5 Elixir
Overview
Giant remains the most reliable beatdown tank in Clash Royale. At 5 elixir, he delivers 5423 HP at tournament standard - enough to absorb tower fire for over 10 seconds while your support troops deal devastating damage behind him. Giant's 55.0% win rate reflects his consistent strength across beatdown archetypes, from Giant Graveyard to Giant Sparky and Giant Double Prince. Unlike Golem (8 elixir), Giant's moderate cost lets you build pushes without fully committing your elixir bar, giving room for defensive reactions. His building-targeting AI makes pathing predictable but also guarantees he ignores distractions and heads straight for the tower.
Strategy
When to Play
Start Giant at the back (behind King Tower) when you have 10 elixir or know your opponent lacks punish cards in hand. This gives you time to build elixir while Giant walks, then stack support troops behind him. Never drop Giant at the bridge in single elixir unless you have overwhelming elixir advantage - a naked Giant at the bridge is 5 elixir for ~800 tower damage at best.
Against cycle decks (2.6 Hog, X-Bow), play Giant in the lane where you want pressure and force them to respond. Cycle players thrive on ignoring your lane and outcycling you - Giant demands their attention because ignoring 5423 HP walking toward their tower is not an option.
Placement
The back plant (behind King Tower, center) is your bread-and-butter opening. It gives maximum elixir regeneration time (roughly 15 seconds of walking) and lets you stack Witch, Mega Minion, or other support behind him. Place Giant in the pocket (one tile from the river, beside your Princess Tower) for surprise plays - this cuts 5 seconds off his travel time and catches opponents off guard.
On defense, drop Giant in front of your tower to tank hits from enemy troops (Mini P.E.K.K.A, Prince) while your tower kills them. Giant's enormous HP pool absorbs damage more efficiently than any spell, and he starts a counterpush automatically.
Synergies
Giant + Witch is a devastating pairing: Giant tanks everything while Witch's splash and skeleton spawns overwhelm defenders. Behind a Giant, Mega Minion provides air-immune DPS that opponents struggle to reach with ground troops. Giant + Graveyard creates a dual-threat - opponents must choose between killing Giant or clearing skeletons, and both punish them.
Pair Giant with Lightning or Fireball to eliminate defensive buildings (Inferno Tower, Tesla) and glass cannons that would otherwise shred your push. In double elixir, Giant + Sparky behind creates a must-answer push that demands immediate response or results in tower destruction.
Matchups
Strong Against
- Cycle decks (2.6 Hog, Miner): Giant forces cycle players to commit full defensive rotations. They cannot ignore 5423 HP walking at their tower, disrupting their offensive rhythm entirely.
- Spell bait decks: Giant tanks spell damage meant for your support troops. Opponents waste Rocket/Fireball on Giant rather than your glass cannons.
- Bridge spam: Giant behind King Tower absorbs bridge spam counter-pushes and starts your own push. Bandit and Battle Ram bounce off Giant.
- Mortar/X-Bow: Giant planted in front of siege buildings tanks all their damage. Walk Giant into X-Bow to shut it down completely.
Countered By
- Inferno Tower: Melts Giant in 4 seconds with ramping damage. Must pair with Zap/Lightning or lose 5 elixir.
- Inferno Dragon: Same ramping damage, but airborne. Requires Electro Spirit or ranged reset.
- P.E.K.K.A: Kills Giant in 5 hits and survives with full HP. Need support troops to deal with P.E.K.K.A separately.
- Mini P.E.K.K.A: Shreds Giant for +1 elixir trade. Place support troops to kill Mini P.E.K.K.A before she reaches your Giant.
- Tornado: Pulls Giant away from tower and into King Tower activation range. Disrupts pathing and wastes your push.
Tips
Back plant timing: Drop Giant behind King Tower at 10 elixir during single elixir. You will regenerate to 9+ elixir by the time he reaches the bridge, giving full elixir for support.
Pocket play: Place Giant one tile from the river beside your Princess Tower for 5 seconds less travel time. Catches opponents off guard and gives less time to prepare defense.
Tank for counterpush: Drop Giant in front of surviving support troops after defense. Even a half-health Mega Minion behind Giant threatens 1000+ tower damage.
Lightning timing: Wait until Giant crosses the bridge and opponent commits their defensive building before casting Lightning. Premature Lightning lets them cycle to a second counter.
Split pressure: In double elixir, drop Giant in one lane and Graveyard in the other. Opponents cannot defend both threats simultaneously with limited elixir.
Building bypass: If opponent places a building to pull Giant, place your next Giant one tile further toward the opposite lane to bypass the pull range.
Common Mistakes
Bridge spam Giant: Dropping Giant at bridge in single elixir without support gives opponent full counter and elixir advantage. Always build pushes from the back.
Ignoring Inferno Tower: Pushing Giant into Inferno Tower without reset spells is 5 elixir wasted every time. Track their Inferno cycle before committing.
Stacking behind Giant too early: Placing support troops behind Giant while he is still behind your King Tower lets opponent Fireball or Poison the entire cluster. Wait until Giant reaches the bridge.
No defensive Giant: Many players only use Giant offensively. A defensive Giant in front of your tower absorbs 2000+ damage and starts a counterpush for free.
Overcommitting single elixir: Giant + Witch + spell in single elixir leaves 0 elixir for defense. If opponent punishes the other lane, you lose a tower immediately.