Updated October 30, 2026 · applies to Season 88 (Shocktober), the October 6 balance patch and the October 19 balance update. Supercell says it won't introduce balance changes at the start of the November season (Season 89 starts November 2), so these lists should hold into November.
Quick answer: The best PEKKA Bridge Spam deck right now is Evo Battle Ram, Evo Royal Ghost, Golden Knight, P.E.K.K.A, Electro Wizard, Bandit, Furnace and Arrows, at 4.0 average Elixir. RoyaleTracker lists it at 65.5% over 3,979 battles, the biggest sample in its top five. If you don't have Golden Knight yet, the 3.9 Evo P.E.K.K.A list with Hero Magic Archer posts 64.7% over 717 battles. The surprise: Evo P.E.K.K.A is the weakest special-slot pick on the page at 50.2%, while Evo Royal Ghost sits at 64.5%.
PEKKA Bridge Spam is one of the oldest punish decks in Clash Royale, and October's patches went straight at it. Supercell's own note on the October 6 Royal Ghost nerf names the archetype: "Royal Ghost had floated beyond his usual control and bridge spam homes and into bait and cycle decks. A hitpoint nerf should make him easier to exorcise." (official October balance changes).
That nerf was small, and the deck is still strong. This guide covers the lists worth playing, which slots to fill, what the 2026 patches changed, how to pilot it, and how to beat it from the other side.
What is a PEKKA Bridge Spam deck in Clash Royale?
A bridge spam deck plays fast troops directly at the bridge instead of building a slow push from the back. You wait for your opponent to spend Elixir, then attack the lane they can't defend. P.E.K.K.A is the anchor on defense: she kills the big tank, then walks forward as a counterpush.
Four cards do most of the work. Here are the numbers at tournament standard (Level 11), from the Clash Royale wiki's card pages with official patch changes applied:
| Card | Elixir | Hitpoints | Damage | Job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P.E.K.K.A | 7 | 3,760 | 842 (1.8s) | Defensive wall, counterpush |
| Battle Ram | 4 | 967 | 573 charge | Fast tower threat, drops 2 Barbarians |
| Bandit | 3 | 906 | 389 dash | Punish, dash immunity |
| Royal Ghost | 3 | 1,152 | 263 area | Invisible pressure, splash |
Two things stand out. P.E.K.K.A hits for 842, so same-level Electro Wizard (714 HP), Musketeer (721 HP) and Wizard (832 HP) all die to one swing. And every bridge card here costs 3 or 4 Elixir, so you can threaten both lanes for 7 Elixir, the same price as P.E.K.K.A herself.
What is the best PEKKA Bridge Spam deck right now (October 2026)?
We checked RoyaleTracker's PEKKA Bridge Spam page on October 30, 2026. The page doesn't publish a date window, so treat win rates as a direction, not a guarantee. Here are the three builds we'd actually play, led by the best-supported list in that snapshot.
1. Evo Battle Ram + Evo Royal Ghost + Golden Knight (the best list)
| Slot | Card | Elixir |
|---|---|---|
| Evolution | Evo Battle Ram | 4 |
| Wild slot (Evolution) | Evo Royal Ghost | 3 |
| Champion | Golden Knight | 4 |
| Tank | P.E.K.K.A | 7 |
| Support | Electro Wizard | 4 |
| Punish | Bandit | 3 |
| Ranged support | Furnace | 4 |
| Spell | Arrows | 3 |
Average Elixir: 4.0 · RoyaleTracker: 65.5% win rate over 3,979 battles.
This is the deck to copy. Golden Knight fills the Hero slot, so there's no room for a Hero here. His Dashing Dash costs 1 Elixir and fires once per deployment. Furnace gives the deck a steady stream of Fire Spirits, and with Electro Wizard it's one of only two troops in the list that hit air.
One warning: these slots matter more than the cards. The same eight cards with only Evo Battle Ram post 55.5% over 119 battles, and with no Evolutions at all they post 50.7% over 213. Those samples are small, but the gap is large.
2. Evo P.E.K.K.A + Evo Royal Ghost + Hero Magic Archer
| Slot | Card | Elixir |
|---|---|---|
| Evolution | Evo P.E.K.K.A | 7 |
| Wild slot (Evolution) | Evo Royal Ghost | 3 |
| Hero | Hero Magic Archer | 4 |
| Win condition | Battle Ram | 4 |
| Support | Electro Wizard | 4 |
| Punish | Bandit | 3 |
| Spell | Fireball | 4 |
| Spell | Zap | 2 |
Average Elixir: 3.9 · RoyaleTracker: 64.7% over 717 battles.
Pick this one if you're below Arena 16 and don't have Golden Knight. Hero Magic Archer's Triple Threat ability (2 Elixir since April 6) teleports him back and leaves a decoy, then his next attack fires three arrows. It lost some value this year: the decoy dropped from 627 to 271 HP and the teleport from 5 to 3.5 tiles on July 6. It's now more of a damage button than an escape.
3. Evo Battle Ram + Evo Royal Ghost + Hero Magic Archer (the Poison build)
Evo Battle Ram, Evo Royal Ghost, Hero Magic Archer, P.E.K.K.A, Electro Wizard, Bandit, Zap and Poison. Average Elixir: 3.9 · RoyaleTracker: 62.9% over 777 battles.
Poison punishes swarms and defensive buildings over time, but look at this before you commit to it. Two lists with big samples differ by one card: Evo P.E.K.K.A, Evo Battle Ram, Hero Magic Archer, Electro Wizard, Bandit, Royal Ghost and Zap with Fireball post 56.4% over 2,800 battles, and the same list with Poison posts 43.9% over 2,700. We can't prove the spell alone causes that gap, but Fireball is the safer default.
No Evos or Legendaries yet?
RoyaleTracker's no-Evolution tab has a list you can build by Arena 9: P.E.K.K.A, Witch, Spear Goblins, Dark Prince, Battle Ram, Electro Spirit, Poison and Barbarian Barrel (3.6 average Elixir, 48.3% over 451 battles). That's below 50%, so it's a learning deck, not a climbing deck. It teaches the same lane pressure without needing Bandit or Electro Wizard.
The core cards unlock late. Golden Knight needs Arena 16, Bandit and Magic Archer need Arena 13, Royal Ghost needs Arena 12 and Electro Wizard needs Arena 11. Battle Ram (Arena 3) and P.E.K.K.A (Arena 6) come much earlier.
Which Evolutions and Hero should you run in PEKKA Bridge Spam?
Since the March 2026 update, a fully unlocked deck gets three special slots: one Evolution, one Hero and one Wild (the Wild slot takes an Evolution, a Hero or a Champion, and it opens at Arena 10). RoyaleTracker's per-slot table for this archetype reads:
| Slot pick | Win rate |
|---|---|
| Golden Knight | 64.7% |
| Evo Royal Ghost | 64.5% |
| Evo Battle Ram | 54.1% |
| Hero Magic Archer | 52.2% |
| Evo Furnace | 51.5% |
| Evo P.E.K.K.A | 50.2% |
- Evo Royal Ghost. Once he's visible he summons two Souldiers, so one hit from invisibility can turn into three attackers. Supercell cut the Souldiers on April 6 (spawn damage 204 → 81, damage 102 → 81), but he still leads this archetype's Evolutions.
- Evo Battle Ram. It damages troops on its way in, knocks them back, and keeps hitting a building instead of breaking on contact. The September 8 patch cut knockback from 2.5 to 2 tiles.
- Golden Knight. A cheap body with a dash that chains through enemies. The October 6 rework gave him damage 161 → 168 but dropped dash range 5.5 → 5 tiles.
- Evo P.E.K.K.A. She heals after each takedown (430, 819 or 1,551 HP depending on target size, buffed February 2), but she only earns it after she connects. A 7-Elixir Evolution is also slow to reach in a fast deck, even at 1 cycle. Evo Battle Ram and Evo Royal Ghost take 2.
Since the August 4, 2026 balance update, every Hero and Champion ability is single-use per deployment (Boss Bandit is the only exception). Older guides that tell you to re-use Golden Knight's dash after a cooldown are wrong now.
What did the 2026 balance changes do to PEKKA Bridge Spam?
The deck took a mix of nerfs and buffs this year. Here's what matters, all from the official balance notes:
- P.E.K.K.A damage 816 → 842 (July 6). Supercell's reason: "A damage buff will allow her to take out certain mid-hitpoint troops in 1 swing." That's why Wizard (832 HP) now dies in one hit.
- Battle Ram sight range 5.5 → 6.5 tiles (September 8). Buildings pull it more easily. Supercell said it was "often able to bypass standard building placements". This is the biggest hidden nerf to the deck.
- Royal Ghost HP 1,210 → 1,152 (October 6), plus a small 261 → 263 damage fix. His invisibility delay also went from 1.8s to 2s on March 2, which gives defenders a bigger window after he attacks.
- Furnace range 6 → 5.5 tiles (June 1), after a hit speed buff from 1.8s to 1.7s on January 12.
The October 19 update didn't touch the core cards. See our October 2026 balance changes breakdown for the full list.
How do you play a PEKKA Bridge Spam deck?
This deck rewards patience, then speed. You're watching for the moment your opponent can't answer.
- Don't open with P.E.K.K.A. Open with Bandit or Battle Ram at the bridge, or wait. You want to see what they carry before you spend 7 Elixir.
- Punish big spends. When your opponent drops a 6-Elixir or bigger card at the back, send Battle Ram at the other lane right away. That's the entire point of the archetype.
- Use P.E.K.K.A on defense first. Let her kill the tank at your side of the arena. If she survives, send Battle Ram behind her. The wiki notes the Ram can push heavier, slower troops toward the tower faster.
- Split the lanes. Battle Ram in one lane and Bandit in the other costs 7 Elixir and forces two separate answers. This gets stronger in double Elixir.
- Bring Electro Wizard for Inferno Tower. His spawn Zap stuns on landing, so drop him within reach of the Inferno the moment the beam locks onto P.E.K.K.A. That forces it to reset its damage ramp. From further back, his ranged stun does the same job once he's in range.
- Save the dash. You get one Dashing Dash per Golden Knight. Use it to chain through a defending swarm, not to run at an empty tower.
- Protect your air defense. Electro Wizard is your main answer to air in the first list. If you burn him on offense, a Balloon or Lava Hound can walk in free.
How do you counter a PEKKA Bridge Spam deck?
On the other side, these answers work best:
- Air troops. P.E.K.K.A, Battle Ram, Bandit and Royal Ghost all target ground only. The wiki suggests Minion Horde and Mega Minion against Evo Battle Ram. If you run Lava Hound, bridge spam can struggle to stop the push.
- A building placed early. Battle Ram's 6.5-tile sight range makes it easier to pull now. Place the building before it reaches the bridge.
- A stun or knockback on the Ram. Zap, The Log, Giant Snowball, Ice Spirit and Electro Spirit all reset a Battle Ram's charge. The Season 89 notes add a related fix: "Evolved Battle Ram's charge is now interrupted by Zap and similar interactions when pushing itself back before its next charge."
- Not a swarm against Evo Battle Ram. Skeleton Army and Goblin Gang are fine against the base Ram, but the Evolution clears light swarms in its path during its charge.
- Splash and spells on Royal Ghost. Invisibility stops targeting, not area damage. Valkyrie is the wiki's top pick against the Evolved version because she also clears the Souldiers.
- Cheap bait for Bandit. Skeletons or Goblins placed in front of a stronger defender soak her 389-damage dash.
- Swarm a lone P.E.K.K.A. She still loses to Skeleton Army if she crosses alone, but watch for Arrows or Zap first.
Facing a different heavy ground threat? See our guide on how to counter Mega Knight.
Does PEKKA Bridge Spam work in Season 89?
Probably, at least at the start. Supercell's October 19 notes say "we won't be introducing balance changes at the start of the November season", though they may make adjustments after the Clash Royale League World Finals (November 6–8). The card numbers should carry into Season 89 (King vs King), which starts November 2, but Evo Giant and Evo Mirror could still shift the meta around them.
The official Season 89 notes also put Battle Ram in the Week 2 group of the new King of Cards event (November 9 – December 7), so a Ram deck lines up with that week's boosted win conditions. Ram Rider is in Week 3. Our Season 89 guide has the full schedule.
More Clash Royale guides: decks, Heroes, Evolutions and every arena, all checked against the official patch notes.
- Best Clash Royale decks (October 2026)
- 2.6 Hog Cycle deck guide
- Log Bait deck guide
- Best deck for Arena 12 (Spooky Town)
FAQ
What is the best PEKKA Bridge Spam deck in Clash Royale? In October 2026 the best list is Evo Battle Ram, Evo Royal Ghost, Golden Knight, P.E.K.K.A, Electro Wizard, Bandit, Furnace and Arrows, at 4.0 average Elixir. RoyaleTracker lists it at 65.5% over 3,979 battles.
What does bridge spam mean in Clash Royale? It means playing fast, cheap troops straight at the bridge to punish your opponent right after they spend Elixir. Common bridge spam cards include Battle Ram, Bandit and Royal Ghost.
Is Evo P.E.K.K.A good in bridge spam? It works, but it isn't the top pick. RoyaleTracker's archetype table has Evo P.E.K.K.A at 50.2%, well behind Evo Royal Ghost at 64.5%. The best list runs base P.E.K.K.A and spends the Evolution slots on Battle Ram and Royal Ghost.
What arena do you need for PEKKA Bridge Spam? The full best list needs Arena 16 for Golden Knight. The Evo P.E.K.K.A list works from Arena 13, once you have Bandit and Magic Archer. A simpler no-Evolution version is buildable by Arena 9.
Was Royal Ghost nerfed in October 2026? Yes. The October 6 balance update cut his hitpoints from 1,210 to 1,152, about 5%, and a separate bug fix raised his damage from 261 to 263.
What is the best counter to PEKKA Bridge Spam? Air troops are the cleanest answer, because P.E.K.K.A, Battle Ram, Bandit and Royal Ghost can't hit air. Pair them with a building placed early to pull the Ram, and use splash on Royal Ghost.
