It is time for a new rare card rankings for all the common cards in Clash Royale! We will be having a power ranking, 22-1, of the rare cards in Clash Royale as of November 2017. As many of you know, I have done this ranking before, when there were only 21 rare cards. The top 5 cards then, in order, were hog rider, furnace, musketeer, fireball, and giant. Let’s see how much those rankings were shaken up over the past couple balance changes and updates!

You can view the old ranking here: https://clashfordummies.com/2017/06/27/clash-royale-rare-card-rankings/

How the Rare Cards are Ranked

When ranking these cards we put a lot of thought and effort into what makes the best rare card the best. We are considering a variety of different ways to rank which are order in importance as follows:

1. Versatility
2. Cost/Damage Ratio (is the card worth it?)
3. Strength on defense and offense

So now that you know what we are judging on, lets go ahead and get into the rankings, starting with number 22!

Note: Text color indicates which way the card is trending in regard to the June rankings.

Rare Card Rankings

#22- Heal

It was pretty obvious that the heal was going to come in at the very bottom of our rare card rankings, being far and away one of the worst cards in Clash Royale. Heal is a very niche card that only works well in three musketeers decks, allowing the 3M to maintain enough health to take down a tower. Besides that though, the heal spell is lacking on many fronts.

#21- Bomb Tower

Of all the defenses in Clash Royale, the bomb tower is probably the worst, simply not doing enough damage to big tanks to be worth the 5 elixir. However, the bomb tower is very tanky, making it great to play against royal giant for distraction. But, when the alternative 5 elixir defense is the inferno tower, the bomb tower is often outclassed.

#20- Goblin Hut

Long gone are the days of spawner decks at the top of the meta, so the goblin hut will have to settle for barely cracking the top 20. While the gob hut can be pretty terrific in giant beatdown decks, it costs a bit too much and leaves you very open to a counter push to make the slow chip damage worth it. Also, almost any card can slowly kill the goblins as they head towards your tower.

#19- Barbarian Hut

Similarly to the goblin hut, the barbarian hut is suffering big-time from the collapse of the spawner meta. I gave the edge to the barbarian hut here because it has a TON of health, which is more than enough to hold a hog, royal giant, or giant at bay. Also, the barbarians from the hut demand an answer, which can keep your opponent occupied on both lanes.

#18- Flying Machine

The flying machine is one of the newest cards in Clash Royale and is pretty untested at the moment. While the flying machine offers some crazy range, it hasn’t been seen very much in battle. Of course, it is still early and players are in the process of figuring out the flying machine, so we should see a rise of it, especially in LavaLoonion decks sometime in the future.

#17- Tombstone

To be completely honest, the tombstone is one of the most undervalued cards in Clash Royale, but because players haven’t figured out its use, it is rated low. The tombstone can be great for taking out almost any card for a very cheap 3 elixir, not just serving as a diversion for a tank. As a defense, the tombstone is weak, easily zapped to give almost no defense to the push.

#16- Dart Goblin

The dart goblin has certainly been on the rise over the last few months, especially with the introduction of touchdown mode (WHICH WE HAVEN’T SEEN AGAIN YET). Dart goblin was one of the top cards in touchdown mode and its success in that gamemode transferred over to 1v1 and 2v2. The long range of the DG makes it perfect to take out defenses too close to the river!

#15- Valkyrie

With so many single shot units and the knight at the top of the meta, the valkyrie has fallen just a little bit down in the rare card rankings. She is still one of the best for defending against elite barbarians, as well as taking out three musketeers and any grouped pushes. However, she is mostly a defensive card and has little offensive value in our fast-paced meta.

#14- Mini-PEKKA

As of right now, the mini-PEKKA is the definition of average in Clash Royale, not really bad, but not a great card either. With the knight being so powerful at the moment, the mini-PEKKA is often sidelined, even though he offers value of his own. His crazy damage can shut down giants and golems easily and he can be part of a strong counterpush combined with the hog.

#13- Three Musketeers

Out of all the cards in Clash Royale, the three musketeers is one that is most definitely on the rise, in part because of the needless nerf given to lightning in the recent balance changes. As players begin to specialize in the 3M, it becomes harder and harder to beat, especially with the elixir collector either acting as bait or fueling your opponent for the entire match.

#12- Furnace

And here we have the biggest faller of the rare rankings, dropping 10 spots from June to November. The furnace, similarly to the goblin hut and barbarian hut has begun to become irrelevant as the prevalence of rocket and fireball shut down the furnace. Also, the furnace needs to be overleveled to have any damage on the tower, which makes it a lot more difficult to play.

#11- Mega Minion

One of the strongest defensive air troops, the mega minion is great because it can’t be taken out the fireball, allowing it to defend against balloon and giant quite well. Also, the mega minion can be used on offense to great success, synergizing with practically all archetypes. If you want to avoid your troops getting spelled down, the mega minion is one of the cards to play.

#10- Battle Ram

As I mentioned earlier, we are currently in a very fast-paced meta as shown with our first top 10 rare card. The battle ram JUST misses out on being our highest climber as pairings with the three musketeers and the hog have made it almost unbeatable. The battle ram is easily countered by skeleton army and tombstone, but with the log being one of the best cards, those usually come to nothing.

#9- Rocket

Rocket has maintained its place in the Clash Royale meta by being the most destructive card in the game. A lot of hog users will bring the rocket in order to finish off the last couple hitpoints on the tower, since the hog often doesn’t do quite enough damage. The only limiting thing about the rocket is its range, but that isn’t a problem with practice.

#8- Inferno Tower

Without a doubt, the inferno tower is the best defense in Clash Royale, proving to be a great counter to giants, golems, and lava hounds. No other card in Clash Royale can destroy tanks so reliably, and only for 5 elixir! While pro players can counter cards for less elixir, for the average player, the inferno tower can be a saving grace, perfect for shutting down big pushes.

#7- Ice Golem

Tied for our biggest climber of the month, the ice golem has leapfrogged from #13 to #7. The main reason why is because the ice golem provides so much value for 2 elixir, giving you a great answer to counter pushes. The ice golem also pairs well with the hog rider, taking out skeletons and slowing down all troops around if killed first.

#6- Elixir Collector

Along with the ice golem, the elixir collector is also the biggest climbing in these rankings, jumping up 6 spots to #6. The elixir collector has really been at the top of the meta lately, appearing in practically all decks that have an average elixir cost over 4. Also, with the rise of three musketeers, the elixir collector has been easy bait for your opponent’s heavy spells.

#5- Giant

The giant has maintained its spot in the top 5, with no nerfs or buffs over the last 5 months. One of the most balanced cards in Clash Royale, it is unlikely that the giant will be moving anytime soon. He provides a cheap, but strong tank for only 5 elixir and can be supported by almost any card for a successful push.

#4- Wizard

With the popularity of the wizard and executioner as high as it has ever been, the wizard comes in at the number 4 spot. By providing a solid answer to any swarm troop, the wizard gives a faster, lighter alternative to the executioner. The wizard doesn’t work as well with the hog though, usually seen in combination with the giant and golem.

#3- Musketeer

Since the very beginning of Clash Royale, the musketeer has been one of the best support cards in the game. Now, nearly 2 years after beta was released, the musketeer is still at the top. She offers so much value for just 4 elixir, being able to conquer many single 5 elixir cards, along with reliably take out swarm units like the goblin gang. The musketeer can do it all!

#2- Fireball

Along with zap and log, the fireball is undeniably one of the 3 best spells in Clash Royale. When overleveled by just one level, the fireball can take out wizard, musketeer, and e-wiz, three of the most popular support cards in the entire game. The fireball is also great for finishing off towers once they reach triple digits. This is a game-winner if I ever saw one!

#1- Hog Rider

Last, but of course not least, we have the undisputed king of the rares, the hog rider. The hog rider is unquestionably the best rare card in Clash Royale, if not the entire game. By combining a quick move speed with high damage, the hog is extremely effective in taking down towers. Add that to the versatility of the hog and the ability to be played in a heavy or cheap deck and you have our number 1 rare card!

So that is going to wrap it up for our rare card rankings for November of 2017! Stay tuned soon to see our epic and legendary card rankings soon. Thanks for reading and comment below what you think of the rankings!

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