What are Decks in Clash Royale? 

We explore everything you need to know about Clash Royale decks from what they are to considerations in building your own deck.

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Delka

In Clash Royale, decks refer to a collection of 8 cards that players use to battle against opponents. These cards are chosen by the player and represent their strategic choice prior to starting a battle. 

What are the different deck types in Clash Royale? 

Clash Royale players have created 5 primary Clash Royale deck types that players can utilize based on their preferred playstyle and strategy. These deck types are: 

  • Beatdown: Beatdown decks focus on deploying strong and durable troops to overpower opponents and deal heavy damage to their towers.
  • Control: Control decks emphasize strategic placements and card cycling to maintain control of the battlefield and gradually chip away at the opponent’s defenses.
  • Siege: Siege decks rely on long-range troops and buildings to attack from a safe distance while defending against enemy advances.
  • Cycle: Cycle decks prioritize cycling through cards quickly, allowing for frequent and versatile card deployment to maintain constant pressure on opponents.
  • Bait: Bait decks revolve around baiting opponents into using their counters early, leaving them vulnerable to a subsequent card or strategy.

The choice of deck type often depends on player preference and the current meta; overall, a player must understand the strengths and weaknesses of each deck type to adapt their strategies during battles. Looking for specific examples of each of these decks? Check out our common deck types guide here.

Think you have the best deck of all time? Share clips of your deck in action directly to the Z League app today.

What are the best Clash Royale decks?

Determining the “best” Clash Royale decks can be subjective and can vary based on personal playstyle and the current meta-game. It’s important to note that every deck has its strengths and weaknesses. However, some decks consistently perform well due to their card synergies, versatility, and adaptability.

The best Clash Royale decks will take advantage of the current meta, exploit popular strategies, and adapt to counter different deck types effectively. 

An example of a high win rate deck that uses all of these is the Hog MM 3.0 Cycle Deck. This deck has over a 55% win rate in the current season and revolves around the Hog Rider and Master Miner as the primary win conditions. This deck focuses on cycling quickly through cards with low elixir cost, applying continuous pressure on opponents, speed, and durability to apply damage on towers directly. 

How to manage elixir in Clash Royale?

Elixir is the primary resource in Clash Royale that allows players to deploy cards onto the battlefield. All players gain elixir at the same base rate throughout the battle and spend elixir upon deploying a card from their deck.

Effective elixir management can significantly impact the outcome of matches. It is important to think about your Deck’s average elixir cost before going into a battle. Higher elixir cost decks require careful planning and elixir management, as they may leave you vulnerable to quick counterattacks. Lower elixir cost decks allow for faster cycling and more frequent card deployment.

The basics of elixir management come down to maintaining an elixir advantage by efficiently spending less elixir on cards used to defend than your opponent spent to attack. The difference between them is calculated as your elixir advantage. 

Managing elixir effectively involves finding the right balance between defense, offense, and elixir investment. It is important to think about this management when building your deck. 

How do you build a deck in Clash Royale?

Building a deck in Clash Royale is the core aspect of the game. You cannot battle without at least 1 deck of 8 cards made. You can just put any 8 cards in and go; however, this strategy will not get you very far. 

There are 5 core considerations to building a deck.

  1. What playstyle do you prefer?
    • This can help you determine the type of deck to build. 
  2. What are your current card levels?
    • If you are not maxed on all your cards or simply do not own a card yet, then there may be some limitations to what decks you can build.  
  3. What are the current season’s boosted cards?
    • You will encounter these cards fairly often as part of the meta. Therefore, you may wish to include them in your deck or build a deck to help counter these cards specifically. 
  4. What synergies are you able to build into your deck?
    • The more synergies you can build into your deck, the less need to cycle through cards for a combo, which could be a waste of elixir. 
  5. What is your decks average elixir cost?
    • A deck should be balanced in its elixir cost while being low enough to allow for flexibility during battle. 

Building a deck is an iterative process that involves experimentation, practice, and adapting to the evolving meta. Continuously refine and tweak your deck based on performance and personal preferences.

Log Bait Decks
via Supercell

What are strong Clan Wars decks?

Clan Wars in Clash Royale introduce unique battles where players contribute to their clan’s success. Different types of battles occur during Clan Wars, each requiring different strategies on how you approach building your decks. 

You’ll need 4 decks with 32 unique cards for clan wars. How you structure your decks can be very different depending on which phase of the clan war you are in and what strategy your clan is looking to employ for the week.

The general ideas of deck building still apply in most cases, but you get a bit of help in thinking less about current card levels and seasonal boosts as most card levels are locked into level 11 for almost all Clan War battles. However, you will need to have the cards still unlocked in order to use them in a deck.

Overall, to build a strong clan war deck, you should focus on synergies within the decks that keep a moderate average elixir cost across all 4 decks. 

What is the best seasonal deck in Clash Royale?

The best seasonal decks can vary depending on the specific seasonal battle modes and the current meta-game. Seasons typically span 5 weeks and a highlighted game mode rotates every week.

Some of these modes require specific cards to be locked into a player’s deck, this may push a player to play outside of their preferred playstyle; otherwise, the 5 core considerations on building decks remain the same when considering the best seasonal deck.

As there is no downside to playing seasonal game modes, it is a great place to experiment with different decks or synergies. 

What is the best 2v2 deck combination?

2v2 battles in Clash Royale allow players to team up with a friend or clan mate to face opponents together. Matchmaking in 2v2 battles is based on an average of the card levels of both teammates.

This game mode is extremely difficult, but you’ll be able to see the 4 cards currently available and their current elixir of your teammate. Communication and coordination with your partner are essential, so be sure to hover over the cards that you intend to play while paying attention to your partner’s available cards as well. 

What are good challenge decks for Clash Royale?

Challenges in Clash Royale provide unique gameplay experiences with specific rules and restrictions. The types of challenges can vary, including Draft Challenges, Classic Challenges, Grand Challenges, and Special Event Challenges.

Good challenge decks for Clash Royale depend on the specific challenge rules and restrictions. It’s advisable to assess the available card pool and design a deck that maximizes synergies and counters potential opponent strategies within the given challenge format.

Keep in mind that successful challenge decks often require a balance of offense, defense, and adaptability. A deep understanding of card interactions is key to building effective challenge decks.

If you are looking to learn more about everything within Clash Royale, check out our overview of the game here.