Imagine this. You’re friend just beat you in a friendly battle. He’s gonna laugh at you behind your back. But you can change all that. Just by using the ROYAL GIANT!
Note: This is a variation of Zigge’s deck, which you can find here. Featuring one of the most used cards in the game, Hog Rider, this deck can be used as a cycle or as a crown farmer. Lets get right into the guide!
Royal Giant – Cycle Ft: Hog Rider
Cons
- Weak to Lava-Lightning/Golem Lightning
- Slightly hard to counter Frozen Hog/Hog Trifecta
- Also somewhat weak to Lava-Loon/Golem-Loon
Cards Breakdown
The Surefire Damage: Royal Giant and Princess!
Now this combo is pretty simple. All you gotta do is place the royal giant at the back and put the princess behind it when it reaches the bridge. You will get at least 200-300 damage on the opponents tower, and that can hurt.
The Dual Tower Smackers: Hog and Ice Golem!
As far as pushes go, this one is pretty simple. Ice Golem right in front of the Hog Rider, and if left alone, or defended with a skeleton army can easily deal up-to 1000 damage. If you don’t have Ice Golem, then a Valkyrie will suffice.
Mega Defenses: Mega Minion and Tesla
With the incoming Tesla buff imminent, it will be able to take out Hog Riders, Giants, and even other Royal Giants, so we should utilize this amazing building. Along with the Mega Minion, many tanks vanish just as quickly as they appeared – fast. However, if you feel like Tesla is just not for you, Inferno Tower is a very good replacement, and if your Mega Minion is just too low level, Minions are an amazing replacement.
Ruthless Bone Brothers: Guards!
This card is a very viable counter to many popular cards in arena 8 like Prince(Swarms him), Poison(doesn’t die as fast as regular Skeletons), Hog Rider(Kills him after it gets a swing off), Musketeer, Mini P.e.k.k.a, and many more. They really are ruthless!
Annnnnd…: Fireball!
Pretty self-explanatory right? Fireball anything 4 elixir and above(has to be within fireball range, e.g. Wizard or Musketeer), and remember, if the other guy is using a card like Three Musketeers, Fire balling is the best option.
Take a look at here to see how to use Fireball properly!
Card Replacements
Royal Giant: If you don’t have Royal Giant, don’t use this deck! There is no real replacement for him.
Princess: Princess is one of the most easily replaceable legendaries that are out there, and can easily be replaced by Archers or Dart Goblin. I prefer the Archers as they are easier to level up, but ultimately it’s your choice on which you prefer more.
Hog Rider: There is one replacement for the Hog Rider – The Battle Ram. Although I do not recommend it as it is much harder to get it to a tower.
Ice Golem: There are a few notable replacements, but they will bring the average elixir cost of this deck up by a few points. The first is Valkyrie, as her amazing AoE damage kill many small troops used to defend the Hog Rider, and another is the Dark Prince, as his charge damage, shield hit points and AoE damage can easily stop many small troops. In my opinion, the Valkyrie is better, as she is easier to level up, being a rare.
Mega Minion: There is one replacement that I would recommend, and that card is Minions, as they have a very good dps and there are three of them. Although, since Mega Minion can kill Minions, I would rather use the Mega Minion, if you have it at a high enough level (6 is ideal).
Tesla: There are lots of replacements for this card. Bomb Tower, Inferno Tower, and Cannon are the best. I would recommend Cannon, because it is easier to level up and has similar dps to a Tesla. If you want to be able to take out tanky troops, then an Inferno Tower is your best bet.
Guards: These cards are really versatile and also have a huge number of really great replacements. Skeletons, Skeleton Army, and Tombstone are the best replacements, but in my opinion, Guards are too beast to be left out of this deck.
Fireball: Well, there are quite a few. The five best are Arrows, Zap, Log, Rocket, or Lightning. In my opinion, Fireball is irreplaceable as it is the most versatile spell in the game and you should not have a reason to replace it anyway, as it is one of the first spells available in the game. Only replace it if it is a low level.
Deck Strategy
At the start of the game (first thirty seconds), a lone Princess or Royal Giant is the best move to bait out any of the opponents counters. Continue to play cautiously, checking out their deck. If they ignore either of the two, it could mean serious damage, however, you want to keep your defenses ready as well.
In the middle of the battle, you should have a rough idea of what deck they are playing, and you can do pushes that are riskier: like putting a Hog Rider on one side and a Royal Giant on the other side. If they have a defensive building, this works especially well, as you are guaranteed a tower at least.
In double elixir, you can cycle and continuously pressure your opponent into wasting his or her elixir, and if you have gotten a tower prior to double elixir, I would advise putting a Royal Giant in the crook between the king tower and the arena tower, and a Hog Rider at the mouth of the lane – the Royal Giant should be in a position to be tanking for the Hog Rider.
Conclusion
This deck is rather annoying to face but is very powerful.
Just recently, I bagged eleven wins in a grand challenge using this deck! it can be used effectively in the ladder too – just remember that over leveling your Royal Giant and Hog Rider is the way to go; and since there are many commons and rares in this deck, it is somewhat easy to level up.
I hope you enjoyed my guide! (It’s my first). Peace out!
