Clash Royale is a popular real-time multiplayer strategy game developed and published by Supercell, the creators of other hit mobile games like Clash of Clans. It combines elements of collectible card games, tower defense, and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games.
Key Features:
- Gameplay: Players collect and upgrade cards that represent troops, spells, and buildings, and use them to battle against opponents in real-time. The objective is to destroy the opponent’s towers while defending your own.
- Arenas and Trophies: Players compete in various arenas, each unlocked by earning trophies through victories. Winning battles earns trophies, while losing results in a loss of trophies.
- Cards and Deck Building: Players can collect over 100 unique cards, including common, rare, epic, and legendary cards. Deck building is strategic, requiring a balance of offense and defense, with different elixir costs and synergies.
- Clans and Clan Wars: Players can join or create clans to donate cards, participate in clan wars, and earn rewards through cooperative and competitive gameplay.
- Seasonal Events and Challenges: The game regularly features special events, challenges, and seasonal updates that offer new cards, balance changes, and unique game modes.
- Progression and Rewards: Players earn chests, gold, and other rewards by winning battles. Chests contain cards and gold, which are used to upgrade and level up cards, enhancing their stats.
Strategy and Tactics:
Clash Royale requires a mix of quick decision-making, strategy, and adaptability. Players need to consider elixir management, card placement, timing, and countering opponent moves.
Monetization:
The game is free-to-play but offers in-app purchases for gems (the premium currency), which can be used to buy chests, cards, and gold or to speed up progress. However, players can progress without spending money by playing regularly and completing challenges.
Key Takeaways
- Fireball provides versatile utility against enemies and buildings, a solid inclusion in beginner decks.
- Zap offers instant, affordable stun and damage, synergizing well with other spells in a beginner deck.
- Arrows deliver powerful area damage but require strategic timing due to slower speed and higher cost.
With over a hundred cards, Clash Royale boasts one of the most extensive rosters among similar games. While this variety enhances the game’s engagement and fun, it can be overwhelming for newcomers. One common question among beginners is: Which cards are ideal for a starter deck? To address this, let’s go through the nine most effective beginner cards across Common and Rare categories that players can unlock early in the game.
Clash Royale Beginner Card Tier List
The following table is a quicker way to find the best beginner cards in Clash Royale. It divides the most beginner-friendly cards into four tiers: S+, S, A, and B.
|
Tier |
Cards |
|---|---|
|
S+ |
Musketeer, Knight |
|
S |
Mini P.E.K.K.A., Giant |
|
A |
Arrows, Bomber, Archers |
|
B |
Fireball, Zap |
9 Fireball
Best Property: Knockback and Versatility
- Elixir Cost: 4
- Rarity: Rare
- How to Get: Training Camp
Fireball is an iconic card in Clash Royale, one that most beginners tend to spam during their early days. However, there’s a reason why this spell remains popular, even among veteran players. Fireball provides consistent utility in several strategic maneuvers:
- It can finish off weakened enemies or destroy low-HP buildings.
- It can knock back offensive enemy troops or redirect their attack route.
- It can wipe out swarms before they even cross the bridge.
While Fireball might eventually be overshadowed by more powerful cards unlocked at higher levels, it remains a versatile and reliable option. Despite being a low-tier beginner card, Fireball is still a solid addition to most decks, regardless of their archetype or play style.
8 Zap
Best Property: Agility and Cost-effectiveness
- Elixir Cost: 2
- Rarity: Common
- How to Get: Builder’s Workshop
Zap is like a mini version of Arrows, offering a quick, instant effect that beginners will find invaluable. Its immediate stun, combined with moderate area-of-effect (AoE) damage, can hold back enemy troops, soften them up, and set them up to be finished off by other offensive units. Moreover, Zap is cheaper to deploy than comparable cards like Arrows, making it an affordable and efficient tech option.
What sets Zap apart is its consistent synergy with other spell cards like Fireball and Poison, making it a strong candidate for beginner decks. Additionally, Zap serves as a reliable reinforcement for low-HP, high-damage troops, giving them the buffer they need to land a decisive blow.
7 Arrows
Best Property: Area of Effect
- Elixir Cost: 3
- Rarity: Common
- How to Get: Training Camp
Arrows might be replaceable with better spell cards at higher ranks, but for a beginner in Clash Royale, it’s an essential deck component. This card offers powerful area-of-effect (AoE) damage, capable of wiping out both aerial and ground swarms. To highlight its effectiveness, Arrows can eliminate Minions that are five levels higher—a significant advantage in many situations.
However, Arrows come with a few drawbacks, which is why they don’t rank higher on the list. The card is relatively slow and costly. When summoned, Arrows take a few seconds to reach their target, requiring the player to anticipate the enemy’s movement—a skill that may not come naturally to beginners. Additionally, Arrows demand more Elixir than similar options like Zap, which can make them a less economical choice for some decks.
Arrows were nerfed during Season 62’s final balance change.
6 Bomber
Best Property: Destructibility
- Elixir Cost: 2
- Rarity: Common
- How to Get: Bone Pit
The Bomber might not be perceived as a deadly drop due to his limited area of effect, but he stands out as one of the most effective early-game units. His high damage output allows him to neutralize enemy solo attackers with ease, making him a reliable choice for beginners.
Bomber excels at taking down ground swarms on his own, effortlessly clearing the battlefield of weaker units. When paired with cards like Ice Golem, he transforms into a formidable secondary damage dealer, significantly boosting the deck’s overall destructibility.
However, Bomber’s downside — and the reason he’s not ranked higher — is his vulnerability. He’s easy to counter, as most single-target drops with moderate damage can eliminate him with minimal risk, making it crucial to deploy him strategically to maximize his impact.
5 Archers
Best Property: Versatile Synergies
- Elixir Cost: 3
- Rarity: Common
- How to Get: Training Camp
Archers are a staple in many beginner decks, and for good reason. They offer valuable aerial support and deal solid damage to ground troops. For new players, Archers are particularly essential as they effectively counter one of the early metagame’s biggest threats: the Balloon. By deploying Archers, players can protect their troops from the Balloon’s air-to-ground assault, which can significantly impact the outcome of a match.
For those aiming to maintain an offensive strategy, pairing Archers with tank cards is a strategic choice. The tank absorbs the initial damage, allowing Archers to focus on eliminating key targets without taking too much damage themselves.
4 Mini P.E.K.K.A.
Best Property: Defense-Offense Balance
- Elixir Cost: 4
- Rarity: Rare
- How to Get: Training Camp
Utilized as a budget tank, Mini P.E.K.K.A. is one of the most versatile cards in Clash Royale. It excels as both a tank counter and a solo destroyer. Mini P.E.K.K.A. is agile, durable, and highly effective against heavy troops like the Giant. When paired with support cards that provide large-area damage, Mini P.E.K.K.A. can become a formidable force on the battlefield.
However, Mini P.E.K.K.A.’s primary drawback is its vulnerability to swarms. Without any area-of-effect attacks, it struggles against groups of enemies such as Skeleton Army or Royal Recruits, making it easy to counter with these types of cards.
3 Giant
Best Property: Targeted DMG
- Elixir Cost: 5
- Rarity: Rare
- How to Get: Training Camp
No beginner Clash Royale deck is complete without the Giant. This tanky unit serves as a reliable win condition when used offensively, but it also has defensive utility. What makes the Giant a solid card is his targeted damage: he specifically attacks buildings. With this ability, the Giant becomes a primary tower damage dealer. Additionally, players can deploy the Giant near their own towers to distract enemy units and draw them away from the Crown Tower.
Here are two effective strategies for using the Giant:
- Using Giant as a Shield: The Giant can protect low-HP, high-damage units, providing them with the extra time they need to eliminate targets.
- Reinforcing Giant’s Destructibility: When combined with cards like Balloon, the Giant can deal significantly more damage and become a more formidable force.
2 Musketeer
Best Property: Long-range DMG
- Elixir Cost: 4
- Rarity: Rare
- How to Get: Training Camp
An often overlooked unit in many beginner decks, the Musketeer is actually one of the best cards in Clash Royale. She offers excellent synergy with most ground-to-ground offensive strategies and provides reliable firepower from a safe distance. The Musketeer is invaluable for protecting friendly ground troops from aerial counterattacks, as she can hit targets from six tiles away.
What makes the Musketeer a highly strategic card is her ability to chip away at the opponent’s HP without being directly engaged in the battle. Pro players often place her away from the crowded bridge, allowing her to provide supportive cannonball-like firepower to the units actively engaging the enemy.
1 Knight
Best Property: Cost-Effective Tank Stats
- Elixir Cost: 3
- Rarity: Common
- How to Get: Training Camp
The Knight is the best beginner card in Clash Royale due to its sheer utility. Whether used as a frontline offense unit or a backline defense option, the Knight is a versatile and reliable choice. As a low-cost tank, he can effectively shield ranged attackers, giving them time to inflict more damage. Additionally, he excels in one-on-one combat, capable of taking down formidable foes like the Prince and Giant Skeleton.
While the Knight is highly effective overall, there are a few scenarios where his utility may be limited. Despite his strength as a solo attacker—where he can chip away at half of an enemy’s Crown Tower HP—he is somewhat vulnerable to horde attackers. Swarms can overwhelm and take down the Knight relatively quickly, although he can still one-shot Goblins of his level.
