DECK BREAKDOWN
Hog Rider Cycle
- Archetype
- Cycle
- Average elixir
- 2.6
- Win conditions
- Hog Rider
What this deck is
Hog Rider Cycle is a cycle shell built around Hog Rider. It sits at 2.6 elixir, which sets how often you can repeat its pressure and how much you can afford to defend before answering back.
How it wins
The pressure this deck applies, strongest angle first.
- Cycle pressure — the same cheap threat returns faster than the answer.
Where it breaks
Structural weak points read off the deck's own shell, not off a single matchup.
- Thin anti-air: air win conditions get value before an answer lands.
- One-dimensional: answer the single win condition and the deck runs out of plans.
Cards that counter this deck
Curated card interactions, ranked by how much of this deck's plan they take away. Counters on a win condition weigh heaviest.
P.E.K.K.AAnswers Hog Rider, Mighty Miner · hits the win condition
Mini P.E.K.K.AAnswers Hog Rider, Mighty Miner · hits the win condition
Skeleton ArmyAnswers Hog Rider, Mighty Miner · hits the win condition
Inferno TowerAnswers Hog Rider, Mighty Miner · hits the win condition
FishermanAnswers Hog Rider, Mighty Miner · hits the win condition
ValkyrieAnswers Hog Rider, Mighty Miner · hits the win condition
TeslaAnswers Hog Rider · hits the win condition
Bomb TowerAnswers Hog Rider · hits the win condition
Matchups
Structural read from the archetype engine: which side's game plan the other cannot answer. It measures shells, not card levels or piloting.
Favoured into
- Goblinstein Bridge spamBridge spam
- Golem BeatdownBeatdown
- Rocket MidrangeMidrange
- Goblin Barrel BaitBait
Struggles against
- X-Bow SiegeSiege
- Balloon Chip controlChip control
- Balloon ControlControl
- Balloon MidrangeMidrange
Where this deck is played
Brackets where this deck shows up in the most-played panel, with its usage share of that bracket.
- Champion0.71% of play · #10 most played
- Ultimate Champion0.71% of play · #20 most played
- Master 20.35% of play · #15 most played
- Royal Champion0.30% of play · #64 most played
- Master 30.29% of play · #25 most played
- Grand Champion0.25% of play · #61 most played
- 12,000–13,999 trophies0.24% of play · #12 most played
- Master 10.15% of play · #40 most played
- 14,000+ trophies0.07% of play · #205 most played
Similar decks
Measure this deck against the live meta
The Deck Lab scores it with the win-chance model, and can search single-card swaps that raise its win rate.
Open in the Deck LabQuestions about this deck
- What counters Hog Rider Cycle?
- P.E.K.K.A, Mini P.E.K.K.A, Skeleton Army are the strongest answers — the interactions that take away the most of this deck's plan.
- What archetype is Hog Rider Cycle?
- It is a cycle deck at 2.6 average elixir, winning through Hog Rider.
- Is Hog Rider Cycle good for ladder?
- It appears in the most-played panel of Champion, Ultimate Champion, Master 2, so it is a real ladder deck in those brackets rather than a theoretical build.
Interaction data: patch July 2026 (Season 85 — Ronin counter pass). Usage data: meta panel 3ab3d279e96c8aed, built 29 jul 2026.