Deck:Classic Hog Cycle

Strategy

 * Starting off the game, place a Hog Rider, naked, at the bridge. If you do not have him, cycle, cycle, cycle, 'till you get him.
 * The first few seconds of the game is knowing what Hog Rider counters your opponent has and their card rotation. Keeping these in mind while you battle is the key to victory.
 * Defend, defend, defend! Kite P.E.K.K.A.s and Mega Knights with Ice Golems and do the damage with Musketeers. The Cannon is also essential at defense. Try not to let your opponent touch your Tower, because this deck is all about grabbing one Tower and stalling.
 * Never place the Musketeer behind your King's Tower. The opponent can rush the other lane, and you just wasted an essential defense.
 * When cycling to the Hog Rider, you can place split the Skeletons behind your King's Tower, then the Ice Spirit or Ice Golem in front, and finally the Hog Rider. If this isn't your cycle, find another creative way.
 * If you discover that your opponent has several good Hog Rider counters, start spell cycling their Towers with the Fireball. This tip is only for those who have a maxed Fireball in the Leauges. I personally do not recommend you to try this deck if you have an underleveled Fireball.
 * Use The Log the push back their push and also gain some free damage on the enemy's Tower.
 * DO NOT try to get more than one crown. If you do so, the opponent can make a devastating counterpush.
 * Against Golem decks, rush the other lane when the opponent places down a Golem. Free damage if he/she ignores it. Then defend, stall, and cycle Fireballs to the damaged Tower until the HP goes to 0.

Card Alternatives
No card in this deck can be substituted. Every single card here has a very important role. Taking one out will defeat the entire purpose and create a whole other deck. You do need a high level The Log, which is quite hard for free-to-play players..

DeckShopPro's free-to-play scale rated this deck a 3.3.

Synergies
These are some card synergies in this deck.

And here's DeckShopPro's rating:

Hog Rider Synergies (Offensive Synergies)
Hog Rider + Skeletons: This should be your main push at the first minute or so in the game. It's extremely deadly even if it only costs 5 Elixir. Those Skeletons? Boy, they'll wreak absolute havoc on your opponent's Tower.

Ice Golem + Hog Rider: Good ol' simple push here. Can take out a Tower by itself. The Ice Golem tanks and slows down all troops when dead and the Hog Rider is your damage dealer.

Hog Rider + Ice Spirit: Once again, another good ol' simple push that can deal devastating damage. Quite simple.

Hog Rider + Fireball: The Fireball will take care of any moderate health unit the opponent places down, letting the Hog Rider get some damage done. It's best to cast the Fireball as a prediction, because it does travel quite slow.

Hog Rider + The Log: Just like the synergy above. The Log will bulldoze any swarm the enemy has, allowing damage no matter what!

Defensive Synergies
There are so many different defensive combos you can make with this deck, some with three or four cards. I'm only listing the very helpful, easy ones.

At this time, let your Hog Rider rest. If there's an opportunity to counterpush, GOOO!

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Ice Golem + Musketeer: Simple tank and spank. The Ice Golem tanks while the Musketeer spanks. Use the Ice Golem to kite units into the other lane and place your Musketeer slightly in front of your King's Tower, in the middle of your Princess Towers, preventing the opponent from getting a value Fireball or Rocket off. Of course, this won't completely stop any push, but it's probably the first thing you should do when defending a massive push.

Cannon + Ice Spirit: If your enemy is running their own Hog cycle deck, use this easy combo to counter their Pig Pushes. Pull the Hog Rider with a Cannon and use the Ice Spirit ONLY if there is an enemy Ice Golem or Ice Spirit supporting the Hog Rider. Also use the Ice Spirit if the opponent Fireballs your Cannon. Against Golem or other beatdown decks, this startegy is especially effective, resulting in positive Elixir trades whatever they do

Ice Golem + Skeletons + Musketeer + Cannon: Simple, 10 Elixir combo that can really leave a mark on your enemy's pushes. It's just like the first combo, but with some Skeletons and a Cannon. The Cannon and Musketeer will be the main destroyers, while the Ice Golem and Skeletons are just there to stall. You can obviously get more Ice Golems and Cannons down because hey, you're playing the fastest cycling deck!

Ice Golem + Cannon + The Log: Once again, another simple defense but this time, The Log is rolling on the Arena floor. It will push back all enemy troops in its path and stun them for a very short time. Very worth it, especially when you are defending for the last few seconds of the game.

Cannon + Ice Golem + Ice Spirit: Very similar to the synergy above, but the Ice Spirit here is used to freeze and stun enemy troops, buying your Cannon and Towers more time to whittle down the enemy's pushes.