If you’re hovering in the 7000–8000 trophy range, you’ve probably noticed one thing: games are decided by small mistakes—one missed ability timing, one overcommit, one bad cycle. That’s why Miner Skeleton King Control is one of the best decks for 7000–8000 trophies this week: it punishes overextensions, defends efficiently, and wins with repeatable chip damage.
Miner Skeleton King Control deck list (7000–8000 meta)
Cards: Miner, Skeleton King, Phoenix, Bomb Tower, Poison, The Log, Spear Goblins, Skeletons
Average elixir: ~3.1
Why it fits the 7000–8000 meta this week:
- Miner + Poison gives consistent tower damage even when you can’t break through.
- Skeleton King turns defended pushes into counterpush threats (especially after Bomb Tower value).
- Phoenix forces awkward answers and often baits out the reset/air counter for your Miner pressure.
Tip: If you face heavy bait all day, swap Spear Goblins → Goblins for stronger single-target DPS on defense.
Action item: Copy the list exactly and play 10 ladder games to learn your “default” defense placements.
How to win with Miner control at 7000–8000 trophies
Your win condition is Miner chip with Poison (or Miner + Phoenix pressure) while you defend cheaply and build Skeleton King souls.
Your bread-and-butter cycle
Use these repeatable patterns:
- Miner (safe spot) → wait → Poison if they commit 3+ elixir to stop Miner
- Bomb Tower to stop the main threat → Phoenix behind it for counterpush
- Skeleton King in the lane you defended → ability when you’ve collected ~8–12 souls
Miner placements that work on ladder
Rotate between 3 spots so opponents can’t pre-place:
- Back corner (safe vs most)
- Side tile near the princess tower (dodges some predictions)
- Front tile (punishes slow reactions, good when you’ve shown back corner twice)
Tip: Don’t Poison “just because.” In Miner control, Poison should usually hit tower + at least one unit (or deny a building).
Action item: In your next session, track how many Poisons hit tower + unit. Aim for 60%+.
Bomb Tower + Poison: your core defense for meta decks this week
In the 7000–8000 meta, you’ll see lots of Hog/Drill pressure, bridge spam bursts, and Graveyard/beatdown setups. Bomb Tower plus cheap cycle lets you avoid panic defending.
Versus Hog Rider and fast cycle (common 7000–8000 ladder decks)
- Bomb Tower centered pulls Hog every time if placed early (don’t wait until Hog is on your tower).
- Log cleans up support like Skeletons/Goblins and prevents extra hits.
- Miner can pressure opposite lane when they overspend on Hog support.
Key rule: If Bomb Tower is in cycle, don’t spend it aggressively. Save it for their win condition.
Action item: When you lose to Hog, rewatch the replay and check if Bomb Tower was out of cycle when they pushed.
Versus Drill and pressure control
- Bomb Tower placed to splash both Drill spawns and any support is your best friend.
- Skeleton King is excellent here—defending Drill builds souls quickly.
- Poison on their defensive building + tower often wins long games.
Tip: If they keep predicting your Bomb Tower with spells, delay your placement by a half-second and use Skeletons/Spear Goblins first to force commitment.
Action item: Practice one “delay defense” per game: cheap unit first, Bomb Tower second.
Versus Graveyard
- Bomb Tower + Phoenix usually stabilizes, but you must avoid giving them spell value.
- Poison is your answer tool: Poison the Graveyard when it’s supported (especially with Tombstone/Barbarian Barrel-type pressure).
- Skeleton King ability can wipe the Graveyard skeletons if timed after they start stacking.
Key timing: Don’t pop Skeleton King ability instantly—wait until the Graveyard has produced several skeletons so your swarm actually clears.
Action item: In your next Graveyard matchup, commit to one rule: ability only after at least 2–3 skeleton waves appear.
Matchup shortcuts for the 7000–8000 meta (what to do in single elixir)
This is a meta-analysis cheat sheet for this week’s ladder decks in the 7000–8000 range.
Versus beatdown (Golem/Giant/E-Giant)
- Play defense-first: Bomb Tower for the tank, Phoenix for air/support, Log for cleanup.
- Miner opposite lane when they drop a big tank in back (force them to spend).
- Save Poison for support units behind the tank, not the tank itself.
Action item: If they drop a tank in back, Miner opposite lane within 2 seconds—no hesitation.
Versus bridge spam
- Don’t give them Poison value on defense; space your units.
- Skeleton King in the correct lane turns their aggression into your counterpush.
- Phoenix trades up when protected by Bomb Tower splash.
Action item: Pick one spacing rule: never stack Phoenix and Skeleton King in the same spell radius.
Versus bait
- Log discipline wins: don’t Log “one Goblin” unless it saves damage.
- Poison can delete their bait clumps and force awkward defense vs Miner.
- Consider the Spear Goblins → Goblins swap if bait is 50%+ of your matchups.
Action item: Count your Logs in a bait game—aim to never Log before they commit their main bait card.
What to do next (tight improvement plan)
If you want to climb with one of the best decks for 7000–8000 trophies this week, focus on repeatable fundamentals:
- Play 15 games with Miner Skeleton King Control and write down your 3 most common losses (Hog? Graveyard? E-Giant?).
- Fix one thing at a time:
- Out-of-cycle Bomb Tower → stop using Bomb Tower for chip defense.
- Low Poison value → only Poison when you hit tower + unit/building.
- Bad Skeleton King ability timing → wait for 8–12 souls or clear value.
- Track a simple goal: win 2 more games per 10 by improving one matchup.
Action item: Queue ladder now and commit to one improvement rule for the next 5 games.
Closing: more 7000–8000 meta decks and upgrades
Miner control is a reliable answer to the 7000–8000 meta because it doesn’t need perfect openings—it wins by decision-making. If you want more ladder decks and meta decks this week, check out our other guides on best decks 7000–8000 trophies and matchup-specific counters (Hog cycle, Graveyard, and beatdown).
Action item: Save this deck, then bookmark your worst matchup guide so you can fix it next session.