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Climb the ladder with the best Clash Royale decks by arena
Clash Royale has been out for more than three years now, but not all of us are hardened Legendary Arena pros. To help you push trophies and make your way to the top, we’ve put together this list of the best Clash Royale decks for each arena.
Each entry in the list can be adapted and used in higher arenas, but we’ve attempted to capture the Clash Royale decks that make each new arena unique. The list starts at Arena 5, but if you’re having trouble getting there a new deck won’t help as much as a few weeks of practice and experience. Read on below for the best Clash Royale decks by arena!
Cycle your way through some of our other Clash Royale content:
Clash Royale decks — arena 5
F2P bait deck
Spear Goblins, Goblins, Zap, Arrows, Barbarians, Minion Horde, Hog Rider, Goblin Barrel
If you are a strictly F2P player, this is a great bait deck with several win conditions (and only one epic card). The idea is to bait out your opponents AoE spells then hit them hard with swarms of troops. And this deck is certainly not short on hordes of troops.
It’s main weakness is a lack of defensive options. Zap, Arrows, and creative use of Hog Rider should allow you to hold off opponents long enough to return to the offensive. That said, this deck should allow you to climb the ladder until you start unlocking more cards.
Clash Royale decks — arena 6
Lavaloon deck
Balloon, Fireball, Flying Machine, Lava Hound, Mega Minion, Tombstone, Valkyrie, Zap
Arena 6 is the first time you get access to a classic deck archetype: Lavaloon. The strategy behind this deck is setting up a strong push with your Lava Hound tanking for your main win condition: Balloon.
Many of the other cards in this deck can be swapped for others that suit your play style, but arena 6’s Flying Machine provides both defensive and offensive utility that shouldn’t be overlooked. Just make sure you have a few strong spells to assist with the push.
Mortar Hog Rider deck
Hog Rider, Mortar, Barbarians, Musketeer, Spear Goblins, Goblins, Fireball, Arrows
This deck lets you take advantage of one of the two siege buildings unlocked in arena 6. Unlike X-bow, Mortar is a common card, meaning you can level it up much more if you want to stick with it. It starts at level 1, but as you level it up to levels 8, 9, and beyond you’ll thank yourself for choosing a common rarity win condition.
Mortar and Hog Rider are the two key cards to this deck, and if played well they can heavily pressure your opponent in one or two lanes. Keep in mind that Mortar can also be a strong defensive card, as well. With few dedicated defensive options in this deck, you’ll need all the defensive help you can get. Play it toward the middle of the arena to draw attention and provide protection against swarms of ground-based attackers.
Clash Royale decks — arena 7
Royal Giant Lightning deck
Zap, Minions, Royal Giant, Musketeer, Furnace, Skeleton Army, Lightning, Log
Royal Giant has waned in popularity recently, but it can still provide a solid win condition while pushing trophies. Due to his tankiness and long range, he’s nearly guaranteed to get at least a couple hits on the enemy turret. With Minions or Musketeer backing him up, he can get some serious damage done.
Buildings are the only thing to stop this damage, which is why Royal Giant is so often paired with the Lightning spell. It takes care of high HP buildings and defenders with ease, while the Log and Furnace deal with any swarms your opponent sends your way.
Mega Knight Inferno Dragon deck
Valkyrie, Skeleton Army, Prince, Inferno Dragon, Bats, Mega Knight, Arrows, Zap
If you’re lucky enough to snag a Mega Knight from a chest early on in your Clash Royale career, it will prove useful in a number of decks as you climb the ranks. This deck uses just cards available in arena 7 and below, so you can try him out right away.
The key to taking full advantage of Mega Knight’s strength is patience. The damage and knockback when he’s played can decimate any ground-based push, and combined with a few support cards he can provide a beefy frontline for a counterpush. Inferno Dragon is another useful card in this deck, as it can burn down any tanky attackers in no time at all. Just be careful for Zap, as it will reset the warm up timer on its laser.
Clash Royale decks — arena 8
Balloon Freeze deck
Ice Spirit, Zap, Tombstone, Mega Minion, Valkyrie, Wizard, Freeze, Balloon
The Freeze spell opens up some powerful (if mildly unfair) strategies once you reach arena 8. Combined with a timely Balloon, you can take down nearly an entire tower in just a few seconds. As your Balloon approaches the enemy Princess Tower, your opponent is likely to place defenders right on top of it. Save your Freeze for the last moment to ensure that nothing can stop the death from above for four seconds or more.
What this deck doesn’t have is a powerful spell to take down an Elixir Collector (also unlocked in arena 8). Instead, look to punish your opponent with a push while they are still waiting to receive dividends on their elixir investment.
Heal Three Musketeers
Three Musketeers, Heal, Minion Horde, Ice Golem, Elixir Collector, Battle Ram, Valkyrie, Zap
The Elixir Collector and Three Musketeers combo is a classic Clash Royale Arena 8 deck. The idea is that you pump your way to an elixir advantage, then drop the Three Musketeers and hope your opponent doesn’t have a Fireball at the ready. You can avoid this by playing them in the middle so they split 1-2 between the two lanes.
With the recent Clash Royale update Supercell lowered the cost of Heal to just one elixir, so it now makes sense to run heal in this deck once again. Given the increase to 10 elixir for Three Musketeers, you’ll need to stack the deck with cheap cycle cards anyway. With Heal keeping them alive, your Three Musketeers can get a few extra hits in for a minimal elixir investment.
Clash Royale decks — arena 9
Bandit Bridge Spam deck
Bandit, Battle Ram, Dark Prince, Fireball, Goblin Gang, Ice Golem, Inferno Dragon, Zap
If you’re lucky enough to pull a Bandit, you can ride this deck well into arenas 10, 11, and beyond. It contains a number of threats that, if left unchecked, will demolish an enemy tower in no time at all.
By utilizing multiple charge cards (Battle Ram, Dark Prince, and Bandit), you always have something in your hand that can be turned into a push. Ice Golem is a cheap tank that’s light enough to be pushed forward by your heavy hitting chargers. The relatively low card costs allow you to keep your opponent on the defensive or quickly punish them for playing a high-cost card like Golem behind the King Tower.
Double Prince Dart Goblin deck
Bats, Dark Prince, Dart Goblin, Giant, Mega Minion, Poison, Prince, Zap
Double Prince decks are available in much earlier arenas, but Dart Goblin is just what it needs to support its signature push. The excellent range on the Dart Goblin makes it invaluable for both offense and defense, provided your opponent doesn’t take it out with Arrows or Log. Poison is also a great offensive or defensive tool, as it can take care of weak troops in a large area over several seconds.
The major win condition is the combination of the Dark Prince, Prince, and Giant. While the Giant tanks for the two princes, the rest of the deck helps clean up any flying defenders. Just keep your spells at the ready to sway away any Skeletons or other weak troops that can slow down your push.
Clash Royale decks — arena 10
E-Barb Rage deck
Fire Spirits, Inferno Tower, Log, Elite Barbarians, Hog Rider, Princess, Rage, Minions
If you’re tired of heavily strategic decks and want to turn off your brain for a few matches, this is the arena 10 deck for you. The entire deck is built around picking an opportune moment to drop your Elite Barbarians and Rage them so that they connect with the enemy tower for massive damage.
The rest of the cards are there to defend as efficiently as possible. Getting value out of your Princess is key, so make sure you play her in a safe position. This deck is guaranteed to get you some wins at the cost of self-respect.
Mortar Chip deck
Bats, Cannon Cart, Goblin Gang, Miner, Minion Horde, Mortar, Log, Fireball
The Cannon Cart available in arena 10 adds a new element to the classic Mortar/Miner deck. Like the Miner and Mortar cards, the Cannon Cart is a versatile card that can be played on offense or defense. Once it’s defeated, it turns into a stationary Cannon that continues to dish out damage.
While your Miner or Cannon Cart tanks for pushes, your bats and Mortar can chip away at towers. Defensive efforts are supported by several swarm cards with a few spells to round things out. Like other Mortar decks, don’t be afraid to play your Mortar defensively in a pinch.
Clash Royale decks — arena 11
Night Witch Golem Clone deck
Lumberjack, Night Witch, Golem, Poison, Baby Dragon, Clone, Mega Minion, Zap
The Clone spell unlocked in arena 11 makes for a number of interesting decks. Combined with cards like Golem and Night Witch that spawn troops when defeated, it can be difficult for opponents to deal with unless they have the right counters in their hand.
Your goal is to slowly build a push containing your Golem, Night Witch, and ideally Lumberjack. Just as they near the tower, play the Clone spell to create a mass of troops that are only strengthened by an opponent’s defensive Zap. Unless countered by cards with splash damage like Wizard or Baby Dragon, you are sure to take down a tower quickly when one of the Lumberjacks falls and your horde of cloned troops gains rage.
Electro Wizard Pekka Bridge Spam deck
Bandit, Dart Goblin, Fireball, Pekka, Battle Ram, Zap, Zappies, Electro Wizard
This arena 11 deck requires you to pull the legendary Electro Wizard card, as it’s the key to slowing down attackers. Combined with Zappies and the Zap spell, you can keep enemies in place long enough to whittle them down to dust.
After defending or gaining a significant elixir lead, you can quickly counter attack with the Bandit or Battle Ram cards. Dart Goblin and Electro Wizard are great support cards for attacking, as well. Pekka is the most expensive card in the deck, and you should rely on her to defend against tanks. She can easily be countered on the opponent’s side of the river if sent alone.
Clash Royale decks — arena 12
Graveyard Poison deck
Archers, Furnace, Graveyard, Ice Golem, Mega Minion, PEKKA, Poison, Zap
The Graveyard spell available in arena 12 and above is a fun card that allows you to spawn units anywhere on the battlefield. Combined with a Poison spell, it’s guaranteed to do chip damage to your opponent’s tower while taking out any weak defensive units at the same time.
For defense, rely on Furnace to pull Hog Riders and other building targeting cards to the center. A timely Ice Golem can also kite units between lanes if played near the river and between the bridges. As mentioned before, hang on to Pekka for defense against high HP troops and don’t count on her to do much on offense.
Mirror Spell Bait deck
Mirror, Rocket, Knight, Goblin Gang, Princess, Log, Dart Goblin, Goblin Barrel
The Mirror spell isn’t one of the most popular cards in Clash Royale, but if played well it can take people off guard. This deck cycles quickly, and provides many options to mirror effectively. On offense, a mirrored Goblin Barrel or Princess can score valuable chip damage if your opponent has already used their countering spells.
For defense, mirror Dart Goblin, Princess, or Goblin Gang after baiting out an opponent’s spells. If it’s down to the wire there’s always the option of playing two Rockets to deal well over 1000 damage to a tower instantly. It’s dirty, but effective in a pinch.
That’s all for our list of the best Clash Royale decks for each arena. No new cards are unlocked after Arena 12, so stick to the decks above or check out our lists of the best Clash Royale decks from the pros or these great decks from the World Finals.
What do you think are the best Clash Royale decks to climb the ladder? Let us know in the comments below!