2.8 Elite Dart Hog Cycle Deck for Arena 9+

Hello, I’m Ehsan aka San from Gaming w/aSan back again with a guide on one of the decks which OJ showed on his channel on a video on the release of the brand new card Dart Goblin. I’ll drop a link below, if you’re interested in watching it.

So, I’m using it for a while now in fact, after I saw OJ’s video I’ve started using it since then. It’s pretty good, I first tried it on some friendly battles and some classic challenges to learn the strategy of this deck and I strongly recommend you guys not to throw a deck on the ladder which you are not familiar with.

This deck consists of The Log, Mega Minion, Ice Spirit, Ice Golem, Mega Minion, Hog Rider, Elite Barbarians and Skeletons. The average elixir cost is 2.8. If you’re interested you can watch OJ’s video here.

Now without any further chit-chat, let’s hop into the strategy of this deck.

2.8 Elite Dart Hog Cycle Deck

Cards Breakdown:

In this section, I’m going to explain you guys how each card contributes to this deck and also some possible replacements for some cards.

The Log: The Log is one of the best Legendary Cards in the game right now. It can push back cards in 360 degree and in all directions. Unlike other spells this spell can only be casted on your side of the Arena. There are many benefits of the Log and only problem is that it cannot target air. If don’t have The Log you can use Zap which is a really good replacement for The Log. But I strongly recommend using The Log in this deck if you have it. It can separate supporting troops and tanks wrecking the whole push or you can use the Log to retarget a Giant or a Hog to a building onto which it didn’t get distracted by.

For more info on The Log click here.

Mega Minion: The Mega Minion is one of the strongest cards in the game right now. Some call it the “Meta Minion” as it fits in every meta and synergies well with all kinds of decks. You’re mainly going to use it for defense on the air as this deck mostly has very weak troops. You can use it to defend against the Lava Hound Combos. You can also use it to get some extra shots on the tower if it hasn’t been damaged by any troops or was behind other troops. Sometimes pairing the him with the Ice Spirit can compel your opponent to waste elixir as ignoring that combo will be a grave mistake.

Can be replaced with Minions which are very good for 3 Elixir as well and have a better dps.

Ice Spirit: This freezing guy does a very good job by freezing troops and buildings by 1.5 secs and can be used in both Defense and Offense all for just 1 Elixir. This card is in this deck because of its usefulness and its cost as this deck is a cycle deck and Ice Spirit fits in cycle deck very well.

Ice Golem: This card is pretty good and because of it being a mini-tank it perfectly fits in this deck.You’re mainly going to use it with Hog Rider for pushing and for defending against low HP troops like Minions, Skeletons, etc. Ice Golem is also excellent at distracting and kiting troops. Youc an counter Elite Barbarians by kitting them and using the Dart Goblin to finish them off. It can be replaced with the Knight which also a good card but I strongly recommend Ice Golem in cases of cost and usefulness.

Hog Rider:  The Hog Rider of course is the Trump Card of this deck and the main tower damaging card which you’re going to push with. Because of its fast movement and decent damage, it fits in this deck very well. You will want to couple him with the Ice Golem or Skeletons to do the pig push which can easily bypass buildings! Or couple him with The Log if you know the opponent has the Tombstone as The Log takes out both the Tombstone and the Skeletons inside if the Tombstone is at half health which might get your Hog to the tower and deal some damage. This card cannot be replaced.

Elite Barbarians: The Elite Barbarians were really weak when they came out but after the Huge Buff they received some weeks ago they became the meta really fast. So, to make this deck more salty and reliable the Elite Barbarians are used in it. They have really good hp and dps. You can also use them to defend against a push then turn them into a counter push. They’re really good at both defense and offense. Coupling them with a Ice Golem makes them a deadly push or even the Ice Spirit does the job. Sometimes lone Elite Barbarians can catch your opponent if at low elixir and don’t have the counter in rotation.

Dart Goblin: This new guy with a mouth full of gums who throws darts on enemies offers pretty good value for 3 Elixir. He deals enormous amount of chip damage and has great range which is a bit less than the princess and equal to the Royal Giant. He does really good damage if paired with a tank. When left alone does 400 damage to the tower and even with a slight bit of hp it deos 200 damage to the tower.

Skeletons: The Skeletons offer a decent value for 1 Elixir, they can be used to kite and distract troops, do the pig push with the Hog Rider and many more things. You’re mainly going to use it to cycle through your cards and in distracting tanks. Can be replaced with Fire Spirits when coupled with The Log the Fire Spirts can take out 3 Musketeers for an 4-9 Elixir trade.

General Gameplan:

As this is a cycle deck your main motive will be to defend and cycle through you cards frequently to out-cycle your opponent and catch them off guard.

Offense:

On offense, as I said earlier in the guide your main motive is to keep on cycling through your cards and out-cycle your opponent.

You have many options to push with in this deck.

• You can use the famous Ice Golem and Hog Rider combo for decent push or the Elite Barbarians and Ice Golem push, both of these pushes are really effective in the current meta.
• Sometimes you can make half dead Mega Minion be a threat by just playing an Ice Spirit at the back, which your opponent will never want to ignore.

Try to determine your opponent’s counter to your pushes in the early stages of the game.

For example: If you know your opponent uses a Tombstone to counter your Hog play a prediction Log to take out both the Tombstone and the Skeletons that pop out(this is effective only when the Tombstone is close to half health or at half health.)

Same goes with the lone Elite Barbs push.

Sometimes you can surprise your opponents by coupling your almost dead Dart Goblin with the Ice Golem which can turn into a deadly push because if left alone it deals more than a 1000 damage on the tower (same goes with the Ice Spirit and Dart Goblin Combo.)

Combos:

• Ice Golem+Hog Rider (or Hog Rider+The Log) – Primary Push.
• Ice Golem+Elite Barbarians (or Elite Barbarians+The Log) – Secondary Push.
• Ice Golem+Dart Goblin – Surprise Push.
• Mega Minion+Ice Spirit – Counter Push.
• Dart Goblin+Ice Spirit – Surprise Push.

Defense:

On defense, you’re going to cycle through your cards and defend against a push as this deck’s average elixir cost is only 2.8 its really easy to cycle through you cards.

Royal Giants can be easily taken down by Elite Barbarians if not backed up by any other troops. If its backed up by other troops use the Ice Golem to distract the troops and Elite Barbarians to shred the Royal Giant same goes with Giant Beatdown Decks.

This deck is a bit weak to Lava Hound decks but if played well you can also counter those decks well. Use the Mega Minion and Dart Goblin at the back to counter the Lava Hound and kill the supporting with your Elite Barbarians or distract using Ice Golem. Sometime if the Ice Spirit is played on time it can freeze all Lava Pups when they pop out.

Now, against Elite Barbarians it’s really easy. Because you have the Elite Barbarians themselves but if you want some Elixir advantage you can use the Ice Golem to kite them to the other side of the map or in the middle and use Dart Goblin to take them out which gives you an positive elixir trade. Or you could use the Ice Golem first and then use your own Elite Barbarians to take the Elite Barbarians out and also make a counter push with your surviving Elite Barbarians.

Combos:

• Ice Golem+Elite Barbarians –  Use this combo to counter Royal Giant and Giant Combos.
• Ice Golem+Dart Goblin – Use this combos to counter Elite Barbarians.
• Mega Minion+Dart Goblin – Use this combos to counter Lava Hound Combos.

So, guys this was it for my Fast 2.8 Elite Dart Hog Cycle Deck.

The last tips would be to be calm and not rage as this deck is a cycle deck and you’ve got to be fast in your plays. Don’t be too much offensive neither defensive and don’t forget the fact that you have pressurize your opponent with your frequent Hog Rider Pushes. Remember to play in a place where you don’t get much distractions and at a place where you can play a full match.

Hope you guys liked it, for any further info and suggestions comment down below. You can also check out my YouTube Channel at here.