Summary
Unlike most competitive games where the initial resources are available equally for all players and the real rivalry is over better ranks,Clash Royaledoes come with an infamous grind system to upgrade cards to higher levels, directly impacting the cards' effectiveness on the battlefield.
The highest level a card can ever reach is Level 15 or Elite, which delivers the final stat boost to the card, but it takes a lot of effort to upgrade each card to Level 15, and that’s why players need to be picky with what cards they really want to upgrade to Elite, as the resources for doing so are extremely scarce unless someone pays a significant amount of real-life money.
Updated on June 01, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:Clash Royale continues to receive new cards and balancing changes with every new season, and this shakes up the meta pretty much, especially with the arrival of new Evolutions that could completely overhaul a card’s performance.
With that in mind, the process for upgrading cards to Level 15 might change over time, as some cards lose their value due to harsh nerfs, while some others return to the meta thanks to new Evolutions or new buffs.
13Mega Knight
Most Powerful Tank Unit For Pushing Forward And Denying Spam
Mega Knight used to be a neutral card in the top-tier ranks for a long time, but the arrival of its Evolution made him a meta again after a long time. That being said, Mega Knight has always been a meta in the mid-ladder arenas where players get to unlock Legendary cards gradually.
What makesMega Knightspecial is his ability to deal with spam units, which most tanky cards lack. The new Evolution also makes him stronger against other tanks like Pekka, allowing him to knock them back and open up the way toward the crown tower while dealing with counters.
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12Ram Rider
Best Unit To Rush Towards Crown Tower With The Ability To Slow Down Counters
Ram Rider was an underwhelming pick for a long time, but thanks to the buff she received a few seasons earlier, now she can initiate her rushing move quicker which gives her a winning edge overHog Rider, though Ram Rider costs one extra Elixir.
While still vulnerable against loads of spam, like Skeleton Army, Ram Rider can slow down any unit around her, which makes countering Ram’s rush more difficult with cards that spawn a single or a few instances of a unit. The good news is Ram Rider can target aerial units too, which is yet another plus over Hog Rider.
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11Arrows
Best Spell For Wiping Any Low-HP Unit From The Battlefield
With the current meta inClash Royale, where almost every deck contains a Firecracker, equipping Arrows is a must to counter it. Firecracker is one of the strongest cards inClash Royaleand nothing can wipe her from the battlefield as effectively as Arrows without wasting much Elixir.
Other than that, Arrows is also perfect for countering any kind of spam unit, from Goblin Barrel to Minion Horde. The amount of damage thisspelldeals to the crown tower is a little over 100, but in crucial moments, that amount can also count towards claiming the victory.
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10Barbarian Barrel
Economic Unit To Counter Spam And Cause Distraction
Barbarian Barrel is another unit to counter spam, but only works against ground troops. Barbarian Barrel doesn’t have the range and effectiveness of The Log, but after it’s deployed, a Barbarian warrior comes out of the barrel that could help a lot to distract the enemy’s troops or even significantly damage them, so that the crown tower can finish them off with a single shot.
Always make sure to deploy Barbarian Barrel on enemy troops once they are over the bridge. This will make the focus on the Barbarian, while also the crown tower will target them from behind.
Barbarian Barrel is one of the best counters against cards like Musketeer, Wizard, Electro Wizard, and even Firecracker. He is also a moreeconomical optionto get rid of Goblin Barrel or other 3-Elixir spam units without spending much.
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9Phoenix
Best Aerial Damage Dealer With Great Post-Death Effects
From the day Phoenix was introduced toClash Royale, it changed the meta for aerial units significantly. Even after multiple waves of nerfs applied to Phoenix, it is still the best aerial damage dealer, as it can leave effective knockback damage after death, which increases its value regarding its price.
Phoenix is perfect for dealing with units that cannot target aerial threats. It’s not ideal for taking down tanky units like Mega Knight, but it can play as a great support card during the attacks, especially knowing that if the opponent is overwhelmed by multiple targets, Phoenix will have enough time to revive after death.
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8Valkyrie
Most Effective Crowd Control Unit Thanks To Powerful Evolution
It happens a lot inClash Royalethat the player is faced with an all-out attack as multiple units rush toward their crown towers. Denying a situation like this with a unit that can only deal damage to one target at a time seems impossible, but a card like Valkyrie can deal with them all while saving a lot of Elixir for the defender.
Valkyrie specializes in crowd control and denying spam units. She has become even stronger since the release of her Evolution, as it helps Valkyrie to deal damage to aerial units while also sucking enemies around her toward her axe swings.
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7Rune Giant
Level Up Fellow Units While Attacking Crown Towers
As one of the new additions toClash Royale’s roster, Rune Giant comes with a unique and quite effective ability. While the troop itself is more like a Giant that only targets towers and structures, he also levels up two fellow units on the battlefield, allowing them to deal more damage.
Rune Giant can create a deadly combo with any other troop inClash Royale, including Pekka, Miner, or other giants in the game. It’s worth noting that the level-up will only increase the damage output of the units, even if they are Level 15. No change will be applied to other stats of the buffed troops.
Bonus Damage (Granted to fellow troops)
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6Cannon
Cost-Effective Structure With Strong Evolution
Cannon is the cheapest defensive structure inClash Royale, and it has been proven on multiple occasions that it’s also quite strong if placed in the right spot and supported with other units. Half of the 2.6 Hog Cycle’s glory is because of the Cannon, after all.
Since Cannon received an evolution, it became even more popular. Although Supercell nerfed the evolution at one point, it still helps a lot with neutralizing a massive push while spending only 3 Elixir.
Aside from its damage-dealing capability, Cannon is also a good unit to lure enemies toward the mid-point of the defender’s side, and allow both crown towers to target the attacking unit.
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5Tesla Tower
Sturdy Structure To Deny Any Low To Medium-HP Troops
There used to be a close rivalry between Cannon and Tesla Tower as the best defensive structures inClash Royale, but with the release of anEvolutionfor Tesla Tower, it’s now the king of all structures in the game, as it has some unmatched abilities to deny attacks.
The evolved version of Tesla Tower comes with a shock wave that stuns hit enemies briefly and kills low-HP spam units like Skeletons or Bats instantly. The tower’s ability to hide itself when no threat is available gives it a sheer edge over any other structure, as Tesla Tower can keep itself safe against spells.
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4Knight
Most Economic Mid-Tank Unit To Delay The Opponent’s Push
As one of the originalClash Royalecards, Knight has been fairly balanced for a long time now. While his Evolution did bring a bit of overpowered stats, they all were mitigated over time. What makes Knight a perfect card is his strong survivability against the price paid for him.
Aside from Elixir Golem, there is no other 3-Elixir card in the game that can live as long as Knight while also dealing a significant amount of damage. Knight is strong enough to deplete a big chunk of Mega Knight’s HP, and if he gets some help from Cannoneer, he will successfully survive the battle against Mega Knight.
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