whole plan, and that slowdown is the first negative to watch.
What Changed in 2026
The short version. The Ghost lost 58 hitpoints on October 6, but his win rate stays the best in the set. The Graveyard is strong at 71.6%, with one fewer skeleton. Poison and Ice Golem were trimmed. The Goblin Hut and Tornado did not change.
One more way to see it. The Hut is a leaky tap. It drips damage all match long, and the opponent has to keep fixing it. While they fix it, they play fewer big cards, and your Ghost faces fewer big pushes.
In plain English. The Ghost is slightly weaker, the Graveyard is slightly smaller, and the spells hit softer. None of it breaks the deck. The Hut and Tornado stay the same, and the list still has strong results in the sample. It wins by patience and by good reads.
Claims, rechecked. The write-up says the Graveyard was out of the meta for a while and is back, and that Goblin Hut is in so many decks. Both are dated opinions, so judge them with the 2026 numbers. The listed substitutions, such as Musketeer or Knight for the Ice Wizard, are the author’s tips, not tested lists. Treat every figure as a starting point, not a rule.
The fine print. Guards are the soft spot: their best list wins 50.1%, and the other seven printed lists won between 42.2% and 48.7%. The Ice Wizard is solid at 64.6% over 1,400 battles, though his Hero freeze was cut on September 16 and again on October 6.
Card pages: Royal Ghost, Graveyard, Goblin Hut, Ice Wizard and Tornado.
Zoom in. The original text says no nerf can stop the Ghost. The October cut says otherwise, and a second one would hurt, because he is the card that starts every counter-push. If the Royal Ghost slips in a coming patch, expect the deck to feel clumsy until you adjust.
How to Play It Today
Open with the Hut. Drop the Goblin Hut in the middle of your side and let the chip damage roll in. It is the safest first play, since it asks the opponent a question without risking much.
Quick recap. Defend with the Ghost and Ice Wizard, chip with the Hut, and finish with the Graveyard. The 2026 trims are small, and the results stay high.
Reality check. Three legendaries are a big ask. If you only own one or two of them, play another list for now, because the deck needs the Ghost and the Graveyard together.
Bottom line. Choose this list if you like to defend and then punish. The Ghost is the core, the Hut is the engine, and the Graveyard is the finish.
Worth knowing. Counter-push with the Ghost, then stick the Ice Golem in front of him. The Graveyard lands once their answers are spent.
Upgrade order. Level the Royal Ghost, Graveyard and Ice Wizard first. Poison and Goblin Hut come next. Ice Golem, Guards and Tornado can wait, since they work at almost any level.
Tips. Use Tornado to pull a Hog or Royal Ghost to your King Tower and turn it on early. Add Guards with the Ice Wizard to shut down a push. Open the linked card pages before you queue, since one balance patch can flip a trade.
Pair Poison with the Graveyard. Use Poison when you know the other side holds a swarm or a Poison counter. Without a counter in their hand, save the Poison and play the Graveyard alone.
Elixir math. The Graveyard, Goblin Hut and Poison cost 13 of the 27 elixir. The other five cost 14, or 2.8 each. So the defense stays cheap while the punish is saved up.
Try it yourself: the Clash Royale Deck Builder has Royal Ghost Graveyard Deck preloaded, so you can swap a card or two before a match. The average sits at 3.4 elixir. No 2026 win rate exists for this exact list.
Zoom out again. Graveyard counters are everywhere on ladder. If Bowler or Tornado decks spread, the whole plan of waiting and punishing loses time, and the legendaries cost more than they return.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Royal Ghost Graveyard deck good in 2026?
Royal Ghost’s best list wins 77.0% and the Graveyard’s top deck wins 71.6%, but this exact list has no tracker sample, so test the Guards slot first.
What is the average elixir cost?
27 elixir across eight cards, or 3.4 on average.
When should the Goblin Hut go down?
First, in the middle of your side, so it chips the tower for the whole match.
What counters a Ghost Graveyard deck?
Swarm cards for the skeletons, Tornado or Poison on the Graveyard, and a fast bridge push.
Does this deck need legendary cards?
Yes. It uses three legendaries: Royal Ghost, Graveyard and Ice Wizard.
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.
Hi guys my names MoePlaysFifa17, and yes that’s actually my name. This is my first guide on this website and I’m excited because I’ve always wanted to write a guide. And here i am finally writing one! And its all about one of my favorite decks this meta, Ghost Graveyard!
Royal Ghost
No nerf can stop this old dude !
He has tons of HP , good damage and does splash, what else do you need?
You want to use him on defense and counter push with him using a Graveyard or just stick an Ice Golem in front of him.
Graveyard
This card was out of meta for a while, but its back and better than ever !
It is your main win condition and should be played on counter pushes after defending. And also add a Poison if you think that your opponent has a poisonable counter to your Graveyard
Goblin Hut
Those pesky Goblins just wont stop !
Goblin Hut is such a strong deck in this meta and is in so many decks. This is going to be your best starting play. Just plop it down in the middle and watch all the nice chip damage come rolling in.
Poison
This is in my opinion, the best spell in the game right now. It provides an area where your opponent can’t put their troops.
You should partner it up with your Graveyard when you know that they have a counter in hand.
Ice Golem
For as long as i can remember, this card has been in the meta for as long as its been released.
He is a great tank and should most of the time, be pared with your Graveyard.
Guards
This trio of Larrys are so good in this meta.
You want to use them on defense and maybe use an Ice Wizard with it depending on the situation.
Tornado
This card , just like the Ice Golem, has been in the meta for such a long time.
You need to use it on defense to pull cards in the middle to get maximum damage done to the opponent’s troops.
You also want to make sure you activate your king Tower early on by pulling hogs and Royal Ghosts to your king Tower.
Ice Wizard
This guy is so cool hes cooler than England in winter!
He is going to be one of your main defensive assets in this decks and can be pared with Tornado and Guards to completely shut down any push.
Substitutions
All other cards should be kept the same, but if you really want to sub something just comment below.
Check out lolman’s Ghost Graveyard deck at here!
General Gameplan
3:00 -> 1:00
During the start of the match, you want to place down a Goblin Hut and defend your opponent.
Never start the match by cycling Ice Wizard, because of his humongous defensive value.
You don’t really want to go in for Graveyards , but you can do 1 or 2 if u think your opponent doesn’t have anything to defend with.
Your mostly going to be focusing on defense in the first two minutes of the game.
1:00->End
This is when you should go in for the kill.
You should constantly be sending in Graveyards with a tank if possible. But of course you should be defending the opponents pushes too, but if they do make sure to effectively defend and counter push with your Graveyard to destroy,depress and utterly dismantle your opponent.
Matchups
Giant
Santa Claus packs a harder punch than i thought. But it isn’t that hard to beat.
Use Ice Wizard to slow him down and interchangeably use Guards and Ghost on the Giant and the support troops.
Golem
This matchup is probably the hardest for me but thats probably because im just bad at defending Golems!
Goblin Hut is one of the key cards in this match up.
When your opponent places down an Elixir Collector, you should Ice Golem Graveyard and Poison if they use a value card that can be killed, of course make sure that the Poison touches the defenses and the Pump.
When the opponent puts down the Golem, you have two options.
Either to save up Elixir and make sure that you have enough to defend effectively, you should place the Royal Ghost on the support troops, If you have enough then also try to distract the support troops with the Ice Golembefore dropping RG, and use the Guards on the Golem.
That is one option if they drop the Golem , the other is to Graveyard + Ice Golem in the other lane, only do this if you are confident on defense , I don’t do this because i am bad at defending Golems…
Hog
Use the Tornado to activate the king Tower early on and keep tornading it to the middle so that all three towers slice it into bacon.
Also just make sure that you dont over commit because if you do you wont have enough Elixir to defend the Hog and use RG/Guards on the support troops.
Graveyard
Posion the Graveyard and kill the tank as quickly as possible using RG or Guards.
Make sure that you dont get outcycled. Go in for your own graveyards but dont Poison with your GY
Miner
Use the Guards to defend the Miner, and kill the support with RG.
Also try to activate the king Tower with Tornado by pulling Miner.
Mega Knight
One of the best legendaries right now, surround with Guards , and slow him using Ice Wizard.
If this doesnt work then use the RG on the MK, I think that you should also kite him across the arena , I love watching him just walk mindlessly around the arena.
Siege
Against Mortar you should use the Ice Golem to tank and Poison the Mortar and Tower, same should be done for X-Bow but might require using RG as well.
Also use Ice Wizard to slow the building down.
Royal Ghost
Also another powerful Legendary, you can defeat him in a similar way as Mega Knight: by surrounding him with Guards!
You can also use Guards or Ice Wizard if they support him.
Thats all for this 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