Five of the best Clash Royale decks straight from the pros

The Clash Royale meta is always shifting, so keeping track of the best Clash Royale decks can be tough. Fortunately, with the launch of the Clash Royale League, we can all get a glimpse into the highest levels of strategic play every week. We’ve compiled five of the best Clash Royale decks from the pros and listed them below. On top of that, we’ve outlined how they’ve been used to come out on top against other players at the highest level of competitive play. We’ll also explain how you can use them to win tournaments on your own.

Cycle your way through some of our other Clash Royale content:

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• Everything you need to know about the Clash Royale League
• Five good Clash Royale decks showcased at the World Finals
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DIG iAmJP – Hog/Cart

Composition:

Ice Golem, Log, Poison, Hunter
Hog Rider, Valkyrie, Cannon Cart, Inferno Dragon

With his back against the wall, Dignitas iAmJP pulled out a hybrid Hog Rider and Cannon Cart deck to reverse sweep SK Loay when it mattered most. With a good mix of offensive and defensive cards and low average elixir cost, it earns the first spot on our list of pro Clash Royale decks.

The deck is well-balanced and can adapt to many situations. However, one false move from your opponent is enough to gain a huge advantage. This is what separates a good Clash Royale deck from a great Clash Royale deck.

Defending is easy enough, even without a dedicated structure. There’s plenty of AoE damage from both troops and spells, so no need to worry about hordes of enemies ruining your day. Tanky units don’t stand much of a chance either, with lots of high damage cards available to topple them before they get to your towers.

When the moment arises, counter attack by sending out your Hog Rider in front of a Cannon Cart to deal huge damage in just a few seconds. Alternatively, you can send the two down different lanes and force your opponent to choose which one to defend.

FNC LemonTea – Mortar/Miner

Composition:

Zap, Bats, Spear Goblins, Goblin Gang
Miner, Mortar, Cannon Cart, Rascals

FNC LemonTea’s deck from the Clash Royale League Europe is a very aggressive take on the classic Mortar/Miner cycle deck. The idea is to overwhelm your opponent with constant pressure from low cost cards.

By combining the Miner and Mortar, you can pressure both sides of the bridge at once. While the Miner goes to town on a tower from melee range, the mortar reigns death from afar. All that at just a cost of seven elixir.

The deck’s lower cost cards provide support for the bridge spam. The Cannon Cart and Big Brother Rascal can survive weaker spells, and keep the pressure mounting. If played well, you will slowly chip away at towers while your opponent struggles to defend.

Of course, your only spell is Zap, which isn’t strong enough to destroy high HP buildings that can provide your opponent with an advantage over time, like the Elixir Collector. Hordes of enemies can also overwhelm you if the opponent manages to bait out your Zap.

As you can see, the deck’s biggest weakness is defense. If you find yourself on the defensive, your options are limited. You’ll have to master the placement of the decks key cards, the Mortar and the Miner, in order to survive the onslaught. Cycle effectively and make sure you have what it takes to return to the offensive.

TSM VULKan – Mortar/Miner

Composition:

Spear Goblins, Miner, Goblin Gang, Mortar
Fireball, Bats, Log, Rascals

Yeah, yeah, another Mortar/Miner deck. Hear me out and take a look at the Mortar/Miner deck that TSM Vulkan used to take down TRB Oxalate.

Like the deck above, this classic Clash Royale deck is built to chip away at the enemy towers while defending anything thrown your way with low cost cards. The low cost also means you can cycle quickly and make sure you always have a key card when you need it.

Unlike FNC LemonTea’s version, this composition arms you with two spells: Log and Fireball. In combination with a defensive Mortar placement, you can easily buy enough time to cut down the offensive before returning to apply pressure.

Hordes of enemies, buildings, and even the Three Musketeers are no problem as long as you keep your Fireball handy. Just don’t get caught without it for too long by cycling through your deck intelligently.

It can be tempting to over-defend your Mortar when it’s close to the river, but try to show restraint. Sometimes it’s better to give it up, focus on defense, and apply pressure in the other lane with a timely Miner counter-attack.

CoL Adrian – Night Witch/Golem

Composition:

Zap, Night Witch, Mega Minion, Ice Spirit
Elixir Pump, Golem, Lumberjack, Clone

The Night Witch/Golem beatdown deck might be nothing new, but Complexity Gaming’s Adrian took it to another level with the unique addition of the Clone spell.

Like many slower-paced Clash Royale decks, the plan is to gain an elixir advantage with Elixir Pumps before overwhelming your opponent with more high value troops than they can defend against. However, in his match against Immortal’s Royal, Adrian was forced to get creative after dropping a tower early in the match.

This is where the clone spell comes in. Combined with a strong Night Witch/Golem push, and supported by a kamikaze Lumberjack, a quick clone spell can prove deadly. That’s just what Adrian did to tie up the tower count in the last seconds of the match. What’s more, the push ended up being strong enough to take down Royal’s King Tower immediately afterward.

Obviously, cloned troops only survive one hit, and a single zap can put an untimely end to your strategy. Make sure you bait out your opponent’s spells before pulling out your Clone spell.

If, like Adrian, you find yourself struggling to stave off early pressure, keep your cool and stick to the plan. If your opponent gives you extra breathing room, you can always fall back on the Elixir Pump to gain an elixir advantage before going for the kill.

TSM VULKan – Graveyard Control

Composition:

Tombstone, Ice Wizard, Tornado, Valkyrie
Poison, Graveyard, Cannon Cart, Mega Minion

The final entry in this list of Clash Royale decks used by the pros also comes from Team Solo Mid’s VULKan. He used it to nab a quick victory against CLG Skillzzzzz and lock down a team victory for TSM.

This deck isn’t too aggressive, but it has what it takes to defeat just about anything thrown at it. Tombstone makes a powerful and cheap defensive structure, able to slow pushes until stronger troops like the Mega Minion and Valkyrie whittle them down.

What makes this Clash Royale deck unique is the combination of spells chosen: Poison and Tornado. Poison has always been a good choice to choke out hordes of troops, and in combination with a well placed Tornado there are few cards that can survive it. The Ice Wizard provides even more control by splashing and slowing attackers while they’re clumped together.

But defense alone doesn’t win matches, which is where the Graveyard and Cannon Cart cards come in. While both of them can be used defensively, if played alongside a counter push of troops that just stopped an attack, they can be devastating.

This deck is for the patient Clash Royale player, so keep that in mind before you start spamming troops at the bridge.

That’s it for our list of some of the best Clash Royale decks and strategies. There are plenty more decks to draw inspiration from in the Clash Royale League, so stay on top of the meta and you’ll be taking home tourney wins in no time!

Did we miss any super innovative Clash Royale decks from CRL pros? Let us know in the comments!