What are the 8 cards in Hog Cycle?

The most-played list in our sample runs Hog Rider, Executioner, Valkyrie, Goblins, Ice Spirit, Tornado, The Log and Rocket. Other lists of this archetype are in the variants table.

What is Hog Cycle’s average elixir and 4-card cycle?

3.4 average elixir; the four cheapest cards (Ice Spirit, Goblins, The Log and Tornado) cost 8 elixir together. Costs come from the official card list.

What does Hog Cycle lose to?

In our sample, decks with Hog Rider won 41.5% (±3.8) against decks with Goblin Drill, n 633, 42.3% (±2.6) against decks with Electro Giant, n 1339 and 43.8% (±2.5) against decks with Royal Hogs, n 1473.

Which decks count as Hog Cycle?

A deck is filed here by its cards alone: Hog Rider, average elixir above 2.8. The name is community vocabulary, not an official Supercell category.

How is the win rate measured?

We count ranked 1v1 battles of Clash Royale API battlelogs, top Path of Legends players from the official API — 3520 uses of Hog Cycle here, 53.1% ±1.6 points (95% interval). It is a sample, not official Supercell statistics.

Can I play Hog Cycle without The Log?

Another list counted under this archetype runs Zap in its place. Same job — small spell (Spell · Air & Ground). targets Air & Ground (was Ground)

Explain simply

English

By GamGem ResearchLast updated 24 Oct 2026

What’s new:Matchup rates, a substitution ladder and a loss checklist were added. The figures count 3,520 uses, 1 Sep – 24 Oct 2026.

Deck overview

Unofficial guide · Deck · Checked 24 Oct 2026

Hog Cycle — Clash Royale deck guide

Hog Cycle is a cycle deck with 3.4 average elixir and a 8-elixir four-card cycle. It won 53.1% (±1.6) of 3,520 top Path of Legends battles, 1 Sep 2026 to 24 Oct 2026.

Hog Rider — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)

Hog Rider takes towers; Executioner and Rocket anchor the defence; Goblins and Ice Spirit keep the cycle fast.Hog Rider — Win condition: pressures the tower and forces a response. (Troop · Buildings · melee)

Avg elixir3.4

Cycle8

ArchetypeCycle

Open in Clash Royale

Performance

53%

win rate

3,520games counted

Cycle67 lists · 1.6% of decks

53%

Wins

Draws

47%

Losses

ModeRanked · Path of Legends

Window1 Sep – 24 Oct 2026

Sample±1.6 pp

Opening hand decision tree

Hog Rider in hand?

YesExecutioner in hand?

Safest: Wait until 10 elixir and react to their first card.Also OK: Hog Rider at the bridge only after they play a 4+ elixir card.

NoRocket in hand?

Safest: Wait until 10 elixir and react to their first card.Avoid: Don’t open with Rocket — save it for a group or a building.

Defensive anchors

Executioner

Air answer

Win impact−1.6 pp

Usage78.1%

Stops: Air units — Troop · Air & Ground · ranged.

Unavailable if: still cycling back (you played it in your last four plays) or you are under 5 elixir.

Rocket

Big spell

Win impact+0.8 pp

Usage45.1%

Stops: Groups of troops and buildings inside its area.

Unavailable if: still cycling back (you played it in your last four plays) or you are under 6 elixir.

Role map

Win condition

Hog Rider

Air answer

Executioner

Control

Tornado, The Log, Rocket

Cycle

Goblins, Ice Spirit

Support

Valkyrie

Three rules to win

Pressure:
Hog Rider at the bridge after they spend four or more elixir, or right after their answer to it has been played.
Defend first:
answer with Executioner and Valkyrie, then send Hog Rider down the lane they did not defend.
Draw out:
their cheap answers with Goblins and Ice Spirit first; keep Hog Rider for when those are cycling back.

Matchups(win rate)

vs Log Bait / Spell Bait53%

vs Giant Beatdown / Giant Graveyard50%

vs Bridge Spam / Ram Control50%

vs Hog Earthquake / Hog 2.6 Cycle / Hog Cycle50%

vs Golem Beatdown50%

View all matchups →

Result breakdown

Wins53% · 1,869

Draws0% · 0

Losses47% · 1,651

One-crown and two-crown wins are not counted in this sample.

Substitution ladder

CardOption

TornadoZapin this archetype−0.2—

ValkyrieBoss Banditin this archetype−0.8HP −9%

RocketFreezein this archetype−0.9—

The LogZapin this archetype−1.0—

RocketLightningin this archetype−3.2—

Check swaps in the Deck Builder →

Loss-to-rule checklist

Tick what happened in your last loss.

Compact details

CardRoleElixirUsageWin Δ

Hog RiderWin cond.4100%—

ExecutionerAir answer578.1%−1.6

ValkyrieSupport445.1%+0.8

GoblinsCycle245.1%+0.8

Ice SpiritCycle145.1%+0.8

TornadoSmall spell350.3%+4.1

The LogSmall spell267%+2.1

RocketBig spell645.1%+0.8

Compare all deck styles →

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Sources and dates

Deck battle rows · measured24 Oct 2026

Card costs & rarity · official24 Oct 2026

Card kind, targets, level rows · wiki24 Oct 2026

Plans & substitution notes · editorial24 Oct 2026

Battles counted1 Sep – 24 Oct 2026

View all sources →

Variants in the sample

Eight cards	Win rate	Uses
Goblins, Valkyrie, Hog Rider, Ice Spirit, Executioner, Rocket, The Log, Tornado	52.4% ±3.7 pp	694
Hog Rider, Minion Horde, Elite Barbarians, Executioner, Boss Bandit, Ronin, Freeze, Zap	—	181
Skeletons, Hog Rider, Mighty Miner, Electro Spirit, Cannon, Furnace, Lightning, The Log	—	177
Hog Rider, Minion Horde, Guards, Elite Barbarians, Executioner, Boss Bandit, Freeze, Zap	—	167
Hog Rider, Electro Wizard, Executioner, Royal Ghost, Boss Bandit, Ronin, Freeze, Zap	—	89
Knight, Skeleton Army, Wizard, Giant Skeleton, Hog Rider, Fireball, The Log, Tornado	—	81
Barbarians, Giant Skeleton, Hog Rider, Minion Horde, Guards, Firecracker, Lightning, The Log	—	80
Hog Rider, Elite Barbarians, Hunter, Executioner, Boss Bandit, Freeze, Barbarian Barrel, Giant Snowball	—	71

Contradiction radar

2 things to know before you compare this page with another tracker.

Population: our rates count ranked 1v1 battles of top Path of Legends players only; Trophy Road, challenges and other modes are not measured.
Archetype names: “Hog Cycle” is community vocabulary — here a deck is filed by its cards alone, so another site may group the same lists differently.

Notes

Counted by GamGem 1 Sep – 24 Oct 2026 · builds change with balance updates and the meta.Checked 24 Oct 2026

Keep reading

Hog Earthquake · 49.5% ±1.5 · n 4,429
Hog 2.6 Cycle · 50.7% ±1.5 · n 4,019
Log Bait · 50.9% ±0.9 · n 11,840
Golem Beatdown · 52.5% ±1.0 · n 10,258
Electro Giant · 51.8% ±1.0 · n 9,309
Mortar Siege · 52.8% ±1.0 · n 8,965

Hog Cycle — questions

What are the 8 cards in Hog Cycle?: The most-played list in our sample runs Hog Rider, Executioner, Valkyrie, Goblins, Ice Spirit, Tornado, The Log and Rocket. Other lists of this archetype are in the variants table.
What is Hog Cycle’s average elixir and 4-card cycle?: 3.4 average elixir; the four cheapest cards (Ice Spirit, Goblins, The Log and Tornado) cost 8 elixir together. Costs come from the official card list.
What does Hog Cycle lose to?: In our sample, decks with Hog Rider won 41.5% (±3.8) against decks with Goblin Drill, n 633, 42.3% (±2.6) against decks with Electro Giant, n 1339 and 43.8% (±2.5) against decks with Royal Hogs, n 1473.
Which decks count as Hog Cycle?: A deck is filed here by its cards alone: Hog Rider, average elixir above 2.8. The name is community vocabulary, not an official Supercell category.
How is the win rate measured?: We count ranked 1v1 battles of Clash Royale API battlelogs, top Path of Legends players from the official API — 3520 uses of Hog Cycle here, 53.1% ±1.6 points (95% interval). It is a sample, not official Supercell statistics.
Can I play Hog Cycle without The Log?: Another list counted under this archetype runs Zap in its place. Same job — small spell (Spell · Air & Ground). targets Air & Ground (was Ground)

Card statistics and mechanics: Clash Royale Wiki, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. Figures reformatted, wording ours.

Card, arena and character art: Supercell Fan Kit (fankit.supercell.com), shown unchanged. Fan Kit · Fan Content Policy