Clash Royale Mortar Guide

Type	Level/Tier	Objective	Reward
Damage Dealer	1	Deal a total of 105,000 Damage to enemy Troops or buildings	200 Mortar Cards 25
	2	Deal a total of 150,000 Damage to enemy Troops or buildings	2,000 25
	3	Deal a total of 250,000 Damage to enemy Troops or buildings	150 25
Tower Tapper	1	Hit enemy Crown Towers a total of 350 times	3,000 100
	2	Hit enemy Crown Towers a total of 1,000 times	200 100
	3	Hit enemy Crown Towers a total of 1,750 times	5,000 100
Siege Weapon	1	Hit towers at least 6 times within a single battle a total of 80 times	6,000 150
	2	Hit towers at least 6 times within a single battle a total of 240 times	8,000 150
	3	Hit towers at least 6 times within a single battle a total of 480 times	10,000 150

Deck

Mortar Bait Deck
This deck focuses on baiting out your opponent’s spells like Log, Arrows, or Fireball using cards such as Goblin Gang, Skeleton Barrel, and Spear Goblins. Once these spells are used, you can deploy your Mortar to deal significant chip damage. The Knight Evolution and Musketeer provide solid defense and support.

Mortar Hog Cycle Deck
This deck combines the fast-paced offense of Hog Rider with the chip damage potential of Mortar. Use Hog Rider to apply pressure and Mortar to support and defend. The Knight Evolution and Musketeer offer strong defense, while Bats and Skeletons Evolution provide additional support and cycle efficiency.

Mortar Miner Poison Deck
This deck utilizes Mortar as a primary win condition and Miner for chip damage. Poison is used to clear out enemy troops and support the Mortar’s damage. The Knight Evolution and Bats provide defense, while Little Prince and Goblins offer additional offensive pressure.

Mortar Graveyard Deck
This hybrid deck uses Mortar for defense and Graveyard for offense. Deploy the Graveyard behind the Mortar to apply dual-lane pressure. Poison helps eliminate enemy troops that counter the Graveyard, while Bats and Musketeer provide support. Skeleton Army and Goblins offer additional defense and chip damage.

2.9 Mortar Cycle Deck
This low-cost cycle deck focuses on quick rotations and efficient defense. Use Mortar to control the battlefield and deal chip damage. The Knight and Inferno Dragon provide strong defense against tanks, while Tornado and Fireball help control swarms. Archers and Ice Spirit offer additional support and cycle efficiency.

Each of these decks offers a unique approach to utilizing the Mortar card effectively. Depending on your preferred playstyle—be it baiting spells, fast cycling, or dual-lane pressure—there’s a Mortar deck suited for you. Let me know if you need further assistance in customizing any of these decks to fit your card levels or strategy preferences!

Strength and Weakness

Strengths

1. Cheap Win Condition
   At only 4 Elixir, Mortar is one of the most cost-effective win conditions, allowing players to cycle quickly and apply constant pressure.
2. Defensive Utility
   Can act as a defensive building to pull and distract tanks like Giant, Hog Rider, or Balloon, giving you Elixir-efficient defenses.
3. High Range
   Mortar targets from across the river, making it perfect for siege strategies where it chips away at the tower safely behind your defenses.
4. Synergy with Cycle Decks
   Works well in fast-cycle decks, especially with cards like Skeletons, Archers, and Ice Spirit, enabling frequent Mortar plays.
5. Versatile Pressure Tool
   Can be placed aggressively for tower damage or defensively for control, giving flexibility based on the matchup.

Weaknesses

1. Requires Precise Placement and Timing
   Mortar is easy to misplace or mistime. A small mistake can leave it vulnerable or ineffective.
2. Long Hit Interval
   Mortar takes time between shots, so it can struggle to deal with swarms or fast-moving troops without support.
3. Easily Countered by Buildings
   Cards like Cannon, Bomb Tower, or Tesla can pull and tank Mortar shots, denying tower damage.
4. Not Reliable Against Air Troops
   Mortar only targets ground troops/buildings, so it must be paired with air defense units to survive aerial pushes.
5. Struggles Against Heavy Beatdown Decks
   Decks with tanky pushes (Golem, Electro Giant) can overwhelm Mortar if not supported by strong defensive troops.

Offensive Strategies and Placements

Mortar is a powerful chip-damage win condition that thrives on constant pressure and smart placement. Your main goal is to lock onto the opponent’s Crown Tower while maintaining control of the match.

Best Offensive Placements:

• 1 tile from the bridge, center or off-center: Makes Mortar harder to kite and increases tower lock potential
• 1 tile from the edge, 1 from river: Avoids distractions from opposite-lane troops and allows cheeky locks
• Behind bridge (1 from river): Forces ranged troops to retarget, helping Mortar connect
• Avoid center placements – easier to counter and kite

Key Offensive Tactics:

• “Evil Mortar” Setup: Bait out your opponent’s building with early Mortars, then punish with a tank (e.g., Knight) in front of a surprise Mortar to catch their cycle off-guard
• Support with Spells:
  • Tornado: Pulls troops away for a tower lock
  • Log: Clears swarms or knocks back troops
  • Rocket: Used in double Elixir to finish towers (Rocket Cycle)
• Bridge Pull Trick: Use placement to redirect charging units like Prince across the river to protect your Mortar

When to Go Aggressive:

• When your opponent overcommits Elixir
• If you have an Elixir advantage
• When their tank or counter is out of cycle

What to Avoid:

• Overextending – Mortar decks win through steady chip, not all-in pushes
• Opposite lane Mortar – weakens your ability to defend and pressure the correct tower

By mastering timing, placement, and support, you can make the Mortar a relentless pressure tool that chips away at towers and forces your opponent into mistakes.

Defensive Strategies and Placements

While primarily an offensive card, Mortar can be a strong defensive tool when placed correctly. It can pull and distract tanks like Hog Rider, Giant, Balloon, and Goblin Giant, allowing your towers and troops to clean them up. Use a middle placement (like 3-2 or 4-2) to pull tanks and control their pathing. For Hog Riders, a 3-2 Mortar plus Skeletons or Goblins denies hits and deals chip damage.

Against Balloon, place the Mortar high near the bridge to pull it early and allow air-targeting troops time to eliminate it. Mortar’s splash damage is also valuable for softening or eliminating support troops behind tanks, such as Musketeer, Wizard, or Ice Wizard.

Use Mortar defensively only when it provides value—pulling big threats, splashing support troops, or setting up a counter-push. Avoid using it against minor threats or when you’re low on Elixir. Smart Mortar defense often leads into pressure or chip opportunities, making it key to both survival and offense in Mortar decks.

General Tips and Tricks

Key Mechanics
Mortar is a 4-Elixir building that deals long-range splash damage to ground units. It fires once every 4 seconds and lasts for 30 seconds, allowing up to six shots per use. One of its core limitations is its blind spot — it can’t target troops that get too close, which makes it vulnerable to fast melee units like Hog Rider. Knowing these mechanics is essential to using Mortar effectively in both offense and defense.

Placement Tips
Offensively, the most reliable Mortar placements are one tile from the bridge, either centered or slightly offset, to reduce the chance of distraction and improve tower lock potential. Defensively, Mortar should be placed in the center of your side (common placements like 3-2 or 4-2) to pull in tanks such as Giant, Hog Rider, or Balloon. Skilled players also use the Mortar’s blind spot strategically, allowing it to ignore tanks and target support troops behind them.

Strategy Tips
Pairing Mortar with a mini-tank like Knight or Ice Spirit can help absorb tower hits while Mortar locks onto the Crown Tower. Spells like Tornado and Log are vital support tools—Tornado can reposition troops away from Mortar’s shots, while Log can clear swarms or knock enemies out of range. Know when to let your Mortar go down after it’s done its job; overcommitting Elixir to protect it can backfire, especially if your opponent is setting up a counter-push.

Cycle & Pressure
Mortar thrives in fast-cycle decks that allow you to keep up pressure by getting back to Mortar quickly. Keep track of your opponent’s key counters, like buildings or tanks, and punish when they’re out of rotation or low on Elixir. This constant pressure is what allows Mortar decks to slowly chip down towers while maintaining control of the match.

Matchup & Mindset
Mortar performs well against swarm-heavy or bait decks thanks to its splash damage but struggles against heavy beatdown decks or opponents running dual win conditions. Patience is key—Mortar decks are about long-term chip damage, not sudden burst damage. Learn to defend first, then convert that defense into offense. In hard matchups, it’s sometimes smarter to play for a draw rather than force a risky play.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mastering the Mortar in Clash Royale requires a deep understanding of its unique mechanics and a flexible approach to gameplay. As a chip damage win condition with a long range but a vulnerable blind spot, the Mortar demands precise placement to maximize its offensive pressure and defensive utility. Success with the Mortar goes far beyond simply placing it at the bridge—it involves:

Understanding the fundamentals of the Mortar, including its elixir cost, rarity, attack speed, lifetime, range, and targeting behavior. This knowledge allows you to use the Mortar efficiently in both offensive and defensive contexts. Mastering various placements is crucial to exploiting the Mortar’s blind spot, pulling enemy troops, and maximizing tower damage. Placing it at the right moment can help pull high-damage units like Hog Rider or Giant, while its splash damage can deal with swarms of smaller troops.

Strategically using supporting cards and spells like Log, Rocket, Ice Spirit, and Knight can further protect the Mortar, control enemy units, and help secure chip damage. These spells and cards can also be used to clear distractions or provide additional support when the Mortar is under attack. Being aware of your opponent’s elixir count, card cycle, and defensive strategies is essential for predicting their next move and exploiting openings. With this awareness, you can apply pressure at the right moments or react defensively to their pushes.

Adapting your gameplay based on different matchups is crucial. Knowing when to be aggressive, when to play defensively, or when to play for a draw can make the difference between a win or loss. Practicing advanced techniques, such as predicting opponent counters (the “evil mortar”), using less common Mortar placements, and efficiently managing elixir and card cycles, can elevate your gameplay to the next level.

Sometimes, it’s better to let a Mortar die rather than overcommitting resources to defend it. Recognizing when a defensive Mortar is needed to control tempo and stop an enemy push is a skill that can turn the tide of a match.

Ultimately, while the Mortar may seem simple at first glance, achieving consistent success at higher levels requires practice, a strong understanding of its strengths and weaknesses, and a mastery of its advanced strategies. By incorporating these strategies, players can effectively use the Mortar to chip away at their opponent’s health and work their way to victory in the Clash Royale arena.

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)