Siege decks represent Clash Royale's most defensive and strategic archetype. Built around X-Bow and Mortar, siege deck strategy demands perfect building placement, exceptional defensive skills, and patience. Master siege gameplay to control matches from your own territory and frustrate aggressive opponents.

Understanding Siege Philosophy

Siege decks flip traditional Clash Royale strategy upside down. While most archetypes push into enemy territory, siege decks attack from your side of the map using buildings (X-Bow, Mortar) that outrange towers.

The core concept: place your siege building safely on your side, defend it from opponent's counters, let it chip away at their tower. One successful X-Bow lock deals 1000+ damage. Three successful locks win the game.

Why Siege Works

Siege exploits defensive advantage. When you place X-Bow on your side:

• Opponent must push into your territory to stop it
• Your defensive troops protect both your tower AND your X-Bow
• King Tower activation becomes easier
• You control engagement timing and positioning
• Opponent wastes elixir rushing inefficiently

The Patience Factor

Siege requires more patience than any other archetype. You'll wait 2-3 minutes for perfect X-Bow placement opportunities. Rush, and you lose. Wait for opponent mistakes, capitalize ruthlessly, and you win. This playstyle isn't for everyone, but mastering it guarantees consistent ladder success.

Core Siege Archetypes

Classic X-Bow Cycle

The most popular siege deck. Core cards:

• X-Bow: Primary win condition (6 elixir, 6.0 tile range)
• Tesla: Anti-tank defense
• Archers: Versatile defensive unit
• Ice Golem: Kiting and tanking
• Skeletons: Cycle and distraction
• Log: Swarm control
• Fireball: Medium spell for troops and towers
• Ice Spirit: Fast cycle and freeze effect

Average elixir: 2.9. This deck wins through perfect X-Bow placements, exceptional defense, and Fireball chip damage. Against favorable matchups, X-Bow locks are unstoppable. Against counters, switch to defensive X-Bow and Fireball cycling.

Mortar Cycle

Cheaper and faster than X-Bow. Core concept:

• Mortar: Win condition (4 elixir, 4.5 tile range)
• Knight: Tanky defensive unit
• Archers: Air defense and support
• Skeletons: Fast cycle
• Bats: DPS and cycle
• Log: Swarm control
• Rocket: Big spell for buildings and towers
• The Log or Tornado: Control and defense

Average elixir: 2.9. Mortar's lower cost allows more frequent placements but shorter range makes it easier to counter. Successful Mortar players out-cycle opponents, placing Mortar faster than they can answer it.

X-Bow Rocket

Combines X-Bow offense with Rocket chip. When X-Bow connections become impossible, switches to pure Rocket cycle. This adaptability makes it viable against even hard counters.

Mortar Miner

Uses Miner as secondary win condition. When Mortar gets shut down, Miner chip damage keeps pressure. The dual win conditions confuse opponents and create more opportunities.

Fundamental Siege Techniques

X-Bow Placement

X-Bow placement determines success or failure. Three primary placements:

Offensive X-Bow (The Lock)

Place X-Bow 1 tile from river, centered. This maximizes tower damage potential. Use when:

• Opponent is low on elixir
• Their counters are out of cycle
• You have defensive support ready (Archers, Ice Golem)
• It's double elixir and you need damage

Defensive X-Bow (The Wall)

Place X-Bow in center, 3-4 tiles from river. It defends both lanes and provides chip if it locks tower. Use when:

• Opponent has strong counters in hand
• You're facing beatdown and need defensive structure
• Single elixir stalemate - defensive X-Bow applies subtle pressure

Anti-Building X-Bow

Place X-Bow to destroy opponent's defensive buildings (Tombstone, Tesla, etc.). This removes their defensive tool and potentially gets tower lock after building dies.

Mortar Placement

Mortar's shorter range requires more aggressive placement. Common placements:

• Offensive Mortar: 2 tiles from river, slightly off-center toward target tower
• Defensive Mortar: Center placement, pulls troops while potentially hitting tower
• Anti-tank Mortar: Behind your tower, destroying approaching tanks

Supporting Your Siege Building

Never place siege building alone. Always prepare defensive support:

1. Ensure you have 4+ elixir after placing X-Bow/Mortar
2. Have defensive cards in hand (Knight, Archers, Tesla)
3. Place defensive troops reactively to opponent's rush
4. Use kiting to pull troops away from siege building
5. Spell defending swarms trying to destroy your building

The Cycle Game

Siege decks excel at cycling. After opponent uses their counter (Rocket on X-Bow, for example), cycle through your deck quickly to get X-Bow back before their Rocket returns. With perfect cycle, you can place X-Bow twice while they can only Rocket once.

Defensive Mastery

The Defensive Foundation

Siege players must have elite defensive skills. You'll face constant pressure from frustrated opponents. Key defensive principles:

• Minimal elixir defense: Spend only what's necessary
• King Tower activation: Use Tornado, Fisherman, or kiting to activate King
• Kiting mastery: Pull troops away from tower with Ice Golem, Knight
• Building timing: Tesla timed perfectly to pull tanks

Defending Beatdown

Against Golem, Giant, Lava Hound:

1. Let tank approach your side (don't engage early)
2. Tesla for tank, placed reactively to avoid Lightning/Earthquake
3. Archers/Ice Wizard for support troops
4. Log/Fireball for swarms
5. Counter-push opposite lane while they're committed

Defending Bridge Spam

Against Royal Giant, Ram Rider, Hog Rider at bridge: Use building (Tesla) to pull, supplemented by Knight or Archers. Skeletons for distraction. Log for supporting swarms. Never over-commit elixir.

Defending Air

Archers are your primary air defense. Supplement with Ice Spirit for freeze effect. Tesla targets air. Against Balloon, timing is critical - Tesla + Archers shuts down Balloon + support if placed correctly.

Advanced Siege Strategies

The Spell Cycle Win Condition

Against hard counters (Rocket, Earthquake, Lightning), abandon X-Bow offense. Switch to:

1. Defensive X-Bow placements only
2. Perfect defense - take zero tower damage
3. Fireball/Rocket opponent's tower every cycle
4. Each spell deals 300-500 damage
5. Win through spell chip + defensive gameplay

This requires extreme patience but wins matchups that seem impossible.

Elixir Pumping Opponents

Against Elixir Collector decks, immediately Fireball/Rocket every pump. Deny their elixir advantage. Even trading 4 elixir Fireball for 6 elixir pump is positive - you prevent +2 elixir generation over time.

Pressure Timing

Place X-Bow at specific moments for maximum success rate:

• After defending their push: They're low elixir, can't rush effectively
• When counter is out of cycle: Track their Rocket/Earthquake usage
• Opposite lane from their commitment: They built Giant left, X-Bow right
• During their elixir deficit: They just spent 10 elixir, you have advantage

The Fake X-Bow

Place X-Bow as bait. Opponent Rockets it, you've baited their Rocket for next real X-Bow. Or place X-Bow knowing they'll rush opposite lane, then defend with elixir advantage. This psychological play keeps opponents confused.

King Tower Activation Priority

Activating King Tower with Tornado or Fisherman is game-changing for siege. Extra DPS helps defend pushes AND protects your X-Bow. Prioritize King activation in first minute against any deck that enables it.

Matchup Strategies

vs Beatdown (Favorable)

Your best matchup. Defend their expensive tanks with cheap counters. Pressure opposite lane every time they commit. X-Bow locks win games because they can't defend and push simultaneously. Play patiently, defend perfectly, win.

vs Hog Cycle (Even)

Skill matchup. Tesla + Ice Spirit/Skeletons shuts down Hog. The battle becomes X-Bow locks vs Hog hits. Track their Hog cycle. Place X-Bow when Hog is 3-4 cards away. Both players need perfect execution.

vs Miner Control (Difficult)

They counter-push every X-Bow placement. Play defensively. Accept you won't get many locks. Win through Fireball chip damage. Defend their Miner perfectly - use Skeletons, Ice Spirit, minimal elixir counters.

vs Rocket Cycle (Very Difficult)

They Rocket every X-Bow (6 for 6 trade). Nearly impossible matchup. Your only path: defend perfectly (take zero damage), Fireball their tower every cycle, hope to out-chip them. Requires flawless defense for 6+ minutes.

vs Royal Giant (Unfavorable)

Royal Giant outranges your X-Bow and pressures constantly. Use Tesla + Archers for defense. Place X-Bow defensively to help defend RG. Win condition becomes Fireball chip damage more than X-Bow locks.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Forcing X-Bow Placements

New siege players place X-Bow every time they have 6 elixir. This leads to wasted X-Bows and elixir deficits. Only place X-Bow when conditions favor success. Sometimes you wait 2 minutes for perfect moment. That's correct siege gameplay.

Mistake 2: Poor Defensive Support

Placing X-Bow with 0-1 elixir remaining is suicide. Always have 4+ elixir after X-Bow placement to defend their rush. X-Bow costs 6 but the real cost is 6 + defensive support (typically 10-12 total elixir commitment).

Mistake 3: Over-Defending

Spending 8 elixir to defend 6 elixir push creates negative trades. Siege demands efficient defense. Learn minimum elixir required for each defense. Accept some tower damage rather than over-committing.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Spell Chip

Against counters, players keep trying X-Bow offense and lose. Recognize hard matchups early. Switch to defensive X-Bow + Fireball chip strategy. This patience wins games that offensive X-Bow would lose.

Mistake 5: Wrong Placement

Placing X-Bow 2 tiles from river instead of 1 reduces its range and effectiveness. Placing Tesla too early gets it destroyed before the tank arrives. Placement precision matters enormously in siege. Practice exact tile placements.

Practice Drills

Drill 1: Placement Practice

In training mode, practice exact X-Bow and Tesla placements. Offensive X-Bow, defensive X-Bow, Tesla pulls. Do this 50 times until muscle memory develops. Precision placement is non-negotiable.

Drill 2: Defensive Minimalism

Play 10 matches focusing exclusively on defending with minimal elixir. Challenge yourself: defend each push with 1-2 less elixir than you normally would. This builds efficient defensive habits.

Drill 3: Spell Cycle Practice

Play matches where you intentionally avoid X-Bow locks (defensive only) and win through Fireball chip. This builds spell cycle discipline for hard matchups.

Drill 4: King Activation Timing

In friendly battles, practice Tornado/Fisherman King activations. Learn which troops can activate King and the precise timing. Master this mechanic - it dramatically increases defensive capability.

Pro Examples

Lemontree's Defensive Perfection

Lemontree68 plays X-Bow with absurd defensive precision. Watch how he defends massive pushes with 4-5 elixir while opponents spend 12. His kiting, placement timing, and spell usage are textbook perfect.

Bestplayer's Adaptive Strategy

Bestplayer recognizes bad matchups instantly and switches to Rocket cycle. Watch how he defends for 6 minutes taking zero damage while Rocketing towers. The mental fortitude and defensive skill required is incredible.

Surgical Goblin's Mortar Mastery

Surgical Goblin's Mortar gameplay demonstrates perfect cycle management. He places Mortar at exact moments when opponent can't answer efficiently. His rotation tracking is so precise that he out-cycles even fast cycle decks.

Conclusion

Siege deck mastery requires exceptional patience, defensive skill, and strategic thinking. While other archetypes allow aggressive play and mistakes, siege punishes errors ruthlessly. One poorly timed X-Bow placement can lose the game.

But the rewards match the difficulty. Siege players develop defensive skills that transfer to every archetype. The strategic thinking required - placement precision, elixir counting, cycle tracking - elevates your overall gameplay dramatically.

Start with Mortar if you're new to siege - it's more forgiving. Graduate to X-Bow once you've mastered defensive fundamentals. Practice placement until it's automatic. Accept that you'll lose while learning. But once siege clicks, you'll discover one of Clash Royale's most rewarding and consistent playstyles.