It is time for a new rare card rankings for all the rare cards in Clash Royale! We will be having a power ranking, 23-1, of the rare cards in Clash Royale as of May 2018. As many of you know, I have done this ranking before, back in February with the same 23 cards. The top 5 cards then, in order, were hog rider, goblin hut, fireball, musketeer, and mini-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/2018/02/21/clash-royale-rare-card-rankings-february-2018/

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 23!

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

Rare Card Rankings

#23- Heal

Without a doubt, the heal is the worst rare card in Clash Royale and possibly the worst card overall. The only niche use of the heal is to keep half-dead minion hordes or three musketeers alive, which rarely happens. Most of the time, the heal ends up being a waste of three elixir as, even with the heal, the troops still end up being countered pretty easily.

#22- Bomb Tower

In my opinion, I honestly don’t think that the bomb tower is that bad of a card, especially for dealing with any giant beatdown pushes. It does have an insane amount of health, as well as deals a good amount of splash damage to ground troops. The big issue with the bomb tower is that it cannot take out air troops, which means it is quickly overwhelmed by any air support troops.

#21- Barbarian Hut

In the Clash Royale meta, the barbarian hut is in about the same spot as the bomb tower. It has a ton of health, can end up dealing lots of damage, but can’t take out air troops in any way. Of course, the seven elixir that the barb hut costs doesn’t help its case either. There are too many good defensive buildings in Clash Royale for the barbarian hut to be in the meta.

#20- Zappies

At least the zappies are a little bit on the rise. While the electro-wizard is still far and away the better option here, the zappies are being played a little bit more across all gamemodes, especially now that they can shoot air troops. Unfortunately, they still don’t have enough health to secure their spot at the top, especially with the popularity of the fireball.

#19- Flying Machine

There are too many solid options out there for the flying machine, a card that can die to the fireball with ease, to be a popular card in the Clash Royale meta. The dart goblin can offer the same range as the flying machine for one elixir less, while the mega minion gives you more health to put in behind a tank, again for one elixir less. Buff this card a bit to see it right at the top!

#18- Furnace

It’s never made me happier to see a card this low on the rare card rankings. I absolutely despise the furnace and the cheap chip damage that it provides for only 4 elixir. Luckily, with the popularity of the fireball and rocket, the furnace hasn’t really been going anywhere. It is way too easy to counter all the fire spirits with a slow moving card placed in the back of your side.

#17- Valkyrie

It really seems to be a recurring theme in the card rankings that the cards that can kill both ground and air troops are higher up in the rankings. Due to the valkyrie only being able to take out ground troops, she slots in pretty low in the 17th spot. Still, the valkyrie can be a solid secondary tank troop and can shred ground troops with the right placement.

#16- Goblin Hut

The goblin hut got absolutely smacked in these rankings, dropping 14 spots from #2 all the way down to #16. The nerf to spear goblins in the last balance changes was the nail in the coffin for the goblin hut, which was considered the most annoying card just a few months ago. That being said, the goblin hut is still a decent card, just not as OP as it used to be back in February.

#15- Dart Goblin

Even with his insane range that can snipe buildings from your side of the map, the dart goblin doesn’t rank up that high in the rare card rankings. He does add to the many log bait cards that are currently in Clash Royale, but there are stronger ranged units that you would want supporting a push, like the musketeer, wizard, and executioner.

#14- Battle Ram

Slowly but surely the battle ram is becoming respected as an independent win condition to use. However, the battle ram still has a long way to go in order to be considered as powerful as the giant or hog rider. It is still pretty easy to counter the battle ram, along with the two barbarians for only two or three elixir, which puts the battle ram right in the middle of the rare cards.

#13- Tombstone

Right now, the tombstone is really fitting into so many different decks that it is impossible to stop the popularity trend. The best thing about it is that the tombstone provides a steady stream of skeletons to help chip down tank units and to distract single attack units. Not to mention, once destroyed, the tombstone gives off 4 skeletons to help defeat whatever unit destroyed it.

#12- Elixir Collector

As the three musketeers continue to grow in popularity, the elixir collector will grow with it. Mostly, the elixir collector can be used as a large spell bait, drawing it out so you can punish your opponent with your other card. If not taken out, the elixir pump can provide you with a ton of elixir in order to build up some large pushes and punish your opponent.

#11- Rocket

While the rocket doesn’t quite match the fireball at the moment, it is still a great card for taking out a bit bigger units like the witch and the night witch. Of course, you can also use the rocket as a quick counter to the elixir collector. The best value of the rocket though, comes from being able to take out a tower when it is down to its last few hundred hitpoints.

#10- Inferno Tower

As the inferno dragon sort of slows down in its rise in the meta, the inferno tower becomes more prevalent as the best way to take out tanks like the golem and giant. Especially in decks with a lot of cheap cards, see log bait and hog cycle, the inferno tower offers a great way to ensure you can take out tanks and chip away at large pushes.

#9- Mini-PEKKA

In my opinion, the mini-PEKKA is one of the more underrated cards in Clash Royale. This rare card can deal insane damage to anything that it strikes. Even though there are more popular defensive options out there, the mini-PEKKA is one of the best cards for defense. The mini-PEKKA stands apart since he can also be a great offensive unit to kill the tower.

#8- Wizard

At one point, the wizard was towards the bottom of the meta, especially in rare cards, but now the wizard is one of the top support units behind the giant or golem. It’s great for dealing with any swarm units, especially eventually turning into a counterpush. Even with the executioner being as highly regarded as it is right now, the wizard can still hold its own.

#7- Three Musketeers

Tied for the biggest climb of these rankings, the three musketeers have moved up 5 spots from number 12 all the way up to number 7. There has never been a time in Clash Royale history when the three musketeers have been so popular. Especially in challenges, the three musketeers can be dominant. Popular with the battle ram and giant, try these out for a big beatdown!

#6- Mega Minion

Along with minions, the mega minion is one of the two best air support units in Clash Royale right now. The best part about the mega minion is that it isn’t able to be taken out by the fireball, giving it a ton of value in golem and lava hound decks. With a need for mini-tanks in the game, it is really difficult to see the mega minion going away anytime soon.

#5- Musketeer

The musketeer is at its lowest ranking for rare cards in the last couple rankings, but that still means that the musketeer is a top 5 rare card. One of the best support cards in Clash Royale, the musketeer can fit in with literally any deck possible. It is also a great way to counter most cards, being able to kill all air cards and most ground cards.

#4- Giant

With only the hog and possibly golem beating it out right now, the giant is the third best win condition in Clash Royale. With the giant double prince deck being so great right now, the giant is slowing gaining usage at the top of the ladder. Its high health and damage makes it a killer card to lead your pushes to your opponent’s arena tower!

#3- Fireball

With the exception of the zap and log, the fireball is currently the best spell in Clash Royale. This card can offer so many even or positive elixir trades, taking out the wizard, electro-wizard, and musketeer if one level above. It ends up dealing a good bit of damage on the tower too, which makes it solidify its three spot in the rare card rankings.

#2- Hog Rider

Unfortunately for it, the hog rider was taken out of its number one spot. However, it still doesn’t mean that the hog is diminishing in power, as it is far and away the number one deck archetype out there. Fitting in so well with a ton of different deck types, like hog mortar and log bait, the hog rider is the card to level up if your clan mates are willing to donate!

#1- Ice Golem

And our new number one card, up 5 spots from number 6, is the ice golem. There should be no doubt that the ice golem is the best rare card in Clash Royale, giving absolutely insane value for only two elixir, Usable on defense or offense, the ice golem can provide a secondary tank option or a nice kite for a larger troop that your tower can shoot down.

So that is going to wrap it up for our rare card rankings for May of 2018! 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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