Overview
Mortar Skeleton King Bait is a siege-bait hybrid sitting at #5 in the February 2026 meta with a dominant 57.1% win rate across 3,832 tracked battles. The deck replaces the traditional Knight with Skeleton King, turning every defensive trade into offensive fuel through soul collection. Skeleton Barrel, Goblins, Dart Goblin, and Minions create an overwhelming spell-bait web that forces opponents into impossible choices. Once Skeleton King accumulates souls from cheap defensive trades, his ability summons up to 16 Skeletons that combine with Mortar pressure for devastating split-lane attacks. Barbarian Barrel and Fireball round out the deck with versatile spell utility. This deck rewards patient soul management and precise bait sequencing to overwhelm opponents in double elixir.
Strategy
Opening Play
Open with a passive Mortar placement (4 tiles from river, center) to scout their responses and identify their deck archetype. Alternatively, cycle Goblins or Dart Goblin behind your King Tower to build elixir while gathering information. Do not commit Skeleton Barrel until you know their primary small spell. The critical early-game goal is identifying their Mortar answer and their spell rotation. If they open aggressively, defend with Goblins or Minions to start feeding Skeleton King souls from the first exchange.
Single Elixir
This phase is about building soul count while maintaining chip pressure. Every defensive interaction generates souls for Skeleton KingâGoblins defending a Mini P.E.K.K.A., Minions stopping a Hog Rider, even their own troops dying near Skeleton King all contribute to his soul bar (capped at 10 souls). Bait their small spell with Dart Goblin or Goblins, then immediately punish with Skeleton Barrel at the bridge for guaranteed tower chip. Place offensive Mortars 1 tile from the river on the lane edge to maximize lock potential. When they invest 5+ elixir on offense, counter-pressure with Mortar on the opposite lane. Skeleton King should be deployed defensively during single elixirâhis 2,298 HP absorbs damage while collecting souls from dying troops on both sides. Hold his ability activation (2 elixir) until you have 8-10 souls for maximum skeleton spawn value.
Double Elixir
Double elixir transforms this deck into a split-lane nightmare. Deploy Skeleton King on one lane with his ability fully charged (summoning 14-16 Skeletons from a full soul bar), then drop Mortar on the opposite lane supported by Skeleton Barrel. Opponents cannot defend both simultaneously without perfect spell timing. Stack Mortars when their primary counter is out of cycleâtwo Mortars firing simultaneously deal devastating chip. Use Fireball predictively on defensive clusters (Wizard, Musketeer, Archers) to guarantee Mortar locks. Goblins and Dart Goblin become pure bait cards here: throw them at the bridge to drain spells, then punish the empty rotation with Skeleton Barrel connecting on tower. The Skeleton King's splash damage (1.3-tile radius) clears defensive swarms while his summoned Skeletons overwhelm single-target defenders.
Matchups
Favorable Matchups
- Log Bait: Your bait package is deeper than theirs. Dart Goblin outranges Princess, and Fireball eliminates Goblin Barrel cleanly. Skeleton King dominates their Knight in head-to-head trades while collecting souls from their swarm cards. Apply constant Mortar pressure once their Rocket is out of cycle.
- Lava Hound: Opposite-lane Mortar forces them to split elixir between Hound support and Mortar defense. Minions shred Lava Pups, and Skeleton King's soul ability generates massive defensive value from all the spawned units dying around him. Win through accumulated siege chip.
- Graveyard: Goblins and Barbarian Barrel neutralize Graveyard for positive elixir tradesâand every skeleton that dies near Skeleton King feeds his soul bar. Counter-push with a fully loaded Skeleton King ability for overwhelming pressure.
- Giant Beatdown: Skeleton King tanks the Giant while Minions and Goblins clean support troops. The resulting soul collection funds a devastating counter-push. Mortar on opposite lane during their investment forces impossible defensive splits.
Unfavorable Matchups
- Earthquake Cycle: Earthquake destroys Mortar before it locks and their faster cycle makes it difficult to outcycle. Shift to Skeleton Barrel and Dart Goblin chip as primary damage. Use Mortar defensively and win through Fireball chip and Skeleton King counter-pushes.
- Royal Giant: RG outranges Mortar at 6.5 tiles and pressures the same lane. Deploy defensive Mortars to pull RG while Skeleton King tanks. Focus on Skeleton Barrel chip and Fireball value. Skeleton King ability on defense can overwhelm their RG support troops.
- Splash Nado: Decks with Tornado plus splash (Baby Dragon, Executioner) neutralize both Skeleton King's spawned skeletons and your bait cards simultaneously. Spread your bait across lanes and avoid clumping. Fireball their splash unit when paired with Mortar pressure.
Tips
Soul management: Skeleton King collects souls from any troop that dies nearbyâfriendly or enemy. Deploy him behind your King Tower during defensive sequences to passively collect souls from trades happening in front of him. Activate his ability only at 8+ souls for 14-16 skeleton value.
Mortar placement: Offensive Mortar goes 1 tile from the river on the lane side for maximum tower lock. Defensive Mortar sits 4 tiles from river at center to pull building-targeting units. Against Rocket users, alternate between center and corner placements to avoid prediction value.
Skeleton Barrel timing: Deploy Skeleton Barrel the instant their small spell is out of rotation. The 7 Skeletons spawned on death deal massive DPS to an undefended tower. Its death damage also provides 2-tile splash knockback that disrupts defensive formations.
Dart Goblin as scout: Place Dart Goblin behind King Tower in the opening to safely cycle while his long range chips across the arena. His survival forces a spell response that opens windows for Goblins and Skeleton Barrel to connect.
Split-lane Skeleton King: In double elixir, drop Skeleton King with full souls on one lane and Mortar plus Skeleton Barrel on the other. This split forces opponents to choose which threat to address, guaranteeing damage on at least one tower.
Barbarian Barrel dual value: Use Barbarian Barrel to clear swarms targeting your Mortar while the spawned Barbarian absorbs hits and distracts melee defenders. The Barbarian buys 1-2 extra Mortar shots which translates to 200+ tower damage.
Fireball chip accumulation: When tower damage stalls, Fireball their tower plus a troop for dual value. Consistent Fireball chip alongside Mortar locks and Skeleton Barrel connections compounds into tower takedowns by overtime.
Common Mistakes
Activating Skeleton King ability too early: Summoning skeletons with only 2-3 souls wastes 2 elixir for minimal value. Wait until the soul bar reaches at least 8 for a meaningful skeleton wave. Patience with ability timing separates average players from skilled ones.
Ignoring soul collection positioning: Placing Skeleton King far from where troops are dying means zero soul collection. Always position him within range of active combatâeven placing him one lane over from the fight drastically reduces soul intake.
Overcommitting on Mortar support: Mortar is expendable at 4 elixir. Stacking multiple troops to protect a single Mortar creates negative trades when they spell the cluster. Let Mortar bait responses, then punish with Skeleton Barrel or Skeleton King counter-pushes.
Wasting Fireball on low-value targets: Fireball costs 4 elixirânever throw it at a lone Archer or Spirit. Save it for troop clusters near towers, prediction plays on defensive formations, or finishing damaged towers in clutch overtime moments.
Deploying all bait cards into the same lane: Stacking Goblins, Dart Goblin, and Skeleton Barrel into one lane lets a single spell clear everything. Spread bait across both lanes to exhaust their spell rotation and guarantee at least one connection per cycle.