The best Evo Mortar deck is not simply the eight-card list with the biggest win-rate number. You need a second way to threaten towers, enough defense to earn another Mortar placement, and card levels that let your support survive. November's Mortar bait lists combine those jobs through Skeleton Barrel, Cannon Cart, and a Hero—not by giving up the Hero to fit a second Evolution.
Quick answer: Start with Evo Mortar, Evo Skeleton Barrel, Hero Ice Wizard, Goblin Gang, Rascals, Cannon Cart, Fireball, and Barbarian Barrel if those are your developed cards. Its deployment costs total 29 Elixir, or 3.625 average, displayed as 3.6. Two Evolutions plus one Hero are legal: Mortar goes in the Evolution slot, Skeleton Barrel in the Wild slot, and Ice Wizard in the Hero slot. Hero Berserker is an alternative for a more aggressive list, detailed below.
Updated November 4, 2026, for the King vs. King season and the October 19 balance changes. Deck examples are a dated third-party snapshot, not an official tier list or a promise of your win rate. This refresh corrects our earlier version's false claim that a second Evolution removes the Hero slot.
What is the best Evo Mortar deck to start with?
Our starting recommendation is the Hero Ice Wizard bait list above. It keeps two tower threats while giving you several defensive tools. You can pressure with Skeleton Barrel when Mortar must defend, or use Mortar offensively after surviving troops make the opponent's answer awkward.
Here are three identifiable lists from RoyaleTracker's Evo Mortar page, checked November 4. Battle counts are rounded exactly as the source displays them. These are different deck samples; they are not a controlled comparison of Heroes.
| Version | Full eight-card list | Average Elixir | Snapshot win rate and sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Wizard, ground bait | Evo Mortar, Evo Skeleton Barrel, Hero Ice Wizard, Goblin Gang, Rascals, Cannon Cart, Fireball, Barbarian Barrel | 3.6 | 63.9%, 4.5K battles |
| Ice Wizard, Minions | Evo Mortar, Evo Skeleton Barrel, Hero Ice Wizard, Minions, Rascals, Cannon Cart, Fireball, Barbarian Barrel | 3.6 | 65.1%, 2.6K battles |
| Berserker, Minions | Evo Mortar, Evo Skeleton Barrel, Hero Berserker, Minions, Rascals, Cannon Cart, Fireball, Barbarian Barrel | 3.5 | 68.9%, 1.6K battles |
Pick by collection and defensive comfort, not the last column alone. The source does not expose a complete matched player-skill, card-level, or opponent breakdown for these figures. A higher observed percentage can reflect who played the list and what they faced. It does not prove that swapping your Hero adds five percentage points to your results.
The first list is our default for learning the bait plan. The Minions version changes your defensive options without changing the displayed average cost. Choose the Berserker list if you already have that Hero and prefer its pressure pattern; do not spend Hero Coins purely because a smaller sample looks better.
For other archetypes, our best Clash Royale decks guide provides the broader comparison.
Can an Evo Mortar deck use two Evolutions and a Hero?
Yes. The Hero slot remains available when the Wild slot holds an Evolution. The official mid-March update defines three separate slots:
| Slot | What it accepts | Trophy Road unlock | Example here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evolution | Evolutions | Arena 3 | Evo Mortar |
| Hero | Heroes and Champions | Arena 5 | Hero Ice Wizard |
| Wild | Evolutions, Heroes, and Champions | Arena 10 | Evo Skeleton Barrel |
Supercell's exact wording for the third slot is “1 Wild Slot: For Evolutions, Heroes, and Champions.” Ranked, events, and challenges use the stated slot layout; Trophy Road unlocks the slots as you progress.
Putting Skeleton Barrel into Wild does not consume Hero. That was the logical error in our old guide. You also cannot turn this into three active Evolution slots: the dedicated Hero slot does not accept an Evolution.
Slot access is not card access. Reaching Arena 5 does not give you every Hero's base card. These are developed-collection decks, not an Arena 5 shopping list. Check your unlocked cards and forms before committing resources. Our Hero unlock and tier guide explains the separate collection decision.
What changed for Mortar bait before the November season?
Two October 19 changes directly affect these lists. In the official October balance notes, Cannon Cart's listed damage fell 212 to 202, while its mass rose 3 to 6. Supercell explained:
“Mortar decks are often impossible to break through, so we're targeting Cannon Cart to reduce the archetype's defensive potential.”
Those are the patch's reference values, not a promise that every card level shows 202 damage. The practical lesson is narrower: stop evaluating the deck using pre-patch Cannon Cart interactions. It still occupies the same defensive role, but you must watch whether it needs another supporting unit to finish a target.
The same update standardized Skeleton Barrel death damage: Evolution 192 to 163, base 145 to 163. That makes the evolved version's old death-damage advantage an outdated reason to choose it. Do not copy pre-October damage calculations into your tower-race decisions.
Supercell also said the seasonal November balance changes were being implemented early, in mid-October, before World Finals. The notes explicitly said there would be no balance changes at the start of November, while leaving room for adjustments after World Finals. A new month therefore does not automatically mean a new Mortar nerf.
The King vs. King season announcement lists Mortar among the Week 2 boosted win conditions, with King of Cards starting November 9. That is upcoming on this guide's November 4 check—not an active boost we have included in the deck figures. The announcement does not justify assuming every Mortar form is automatically unlocked.
How do you play Evo Mortar bait without overcommitting?
Think of Mortar as both a tower threat and a defensive building. Its long-range attack rewards protecting a connection, but a speculative offensive placement can leave you unable to answer the other lane. The goal is not to plant Mortar at the river every time it returns to your hand.
What should you do in single Elixir?
Start by identifying the opponent's small spell and main win condition. If you do not know either, preserve enough Elixir to respond rather than building an expensive attack around an unsupported Mortar.
Use a low-commitment play when your hand allows it. Once the opponent reveals how they remove Goblin Gang, Rascals, or Skeleton Barrel, you can plan which threat comes next. Avoid spending both your main ground defender and your emergency spell on an attack before you know their punish.
A Mortar connection is useful, but it is not guaranteed damage. An opponent can distract, remove, or out-pressure it. Defending successfully without a tower hit can still be the correct exchange if it preserves your tower and leaves support alive.
How does the bait sequence work?
The pressure comes from forcing answers in sequence, not from piling every fragile unit into the same spell. Skeleton Barrel asks a different question from Mortar: the opponent must manage a moving threat rather than only a stationary siege building.
If a small spell removes your Goblin Gang, look at whether Skeleton Barrel can exploit that cycle. If they preserve the spell, let your other units do their work instead of donating the Barrel into the answer you already know they hold.
Spacing matters. Do not place Rascals and every other support unit where one spell solves the entire board. A surviving Cannon Cart or ranged defender can make the next Mortar harder to approach without requiring you to build an enormous push.
When should Mortar stay on defense?
Against a fast building-targeting threat, a defensive Mortar may be worth more than speculative tower chip. Against a tank push, consider where you can separate the tank from support and give your defenders time to work.
Do not use one universal tile prescription against every opponent. Building pulls, ranged support, and spell coverage change the placement. After a loss, review whether Mortar failed because of placement, timing, or because you had already spent the cards needed to support it.
How should you adjust against common answers?
| Opponent's plan | Your priority | Mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Fast bridge pressure | Keep a defensive answer ready before committing Mortar | Spending all support behind an offensive building |
| Heavy tank and support | Separate targets and protect sustained damage | Feeding defenders into one splash attack |
| Two small spells | Identify which answer is still in hand | Assuming one spell used means all bait is safe |
| Air-heavy pressure | Preserve Minions or your ranged air-targeting support | Cycling your air defense for trivial ground value |
| Defensive building control | Pressure patiently with both win conditions | Repeating the same unsupported Mortar placement |
These are piloting priorities, not guaranteed matchup wins. If your opponent has two small spells, “bait out The Log” is not a complete plan. Track the second answer before using Skeleton Barrel as though the path were clear.
The Minions list may suit a collection that needs that airborne defensive option. The Goblin Gang list changes the ground-defense and bait pattern. Neither substitution makes you immune to splash or spells, and neither justifies ignoring card levels.
Is Evo Mortar worth building if you lack a Hero or second Evolution?
You can play a Mortar deck without owning every special form, but it is not the same deck as the tracked full-form list. This distinction answers a recurring player question: ordinary cards can still perform useful jobs when their special form is unavailable. That does not make every downgrade equivalent.
Start with the eight-card roles you can actually field. If Skeleton Barrel is unevolved, keep expectations separate from the double-Evolution results above. If you lack the named Hero, a normal defensive card changes the tools available; do not attach the original list's win rate to your substitute.
Upgrade a coherent deck rather than chasing every new Evolution. Check whether you enjoy Mortar's placement-based defense and slower pressure before spending resources. Our Evolution comparison guide helps with that longer-term choice.
Hero ability timing also matters. Under the August 4 ability rework, Hero and Champion abilities became single-use per deployment, except Boss Bandit's. The page also contains an August 26 balance section; those are different dates. Do not wait for a second Ice Wizard activation on the same deployment because an old guide mentions cooldowns.
FAQ
What is the best Evo Mortar deck for November 2026? Our starting recommendation is Evo Mortar, Evo Skeleton Barrel, Hero Ice Wizard, Goblin Gang, Rascals, Cannon Cart, Fireball, and Barbarian Barrel. It combines two tower threats with defensive support. Choose based on your collection, not an expectation that a snapshot win rate will transfer to you.
Can you use Evo Mortar, Evo Skeleton Barrel, and Hero Ice Wizard together? Yes. Put Mortar in Evolution, Ice Wizard in Hero, and Skeleton Barrel in Wild. The three slots are separate. On Trophy Road, the Wild slot unlocks at Arena 10; you must also own the relevant cards and forms.
Can normal cards still be useful without their Evolution or Hero form? Yes. Their underlying defensive or support role can remain useful. However, replacing a special form changes the deck, so the published results for the fully unlocked version should not be presented as your replacement list's results.
Is the highest-win-rate Mortar list automatically the best? No. Player skill, opponents, card levels, sample size, and the tracking window affect results. A 195-battle list at 71.8% on the checked page is not stronger evidence than thousands of battles simply because its percentage is higher.
Did Mortar bait change for November? Its Cannon Cart and Skeleton Barrel components changed on October 19. Supercell brought the seasonal November balance changes forward rather than adding another start-of-November pass. Mortar is also listed for the King of Cards Week 2 boost beginning November 9.
Do you need to give up your Hero to run two Evolutions? No. A second Evolution occupies Wild, not Hero. Our earlier version incorrectly claimed otherwise; this November 4 refresh corrects the rule throughout.
Where can you find more Clash Royale guides?
Build around cards you enjoy playing. Explore more Clash Royale strategy on timesaver.gg before committing your next upgrade.
