Clash Royale is a relatively simple RTS. However, consistently toppling other players is anything but. With 11 different arenas to in which to play, each granting access to different sets of cards, knowing which eight cards to build your deck from can seem like a daunting task. But the key is adaptability.
Because each arena unlocks new cards to use, the strategies employed by players in these arenas will be different as well. That means that the deck that helped you tear through Arena 3: Barbarian Bowl may not get you very far in Arena 5: Spell Valley. To help you with this, we’ve compiled the best decks to use in each of Clash Royale‘s 11 arenas.
Arena 1: Goblin Stadium
Deck: Spear Goblins, Archers, Bomber, Baby Dragon, Musketeer, Knight, Giant, Arrows/Fireball
Being the first arena, Goblin Stadium is predictably simple to get through. The strategy behind this deck is for the ranged attackers (Spear Goblins, Archers, Bomber, Baby Dragon) to defeat and/or weaken enemies before they can damage the Knight and Giant, who will be the main tower destroyers. Fireball is good for clearing enemy advances, but Arrows will work just fine, too, if you prefer something with a bit lower Elixir cost.
Arena 2: Bone Pit
Deck: Balloon/Prince, Giant, Baby Dragon, Musketeer, Goblin Hut, Bomber, Fireball, Arrow
In the Bone Pit you’re going to be clashing with fewer newbies, so you’ll have to be a tad more prepared. More players will also start to feature rare and epic cards in their decks, but the bright side is that so will you.
The main focus of this deck is relying on Giant and Balloon to deal massive damage to your opponents’ towers, with the former leading the charge to sponge up hits for the latter. Baby Dragon, Musketeer, and Goblin Hut will help keep foes off of your tower destroyers, with Musketeer being particularly useful for combating opponents’ Baby Dragons (an especially powerful card in the first few arenas). Fireball and Arrow are there for enemy crowd control and supporting your troops.
It’s important to note that you may have a hard time getting your hands on Balloon if you’re unlucky with your chest rewards, so don’t be afraid to stick with the deck from Arena 1 for a bit as well or plug Prince in its place. It probably won’t be a wrecking ball in Bone Pit, but it will still be decent.
Arena 3: Barbarian Bowl
Deck: Goblin Hut, Tombstone, Witch, Minions, Spear Goblins, Goblins/Fireball/Arrows, Giant, Cannon
As the name “Barbarian Bowl” might imply, Barbarians and Barbarian Hut (which spawns Barbarians) are common cards here thanks to their well-rounded capabilities. As such, it might be better to go against the grain and try to counter Barbarians instead of using them.
This deck can quickly overwhelm Barbarians with sheer numbers and advantage. Barbarians are susceptible to being swarmed and can’t fight back against aerial troops, so the first six cards can be particularly effective against them by generating lots of troops. Giant will lead the charge against enemy towers while Cannon should be placed to defend your own.
If you wish to make the deck a bit more well-rounded against non-Barbarian threats, then feel free to swap out Goblins for Fireball or Arrows.
Arena 4: P.E.K.K.A’s Playhouse
Deck: Spear Goblins, Baby Dragon, Minion Horde/Barbarians, Prince, Balloon, Giant Skeleton, Arrows, Rocket/Tesla
In Arena 4, it is important to have some defensive measures in place due to the prominence of Hog Rider, a troop that will jump over the center river and go straight for buildings.
This is a solid and relatively easy to acquire deck for P.E.K.K.A’s Playhouse. Prince, Balloon, and Giant Skeleton are meant to be the main tower offense forces here, with Spear Goblins, Baby Dragon, and Arrows handling most of the enemy’s troops. Their range will also help them hit enemies’ Hog Riders. The choice between Minion Horde and Barbarians or Rocket and Tesla is entirely dependent on if you would prefer to take a more offensive or defensive approach, respectively.
If you choose to go the more offensive route and put Rocket in your deck, use it as a finisher for towers and such. Only in emergencies should you use it on one of your opponent’s troops since it’s a bit on the pricey side. That’s what the Arrows card is for, after all. If you go with Tesla instead, be sure to put it near the bridge opposite from the one you are mainly using so you can bait your opponent into it more easily.
Arena 5: Spell Valley
Deck: Giant, Balloon, Barbarians, Musketeers, Minions, Fire Spirits, Zap, Arrows/Fireball
We’re getting into the area of some serious play here in Spell Valley, so get ready because the possible deck combinations that you’ll be facing will only increase. A popular choice for this arena is a slightly upgraded version of the Giant+Balloon ground+air punch that we talked about for Arena 2: Bone Pit.
Just like with the Bone Pit, Giant will lead the charge while Balloon follows behind it. Musketeers, Minions, and Fire Spirits are there to counter foes using the same strategy, while Barbarians will supply utility. Choosing Arrows or Fireball is just a matter of personal preference of lower Elixir cost and lower power versus higher Elixir cost and higher power.
Alternatively, you could also give this Hog Rider deck a try:
Hog Rider, Goblin Barrel, Skeleton Army, Valkyrie, Fire Spirits, Zap, Fireball/Arrows, Bomb Tower
The main punch of this deck is the Hog Rider and Goblin Barrel cleaning up the enemy troops after a Zap and then teaming up on a tower, with the Skeleton Army and Valkyrie dealing with single and multiple troop attacks respectively. Skeleton Army can also make a strong push towards a tower if need be. Bomb Tower, Fireball/Arrows, and Fire Spirits are there for general defense.
Arena 6: Builder’s Workshop
Right now the metagame doesn’t shift too drastically from Spell Valley to Builder’s Workshop, so the same decks you’ve found success with in Arena 5 should serve you well enough here as well.
Arena 7: Royal Arena
Deck: Royal Giant, Tornado, Furnace, Wizard, Skeleton Army, Barbarians, Archers, Princess
Royal Giant is your main tower attacker here, with a combination of Tornado, Furnace, and Wizard to deal with whatever may threaten your Royal Giant on his way. Skeleton Army should be able to handle most single large threats, with Archers and Princess around for ranged support and Barbarians to provide flexible utility.
Arena 8: Frozen Peak, Arena 9: Jungle Arena, Arena 10: Hog Mountain, and Arena 11: Legendary Arena
The final four arenas are where the metagame starts to level out a bit and smart, skillful play sets the top tier players apart from the chumps. By the time you’ve reached these arenas, you should have a pretty generous supply of legendary and leveled up cards. We’ll go over the current top decks at these upper tiers, but keep in mind that you’ll still need good play skills and solid Clash Royale knowledge to use them effectively against other high-level players.
Deck: Bowler, Electro Wizard, Baby Dragon, Tornado, Poison, Graveyard, Knight, Skeletons
One of the current top decks at these tiers is the Splashyard deck (above), which features the fatal Poison+Graveyard combo but with a few variances. First, we have Splashyard featuring Bowle.
The Bowler, Electro Wizard, and Baby Dragon combo can give some excellent push back against incoming troops as they make their way toward the tower, especially with Tornado to move foes to the perfect position. But the real destructive force here is the 9-Elixir combo of Graveyard+Poison Spell. Graveyard will decimate an opponent’s tower while Poison takes care of any threats to the summoned Skeletons. Skeletons are there to defend against large single threats and Knight functions as a cheap tank to keep your opponent’s troops off your tower or other units.
We also see a lot of Splashyard with Night Witch and Executioner.
Deck: Tornado, Executioner, Baby Dragon, Night Witch, Graveyard, Poison, Skeletons, Ice Golem/Knight
Tornado combined with Executioner is the main defensive force here, with Baby Dragon also filling in that role as needed. Where this deck gets deadly is getting Night Witch and Graveyard out on the field at one time, typically forcing opponents to use their Zap spell to deal with one while the other lays down a heavy assault on their tower.
The Graveyard+Poison combo is also just as deadly here. Skeletons and Ice Golem/Knight are used to kite enemy troops away from your towers and troops. The choice between Ice Golem and Knight is really dependent on if you prefer lower cost or higher defense.
Finally, we’ll go over another commonly seen deck at higher tiers called Hog Exenado or Hog Tornado.
Deck: Hog Rider, Knight/Ice Golem, Lightning, Executioner, Tornado, Valkyrie, Skeletons, Log
Hog Rider is the main tower rusher here while Knight or Ice Golem functions as your tank and to pull attention away from Hog Rider. Again, this choice is up to your preference of defense vs cost. Lightning will be used to break through your opponents defenses to let Hog Rider run wild. Executioner+Tornado is your ultimate defense maneuver here, while Skeletons can kite foes and Valkyrie and Log deal with crowd controlling the enemies troops.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of viable decks in Clash Royale, but it should be more than enough to help you get a solid foothold in each arena. Also remember that as developer Supercell continues to add new cards and balancing tweaks, the favored decks and strategies will likewise change; so be sure to come back to GameSkinny for Clash Royale guides, tips, and news.
Do you have a strong deck for a specific arena? Can you think of any improvements for these deck lists? Feel free to let us know down below.
