Quick answer: The most reliable way to counter X-Bow is to place a tank or building in its range before its 3.5-second deploy ends, so it locks onto that unit instead of your Princess Tower, then break the 1,600-hitpoint building and its support with Wizard, Valkyrie, Mini P.E.K.K.A or Electro Wizard; Wizard (5 elixir) was met in 353 to 2,194 battles per band on TrophyCoach's counter data (October 6–12, 2026).
X-Bow is a 6-elixir Epic building with 1,600 hitpoints at Level 11. It reaches 11.5 tiles, hits ground targets only, and fires every 0.4 seconds for 61 damage since the October 6, 2026 Season 88 patch (58 before; +4% in Supercell's notes). That is about 152 damage per second, and up to 75 shots (4,575 damage) over its 30-second lifetime if nothing stops it. In the October 12, 2026 meta snapshot, X-Bow Siege decks hold 3.95% popularity under 5,000 trophies (sample 7,337) and 1.45% at 9,000+. The 3.0 list (X-Bow, Tesla, Knight, Archers, Skeletons, Electro Spirit, Fireball, The Log) is tracked in all six bands. TrophyCoach's classifier sorts X-Bow decks into two labels:
- Ice Bow: X-Bow with both Ice Wizard and Tornado.
- X-Bow Siege: every other deck that holds X-Bow, from the 3.0 cycle list to off-meta decks that add X-Bow to a beatdown core.
Mortar decks are in the Mortar counter guide.
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Which cards counter X-Bow?
Wizard (5 elixir) splashes the Archers, Skeletons and Knight that defend the X-Bow (353 to 2,194 battles per band). Wizard is the most-played listed counter under 5,000 (2,194 battles) and at 7,000–8,000 (724), Skeleton Army at 5,000–6,000 and 6,000–7,000 (1,835 and 864 battles) and Valkyrie at 8,000–9,000 (722). At 9,000+ the list changes: Arrows (907 battles), Wizard and Golem are the most-played listed counters, and Giant, Earthquake, Rocket and Tombstone are listed.
Each table lists a selection of measured counter cards for decks carrying X-Bow, any archetype label, most-played first; win rates and impact figures are withheld. "Battles with counter" counts October 6–12, 2026 battles where an X-Bow deck faced that card. Counter Lookup shows the live version.
Under 5,000
| # | Counter card | Battles with counter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Wizard | 2,194 |
| 2 |  Skeleton Army | 2,177 |
| 3 |  Valkyrie | 1,758 |
| 4 |  Mini P.E.K.K.A | 1,719 |
| 5 |  Mega Knight | 899 |
| 6 |  Princess | 733 |
| 7 |  Electro Wizard | 664 |
| 8 |  Firecracker | 516 |
| 9 |  Hunter | 168 |
| 10 |  Executioner | 133 |
Listed most-played first (by battles with the counter) on X-Bow results.
5,000–6,000
| # | Counter card | Battles with counter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skeleton Army | 1,835 |
| 2 | Wizard | 1,662 |
| 3 | Valkyrie | 1,445 |
| 4 | Mini P.E.K.K.A | 1,416 |
| 5 | Mega Knight | 1,124 |
| 6 |  Arrows | 941 |
| 7 | Electro Wizard | 834 |
| 8 |  Goblin Gang | 715 |
| 9 |  Dart Goblin | 614 |
| 10 |  Archers | 534 |
Listed most-played first (by battles with the counter) on X-Bow results.
6,000–7,000
| # | Counter card | Battles with counter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skeleton Army | 864 |
| 2 | Wizard | 822 |
| 3 | Valkyrie | 733 |
| 4 | Mini P.E.K.K.A | 713 |
| 5 | Mega Knight | 602 |
| 6 | Electro Wizard | 518 |
| 7 | Arrows | 487 |
| 8 | Firecracker | 372 |
| 9 | Goblin Gang | 366 |
| 10 |  Zap | 278 |
Listed most-played first (by battles with the counter) on X-Bow results.
7,000–8,000
| # | Counter card | Battles with counter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wizard | 724 |
| 2 | Valkyrie | 712 |
| 3 | Mini P.E.K.K.A | 609 |
| 4 | Mega Knight | 566 |
| 5 | Electro Wizard | 506 |
| 6 |  Knight | 490 |
| 7 | Firecracker | 421 |
| 8 | Goblin Gang | 327 |
| 9 | Zap | 267 |
| 10 | Archers | 226 |
Listed most-played first (by battles with the counter) on X-Bow results.
8,000–9,000
| # | Counter card | Battles with counter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valkyrie | 722 |
| 2 | Wizard | 685 |
| 3 | Skeleton Army | 678 |
| 4 | Mega Knight | 588 |
| 5 | Mini P.E.K.K.A | 585 |
| 6 | Arrows | 523 |
| 7 | Electro Wizard | 503 |
| 8 | Firecracker | 489 |
| 9 | Zap | 311 |
| 10 |  P.E.K.K.A | 163 |
Listed most-played first (by battles with the counter) on X-Bow results.
9,000+
| # | Counter card | Battles with counter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrows | 907 |
| 2 | Wizard | 353 |
| 3 |  Golem | 234 |
| 4 |  Mother Witch | 227 |
| 5 |  Tombstone | 197 |
| 6 |  Giant | 191 |
| 7 | Archers | 168 |
| 8 |  Rocket | 168 |
| 9 |  Earthquake | 164 |
| 10 |  Zappies | 140 |
Listed most-played first (by battles with the counter) on X-Bow results.
What does each X-Bow counter actually do?
X-Bow counters do four jobs: soak its lock, kill the building up close, clear its cheap support, or out-pressure it with a tank it cannot stop. The cards listed in the band tables are covered; costs are in-game, jobs are editorial, stats are Level 11.
| Counter card | Elixir | Job against X-Bow decks |
|---|---|---|
| Wizard | 5 | Splash kills Archers and Skeletons |
| Electro Wizard | 4 | Stuns on deploy and every hit |
| Valkyrie | 4 | Soaks 32 shots, spins through support |
| Mini P.E.K.K.A | 4 | Kills X-Bow in 3 hits |
| Mega Knight | 7 | Soaks 66 shots, kills it in 6 swings |
| Skeleton Army | 3 | 15 bodies; 2 shots needed per Skeleton |
| Zap | 2 | Stuns X-Bow; kills Skeletons |
| Arrows | 3 | Kills Archers, Skeletons, Electro Spirit |
| Firecracker | 3 | 6-tile range; splash on support |
| Goblin Gang | 3 | Cheap swarm on the building |
| Archers | 3 | Cheap ranged damage |
| Dart Goblin | 3 | 6.5-tile range on support |
| Princess | 3 | 9-tile range; splash from behind the river |
| Executioner | 5 | Axe hits support twice |
| Hunter | 4 | Close-range burst on X-Bow or Knight |
| Knight | 3 | Soaks 29 shots |
| P.E.K.K.A | 7 | Tank and building killer; 163-battle row |
| Zappies | 4 | Stun every hit; 140-battle row |
| Golem | 8 | Outlasts a whole X-Bow lifetime |
| Giant | 5 | Soaks 66 shots, walks to buildings |
| Mother Witch | 4 | Curses support into Cursed Hogs |
| Earthquake | 3 | Extra building damage on X-Bow and Tesla |
| Rocket | 6 | Leaves a fresh X-Bow on 115 hitpoints |
| Tombstone | 3 | Building that pulls the lock |
A battles count only shows how often an X-Bow deck faced the card. Zap cannot kill a 1,600-hitpoint building, and Wizard is usually busy with the Archers and Skeletons around it. What the strong counters share is that they break the X-Bow player's defense of the building (Archers, Skeletons, Knight, Electro Spirit) or survive its stream of shots long enough for your Princess Tower to help.
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Where do you meet X-Bow?
X-Bow is most common under 6,000 trophies, where X-Bow Siege holds 3.95% and 3.66% popularity. From 6,000 up it sits between 1.45% and 1.93%. Ice Bow is not in the top 30 archetypes of any band.
— = not among that band's 30 most-played archetypes in the latest snapshot (not zero; meta_trends stores the top 30 only).
- Under 5,000: Wizard, Skeleton Army, Valkyrie and Mini P.E.K.K.A are the four most-played listed counters, each with over 1,700 battles. Besides the 3.0 list, the X-Bow decks tracked here include off-meta lists that add X-Bow to Witch, Wizard or Royal Hogs cores.
- 5,000 to 9,000: Wizard, Skeleton Army and Valkyrie are the most-played listed counters, and P.E.K.K.A is listed at 8,000–9,000 on a 163-battle row.
- 9,000+: every X-Bow deck tracked here is a cycle list (3.0, Ice Spirit 3.0, Rocket or Ice Bow), and the counters are tanks (Golem, Giant), stuns (Zappies) and building spells (Earthquake, Rocket).
What is X-Bow and why does it win?
X-Bow is a siege building: you place it on your own side, and its range lets it hit the opponent's Princess Tower from the river. Its Level 11 card stats:
X-Bow wins through three mechanics:
- Range. At 11.5 tiles it out-ranges every troop and both towers, so a well-placed X-Bow hits your tower while the X-Bow player defends it from their own side.
- A fast stream of small hits. 61 damage every 0.4 seconds shreds a tower but also locks onto anything closer, which is why a tank in front of it works.
- A defensive shell. Tesla (4 elixir, 1,182 hitpoints, hides underground until a target is in range), Knight and Archers protect the building, and Fireball plus The Log clear the troops you send at it.
Its weaknesses: it cannot hit air, it takes 3.5 seconds to deploy, and it costs 6 elixir, leaving the X-Bow player at 4 elixir or less right after placing it.
What does the 3.0 X-Bow list look like?
The 3.0 X-Bow list is the X-Bow Siege deck you meet most, tracked in all six bands:
| Card | Elixir | Role in the deck |
|---|---|---|
 X-Bow | 6 | Siege win condition |
 Tesla | 4 | Defensive building |
| Knight | 3 | Mini tank, protects X-Bow |
| Archers | 3 | Ranged air and ground defense |
 Fireball | 4 | Medium spell; 159 Crown Tower damage |
 The Log | 2 | Small spell |
 Skeletons | 1 | Cycle and distraction |
 Electro Spirit | 1 | Cycle and stun |
The average is 3.0 elixir (24 ÷ 8). X-Bow returns to hand after four other cards, and the four cheapest cost 7 elixir (Skeletons, Electro Spirit, The Log, Archers). A full X-Bow-to-X-Bow cycle therefore costs at least 13 elixir: 36.4 seconds of single-elixir generation (one per 2.8 seconds) or 18.2 seconds of double, less whatever elixir the player had banked. Electro Spirit is one of Season 88's boosted cards, so it plays at Level 16 this season (343 hitpoints, against 215 at Level 11). An older Ice Spirit version, tracked as X-Bow Cycle in four bands, swaps Electro Spirit for Ice Spirit and plays the same way.
How do you place your defense against X-Bow?
X-Bow defense starts from one number: it takes 3.5 seconds to deploy, and it locks onto the first valid target in range when it starts firing. Offensive X-Bows go at the river on one lane so they reach your Princess Tower; defensive X-Bows sit further back in the middle of their side, where they guard both bridges but are usually out of reach of your tower, so spend your tank on the next offensive X-Bow, not on that one.
How do you stop X-Bow from locking your tower?
X-Bow is stopped from locking your tower by giving it a closer target before the 3.5-second deploy ends:
- Place your tank in front of the X-Bow, on its lane, at the river. The unit is closer than your Princess Tower, so the X-Bow fires at it first. Knight, Valkyrie, Ice Golem, Giant or Mega Knight all work.
- Or place a building in the middle of your side, a few tiles back from the river between your two Princess Towers. Tombstone, Cannon, Goblin Cage or Bomb Tower pull the lock the same way and keep your troops free for the counter-push.
- Then kill the X-Bow, not the shell. Your tank walks into the building while your tower shoots its support.
If you cannot afford a tank, any troop in range buys time: Skeletons or an Ice Spirit soak a few shots each.
What do you do once X-Bow is already locked on your tower?
A locked X-Bow keeps its target until the target dies or something interrupts it. You have two fixes:
- Stun it. Zap, Electro Wizard, Zappies or Electro Spirit interrupt the stream. With your tank placed closer than the tower first, the X-Bow picks the nearer target when it resumes.
- Kill it. Mini P.E.K.K.A needs 3 hits (755 each), Mega Knight 6 swings (268 each), Valkyrie 7 swings (266 each) and Knight 8 (202 each). Send the killer with a second card so Tesla and Knight cannot stop it alone.
Which tanks absorb X-Bow best?
X-Bow's 61-damage shots are counted against each tank's Level 11 hitpoints:
| Tank | Elixir | Hitpoints | X-Bow shots to kill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golem | 8 | 5,120 | 84 (more than its 75-shot lifetime) |
| Mega Knight | 7 | 3,993 | 66 |
| Giant | 5 | 3,968 | 66 |
| Valkyrie | 4 | 1,907 | 32 |
| Knight | 3 | 1,766 | 29 |
| Mini P.E.K.K.A | 4 | 1,390 | 23 |
 Ice Golem | 2 | 1,228 | 21 |
Ice Golem's 1,228 hitpoints are the September 8, 2026 figure (down from 1,315). At 0.4 seconds per shot, Knight buys 11.6 seconds and Mega Knight 26.4 seconds.
Can spells kill an X-Bow?
Spells alone rarely kill an X-Bow at equal level:
- Rocket (6 elixir, 1,485 damage) leaves a fresh X-Bow on 115 hitpoints; one more hit, or a few seconds of its lifetime decay, finishes it.
- Lightning (6 elixir, 1,057 damage) hits the X-Bow and two more targets, but leaves it on 543.
- Earthquake (3 elixir) deals extra damage to buildings, so it hurts X-Bow and Tesla together; pair it with a tank.
- Fireball (4 elixir, 689 damage) plus The Log does not kill it; use them on Archers, Knight and Skeletons instead.
Rocket was met in 168 battles at 9,000+.
How do you defend the X-Bow Siege and Ice Bow versions?
X-Bow Siege and Ice Bow need different answers: the 3.0 list wants you to break its shell, Ice Bow wants you to get through slows and Tornado.
How do you beat the 3.0 X-Bow Siege list?
The 3.0 X-Bow Siege list is beaten by tanking every X-Bow and making the opponent defend twice. How to do it:
- Arrows for Archers and Electro Spirit. Arrows (369) kills Archers (304) and this season's Level 16 Electro Spirit (343). The Log (269) kills a Level 11 Electro Spirit but not a Level 16 one.
- Splash for Archers and Skeletons. Wizard (304 damage since September 8, 2026) kills an equal-level Archer (304 hitpoints) in one hit, and the Skeletons beside it.
- Don't feed Tesla. It hides underground until a target is in range; send your tank first so Tesla shoots it, not your support.
How do you beat the Rocket X-Bow list?
The Rocket X-Bow list, tracked at 9,000+, is X-Bow, Tesla, Knight, Archers, Skeletons, Rocket, Electro Spirit and The Log (3.3 average, 26 ÷ 8). Rocket replaces Fireball as the tower finisher. Rocket deals 342 damage to a Crown Tower at Level 11 (lowered from 371 on June 1, 2026), so keep each Princess Tower above 342 hitpoints while Rocket is in their cycle, and never clump Wizard or Musketeer with your tower inside one Rocket's 2-tile radius.
How do you beat Ice Bow?
Ice Bow is X-Bow with Ice Wizard and Tornado. The tracked list, at 9,000+ and 8,000–9,000, is X-Bow, Tesla, Ice Wizard, Knight, Skeletons, Tornado, The Log and Rocket (3.5 average, 28 ÷ 8). Ice Wizard slows every troop it hits, and Tornado pulls your push together into Tesla, Ice Wizard and the X-Bow. How to beat it:
- Spread your push. Tornado (5.5-tile radius) drags a clump into one place. Send your tank, then your support from a different angle a few seconds later.
- Use buildings to pull the lock. Tornado cannot drag a building, so a Tombstone or Cannon placed in the middle keeps working.
- Punish the 6 elixir in the other lane. Ice Bow's Rocket and X-Bow make it the heaviest of the three cycle lists, so it has less elixir left to defend a second push.
Ice Bow has no head-to-head result in the October 12, 2026 data and is not among the top 30 archetypes of any band, so these answers are editorial.
How do you beat off-meta X-Bow decks?
Off-meta X-Bow decks pair X-Bow with a beatdown or bridge core: Royal Hogs X-Bow, Graveyard X-Bow, Giant X-Bow or Witch X-Bow lists, mostly under 7,000. They are most of the tracked X-Bow Siege lists there. One tracked Graveyard list carries Lava Hound, Mega Knight, Rocket and Graveyard beside X-Bow, so they cannot cycle back to X-Bow quickly. Treat X-Bow as a 6-elixir distraction: block it with one cheap tank, defend their real win condition, and counter-push while they are low on elixir.
How do you punish X-Bow on offense?
X-Bow is punished the moment the opponent spends 6 elixir:
- Go to the other lane. Right after a fresh X-Bow, the opponent has at most 4 elixir. Hog Rider, Royal Hogs or a Battle Ram on the opposite bridge forces them to pick a lane.
- Counter-push the survivor. A Valkyrie, Mega Knight or Mini P.E.K.K.A that destroys the X-Bow is already on their side. Add one support card behind it.
- Go over it. X-Bow hits ground only. Balloon, Minions or a Lava Hound push ignore it; the Balloon counter guide covers those decks from the other side.
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Which decks beat X-Bow?
Royal Hogs, Hog Cycle, Mega Knight, Electro Giant and Golem Beatdown beat X-Bow on card interactions: each tanks or splits the X-Bow's lock and punishes the other lane. This is an editorial judgment from those interactions: Trophy Road matchup results are withheld. The label includes every X-Bow deck without the Ice Wizard and Tornado pair, so it covers off-meta X-Bow lists as well as the 3.0 list.
| Deck | Avg elixir | Counter cards from the band tables | Why it beats X-Bow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Hogs (Archer Queen, Earthquake) | 2.9 | Earthquake | Hogs split across both lanes, and Earthquake hits X-Bow and Tesla together |
| Hog Cycle (Valkyrie, Executioner, Rocket) | 3.4 | Valkyrie, Executioner, Rocket | Valkyrie tanks the lock, Hog Rider hits the other lane, Rocket finishes the building |
| Mega Knight (Goblin Barrel splash) | 4.0 | Mega Knight, Wizard, Valkyrie, Mini P.E.K.K.A, Archers | Mega Knight soaks 66 shots and breaks the building in 6 swings |
| Electro Giant (Sparky) | 4.1 | Electro Wizard, Zappies, Zap | Stuns reset the X-Bow's lock |
| Golem Beatdown (Night Witch) | 4.0 | Golem, Arrows, Zap | Golem's 5,120 hitpoints outlast a full X-Bow lifetime |
At 9,000+, TrophyCoach's archetype-matchup results of October 12–13, 2026 rate Royal Hogs and Golem Beatdown favourable against X-Bow Siege and Hog Cycle slightly favourable; E-Giant Tornado is the only Electro Giant label measured there, and it is slightly favourable. Percentages are withheld, and lower-band results are withheld.
How does Royal Hogs play against X-Bow?
Royal Hogs beats X-Bow Siege on card interactions. The list, tracked from 6,000–7,000 to 9,000+, is Royal Hogs, Archer Queen, Cannon, Royal Delivery, Earthquake, The Log, Skeletons and Ice Spirit (23 ÷ 8). Royal Hogs (5 elixir) split across both lanes, so one X-Bow cannot cover them, and Earthquake hits X-Bow and Tesla together. Cannon pulls the lock on defense. The Royal Hogs counter guide covers the matchup from the other side.
How does Hog Cycle play against X-Bow?
Hog Cycle beats X-Bow Siege by tanking the lock and punishing the other lane. The list, tracked at 5,000–8,000 and 9,000+, is Hog Rider, Valkyrie, Executioner, Goblins, Tornado, Rocket, Ice Spirit and The Log (27 ÷ 8). Valkyrie tanks the X-Bow and walks into it; Hog Rider punishes the other lane each time an X-Bow goes down. Rocket finishes a building that survives. See the Hog Cycle counter guide for the reverse view.
How does Mega Knight play against X-Bow?
Mega Knight beats X-Bow Siege by soaking its shots. The splash list (shown as Goblin Barrel Mega Knight), tracked at 6,000–8,000, is Mega Knight, Valkyrie, Wizard, Mini P.E.K.K.A, Musketeer, Archers, Bomber and Goblin Barrel (32 ÷ 8): five of its cards are Wizard, Valkyrie, Mini P.E.K.K.A, Archers and Mega Knight itself, all common X-Bow answers. Mega Knight soaks 66 shots and needs 6 swings to break the X-Bow. The Mega Knight counter guide covers it from the other side.
How does Electro Giant play against X-Bow?
Electro Giant beats X-Bow Siege with stuns and a tank. The tracked under-6,000 list is Electro Giant, Sparky, Electro Wizard, Zappies, Electro Dragon, Tesla, Zap and Electro Spirit (33 ÷ 8). Electro Giant, Electro Wizard and Electro Spirit are Season 88 boosted cards, so they play at Level 16 this season. Electro Wizard and Zappies stun on every hit, and Zap and Electro Spirit reset the X-Bow's lock. See the Electro Giant counter guide.
How does Golem Beatdown play against X-Bow?
Golem Beatdown beats X-Bow Siege by out-pushing it. The Night Witch list, tracked in all six bands, is Golem, Night Witch, Lumberjack, Elite Barbarians, Mega Minion, Bomber, Arrows and Zap (32 ÷ 8). Golem's 5,120 hitpoints outlast a full X-Bow lifetime, and 6 Golem hits (312 each) break the building.
Which decks struggle against X-Bow?
Miner decks and Hog 2.6 struggle against X-Bow on card interactions: a lone 3-elixir Miner or Hog Rider does not break a 1,600-hitpoint building, so they must tank every X-Bow first. This is an editorial judgment, since Trophy Road matchup results are withheld; at 9,000+, TrophyCoach's matchup results rate Goblin Barrel Bait unfavourable against X-Bow Siege. If you play Miner, tank every X-Bow before you chip; the Miner Control counter guide shows how those decks are built.
What changed for X-Bow in Season 88?
X-Bow was buffed in the October 6, 2026 Season 88 balance patch. Changes that touch tracked X-Bow lists (Supercell figures, Level 11):
- Impact: significant. X-Bow damage 58 → 61 (+4%), about 152 damage per second.
- Impact: small. Skeletons get a tighter spawn spread (nerf); they appear in all tracked 3.0, Rocket and Ice Bow lists.
- Impact: small. Hero Ice Wizard freeze damage 89 → 46 (−49%); it matters only when an Ice Bow player owns the Hero form.
- Impact: small. Barbarian Barrel damage 232 → 215 (−8%), in a tracked under-5,000 3.0 variant that plays it instead of The Log.
Electro Spirit, in the 3.0 and Rocket lists, is one of Season 88's boosted cards, so it plays at Level 16 this season. On your side, Electro Wizard and Electro Giant are also boosted cards, so they play at Level 16 this season too; Electro Wizard has 1,141 hitpoints at Level 16, against 714 at Level 11.
Earlier 2026 changes still shape the matchup:
- August 3, 2026: X-Bow hit speed 0.3 s → 0.4 s and damage 43 → 58, a bug fix that left its damage per second slightly higher (+1.4% by Supercell's figure) and stopped wasted shots. Ice Spirit and Electro Spirit hitpoints 230 → 215 (−6%). See the August 2026 balance changes.
- September 8, 2026: Fireball Crown Tower damage 172 → 159 (−8%), Wizard damage 281 → 304 (+8%), Ice Golem hitpoints 1,315 → 1,228 (−7%). See the September 2026 balance changes.
What are the most common mistakes against X-Bow?
X-Bow punishes five mistakes:
Mistake 1: Placing your tank after the X-Bow has locked on. The deploy takes 3.5 seconds; drop your tank or building during it. Once locked, you need a stun to redirect it.
Mistake 2: Sending support before the tank. Tesla, Archers and Knight kill a lone Musketeer or Wizard. Tank first, then add damage.
Mistake 3: Using your win condition to tank. Hog Rider or Battle Ram spent on defense is a push you lose. Use Knight, Valkyrie, Ice Golem or a building. Giant, Golem and Mega Knight are the exception: they tank and attack.
Mistake 4: Ignoring X-Bow to race. An unanswered X-Bow fires up to 75 times in its 30-second lifetime, 4,575 damage at Level 11. Block it first, then push the other lane with what you have left.
Mistake 5: Trying to Fireball it down. Fireball (689) and The Log do not kill a 1,600-hitpoint building. Spend spells on its support and let troops kill the X-Bow.
For spell timing on your own side, see the spell cycling guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did X-Bow get buffed in October 2026?
X-Bow was buffed in the October 6, 2026 Season 88 patch: damage per shot 58 → 61 (+4%) at Level 11. It still fires every 0.4 seconds, the rate set by the August 3, 2026 bug fix.
What is the best card to counter X-Bow?
Wizard (5 elixir) is the best card to counter X-Bow because its splash kills the Archers, Skeletons and Knight that defend the building (353 to 2,194 battles per band; October 6–12, 2026). Valkyrie (4 elixir) and Mini P.E.K.K.A (4 elixir) break the building up close.
How much damage does X-Bow do to a tower?
X-Bow deals 61 damage every 0.4 seconds at Level 11, about 152 damage per second. Unblocked for its full 30-second lifetime, that is up to 75 shots and 4,575 damage.
Can Rocket kill an X-Bow?
Rocket deals 1,485 damage at Level 11, leaving a fresh 1,600-hitpoint X-Bow on 115 hitpoints. A few seconds of lifetime decay or one more hit finishes it, and Rocket was met in 168 battles at 9,000+.
Can air troops counter X-Bow?
Air troops counter X-Bow because it targets ground only. Balloon (5 elixir) flies over it, but Tesla and Archers still hit air, so send a tank first.
Is Ice Bow harder to beat than 3.0 X-Bow?
Ice Bow averages 3.5 elixir against the 3.0 list's 3.0 and is tracked only at 8,000–9,000 and 9,000+, with no head-to-head result yet. Its Tornado punishes clumped pushes, so spread your troops and pull the X-Bow's lock with a building.
Is X-Bow still popular in October 2026?
X-Bow Siege holds 3.95% popularity under 5,000 trophies and 1.45% at 9,000+ in the October 12, 2026 snapshot. Ice Bow is outside the top 30 archetypes in every band.