It is time for a new epic card rankings for all the epic cards in Clash Royale! We will be having a power ranking, 23-1, of the epic cards in Clash Royale as of February 2018. As many of you know, I have done this ranking before, when there were only 22 epic cards. The top 5 cards then, in order, were executioner, tornado, golem, skeleton army, and PEKKA. 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/2017/11/17/clash-royale-epic-card-rankings-november-2017/
How the Epic Cards are Ranked
When ranking these cards we put a lot of thought and effort into what makes the best epic card the best. We are considering a variety of different ways to rank which are order in importance as follows:
- Versatility
- Cost/Damage Ratio (is the card worth it?)
- 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 23!
Note: Text color indicates which way the card is trending in regard to the November rankings.
Epic Card Rankings
#23- Clone
Undoubtedly, the clone spell is going to finish at the bottom of these epic card rankings, coming in at the bottom spot over the past 3 three epic card rankings. The real issue with the clone is that there are way too many splash damage cards that can quickly counter the effects of it. Something big has to change in the clone in order to make it viable.
#22- Mirror
There’s no question that the mirror is one of the most unique cards in Clash Royale, but the real issue is finding a good time to play it. No one wants to play an extra elixir for the card they just played; the one elixir goes towards throwing off your opponent. For the mirror to really become part of the meta, it needs to transition away from a “troll card”.
#21- Lightning
Right now, the rocket is simply dominating the lightning in use. After that completely random nerf to the lightning, it hasn’t seen any use whatsoever in the top decks in the game. The radius of the lightning was one of the best things about it, since it could capture multiple units at once. I’d really like to see the lightning radius buffed back up to what it was.
#20- Freeze
Sort of like the mirror, the freeze can be amazing in niche situations. After all, hog freeze used to dominate the meta back in the early days of Clash Royale. The issue right now with the freeze is that there are too many cheap cards in Clash Royale that can easily be played after the freeze deployment. Also, the popularity of the ice spirit does not help the freeze at all.
#19- Hunter
The newest epic card in Clash Royale was a bit of a fluke, not dealing close to enough damage compared to the similar musketeer and executioner to really be effective in the meta. The hunter is a mix between the two cards mentioned, which is really a problem to its meta game. Why would you use a half of both when you could get the more effective one all together?
#18- Cannon Cart
The cannon cart is going to be the biggest faller in these epic card rankings, dropping from #10 all the way to #18. For a brief moment, during the November 2017 rankings, the cannon cart was really a great card, but then reality happened. There were much stronger 5 elixir cards that the CC could be substituted for, and those quickly overwhelmed the cannon cart back to the bottom.
#17- Bowler
Remember the days of bowler graveyard? Those days are completely gone now, as the severe graveyard nerfs have made it somewhat irrelevant, and took the bowler with it. Similarly to the cannon cart, the bowler just doesn’t cut it when it comes to 5 elixir support cards, especially with the executioner and wizard trumping his splash damage.
#16- Rage
The rage has certainly improved a little bit in the meta, but it stays the same at #16. It seems that three cards work extremely well with the rage, so it depends on their success. Those three cards? Balloon, elite barbarians, and the witch (paired with giant usually). As long as those three cards are still being played, the rage can sit at #16 all day long!
#15- Giant Skeleton
What??? Can I hear a big rise in the meta for the giant skeleton? For some odd reason, the giant skeleton has really seen a spike in play lately, mostly combined with giant or mega knight. This card is great for counterpushing, because, sort of like sparky, you need to address it or suffer big damage. I sure hope we see big giant skeleton growth in the future!
#14- X-Bow
Another previously “bad” card that is on the rise in the x-bow, coming up all the way to #14 and almost ranking in the top half of all epic cards. Just like the mortar, the x-bow has seen an increase in use in Clash Royale. Siege decks could be coming back for sure. If Clash Royale decides to buff the x-bow even the tiniest bit, it could quickly become the meta.
#13- Guards
Receiving a big time buff in the December balance changes, guards are no longer one of the worst, purposefully defensive, cards in the game! The skeleton army has been on a little bit of fall, and guards have come in to take their spot. These guys are great for countering a hog rider with ease, since they can’t be spelled out of the way!
#12- Baby Dragon
Even though golem beatdown decks are back, the baby dragon, one of the cards that fits in perfectly with the golem has fallen. Honestly, the baby dragon just doesn’t do enough damage to really be a great card. There are better support cards for the golem right now, which leaves the baby dragon in an undesirable place, though still a decent card.
#11- Skeleton Army
When used when your opponent doesn’t have zap or log up, the skeleton army can be absolutely devastating. However, because of the popularity of those two cards in the Clash Royale meta right now, the skeleton army is way too easy to counter. Going with guards is becoming more and more popular and you could definitely see a swap in place by the next rankings.
#10- Witch
Right now, the witch is definitely trending UP in the meta. The two win conditions that she wins best with, the giant and the golem, are really killing it right now in Clash Royale, which means she is as well. Even in the double prince deck, the witch is a prominently featured support card. The only issue is her cost, which might make people choose the night witch over her.
#9- Prince
I’ve been waiting for the rise of the double prince meta for a long time now, and I’m happy to say that it is definitely back. A giant-double prince deck is currently the best deck in the meta for Clash Royale! Remember, the prince was buffed in the December 2017 balance changes, which brought him up to standard as a strong 5 elixir card.
#8- Balloon
As mentioned earlier in combination with the rage spell, the balloon is killing it right now, despite the prevalence of air-killing troops. With the rage spell, its nearly impossible to beat the balloon in the time it takes for it to get a single hit on the tower. LavaLoonion is basically left for dead, but the solo balloon is tearing it up right now!
#7- Goblin Barrel
Even since goblins could no longer be killed by zap, the goblin barrel has been doing very well in the meta. This card is the staple of log bait decks, which have been around for as long as the log was a decent card. Unless another 1/2 elixir card that can kill goblins comes out, the goblin barrel is pretty likely to stay towards the top.
#6- Dark Prince
Probably to the surprise to no one reading this, the dark prince shot up 8 spots after the insane buff in the February balance changes. The dark prince got a double buff, with hit speed and hitpoints increasing to make him a great card. If the dark prince continues to rise, don’t be surprised to see him crack into the top three in the next rankings.
#5- Poison
Currently, poison is one of the best 4 damage spells in the game (looking at you tornado), and is going to continue to rise thanks to the beatdown meta that we are currently in. Being able to clear a wide range of troops is the real reason why the poison is excelling; can we see another meta centered around giant poison?!
#4- Executioner
It’s not really that the executioner has dropped off, but other cards have just gotten better in the current Clash Royale meta. The executioner is still dominating as one of the best splash damage cards in the game, fitting in well in most decks. Combined with the tornado, the executioner is nearly impossible to beat on defense!
#3- PEKKA
With the mega knight nerf, many people predicted that we would see a shoot up in the use of the PEKKA. With PEKKA already a strong card before the mega knight nerf, it just got even better! Though having to match up against the golem and giant, the PEKKA can definitely hold her own, definitely being one of the best tanks in Clash Royale.
#2- Tornado
The tornado has been so good recently, that it is starting to replace elite barbarians and royal giant as the most hated card in Clash Royale. I think that the tornado definitely needs some sort of push for pull power, as it can completely rocket troops back. Also, with the added ability to activate the king’s tower, the tornado is just an invaluable card in Clash Royale.
#1- Golem
And the number one epic card is going to be no other than the golem, who is currently dominating the meta thanks to buffs to his support cards in the last couple balance changes. With the inferno dragon nerf, the golem just becomes that much more powerful too! Expect to see different types of golem decks emerge over the next couple months as he cements himself at the top.
So that is going to wrap it up for our epic card rankings for February of 2018! Stay tuned soon to see our legendary card rankings. Thanks for reading and comment below what you think of the rankings!
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75% chance that Bowler will return to the meta! While rascals doing pretty well, they got crushed by the Bowler’s boulders easily………
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But for that to happen, the rascals would have to be at the top of the meta
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My new rank
24. Clone
23. Barbarian Barrel
22. Mirror
21. Bowler
20. Freeze
19. Rage
18. Cannon Cart
17. Hunter
16. Giant Skeleton
15. Skeleton Army
14. Witch
13. Lightning
12. Guards
11. X-Bow
10. Goblin Barrel
9. Balloon
8. Baby Dragon
7. Poison
6. Tornado
5. Dark Prince
4. Prince
3. Executioner
2. PEKKA
1. Golem
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New rankings coming in May!
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“I’d really like to see the lightning radius buffed back up to what it was.” wish granted, the radius will be back to 3.5
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In direct contact with the Supercell team 😉
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This is just nightmare for me…..
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Just nerf the tornado already! This card causes a lot of unfairness
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Balance changes within 2 weeks!
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It’s going to get a rework , deals 21% more damage but it only lasts 2 seconds instead of 2.5
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Hahaha, such a blessing!
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Do you prefer the poison that slows down enemies or the poison that kills skeletons 1 tick?
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I think the one that kills skellies in 1 tick is better, but I like the one that slows more
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Unless the next balance update killed them or buff other tanks, I think PEKKA and Golem will always be the top definition of OP! Especially Golem, At least PEKKA isn’t too hard to distract. Seen a lot of comments about Golem, saying that he needs a big nerf
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And its really surprising that these cards are so good because the inferno dragon is at an all time high
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I despise nothing but the Tornado (Yeah I’m fine with lightning now, but seriously nerf the tornado!), don’t really like poison as well
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Honestly, I don’t have much of a problem with the tornado (since I play royal giant), but I FEEL for hog players and its my number one card to nerf right now!
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Also, Exenado wrecks RG’s support!
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That’s so true, my minions ALWAYS die!
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ewwwwww royal giant
Are you one of those level 12 noobs in league 1 with maxed royal giant and stuff?
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HAHAHA, I’m trying to get away from RG since its such a useless card past Challenger
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My new rank
24. Clone
23. Barbarian Barrel
22. Mirror
21. Lightning
20. Freeze
19. Bowler
18. Hunter
17. Rage
16. Cannon Cart
15. Giant Skeleton
14. Skeleton Army
13. Witch
12. Guards
11. X-Bow
10. Baby Dragon
9. Balloon
8. Goblin Barrel
7. Prince
6. Executioner
5. Poison
4. Tornado (Please nerf this card next update…..)
3. Dark Prince
2. PEKKA
1. Golem
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This is pretty close to what I’d say too. Really hoping for a tornado nerf (hopefully pull strength) but PEKKA and golem are in a good spot right now!
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Both Prince is starting to get out of control……. do they need a change?
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They got overbuffed and now its showing…. I bet Clash Royale buffs other counters in response
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I personally think Bowler deserve a buff in the last update instead of the Dark Prince
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Yeah, I think the bowler was probably in a weaker spot
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As much as I hate lightning, I think it needs a rework, I think I should deal even less damage, but bring back the radius
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The radius was the best thing about the lightning spell
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True, but if they take away some damage then it won’t be able to kill as many things – like a level 6 one currently can’t kill max witch. And then if u nerf it damage wise lightning AND arrows won’t kill executioner
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Which is why executioner also needs a huge health nerf and tornado a pull decrease
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Yep, the health on the executioner is honestly the worst thing about him. Needs to be able to be die to a lightning IMO!
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If he does to lightning, then he’ll be pretty bad, especially because his damage is poor
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If executioner dies to lightning, then everyone will start using Wizard, or Baby Dragon……. yet those 2 are also some of the best support units
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Make lightning unable to kill bandit, but make its radius to 4, so lightning can capture more units OR decrease the cost to 5, so that it’s more effective on cycling, speed up beatdown.
But here’s the problem: if we do that, beatdown decks such as Lavaloon and Golem decks will be a lot more OP, so if we buff lightning, we need to nerf Golem and Balloon (Some of my friends really hate Golem and i was a former Balloon hater)
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Uh… Lavaloon is 100% not dead. Ever since I got my lava hound (I am at 3000+ trophies), my deck (lvl 1 lava, lvl 3 balloon, lvl 1 miner, lvl 9 minions, lvl 9 archers, lvl 10 zap, lvl 7 fireball, lvl 3 baby drag) has a record of (estimated) 20-4-2, with two losses being really close, one loss due to a disconnection, and one loss because I had to go afk. I don’t even rely on the balloon as my main win condition; I can easily overwhelm opponents with a dragon/minions/lava pups/miner attack.
However, I tend to agree with the rest of your list.
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At the time of writing this article, LavaLoon certainly was on the decline. However, over the past couple weeks I have noticed LavaLoon back up and strong!
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U should try my deck ben (I was 4600 last session) – lavahound, loon, mega minions, minions, tombstone, lumberjack (or guards), fireball, and arrows. U don’t have enough ground defence in ur deck so for u its great on offence but ur going to be wrecked by e-barbs or big ground pushes without the ability to distract them. Tombstone is great for a quick reaction to hog or ebarbs, and works well with golem and giant too. Also guards or lumberjack also provide distraction, saving ur tower from destruction or unneeded damage. Also arrows are in there because even though zap resets inferno d, the bigger threat is minions/minion horde, so that is what arrows are for, being a better reaction then baby dragon. And archers are great support for ground decks but bad for air ones, which is why mega minion and minions are there. Try it out, works great for me
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Looks like I should stick with Executioner forever!
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All tanks are pretty good now (Except RG), But Golem is definitely the only one which is OP, despite his heavy cost, it impacted the Giant quite a lot, especially because Golem’s supports are more supreme than Giant’s support (Excluding Executioner) (eg, Night Witch > Witch, Dark Prince > Valkyrie) as well as his high stats. And that’s what led PEKKA and Giant Skeleton to rise because PEKKA can kill the Golem easily while the Giant Skeleton can defend Golem’s supporters. Still, Giant is still strong, because he’s cheaper!
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Yep, golem is killing it right now with the current meta. Might see a possible nerf coming up here
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I do see a lot more Giant Skeleton than Royal Giant everyday. Giant Skeleton may be a lot better nowadays, but he still need a lot more strength to be compareable with PEKKA
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Right?! Part of the reason is because the RG is trash, but he is definitely rising.
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For Executioner, I think a small Hp nerf will be enough, Tornado on the other hand deserves to be nerfed severely
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I think HP would be the way to go. For tornado, the pull strength has to be decreased
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As well as the radius
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I’m learning to use Golem now, Golem Double Prince is really dominating the meta greatly
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Yes sir, definitely a good strategy to use!
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Okay so I am a long time lavaloon user (deck consisting of level 2 lavahound, level 7 ballon, level 10 mega minion, level 12 minions, level 3 lumberjack, level 9 tombstone, level 6 lightning, and level 12 arrows), currently around 4600. I always use lighting arrows combo, and not fireball zap because zap cant really kill anything air (besides bats) and isn’t really necessary inside a air deck and fireball doesn’t kill the main things u want to kill with high dps spell (overleved zap and fireball don’t matter, all cards I face are max or close besides legendaries) so even though lightning was really buffed it has much more value in this deck. Also lavaloon is NOT dead, but on the rise again due to it being a sturdy reliable deck for high level ladder. But my question is what do u think is better in this deck: level 11 zap and level 8 fireball; or level 12 arrows and level 6 lightning? Also what do u think of my deck on whole?
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Also what do u think on the lumberjack being added in this deck?
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I think lumberjack has awesome synergy with LavaLoon decks!
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Sounds like a great intuitive deck! I have noticed a few more LavaLoon decks over the past few weeks. I think that arrows and an overleveled fireball would work best for you (get your fireball to 10 if you can so that it can kill level 9 muskie/wiz)
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Okay, so your suggesting I do a fireball arrow combo? Should I wait to replace lightning with fireball until it is level 9 or 10?
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Exactly! I’d save lightning in until you get your fireball to 9, then go ahead and plug the fireball in for the lightning!
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Okay! Thanks so much for help; i’ll let u know how it goes 🙂
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You got it! Make sure to come back for any other questions and check out some of the deck guides we have!
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But what about zapping or stunning? Is it worth it to not hve a troop or spell to stun?
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To be honest, the stun doesn’t matter too much; its more about killing the troops
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I forgot to include this: what about poison insted of fireball or lighning?
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Poison would work great too! Really comes down to which one you are more comfortable with.
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(put it in wrong place) Or the poison and zap combo
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Okay of the 3 combos – lightning arrows, fireball arrows, poison zap; fireball arrows seems to work the best for now. Note: best offensive one is poison zap, but its bad on defence, so I went with fireball arrows. And just saying lightning used to be AMAZING I remember when I used to be able to catch wizard, tower, and inferno tower in one lightning spell. And then slowing poison was amazing to with giant prince poison. and zap is really bad after damage nerf (can’t kill anything), and log is terrible in air decks (obviously), and its much harder to upgrade due to it being legendary, messing up the balencing
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Yeah the lightning nerf was really uncalled for, but I’m glad to hear fireball/arrows is working well for you!
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As a lightning hater, I think Lightning definitely deserves a nerf, but that is not the nerf i expected, I expected an even bigger damage nerf (like 5-10%), But not a radius reduction.
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The radius is honestly what made the lightning viable and different from the rocket. Taking it away weakened it way too much
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I don’t know if u take suggestions but I saw ur other deck reviews and how to use them, it would be awesome to see one on lavaloon, but u don’t have to of course 🙂
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I actually have three lavaloonion decks already out! They might be a little outdated, but they will definitely have the basics in there! https://clashfordummies.com/?s=lavaloon
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oh sweet!
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For some reasons I hate the tornado but I absolutely love the Executioner
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Hahah, love one but not the other!
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Reconsidered, I think I hate Tornado more than lightning. I think Tornado is my actual least favourite, but lightning is probably close 2nd
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That sounds better! Tornado is honestly the most hated card at the moment
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I don’t know, does Goblin Barrel deserves a nerf? It sucks before, but now it seemed too annoying, especially at tournaments where Fire Spirits are one of the weakest cards and Log is easily baited out.
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It definitely isn’t OP enough to warrant a nerf, but it is so strong in tournaments. On the ladder though, if you have a overleveled zap, you’re fine
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Prince is a lot stronger than Dark Prince, but Dark Prince is a lot more versatile than the Prince
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My thoughts exactly!
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Witch used to be my favourite cards in the game, until I discovered that she’s too fragile compared to Baby Dragon, which has a lot more HP than her. And she’s too vulnerable when no Skeletons were with her as her own damage is too low, Executioner can deal with a lot of stuff better than her
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Yes, executioner is definitely superior over her!
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Ok I never expect Giant Skeleton got more usage than he ever has
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Yeah, I think he is at an all time high right now!
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I’m so happy to see Double Prince return! I’ve stopped using them for quite a while as they seemed too off meta and too easy to counter. Now that they got their buffs, they’re better than ever!
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One of my favorite metas ever without s doubt
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Seriously, when will they decide to nerf tornado?
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Hopefully within the next balance changes
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Should the poison receive a slight radius nerf?
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I think it is fine right now, but if it keeps rising, then that’d be a good nerf
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My least favourite epic AND the least favourite card in the game is the Lightning, but I also really hate tornado
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Wow, whats the hate with the lightning? My least favorite is probably bowler, but I don’t really hate him
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A few days before lightning was nerfed, Lightning was the card that made me raged so hard, it’s so hard to stop beatdown as long as lightning was supporting, especially Lavaloon that I used to hate, only then realized that without lightning, lavaloon isn’t too bad. I still have very bad memories about it, it caused me to hate Balloon for nearly a year. I also found out that people hate Golem, Which Lightning is also in those decks. Also, Lightning ruined my push before the nerf as the high damage and stun allowed opponents to react against my push better. Being the only card I hate (At least I love using Tornado), this is my least favourite card now
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Wow, you had some major problems with lightning! For me it was never really too bad
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My favourite epic card is definitely the Executioner, followed by the Dark Prince
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Mines the golem, hands down!
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My rank
23. Clone
22. Lightning
21. Mirror
20. Freeze
19. Bowler
18. Hunter
17. Rage
16. Cannon Cart
15. Giant Skeleton
14. X-Bow
13. Skeleton Army
12. Witch
11. Guards
10. Baby Dragon
9. Goblin Barrel
8. Balloon
7. Prince
6. Dark Prince
5. Executioner
4. Poison
3. Tornado
2. PEKKA
1. Golem
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Hey, we are almost spot on together!
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I really hate facing against tornado. It can shut down an entire BALLOON, only allowing the death damage to reach the tower
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Yep, its way too strong right now; NEEDS a weaker pull
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I won’t be surprised if Golem will receive a nerf, he’s been too strong, being your number 1 at 3/4 list
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I could see a slight damage nerf, but besides that I feel like the golem is mostly untouchable
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