Updated October 26, 2026 · applies to Season 88 (Shocktober), the October 6 balance patch and the October 19 balance update. Supercell says there will be no balance changes at the start of the November season, so this list should hold into Season 89.
Quick answer: The best Giant Graveyard deck in October 2026 is Graveyard, Giant, Evo Witch, Hero Bowler, Evo Giant Snowball, Zappies, Minions and Arrows, at 4.0 average Elixir. RoyaleTracker lists this exact build at 65.1% over 1,657 battles, the top result on its Giant Graveyard page. You win by sending the Giant to a Princess Tower and dropping Graveyard on the tower right behind him, so the tower shoots the Giant while the Graveyard's 12 Skeletons rise around it. You need Arena 12 (Spooky Town) for Graveyard and Arena 13 (Rascal's Hideout) for Bowler.
Giant Graveyard is the deck people love to hate. A thread on r/ClashRoyale this weekend asked how anyone can complain about Electro Giant being too defensive "when graveyard exists??" The players who run it see it differently. One Graveyard player in that thread wrote: "Graveyard has so many cards that counter it so easily, so you really have to actually plan your pushes and make sure you have enough elixir to afford everything. Some matchups you have to play aggressive and others you may only play one Graveyard all game."
Both sides have a point, and this guide covers each one. You'll get the current list, which Evolution and Hero slots to fill, what Supercell changed about Graveyard in 2026, how to play the deck, and how to beat it when you're on the other side.
Key takeaways
- The deck: Graveyard (5), Giant (5), Witch (5), Bowler (5), Zappies (4), Minions (3), Arrows (3), Giant Snowball (2). 32 Elixir ÷ 8 = 4.0 average.
- Best special-slot setup: Evo Witch in the Evolution slot, Evo Giant Snowball in the Wild slot, Hero Bowler in the Hero slot (65.1% / 1,657 battles on RoyaleTracker's Giant Graveyard page, checked October 26, 2026).
- Graveyard is not the 2025 card any more. On January 12, 2026 its spawn pattern went from random to fixed. On June 1, 2026 it lost a Skeleton, going 13 → 12 (June Balance Changes).
- Evo Witch was reworked on August 4: heal per Skeleton went from 53 to 153, max HP from 1,040 to 1,451, and she now heals only from her first Skeleton wave (Final August Balance Changes).
- Hero abilities are single-use since the August 2026 balance changes. Hero Bowler's Stone Swish fires three shots once per deployment and doesn't recharge.
- No Graveyard, Giant, Bowler or Witch changes in October. Neither October update touched the core of this deck.
What is the Giant Graveyard deck?
Giant Graveyard is a beatdown deck with two win conditions that cover each other's weakness:
- Giant (5 Elixir, Rare) walks straight at buildings and has 3,968 HP at Level 11. That's after a 3% cut on February 2, 2026, which Supercell explained with: "Since becoming a Hero, Giant has been steamrolling the Ranked ladder" (February Balance Changes).
- Graveyard (5 Elixir, Legendary spell) can be cast anywhere on the arena. Skeletons climb out of tombstones around the edge of a 4-tile radius for 9 seconds (Fandom). Each Graveyard Skeleton has 81 HP and deals 81 damage at Level 11, per the Clash Royale Wiki.
On its own, Graveyard dies to almost any small spell or splash troop. On its own, the Giant is a slow 5-Elixir target your opponent can kite or out-DPS. Put them together and the Crown Tower has to pick: shoot the Giant and let the Skeletons hit it, or shoot Skeletons and let the Giant land. Splash support (Witch, Bowler) and two cheap spells (Arrows, Giant Snowball) handle everything that tries to break that up.
The 8 cards and what each one does
| Card | Elixir | Role | Unlocks at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graveyard | 5 | Main win condition | Arena 12, Spooky Town |
| Giant | 5 | Tank / secondary win condition | Training Camp |
| Witch (Evo) | 5 | Splash support, Skeleton spawner | Arena 6, P.E.K.K.A's Playhouse |
| Bowler (Hero) | 5 | Ground splash, defensive anchor | Arena 13, Rascal's Hideout |
| Zappies | 4 | Stun, anti-Inferno, anti-tank | Arena 10, Hog Mountain |
| Minions | 3 | Air defense, swarm | Training Camp |
| Arrows | 3 | Main small spell | Training Camp |
| Giant Snowball (Evo) | 2 | Knockback, slow, cheap spell | Arena 8, Frozen Peak |
Unlock arenas are from the Clash Royale Wiki. The real gate is Arena 13, because you can't build the full list until Bowler unlocks. If you're still in Spooky Town, see our Arena 12 deck guide. If you're in Rascal's Hideout, the Arena 13 guide has cheaper options while you level these cards.
What changed for Graveyard in 2026?
Graveyard had four separate changes this year. Older guides and YouTube videos describe a card that doesn't exist any more.
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 12, 2026 | Skeleton count 13 → 14, spawn pattern random → fixed | January Balance Changes |
| January 14, 2026 | Maintenance break: Skeleton count 14 → 13, Skeletons spawn closer to the edge | Clash Royale Wiki |
| February 2, 2026 | "Improved spawn pattern": Skeletons rise further from the centre | February Balance Changes |
| June 1, 2026 | Skeleton count 13 → 12 | June Balance Changes |
| October 6 and 19, 2026 | No change | October Balance Changes |
The January rework matters most for how you play it. Supercell's reasoning: "It was often difficult to tell whether Graveyard would bury a tower or fade away. The spawn pattern is now the same with every deployment." Because the pattern is fixed, Graveyard placement is now something you can learn rather than gamble on. The June nerf was aimed at that same predictability. In Supercell's words, "guaranteeing tower damage became too simple, so we're removing one of the Skeletons that rises right on the Crown Tower to keep the Skellies in check."
Other June 1 changes also hit this deck. Hero Bowler's ability went from 9s to 7.3s, and Supercell cut Crown Tower damage on almost all spells, including Arrows 93 → 75 and Giant Snowball 54 → 45. Your spells chip towers less than they did in spring, which puts more of the deck's damage on the Graveyard itself.
Which Evolutions and Hero should you use?
Since the March 2026 update every deck has three special slots: one Evolution slot, one Hero slot (shared with Champions) and one Wild slot that takes either. The Wild slot opens at Arena 10.
Evolution slot: Evo Witch
Evo Witch needs just one cycle to evolve, so every other Witch you play comes out evolved. Her August 4 rework changed how she plays:
- Heal per Skeleton: 53 → 153
- Max HP: 1,040 → 1,451
- Now only heals from her first Skeleton wave
Supercell's explanation is worth reading, because it tells you how they view this card: "we don't believe recurring healing mechanics have a healthy place in Clash Royale in their current form." The practical result is a big burst of survivability on her first contact, then nothing. Graveyard Skeletons don't heal her either. Since an August 2025 change she only heals from Skeletons she spawned herself (Clash Royale Wiki). So don't count on the Graveyard keeping your Witch alive.
Wild slot: Evo Giant Snowball
Evo Giant Snowball pulls the troops it hits into the snowball and rolls them a short distance, slowing them. That separates a defender from your Giant for a few seconds, and it lines up ground troops for Bowler's boulder. It costs 2 Elixir and needs 2 cycles. In RoyaleTracker's per-slot breakdown, decks with Evo Giant Snowball sit at 56.1%.
Hero slot: Hero Bowler (or Hero Giant)
Hero Bowler (released May 4, 2026) has the Stone Swish ability for 2 Elixir. He plants his feet and lobs boulders at long range. The June 1 patch cut the ability from 9s to 7.3s, which in Supercell's words means "he'll only be able to get in three shots instead of four." Since August it's single-use per deployment. Hold it until a cluster of defenders forms around your Giant, or use it to hit a building that's pulling your Giant.
Hero Giant is the main alternative. His Heroic Hurl (2 Elixir) grabs the highest-HP enemy troop within 2 tiles and throws it across the arena. That's useful against the tank-killers that usually stop this deck, like Mini P.E.K.K.A or Monk. The Hero Giant build swaps Zappies and Hero Bowler for Mini P.E.K.K.A and a regular Bowler. RoyaleTracker lists it at 61.5% over 743 battles, and its per-slot table ranks Hero Giant highest of the six options (61.5%) ahead of Evo Witch (59.7%).
| Variant | Special slots | Win rate | Battles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main list (Zappies, Minions) | Evo Witch, Evo Giant Snowball, Hero Bowler | 65.1% | 1,657 |
| Guards instead of Minions | Evo Witch, Evo Giant Snowball, Hero Bowler | 64.2% | 895 |
| Hero Giant + Mini P.E.K.K.A | Evo Witch, Evo Giant Snowball, Hero Giant | 61.5% | 743 |
| Evo Musketeer + Night Witch | Evo Musketeer, Evo Giant Snowball, Hero Bowler | 42.8% | ~1,600 |
RoyaleTracker Giant Graveyard page, checked October 26, 2026. The site doesn't publish a date range for these samples, so treat them as a snapshot. RoyaleTracker also notes that the archetype "has lower usage compared to other archetypes" and needs a lot of card upgrades. That's the trade-off: it wins when it's levelled, and it's expensive to level, with four 5-Elixir cards including a Legendary.
No Hero yet? The no-Evolution version works too: Witch, Giant Snowball, Giant, Mini P.E.K.K.A, Graveyard, Bowler, Minions, Arrows. It's the "Giant Graveyard 2025" list on the Clash Royale Wiki and also averages 4.0. If you're picking your first Hero, our Heroes guide explains how Hero Coins work.
How do you play Giant Graveyard?
The opening
Don't open with Giant at the bridge. A full Giant plus Graveyard push costs 10 Elixir, so it's strongest after a good defense or in double Elixir. In the first minute, play Giant in the back if you need to start a push, or defend with Bowler and Witch and counterpush. Watch which small spells and splash cards your opponent shows. They decide where and when your Graveyard lands.
The core push
- Drop the Giant at the bridge in the lane you want.
- Wait for the Princess Tower to lock onto him.
- Cast Graveyard on the tower, slightly toward the King Tower side, so the Skeletons rise behind the tower while the Giant soaks its shots.
- Keep Arrows or Giant Snowball ready for whatever they send at the Skeletons. Use Arrows on swarms like Skeleton Army, Goblins or Minions (against Guards it only breaks the shields), and Snowball to knock back a single defender.
Because the spawn pattern has been fixed since January, the same placement does the same thing every time. Practise it in a friendly battle until you can drop it without thinking.
Splashyard counterpushes
Your best pushes often don't start with the Giant. A Bowler or Witch that survives defense walks toward the bridge with your opponent's Elixir already spent. Cast Graveyard behind them as they reach the tower. Players call this a "splashyard": the splash troop clears whatever comes for the Skeletons. It's also the only way to make Graveyard work when you can't afford a Giant.
Defending
Your defense is Bowler, Witch, Zappies and Minions. Bowler and Witch stop ground pushes and swarms. Zappies stun, which resets an Inferno Tower or Inferno Dragon locking onto your Giant. Minions handle air. The big weakness is a fast single-target tank-killer on your Giant (Mini P.E.K.K.A, Prince, P.E.K.K.A). Answer it with a Zappies stun and Minions, or Hero Giant's Heroic Hurl if you're running that version.
Ending the game
Once a Princess Tower is down, you can cast Graveyard on the King Tower area. The wiki deck page suggests a trick: Graveyard their remaining tower, wait until the Graveyard sound ends, then drop the Giant in the pocket so the Crown Towers target him and he tanks for the Skeletons.
How do you beat Giant Graveyard?
If you're the one facing it, the Graveyard player from that Reddit thread listed what they hate seeing: Skeleton Army, Mother Witch and Goblin Curse. The pattern is the same for all of them. Kill the Skeletons as they rise and the Giant becomes a slow 5-Elixir tank with no damage behind it.
- Splash on the tower: Valkyrie, Bowler, Executioner, Wizard and Bomber all clear Skeletons on the spot.
- Small spells: Arrows (122 damage per wave at Level 11) kills Graveyard Skeletons, which have 81 HP. A Poison dropped on the Graveyard cleans up Skeletons as they rise.
- Swarms: Guards are a strong answer. The Clash Royale Wiki notes they clear Skeletons quickly, outrange them, and their shields make them resistant to most small spells. Skeleton Army and Goblins work too, if the Graveyard player has already used Arrows.
- Kill the tank separately: a Mini P.E.K.K.A, Prince or Monk on the Giant, away from the Graveyard. Don't send your tank-killer into the Skeletons.
- Make them spend first: Giant Graveyard needs 10 Elixir for its main push. Pressuring the other lane forces them to defend and delays the push.
Is Giant Graveyard good in October 2026?
Yes, if you've levelled it. Here's why it's in good shape:
- Nothing in the core was nerfed in October. The Oct 6 patch went after Minion Giant, Evo Cannon, Hero Ice Wizard and Barbarian Barrel, among others. The Oct 19 update went after Cannon Cart, Dart Goblin, Minion Giant and Rune Giant. None of those are in this deck.
- The meta should stay put. Supercell's October 19 note said "we won't be introducing balance changes at the start of the November season," ahead of the CRL World Finals on November 6–8. A Graveyard deck you learn now should still work into Season 89, though new Season 89 cards can shift matchups without any balance patch.
The risk is the Zappies line. Supercell nerfed their hit speed to 2.3s on September 8 and said "Zappies are the common denominator among some of the strongest decks in the meta." If Zappies get hit again after Worlds, the tested Zappies-free option is the Hero Giant build, which runs Mini P.E.K.K.A in that slot (61.5% over 743 battles on RoyaleTracker).
One thing to watch: Season 89 ("King vs. King") adds an Evo Giant, revealed on TV Royale on October 23. It obviously fits this deck, but its numbers aren't in an official card page yet. See our Evo Mirror and Season 89 breakdown for what's confirmed, and wait for the release notes before rebuilding around it.
For other archetypes in the current meta, see the best Clash Royale decks for October 2026. The full patch breakdown is in our October 2026 balance changes guide.
FAQ
What is the best Giant Graveyard deck right now? Graveyard, Giant, Evo Witch, Hero Bowler, Evo Giant Snowball, Zappies, Minions and Arrows, at 4.0 average Elixir. RoyaleTracker lists it at 65.1% over 1,657 battles (checked October 26, 2026).
What arena do you need for Giant Graveyard? Graveyard unlocks at Arena 12 (Spooky Town) and Bowler at Arena 13 (Rascal's Hideout), so the full deck needs Arena 13. The Wild slot for the second Evolution opens at Arena 10.
How many Skeletons does Graveyard spawn? 12, since the June 1, 2026 balance update cut it from 13. The spawn pattern has been fixed rather than random since January 12, 2026, so the same placement gives the same result every time.
Does Graveyard heal Evo Witch? No. Evo Witch only heals from Skeletons she spawns herself, and since August 4, 2026 only from her first Skeleton wave.
Can Hero Bowler use his ability more than once? No. Since the August 2026 balance changes, every Hero and Champion ability except Boss Bandit's is single-use per deployment. Stone Swish fires three long-range shots, then it's gone until you play Bowler again.
Is Giant Graveyard good for Ranked? It can be. It needs high card levels because it relies on four 5-Elixir cards, including a Legendary. Ranked unlocks at 13,500 trophies in October and 14,000 in November. See our Ranked unlock guide.
More Clash Royale guides
Building your deck for the rest of Season 88? These guides pair well with Giant Graveyard:
