7 Tips and Strategies for Playing ‘Clash Royale’

Supercell, the company that made Clash of Clans, has just released a new mobile game called Clash Royale. This game is already on its path to world domination. Why? Because it’s incredibly fun. It’s also surprisingly deep, so it’s a good idea to go into it with a few tips in mind.

Clash Royale is mashup of genres. It’s a card game, in that you amass a collection of cards to use in battle, kind of like Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering. It’s also a tower defense game because your cards summon troops, spells, and buildings that help you take down your opponents’ castles. The game might look simple on the surface, but there’s a lot going on once you get a feel for it.

For all its complexity, Supercell eases you into the fray at a steady pace with a series of tutorial levels that introduce you to the systems at play. The tutorial levels pit you against computer opponents, but once you’re through with them, you go up against real people online. Since that can be a daunting thought to new players, we’ve compiled a few tips for success.

1. You only need to destroy the middle tower to win

It might be tempting to try to pulverize all three of your opponent’s towers, but the one in the middle is the only one you need to destroy to win a match. Since you don’t directly control your troops, they’ll take out the tower on the left or right side first before moving on to the middle one. Regardless, focus your attacks on one side or the other so your troops take out the middle tower as quickly as possible.

2. Don’t forget defense

As you go about the important business of attacking your opponent’s towers, don’t forget about defending your own. If neither side topples their opponent’s middle tower, whoever destroyed the most towers wins. Defending your towers is important.
If you and your opponent have both taken the same number of towers at the end of the three-minute match, an extra minute will be added to the clock. But if you put some effort into defense and your opponent doesn’t, you’ll probably win the round.

3. Keep your deck varied

A strong deck is one that can handle any situation that comes along. To that end, you’ll want to have all kinds of troops ready to get to work: a heavy hitter like a giant, some ranged troops like archers who can attack flying enemies, brawlers like knights, and flying attackers like dragons. Throw in some attack spells like fireballs and arrows as well as a building or two, and you’ll be set.
As you piece together your decks, it’s also important to vary the Elixir costs of your cards. If your deck is full of high-cost cards, you’ll find yourself waiting for your Elixir bar to fill before you can react to your enemy’s attacks. By keeping your deck varied in terms of card classes and Elixir cost, you’ll maximize your chances of being ready to handle any situation your opponent throws at you.

4. Watch the clock

The timer matters in this game. If the score isn’t tied at the end of three minutes, that’s the game. If your troops are close to knocking out a tower and time is running out, go all-out on offense — as long as you can take their tower before they can take yours.

5. Upgrade your most useful cards first

This may sound obvious, but it’s important to point out because as your card collection grows, you’ll ditch some of your starter cards in favor of newer, better cards. If you notice a card isn’t doing much for you, don’t upgrade it, even when you get the option. It’s better to save your gold to upgrade a better card down the line.

6. Save some Elixir

During battles, Elixir is your primary resource. You might be tempted to splurge it all as soon as you can afford a new card, but resist this temptation. It’s often better to keep some on hand so you can react to moves your opponent makes. It’s also wise not to spend Elixir on superfluous attacks, like sending in a fireball when the troops that are currently attacking a tower have it handled. Every unnecessary unit of Elixir you spend is one you won’t be able to use strategically down the line.
That said, never let your Elixir level sit while it’s full. Every second that passes without you gaining Elixir is wasted.

7. Pair up units to cover their weaknesses

Every unit in Clash Royale has strengths and weaknesses. A smart strategy, then, is to know your units’ strengths and weaknesses, and pair them up to form unstoppable combinations. For instance, Archers have low defense, but if you put a hearty Giant in front of them, they become significantly more useful.