Clash Royale: 15 Best Cards For Your Deck (2024)

Clash Royale is a free-to-play mobile multiplayer battle card game released and published by Supercell in early 2016. Many players love Clash Royale because of how seamlessly the game mixes aspects of a card game and a battle arena. It’s a unique game that includes charming cards, each with its own abilities that attack enemy towers and defend your base.

There are benefits and drawbacks to each card you decide to pick for your deck. However, we cannot deny the power of certain cards over others. Although, in Clash Royale, it's really not all about strength. Elements such as Elixir cost, or how effectively it combines with other cards, need to be taken into account. Some cards may not be super strong, but boy, do they come in handy in critical situations!

Updated By Umair Malik on June 12, 2024: With new cards introduced every month, the meta is constantly evolving, and new cards find their way into multiple decks, especially these ones. We've updated this list to add new cards and better reflect the current meta.

15 Arrows

The Essential Area Damage Spell

Arrows are great for defending against hordes of skeletons, goblins, and minions. They will also save your buildings from quick goblin barrels. They especially come in handy when you don’t have enough Elixir to use troops.

Unlike other area damage cards, such as Zap or Fireball, arrows have a very wide radius, so they can target hordes of troops in a larger area. Arrows are also great for last-minute or throughout-the-match targeted tower attacks. Arrows only cost three Elixir, and you will most likely benefit greatly from them if used wisely.

14 Goblin Gang

Three Goblins And Three Spear Goblins, For Only Three Elixir

This may be a surprising one as the six-pack goblin gang may not be known for its power. Nevertheless, this card is so versatile and useful in many different instances during a match. It includes three Goblins and three Spear Goblins, so they can be used to defend a base against ground or flying troops.

This gang is extremely useful when defending against cards with high hit points, such as the Giant, Royal Giant, Giant Skeleton, and P.E.K.K.A. With such a low-cost Elixir card, the gang can deter and quickly destroy deadly ground troops like the Prince. They will also gang up on high-damage cards, such as the Hog Rider. There’s just so much you can do with them!

13 Baby Dragon

A Splash Damage Fire Troop To Counter Most Swarms

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A cute yet dangerous flying troop, the Baby Dragon is a fantastic choice for flight attacks. It's perfect for damaging enemies down below who cannot aim for the Baby Dragon. For hordes, such as the Skeletons, Goblins, and Minions, this cute fella can make a good defense substitute if lacking an area-damage card at the moment.

When used with ground troops like the Knight or Valkyrie, the Baby Dragon can make a great team when attacking opponents. This flying troop is cheaper than others, such as the Wizard and Witch, only costing four Elixir. This powerful guy is one to seriously consider.

12 Knight

The Perfect Combination Of High HP And Moderate Damage For Cheap

The Knight is one of the first cards you're introduced to in the game. Even though this ground soldier may seem basic to some, he is a fantastic card to have in your deck. He is great for offensive and defensive maneuvers, not to mention he only costs three Elixir! He is good for distracting and attacking Mini P.E.K.K.A, Valkyrie, Prince, and more.

Since the Knight is inexpensive yet brawny, he can be used to sacrifice against the Giant Skeleton or skeleton hordes. Overall, the Knight is a well-rounded card and is one of the best troops to have in your deck.

11 Mega Knight

The Mid-Ladder Menace's Favorite Card

A legendary card that deals much damage, Mega Knight can take on several cards at once. Once placed in the game, your contender will have no choice but to place defensive troops before this man smashes their tower. The devastating damage he smashes onto troops and buildings is critical. He is an exceptional offensive player who can crush a significant oncoming attack.

However, Mega Knight can be countered with flying troops, such as bats or minions. The solution to this would be placing troops behind him that target flying ones, such as the Baby Dragon. He is faster than other high-damage giants, like P.E.K.K.A., which gives him a special edge.

10 Hog Rider

A Win Condition That Needs No Introduction

An undeniable card for ranking up tower damage. The Hog Rider is a fast, building-targeting card, making it a prominent offensive character. This card can be paired up with several different types of cards. These can be ground or flying troops, or instead, you can drop area spell cards to keep him protected against hordes.

The Hog Rider can be used throughout the game or unexpectedly applied at the end of a match. If not properly countered, your towers can say goodbye within a couple of seconds. He should never be underestimated and pretty much needs to be taken down immediately.

9 Witch

Splash Damage And A Useful Counter To Big Troops With Her Skeletons

A multi-purpose Epic card, the Witch is a one-of-a-kind troop that is substantial for building up attacks and counters. This card is great when combined with building-targeting cards. When placed behind these types, like the Balloon, Golem, P.E.K.K.A, or Giants, she can defend her front-line mates by shooting at flying troops or having her skeletons attack on the leveled playing field.

When used precisely, she can be a brutal opponent that is difficult to destroy, as it's quite difficult to reach her. Placing cards in front of her will protect this skeleton queen and have her continuously damage enemies; R.I.P. to your rival.

8 Freeze

Press Pause On Your Opponent's Towers Or Troops

When timed properly, this particular spell card can wreak havoc on an opponent's base. While attacking enemy towers, there is nothing more damaging than freezing their troops and demolishing their base in front of their eyes.

The freeze card is popularly used in combination with the Balloon, Skeleton Army, or Goblin Barrel. Frankly, it’s very effective with most building-targeting cards. This tactic forces your rival to react immediately and can truly turn the match around. On the contrary, if the Freeze spell is used in an untimely fashion, that will be a costly four Elixir wasted.

7 Valkyrie

Drop Her In The Middle Of A Bunch Of Troops And Watch Her Annihilate Them In Seconds

Simply a spectacular card for any deck, Valkyrie is a ground troop like no other. Her powerful axe, in combination with her spinning ability, will wipe out hordes in no time. She deals great damage and can destroy other ground troops with no problem. Due to her slow movement, she is better used for defensive actions, but when other cards are placed in front of her, she can deal high damage on towers.

Placing ranged troops behind her, such as archers, is also great for supporting Valkyrie, who is vulnerable to air attacks. Her 360° spin is simply incomparable to every card available.

6 Balloon

High Damaging Win Condition, Best Paired With The Lava Hound

A frightening building-targeting Epic card, everyone knows how destructive the Balloon can be. If not shot down on time, deadly bombs will obliterate your towers. You need to give this card your full attention once it's placed down. Maybe the Wizard or Witch can take it down on time? Even so, the Balloon will crash and burn troops in the vicinity.

Balloons are commonly paired with the Lumberjack, Rage, Lava Hound, Goblin Barrels, or Freeze spell. The Balloon can make a deadly combination with plenty of powerful cards. If your rivals can't shoot these cards down, they might as well say good night.

5 Tornado

A High Risk High Reward Spell

The Tornado is an Epic rarity spell, and it’s probably one of the best spells in the game, especially if you know how to use it well. The Tornado can pull troops to its center, meaning you can push together your opponent’s troops and let another spell or troop like the Firecracker hit all of them at once.

It can also be paired with the Magic Archer, Evolved Firecracker, or the Evolved bomber to hit the enemy towers directly, making this three elixir spell the best value you can potentially get if you place it well.

4 Firecracker

An Easy-To-Use Strategic Card

The Firecracker is seemingly everywhere, in almost every deck in Mid-Ladder and Trophy Road. Ever since Supercell gave away a free evolution, most players chose to Evolve the Firecracker, an already good card. The Firecracker is a counter to a lot of cards and is difficult to counter without arrows.

The Evolved version can survive the arrows and can deal more damage over a longer period of time now that the projectile lingers on for a bit. You can get a lot of value with this card, her only downside being the fact that she can activate your opponent’s King tower accidentally.

3 Skeletons

You'd Be Surprised By How Many Cards You Can Counter With One Elixir

The Skeletons are a one elixir common card that spawns three Skeletons that can surprisingly deal a lot of damage. They are killed really easily, though, but for some troops, they’re the perfect counter.

You can use the Skellies to divert a Prince, Mini Pekka, or any other non win-condition and distract them temporarily, allowing you to build up elixir and time to defend. They can also completely counter the Sparky and are a must-use in cycle decks. An extra cherry on top is the Skeletons' evolution, which is the most over-powered evolution in the game.

2 Little Prince

A Better Musketeer And A Better Knight For A Cheaper Cost

The Little Prince is without a doubt the best champion in Clash Royale, costing only three Elixir for basically a Musketeer and having an overpowered ability that can fully counter certain troops.

The Little Prince’s ability can push back troops, or straight up remove them like a log, while also giving you a powerful troop with similar stats to the Knight. The value you can get with this champion is incomparable to other cards of a similar elixir cost, and since most players got the Little Prince for free, they can easily add it to their deck.

1 Poison

Decimate Pushes, Use It For Cycling Damage Fast, Counter The Graveyard, All And More

The Poison is the most reliable spell in the game right now, dealing more damage than the Fireball over a longer time. It can counter almost all supportive damage troops like the Musketeer, but it is considered the best and most reliable counter against the Little Prince.

It can also be used defensively against the popular Golem Beatdown decks and can counter most evolutions like the Bats, the Firecracker, and the Bomber. As one of the most used spells in the game, the consistent performance of the Poison makes it perhaps the easiest-to-use spell in the game.