Okay, here’s my take on a “good bowler deck” write-up, kinda how I’d ramble about it on my blog.
Alright, so I’ve been messing around with Bowler decks for ages, and I think I finally landed on something that’s actually pretty solid. It ain’t gonna win you any world championships, but it’s been crushing it on ladder for me lately. Let me walk you through how I got there.
First off, I was trying to figure out what the Bowler really does well. It’s tanky, yeah, and that knockback is super annoying for your opponent. But it’s slow, and the damage isn’t insane. So, I figured it needed some backup, something to really capitalize on that disruption.
At first, I tried pairing it with a Giant. Seemed logical, right? Tank in front, Bowler behind, cleaning up the mess. But it was too slow, too expensive. I kept getting overrun by faster decks. Lost a bunch of games trying to make that work.
Then I thought, “Okay, speed it up.” I threw in Hog Rider. That was a little better, got some surprise attacks in. But then I was struggling against swarms. Minion Horde, Skeleton Army…the Bowler couldn’t handle them all fast enough. Plus, it became too predictable. Opponents knew exactly what I was going to do.
So, I started tweaking the support cards. Zap was a must for those swarms. Then I needed some air defense, so I tossed in Musketeer. That helped a ton, kept those pesky balloons and dragons at bay.
But the real game-changer? The Prince. Seriously. Saw some dude on youtube using the Prince and Bowler combo, so I gave it a whirl. The Prince is perfect because it can charge in right after the Bowler knocks everything back. That double-lane pressure is brutal. It forces your opponent to split their defense, and usually, one side just crumbles.
Defense-wise, I needed something cheap and versatile. Knight fit the bill perfectly. Good for stopping those lone attackers, and can even be used in a pinch on offense. Then, for a big spell, I went with Poison. It wrecks those pesky huts, and it’s great for clearing out support troops behind a tank.
Here’s the final decklist I’m rocking right now:
- Bowler
- Prince
- Hog Rider
- Musketeer
- Knight
- Zap
- Poison
- Skeletons
How I play it: Early game, it’s all about defense and elixir management. Don’t be afraid to take a little damage to figure out what your opponent is running. Once you know their deck, you can start planning your attacks.
The main push is Bowler in the back, Prince right behind. If they drop a tank, Poison it and let the Bowler and Prince go to work. Use Zap to clear out any swarms. Hog Rider works as a secondary attack or to punish the opponent for overspending. The knight is good to use as a first play to see what the opponent has in hand.
The Skeletons are for cycle and defense and for distraction of high damage units. For example, the pekka, you can put skeletons in the middle and it will buy you some time.
It’s not a perfect deck, and some matchups are tough. But overall, I’ve been having a blast with it, and it’s definitely been helping me climb. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Maybe you can even suggest some improvements. I’m always looking for ways to make it even better.
