3 Elixir
Overview
Cannon is the most efficient defensive building in Clash Royale. At just 3 elixir, it provides 742 HP and deals 137 damage per shot - specifically designed to counter building-targeting win conditions like Hog Rider, Giant, and Royal Giant. Cannon's power comes from pulling: proper placement drags enemy troops away from your tower, forcing them to walk into both Princess Towers' range. In 2.6 Hog Cycle and X-Bow decks, Cannon is the primary defense against tank-heavy metas. The card rewards precise placement knowledge - a Cannon placed one tile differently can be the difference between taking zero damage or losing a tower.
Strategy
When to Play
Deploy Cannon reactively against building-targeting troops (Hog Rider, Giant, Golem, Royal Giant, Ram Rider). The moment you see these cards, plant Cannon in their path to pull them away from your tower. Against bridge spam (Bandit, Battle Ram), Cannon distracts while your tower deals damage. Don't place Cannon preemptively - its 30-second lifetime means early placement wastes defensive value.
In overtime, Cannon becomes less valuable because games are decided before it gets full usage. Prioritize cheaper cycle cards and save Cannon for emergency Hog or Giant defense. Against air decks (Lava Hound, Balloon), Cannon is useless - don't commit it, save elixir for actual air counters.
Placement
Master these Cannon positions for different threats:
- Anti-Hog (4-3 plant): Place Cannon 4 tiles from river, 3 tiles from Princess Tower. Hog walks to Cannon, taking tower shots the entire time. Zero tower damage.
- Anti-Giant (3-3 plant): Place 3 tiles from river, 3 tiles from tower. Giant walks to Cannon while both towers shoot. Survives with HP.
- Center pull: Place Cannon dead center for maximum pull range. Forces troops to walk across entire arena.
- King Tower activation: Against Hog, place Cannon 4 tiles from King Tower. Hog is pulled into King range, activating it for the rest of the game.
Against Royal Giant, plant Cannon IN the Royal Giant's range - RG targets Cannon instead of your tower, then dies to Cannon + tower damage.
Synergies
Cannon pairs with Musketeer for complete ground defense - Cannon pulls and tanks while Musketeer deals DPS from safety. In 2.6 Hog, Cannon + Ice Golem handles Mega Knight and P.E.K.K.A while saving your Mini P.E.K.K.A for counterpush.
Use Cannon to protect X-Bow from tanks - the Cannon pulls threats away from your siege weapon while X-Bow locks onto tower. Against Graveyard, Cannon placed on the spawning Skeletons provides splash-like defense for minimal elixir. Pair Cannon with Knight for complete ground lockdown - Knight kills, Cannon distracts.
Matchups
Strong Against
Hog Rider - Properly placed Cannon shuts down Hog for +1 elixir trade. Zero tower damage with correct 4-3 placement.
Giant - Cannon pulls Giant into both tower range. Combined with support troops, Giant dies for positive trade.
Royal Giant - Cannon plants inside RG's range, tanking shots while your tower kills him. Essential RG counter.
Golem - Cannon distracts Golem while your DPS shreds it. Don't let Golem Death Damage hit your troops.
Ram Rider - Cannon pulls Ram Rider away from tower while slowing snare is wasted on building.
Countered By
Lightning - Kills Cannon + tower troop for massive value. Avoid clumping Cannon with Musketeer.
Earthquake - Deals 3x damage to buildings. Earthquake + Hog breaks through Cannon for tower damage.
Balloon - Cannon can't hit air. Completely useless against Balloon decks.
Royal Hogs - Four Hogs overwhelm single Cannon. Need splash support (Bomb Tower) for Royal Hogs.
Miner - Miner kills Cannon while your opponent's push connects. Cannon can't target Miner efficiently.
Tips
4-3 anti-Hog: Place Cannon 4 tiles from river, 3 tiles from Princess Tower. Hog takes zero tower shots with this placement.
King Tower activation: Against Hog, plant Cannon 4 tiles from King Tower to pull Hog into King range. Activated King wins games.
Royal Giant counter: Place Cannon INSIDE Royal Giant's range. RG targets Cannon and dies before hitting your tower.
Center pulling: Dead center Cannon pulls troops from either lane into both towers' range. Maximum defensive value.
Anti-Lightning spacing: Don't place Cannon next to Musketeer. Spread 4+ tiles apart so Lightning can't hit both.
Reactive placement: Wait for opponent to commit before placing Cannon. Early placement wastes 10+ seconds of lifetime.
Common Mistakes
Pre-placing Cannon: Dropping Cannon before seeing threats wastes 10-15 seconds of its 30-second lifetime. Always react.
Poor pull positioning: Placing Cannon too close to tower means troops still hit tower while killing Cannon. Use 4-3 or 3-3 placements.
Using against air: Cannon can't hit Balloon, Lava Hound, or Minions. Save elixir for actual air counters.
Lightning bait: Placing Cannon next to Musketeer lets Lightning kill both for +2 elixir value. Spread your defenses.
Ignoring Earthquake: Committing Cannon when opponent has EQ in rotation loses you the Cannon AND takes tower damage. Track their spells.
One-tile errors: Cannon placement is precise. One tile wrong against Hog means 2-3 tower hits instead of zero. Practice positions.