Not all cards in Clash Royale are created equal. Some dominate the meta, others barely make a splash. We’ve ranked every card from best to worst in this tier list so you’ll know exactly which ones deserve a spot in your deck!
There are currently 121 cards available in Clash Royale. Needless to say, that's a lot of options. Considering you only have 8 card slots in a deck, you're pretty much spoilt for choice.
So, deciding which cards to have in your deck can be tricky. Each card comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Often at times, there's only a minor difference between each card. But the choice is still important because selecting the right cards can create strong synergy, resulting in a game-winning deck.
So, to help you sort out the possible selections for your deck, we've ranked all the cards you can currently find in Clash Royale.
All Cards in Clash Royale, Ranked
We’ve ranked every card in Clash Royale based on their overall versatility, win rates, and how they're performing in the current meta. The impact made by the November balance changes was also considered. Take note that we've excluded Tower Troops and Card Evolutions from the tier list.
The rankings of this tier list are easy to understand. The S-tier showcases the very best cards you can use at the moment. The power levels of the cards decrease as you move down the tiers. Finally, the F-tier highlights the worst cards that can be used in the current meta.
That said, here's a breakdown of our card tier list for Clash Royale:
| Tier | Cards |
| S | Mega Knight, The Log, Valkyrie, Arrows, Wizard, Tesla, Dart Goblin, Barbarian Barrel, Firecracker, Vines, Cannon, and Boss Bandit |
| A | Witch, Mini PEKKA, Skeleton King, Goblin Barrel, Furnace, Bomb Tower, Knight, Zap, Electro Wizard, Musketeer, Golden Knight, Fireball, Hog Rider, Rage, Baby Dragon, Balloon, Graveyard, Inferno Tower, PEKKA, Three Musketeers, Dark Prince, Giant Snowball, Princess, Ice Golem, Archer Queen, Little Prince, Spirit Empress, Suspicious Bush, Lumberjack, Skeletons, Electro Spirit, Magic Archer, and Royal Ghost |
| B | Goblinstein, Bandit, Monk, Bowler, Royal Delivery, Archers, Prince, Rocket, Royal Recruits, Ice Wizard, Guards, Goblin Curse, Tombstone, Poison, Fire Spirit, Goblin Cage, Minion Horde, Goblin Hut, Miner, Ice Spirit, Inferno Dragon, Elite Barbarians, Lightning, Battle Ram, Executioner, Skeleton Barrel, Rascals, Electro Dragon, Ram Rider, Elixir Golem, Battle Healer, Goblin Machine, Berserker, Gobling Gang, Hunter, Mortar, Giant Skeleton, Wall Breakers, Mighty Miner, and Bats |
| C | Royal Giant, Clone, Goblin Demolisher, Golem, Earthquake, X-Bow, Elixir Collector, Bomber, Spear Goblins, Minions, Barbarians, Freeze, Giant, Skeleton Army, Mega Minion, Flying Machine, Tornado, Cannon Cart, Zappies, Royal Hogs, Fisherman, Skeleton Dragons, Electro Giant, Mother Witch, Night Witch, Goblin Drill, and Phoenix |
| D | Void, Mirror, Goblin Giant, Goblins, Lava Hound, Sparky, and Heal Spirit |
| F | Rune Giant and Barbarian Hut |
We'll update these rankings if any new cards or balance changes are introduced to the game.
Best Cards in Clash Royale
The best cards in Clash Royale at the moment are Mega Knight, The Log, Dart Goblin, Babarian Barrel, Arrows, and Firecracker.
The Mega Knight has been a go-to pick for many in the community simply because of its high HP. Naturally, this means this troop can be a good tank, capable of absorbing enemy damage or serving as a distraction. The Mega Knight also has decent damage output and can even leap towards his enemies.
The Log is one of the most reliable spells in the game, as it can easily clear lines of low-HP troops. It's especially useful in the current meta because a lot of meta decks have cards that spawn swarms on the battlefield.
The Dart Goblin is a popular card for a lot of players, as it is cheap and has a rapid rate of fire. This means it can function as a good damage dealer or as a quick distraction.
Barbarian Barrel has seen a rise in both its popularity over the last few seasons. It's mainly due to its effectiveness, as it's essentially The Log, but with the ability to spawn a Barbarian. This makes this spell a great distraction and equally great at area-of-effect (AoE) damage.
Arrows are another superb AoE spell, which is capable of rapidly eliminating waves of enemy troops or draining down the HP of high-HP enemy troops. You can easily rely on this to take out threats.
Firecracker has been a strong pick for the longest time in Clash Royale—and for good reason, too. It's capable of dishing out high-impact damage, which can be useful in clearing waves. The direct damage output of this unit is also considerably high.
Worst Cards in Clash Royale
Unfortunately, the least effective cards in Clash Royale are the Rune Giant and the Barbarian Hut.
We'll admit that the Rune Giant can be good in certain circumstances thanks to its damage-buffing ability. But, overall, the card is super weak. Its HP is rather low, and its abilities are rarely felt in the arena. This makes it a hard sell for those building a powerful deck.
The Barbarian Hut sits at this rank because it's a costly 6 Elixir card. On top of this, it has a rather slow spawn speed compared to the Goblin Hut. Ultimately, this results in it having a low impact in battle and increased vulnerability if you deploy it all by itself. Given that Clash Royale is pretty fast-paced, this makes this card not the most suitable option in the current meta.