How to get better at Clash Royale: Top tips & tricks
Clash Royale is easily one of the most competitive multiplayer games out there where your skills are put to the test in three-minute-long matches. If your progress has hit a plateau, these tips might help you become better at Clash Royale.
Clash Royale takes inspiration from Clash of Clans but in terms of gameplay, both games are as different as it gets. The former is a multiplayer title where you and your opponent have three towers on each side and the one to break more towers wins.
There’s a wide variety of cards in Clash Royale that range from spells like Lightning to troops such as Electro Giants. You can use a deck of eight cards in every game. To win matches, you should not only have the best deck but also know how to play every card.
Now that it’s clear that winning games in Clash Royale is not a piece of cake, here’s how to get better at the game.
- Clash Royale tips for pushing rank, increasing trophies, Clan Wars, more
- Deck-building tips in Clash Royale
- Gameplay tips in Clash Royale
- General tips
SupercellClash Royale tips for pushing rank, increasing trophies, Clan Wars, more
You can get better at Clash Royale by learning two things – deck-building and strategy. Both these skills are interrelated as a proper strategy lets you make most of your deck.
Accordingly, we’ve divided this article into two major sections: deck-building tips and gameplay tips.
Deck-building tips in Clash Royale
Make balanced decks
The best decks in Clash Royale contain buildings, spells, attackers, and defenders. While some cards like Hog Riders are purely offensive in nature, others like Giants can be used defensively to lure troops as well.
To get an idea of some balanced decks, check out this list of the best decks in Clash Royale. You’ll notice how every deck has at least one card that takes care of the attack, some spells that can be a source of instant damage or defense, and some support characters that can defend your towers as well as aid the aggressors.
Include spells in your deck
Do not miss out on including spells in your deck. To be fair, they are the only cards in the game that deal guaranteed damage if you place them correctly. Also, do not waste your spells on just towers unless they can one-shot them.
To gain the maximum advantage of a spell, place it over a swarm of enemies.
Elixir efficiency of a deck
Cards with high Elixir costs such as Royal Giant, Three Musketeers, and P.E.K.K.A are definitely strong but you can’t expect to win with a deck of eight such cards. It is important to balance out your Elixir cost by adding the likes of Skeletons, Fire Spirit, Ice Spirit, Goblins, and others.
The average Elixir cost of a deck determines how often you’ll be able to use your cards. While unleashing a heavy attack is important, you also need troops to defend you during emergencies.
Do not underestimate cards that require low Elixir as a group of Skeletons can easily take down a Minni P.E.K.K.A. and provide you with a three Elixir advantage.
Upgrade cards
Make sure to upgrade the cards that you’re using prominently in Clash Royale. After a point, the level of your cards will matter a lot so it’s wise to join Clans that regularly provide you with card donations. Also, manage your Gems and Gold well and only spend them on cards that are relevant to the meta.
Legendaries are great, but not a necessity
You unlock rare cards in Clash Royale with luck or money. Even if you don’t have both, the game provides enough opportunities to at least unlock cards till Epic rarity and upgrade them through the Shop.
There are many decks that only include one or two Legendary cards at max, and some of the best players in the world use them as well.
Gameplay tips in Clash Royale
Card Placement
Card placement is arguably the most important factor in Clash Royale matches. For instance, by placing Tornado right between the King Tower and Archer Tower on either side, you can pull a Hog Rider towards the King Tower and entirely waste an enemy attack.
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Similarly, the only way to effectively counter an Electro Giant is to exploit its massive range. Hence, if you place a building at the edge of the giant’s range, you’ll be able to divert it to the other Archer Tower lane.
Placement can be a deciding factor in countless ways. If you place a Fire Spirit right after a Goblin Barrel, it won’t target all three Goblins. However, placing Skeletons before the Fire Spirit lets the latter clear all Goblins at once.
Lastly, do not place your attacking cards right on the bridge. It’s better to place attackers like Giants and Lava Balloon at the end of your territory. This gives you more time to anticipate the opponent’s defense and strengthen your attack by placing more troops behind the tank.
These are just some examples of the significance of card placement. You can check out some great placement tips in this video by major Clash Royale YouTuber SirTagCR:
Defense
Defense in Clash Royale is also related to card placement as you should avoid placing too many cards close to each other because then, a single spell will be able to take them down. Similarly, buildings can lure opponents and save your tower but placing them too far or too close is not the right thing to do.
Moreover, overcommitting on defense can mess up your Elixir efficiency. Do not use all your Elixir the moment you see a Golem reaching your tower. Sometimes, it’s better to wait until the opponent uses their spells.
Attacking
Attacking is no less than an art in Clash Royale. The way you use your troops can easily make a deck useless or broken. For instance, the Hog Rider itself might not be able to take down a tower but if you use it with a spell that instantly clears the defense, the damage output can be much more.
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Tanks such as Giants, Golems, and Lava Hounds do not stand out because of their attack/damage, but because of their ability to soak incoming damage. A Balloon placed behind a Giant or a Lava Hound can reach the opponent’s Tower without taking any damage and this is exactly how you should be building your attacks.
It is important that you do not attack blindly in Clash Royale. Avoid using cards independently and build your attacks with proper pairs. A great example is keeping a Zap/Lightning spell ready whenever you use the Golem, Giant, or Lava Hound.
Keep track of Elixir
Both players in a Clash Royale match start with 10 Elixir. Thereafter, the decks and playstyle determine how this currency is used in the game.
Keeping a check on the amount of Elixir your opponent has spent helps in timing attacks. For instance, if your opponent just spent eight Elixir on a Golem, you can use this time to unleash an attack on their other tower and there’s a high chance that they won’t have a good defense due to the lack of Elixir.
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Likewise, do not rush an attack without knowing the opponent’s Elixir count. You wouldn’t want to spend 10 Elixir on an attack that deals minimal damage.
Towers
Although you win a game by defeating the opponent’s King Tower, avoid attacking it directly before breaking an Archer tower. Also, sacrificing a tower is completely fine and is much better than wasting troops on defending 100-200 hitpoints.
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While playing Elixir-heavy decks like Golem Beatdown, it is common for players to initially lose one or even two towers without unleashing a proper attack in return. However, the double Elixir phase is enough to turn the tide and patience can be rewarding.
Learn Elixir trades
Yes, a Bowler can defeat Goblins but doing so isn’t a tactical move. Instead, focus on defeating the opponent’s troops with cards that cost less and give an Elixir advantage.
Obviously, for this, you’ll need to learn the Elixir costs of all the cards in the game.
General tips
Here are some things that you should keep in mind while playing Clash Royale:
- Take a break after a severe losing streak.
- Try to play more when you have Chest slots available. Chest drop cards that help in upgrades.
Well, this was everything to know about getting better in Clash Royale. These tips are just to make sure that you don’t do rookie mistakes and at the end of the day, it’s all about practicing and learning from errors.
For similar content on mobile games, check out our coverage of Genshin Impact, Brawlhalla, and Cookie Run Kingdom.
Image Credits: Supercell