Clash Royale: 10 Tips 

This guide will go over some helpful Clash Royale tips and tricks. Perfect for beginners looking to learn how to play and start winning. The game has been extremely popular since it was released nearly one year ago. In fact, it won game of the year from Apple and Best Game by Google Play. For those just getting started, here are some helpful Clash Royale tips and tricks.

Clash of Clans was a popular game for years, but it’s starting to get overshadowed by Clash Royale. Featuring many of the same troops, characters, gold, elixir and other elements, but in a top-down real-time strategy style game. It has card collecting and real opponents you battle on the spot, which is extremely fun.

Before we start it’s always a good idea to see the latest changelogs (like our link above) as the game is constantly changing. The Giant isn’t as strong as before, Golems do tons of damage, and the Log is great for clearing small troops. Always stay up to date on the latest updates. Big changes can be the difference between winning and losing if you didn’t read about an update. Not to mention using new cards like the Executioner. It was just released, and its so vital you almost need to use it in order to win. Then, below are some tips to help beginners win more battles in Clash Royale.

Spend Gold Wisely

Gold is the most important currency in Clash Royale. Players don’t farm it like in Clash of Clans, and instead it’s earned by winning battles. You can also earn gold from free daily chests or clan chests. The more battles you win, the more chests you can unlock. Some take three hours to unlock, some take eight, and even 12 hours. I start those before heading to bed. It’s a long wait, but worth it. The Crown Chest gives out the most gold.

Read: Clash Royale Update: 7 Things We Want Next

Clash Royale troops (or cards) are upgraded by getting more of the same card. Once you have enough, spend gold to upgrade it to a powerful unit. Like the Giant, Goblins, skeletons, Hog Rider, and many other troops from Clash of Clans. It’s important to update troops as you progress, but don’t upgrade everything. Gold needs to be spent wisely, and sparingly. Only upgrade what you plan to use, and save as much as you can for the important upgrades later. You do want a good variety when changes come, but some troops early on just aren’t worth upgrading, and this will slow progression. Upgrade the cards you use the most, for a stronger and more capable army. Be careful not to over-level one card too much, as you never know when an update will make it less useful.

Taking part in challenges or Tournaments is a great way to earn gold and cards to upgrade too. The Grand Challenge can earn you hundreds of cards and lots of gold. Instantly allowing for huge upgrades that can turn the battle in your favor.

Have Variety in Your Battle Deck

The most important thing for beginners is setting up your deck. There are three different decks you can assemble and have on-hand, ready to fight with. Each troop has a number of Elixir cost. Don’t have all 2-3’s, and don’t have too many 5’s. They take longer, cost more, and you’ll quickly get outmatched and overrun. Variety and balance is key.

Mix up your deck with both high and low Elixir troops, as well as both ground and air. Giving you a wide array of options at any moment. If everything costs too much you’ll have moments where there are no cards available to play, and lose. A few cheap cards like the Fire Spirits are a great cheap counter. I use the Ice Spirit in every single deck. Don’t forget to have at least one or two “splash damage” cards. Like the Valkyrie, spells, or even Archers. If you get a Legendary, use it.

Adding a good variety of high and low level troops, as well as mixed air and ground becomes increasingly more important as the game progresses too. If the enemy has ground troops, drop a Dragon or Minions to kill them without taking any damage. Then turn that into a counter-attack. It’s all about timing, and strategy. This is one of the best yet most simple strategy games I’ve played on a mobile device. Another idea is “cycle decks”. All cheap cards with one expensive kill card. Then cycle through everything fast for a quick defense that turns into an offense as you drop a big card. Watch out for Poison or Fireball though. A big group is a nice target for the enemy to earn an Elixir advantage.

Use Skeleton Attacks

There are multiple different Skeleton troops, and everything but the Giant Skeleton are very weak, die quick, and are susceptible to arrow attacks. That said, Skeletons are a great distraction to deploy just before dropping a bigger “tank” troop to do heavy damage. Skeleton Army is a great card early on, and lately its even better the further you progress. They’re deadly when combined with the Hog, and are a great defense.

Once you feel confident and have fine-tuned the deck, then fight real opponents. Before you start, continue reading the rest of our tips for a better chance at victory. The trainers aren’t very smart either, so battle clan members too.

I do challenges to practice new decks and strategies. Yes it costs gems, but I’d rather learn in there than losing trophies on the ladder in multiplayer.

Don’t Attack First

Early on I was always first to attack, and my troops were getting countered by the enemy, and putting me behind from the start. It’s also a good idea not to attack first to keep the Elixir advantage. This alone can win battles. Players should wait for the Elixir bar to get full before attacking, and if possible, wait for the enemy to deploy first, to help choose the best troop and strategy to begin. This is called a positive elixir trade. Drop a 2-Elixir card to kill a 4-Elixir card. That puts you ahead. It will build up to a push the enemy can’t stop and you’ll win.

This doesn’t always work, but a good defense wins championships in the NFL, and the same rule applies here. Being able to have a solid defense allows players time to fill up Elixir, and counter-attack. Turn a strong defense into a powerful counter offensive attack. Another idea is saving select cards for the 1:00 minute mark, then surprise the enemy for a quick win. If you attack first, you’ve likely given away a secret kill card or strategy. I always save the Freeze spell for the final few pushes to catch the enemy off guard.

Don’t Rush Attacks

At times rushing an attack with multiple troops and starting heavy can overwhelm the enemy. And when this happens it feels good. However, good players will do what we mentioned above and defend, then counter with a solid offense and take out a tower. Using too many forces at once can often put you behind. If the enemy drops an Elixir collector and a Giant I know they have none left, so I push the other lane. Be smart with what you do. Take your time and be precise with each move. Don’t just use whatever card is up. Think about it, take positive Elixir trades and build up an advantage.

I’ve learned to start with one or two light troops, seeing what the enemy has, then going big with a Giant, followed by a Musketeer or similar. That or my second move will be a strong counter attack. Of course everyone will have a different strategy, approach, and style. Rushing may work for some, but beginners will want to take their time and learn first, much like a chess match, then out maneuver the enemy. Once you’ve learned which cards counter others best, rush your attacks if you’d like, and be prepared for a quick response from the enemy.

Another way to do a successful rush attack is during the middle of the battle. I wouldn’t recommend attacking a different tower if one already has damage, but a surprise push on the other side may catch them off-guard. It’s a quick way to win. Try it with the Minion Hoard.

Use Spells Often

In the early stages of Clash Royale most players don’t have spells, but within a week or so of playing you’ll likely have the Freeze spell, and then in arena 3-4 get the Rage spell. Freeze will as you expect, freeze everything. This is one of those cards I save to the end and use with precision for a last-minute surprise and instant victory.

The purple “Rage” spell increases speed, movement, and damage to wreck your enemy. Drop a Giant or Skeleton Giant, wait a few seconds, and drop the Rage. He’ll quickly get to their base, and destroy it. Rage a Balloon and enjoy the results. Now that Rage is only 2 Elixir it isn’t nearly as risky as it was before. Pair that with a balloon and its game over if you can make it to the tower.

Once you feel confident and have fine-tuned the deck, then fight real opponents. Before you start, continue reading the rest of our tips for a better chance at victory. The trainers aren’t very smart either, so battle clan members too.

I do challenges to practice new decks and strategies. Yes it costs gems, but I’d rather learn in there than losing trophies on the ladder in multiplayer.

Don’t Attack First

Early on I was always first to attack, and my troops were getting countered by the enemy, and putting me behind from the start. It’s also a good idea not to attack first to keep the Elixir advantage. This alone can win battles. Players should wait for the Elixir bar to get full before attacking, and if possible, wait for the enemy to deploy first, to help choose the best troop and strategy to begin. This is called a positive elixir trade. Drop a 2-Elixir card to kill a 4-Elixir card. That puts you ahead. It will build up to a push the enemy can’t stop and you’ll win.

This doesn’t always work, but a good defense wins championships in the NFL, and the same rule applies here. Being able to have a solid defense allows players time to fill up Elixir, and counter-attack. Turn a strong defense into a powerful counter offensive attack. Another idea is saving select cards for the 1:00 minute mark, then surprise the enemy for a quick win. If you attack first, you’ve likely given away a secret kill card or strategy. I always save the Freeze spell for the final few pushes to catch the enemy off guard.

Don’t Rush Attacks

At times rushing an attack with multiple troops and starting heavy can overwhelm the enemy. And when this happens it feels good. However, good players will do what we mentioned above and defend, then counter with a solid offense and take out a tower. Using too many forces at once can often put you behind. If the enemy drops an Elixir collector and a Giant I know they have none left, so I push the other lane. Be smart with what you do. Take your time and be precise with each move. Don’t just use whatever card is up. Think about it, take positive Elixir trades and build up an advantage.

I’ve learned to start with one or two light troops, seeing what the enemy has, then going big with a Giant, followed by a Musketeer or similar. That or my second move will be a strong counter attack. Of course everyone will have a different strategy, approach, and style. Rushing may work for some, but beginners will want to take their time and learn first, much like a chess match, then out maneuver the enemy. Once you’ve learned which cards counter others best, rush your attacks if you’d like, and be prepared for a quick response from the enemy.

Another way to do a successful rush attack is during the middle of the battle. I wouldn’t recommend attacking a different tower if one already has damage, but a surprise push on the other side may catch them off-guard. It’s a quick way to win. Try it with the Minion Hoard.

Use Spells Often

In the early stages of Clash Royale most players don’t have spells, but within a week or so of playing you’ll likely have the Freeze spell, and then in arena 3-4 get the Rage spell. Freeze will as you expect, freeze everything. This is one of those cards I save to the end and use with precision for a last-minute surprise and instant victory.

The purple “Rage” spell increases speed, movement, and damage to wreck your enemy. Drop a Giant or Skeleton Giant, wait a few seconds, and drop the Rage. He’ll quickly get to their base, and destroy it. Rage a Balloon and enjoy the results. Now that Rage is only 2 Elixir it isn’t nearly as risky as it was before. Pair that with a balloon and its game over if you can make it to the tower.

And about that freeze spell, I use it for everything. Perfect placement (and after waiting a few seconds and being risky) paid off as you can see above. I waited longer than I should have for the enemy to drop a troop to take out my balloon, then dropped the freeze. Stopping the tower and Witch both at once, and giving my balloon time to take an entire tower. Think ahead, be methodical, take your time, and use spells as a surprise to your advantage. Spells like the Lightning can also deal that last bit of damage as the clock winds down or in overtime to get a win.

Don’t Drop Trophies

The idea here is to “dump trophies” and be put in a lower arena to be matched up against easier opponents. Similar to dropping a troop and quitting an attack in Clash of Clans. Some do this for what they think is an advantage, but don’t do it. This slows progress, and doesn’t teach you to beat real opponents. Not to mention you’ll win less rewards in lower Arenas.

I keep seeing users mention this on forums, that they’ve been dumping trophies in an effort to lower where they battle to have a better chance at winning. This doesn’t work. Reach Arena 2 and 3 as quick as possible, to upgrade troops and have a better chance at winning.

i’ve just reached level 10 in Clash Royale and battle in Legendary. The higher the arena, the better the “Chests” when you win battles. One chest gave me 101 cannon cards, and gave out enough that I could upgrade it three times. It’s great on defense. That’s a huge upgrade and tons of money just for fighting in a higher Arena. That boost will help users win battles, rather than just fighting easier enemies.

At the end of the day don’t drop trophies just to fight in a lower arena, it’s not worth it.

Check Out Decks on YouTube

Another great idea is to head to YouTube or forums for ideas regarding the perfect deck to attack with. This is both a pro and a con. On the plus side, users have some great variety and extremely well-balanced decks that will help players win. That said, many other players have seen these same decks in the forums or popular videos, and know exactly how to defeat them. Not to mention you may not play it as well as others at first.

Be sure to try out a big variety of different decks to find what works best for you. Don’t rely solely on that though. Clash Royale mixes up the deck card rotation after a win streak, and will quickly make it more difficult to win. When this happens don’t keep trying and hoping you’ll get cards in the order you want. Quickly go in and change things up a bit or take a break from a losing streak. We all have them.

Watch Replays on TV Royale

Another last minute tip is to watch TV Royale. It has a list of replays from the most skilled and highest players in the world, or just exciting battles. This will help beginners get an idea of what works, what doesn’t, and how to be strategic rather than just stampeding forward. Watch card placement and other things to get better. Additionally, you’ll see decks that work. However, it takes practice so don’t be surprised if you get a deck from a top player and don’t win right away. Practice makes perfect.

Last but not least, Clash with Ash is a popular YouTuber who makes videos for Supercell. He offers a little of everything and has some helpful tips for beginners and more. Also watch videos from GamingWithMolt or Nickatnyte for troop ideas.

Once players learn to build a well-balanced deck is when they start winning. Always have a chest in the cycle to open once it’s available, and sign in every four hours to get a free chest to earn gold and upgrade cards.

Chests are extremely important, so open them as often as possible. Try to only spend Gold when it’s really needed, and on troops you’ll actually use. Then once you reach level 3 join a clan so other players can donate cards. You’ll also earn gold for donating, which in turn helps you upgrade your own cards faster too. Keep getting better and better, and you’ll start winning.

At the end of the day it’s all about strategy. Beating players a level or two higher than you isn’t impossible. It does take skill, time, and practice. Don’t get discouraged after losing 4-5 in a row. Before you know it you’ll be on a winning streak and have a full bar of chests ready to be opened. Good luck getting legendary cards, and enjoy. Feel free to drop a comment below with questions, tips, tricks and more. Take note though, cheats don’t work in Clash Royale, so don’t try them. Game on!