The Hog Rider is one of the most interesting, most used attacking troops in the game of Clash Royale. It is easily unlocked at a Free to Play level. Unlocked at Arena 4, or P.E.K.K.A’s Playhouse (1100+ Cups), it becomes as one of the most effective attacking troops in the entire game. Hog Cycling is a very common thing in Clash Royale, starting since Arena 4 and surpassing till Legendary Arena, but it is not the easiest strategy to use. I will be explaining as much as I can about them.
Hog Cycle decks specialize in their fast game-play, not allowing opponents to play comfortably while you send countless cycled Hog Rider combinations. This decks are usually very cheap, so it is easier to cycle through all your cards as fast as possible.
Hit Speed | Speed | Deploy Time | Range | Target | Cost | Count | Type | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 sec | Very Fast | 1 sec | Melee | Buildings | 4 | x1 | Troop | Rare |
Level | Hitpoints | Damage | Damage per second |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 800 | 160 | 106 |
| 2 | 880 | 176 | 117 |
| 3 | 968 | 193 | 128 |
| 4 | 1,064 | 212 | 141 |
| 5 | 1,168 | 233 | 155 |
| 6 | 1,280 | 256 | 170 |
| 7 | 1,408 | 281 | 187 |
| 8 | 1,544 | 308 | 205 |
| 9 | 1,696 | 339 | 226 |
| 10 | 1,864 | 372 | 248 |
| 11 | 2,048 | 409 | 272 |
As you can see above, a Hog Rider is absolutely lethal if allowed to get to your tower without being attended too. Some combinations include Legendary Cards. (Miner, Princess or Ice Wizard because of their elixir cost, but I will not be showing too much because not everyone has them and I am specifying on the hog rider who is a free to play troop.)
Hog Cycling can come in many different decks, some examples are:
These are just a few examples of the many hog cycling combinations in the game. It is all about looking for what is most comfortable for you.
Advantages:
- If this deck is played right, your attacks will be too constant for the opponent to counter.
- You will be able to comfortably achieve victories in matches.
- Opponents with tanks will not be able to send them if you keep them on the back foot.
Disadvantages:
- If played wrong you will not be able to defend.
- If you do not play fast, or let opponent accumulate elixir, you will not be able to handle many of the opponents attacks.
- If you do not Kite attacking troops correctly, its basically a tower gone (Recommend you Read “Kiting Troops Guide” here in the Wiki)
- It is very prone to mistakes.
As you may all know, in Clash Royale no deck is perfect. I, very commonly, use Hog Cycle decks with many variations; but you can take hits and defeats by just minimal errors. I would recommend doing many friendly battles with different variations and see simply which one you like the most.
Common troop counters:
- Barbarians: Barbarians in a hog cycle deck are usually countered with fireball, kiting with lost cost troops, or by one of the new troops (fire spirits).
- Royal Giant: Royal Giant have various different counters such as Mini Pekka and Goblins, Cannon combined with Goblins and Skeletons, Minion Horde, etc.
- Another Cycle Deck: Using Cannon and Zap, or Goblins and Skeletons will do the job. Just be wary of a Freeze!
Good Luck to everyone who will start trying Hog Cycle decks for the first time!
