It is time for a new epic card rankings for all the epic cards in Clash Royale! We will be having a power ranking, 24-1, of the epic cards in Clash Royale as of May 2018. As many of you know, I have done this ranking before, when there were only 23 epic cards. The top 5 cards then, in order, were golem, tornado, PEKKA, executioner, and poison. 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/2018/02/22/clash-royale-epic-card-rankings-february-2018/
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 24!
Note: Text color indicates which way the card is trending in regard to the February rankings.
Epic Card Rankings
#24- Clone
Not just the worst epic card, the clone spell may just be the worst card in all of Clash Royale. The problem with the clone is that it is such a risk to play, often giving you a three elixir disadvantage for a mistake. In a skilled player’s hands, the clone can be a devastating card to your opponent, but more often that not, it gives your opponent a nice boost.
#23- Barbarian Barrel
This was the last card added to Clash Royale and so far it has been a utter failure. Basically, the barbarian barrel is a weaker, shorter log that spawns a barbarian at the end of its roll. The real problem with the barbarian barrel is that the main purpose is to act as a log, but you can use the log for one elixir cheap and forgo the barbarian. Something has to change here.
#22- Cannon Cart
Does anyone even remember the brief surge the cannon cart had a few months ago, putting it up to the #10 spot in the epic rankings? Neither do I. The cannon cart has been miserable since then, providing no value for the 5 elixir that it costs. With so many better alternatives out there, it could be a long time until the cannon cart sniffs the meta again.
#21- Mirror
While the mirror is still an extreme niche card, there is a bit of hope. With the addition of the rascals into Clash Royale, another log bait card, the mirror fits in nicely into those bait decks, essentially providing another log bait card when used. It’s unlikely that the mirror will ever be at the top of the meta due to its niche use, but some more plays would be great.
#20- Bowler
Bowler-graveyard used to be SUCH a great meta strategy, but bowler has really fallen off a cliff since the huge graveyard nerf about a year ago. Similarly to the cannon cart, there are just such better options for a support unit or a tank card than the bowler. In order to be viable, the bowler needs a damage buff or a HP buff. Bowler is a great counter to rascals though!
#19- Freeze
Though the freeze spell is a bit on the rise, there still isn’t heavy use for it across Clash Royale. Mostly, it is just used in niche situations with the hog rider or half dead minions, hoping that your opponent doesn’t have another counter. For four elixir, usually it ends up being a way for your opponent to build up a large counter push.
#18- Hunter
When the hunter was first released, it was absolute garbage, but since then, the hunter has been a bit on the rise. While the musketeer is a bit of a better option, the hunter is rising up because of the potential power it offers. I think that
#17- Lightning
With the buff to the radius of the lightning, it has gained a bit of traction back into the Clash Royale meta. However, with the popularity of the fireball and rocket, the lightning is still seen as a somewhat poor card. In order to return to its former grandeur, golem beatdown and LavaLoonion decks must return to dominate the deck meta.
#16- Skeleton Army
As the goblin gang continues to dominate the swarm troop category, the skeleton army continues to fall. The huge advantage that goblin gang has is that not all of it dies to zap, while the skeleton army can get annihilated by the zap. Still, this is one of the biggest damage dealers in Clash Royale and can be dangerous if it goes uncountered.
#15- Guards
In this case, the guards end up overtaking the skeleton army as a better defensive card. Despite the fall in the rankings, the guards are still a very viable card to use for countering card, especially because of their shield. Thanks to the shield, the guards will take multiple hits from any unit to kill, giving them a huge advantage over the skeleton army.
#14- Rage
Somehow, without getting any buffs whatsoever, the rage continues to rise through the epic card rankings. The rage can be absolutely devastating if used with giant or balloon decks, giving a huge increase in both speed and attack speed, which can often result in the tower falling when you least expect it. Personally, I’d like to see the rage toned down a tad.
#13- Giant Skeleton
Once being a joke of a card and appearing at the basement of these rankings, the giant skeleton has now almost cracked the top 50% of epic cards. The giant skeleton can act as a devastating tank card, destroying any chance of a counterpush from your opponent. For one elixir less, this advantage gives it a huge boost over the PEKKA and mega knight.
#12- X-Bow
While the mortar shrunk back in the rankings, the x-bow is on the rise for sure, nearing the top 10 of the epic cards. Right now, one of the best decks in Clash Royale is the x-bow cycle deck and can beat the ever-popular hog decks with apparent ease. Over the next couple months, look for the x-bow to continue to rise, unless it is nerfed in the monthly balance changes.
#11- Tornado
The tornado is going to be our biggest faller in the epic card rankings, dropping from an outstanding #2 rank all the way down to #11 as it was reworked in the previous balance changes. The tornado simply is not as fluid as it once was, with the duration and overall damage being toned down. The duration actually helped the tornado and it’s no longer as effective.
#10- Baby Dragon
Even with golem decks seemingly on a brief decline, the baby dragon is still fighting strong, breaking into the top 10 for the first time. Right now, the baby dragon is fitting into so many different kinds of decks, whether it be hog cycle or balloon rage. As a strong 4 elixir air troops, there’s no telling how high the baby dragon could rise.
#9- Poison
As I said above with the lightning, the fireball and rocket are taking over Clash Royale, leading to a reduced role for the poison. Still, the poison fits in great with PEKKA and giant decks, allowing you to cover a wide area and tick down weak troops. As long as beatdown decks remain popular, it is hard to see the poison falling very far.
#8- Witch
With the popularity of giant decks super high, as well as the rage being a great way to increase damage, the witch is killing it right now. While it might not seem like it, the witch can kill it under a rage spell, actually being able to take the tower on her own under the right circumstances. Put this card in behind your tank unit!
#7- Goblin Barrel
The goblin card is going to stay even in the rankings, though with the release of the rascals as yet another log bait card, it is expected that the goblin barrel should be on the rise very soon. With the goblin barrel no longer being able to be zapped down as it was a year ago, the log is the only reliable way to get a positive elixir trade from the GB.
#6- PEKKA
In these epic card rankings, the PEKKA is actually going to take a step back here. Though still a very viable tank unit, the PEKKA is being outclassed by the giant. Still, the PEKKA can absolutely kill it as a severe damage dealer. One shot by the PEKKA onto your tower can leave you in a world of hurt, especially if the cards in behind the PEKKA connect as well.
#5- Balloon
There’s never been a better time in Clash Royale’s history to be playing the balloon. The rage spell is one of the hottest cards in Clash Royale and it just so happens to synergize perfectly with the balloon. For seven elixir, you can have basically guaranteed damage onto the tower, and with the balloon bomb drop, can possibly destroy the counterpush.
#4- Executioner
Even with the popularity of other splash units like the wizard and baby dragon, the executioner continues its reign at the top. The tornado nerf definitely hurt the executioner, as that was one of the best synergies in Clash Royale, but still the executioner can annihilate practically all units and fits in well with any deck, whether it be golem or hog decks.
#3- Dark Prince
The popularity of both of the princes right now is just too much to overcome. The dark prince slides in nicely at the number 3 spot, acting a great splash unit as well as a secondary tank card. The versatility of the dark prince is what really puts it over the top, as it can fit into many different deck archetypes, including siege decks.
#2- Golem
Unfortunately, the golem slides off its #1 ranking, but it is still one of the best win conditions in Clash Royale. The golem literally makes its own meta, boosting the mega minion, baby dragon, and night witch as support units. Even with the popularity of the inferno dragon, the golem is still one of the best epic, and overall, cards in Clash Royale.
#1- Prince
And our number one card, up 8 from number 9, is going to be the prince. The prince has been on fire lately, which might be strange given his nature. However, the prince is killing it, fitting into so many decks, and actually making a few new ones of his own. The sky is the limit for the prince, but expect a slight nerf somewhat soon.
So that is going to wrap it up for our epic card rankings for May 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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My new rank
24. Mirror
23. Cannon Cart
22. Barbarian Barrel
21. Clone
20. Skeleton Army
19. Lightning
18. Hunter
17. Freeze
16. Rage
15. X-Bow
14. Tornado
13. Bowler
12. Guards
11. Giant Skeleton
10. Goblin Barrel
9. Prince
8. Poison
7. Baby Dragon
6. Dark Prince
5. Executioner
4. PEKKA
3. Witch
2. Golem
1. Balloon
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I definitely can’t put balloon #1 right now, but we will see next month!
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Ok, now I’m using Bowler and I’m happy to see him finally being used in the Witch meta
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I haven’t seen much bowler yet, but it makes sense to counter witch
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Giant Skeleton is always a fun card to use in Clash Royale, so Who wants Giant Skeleton to be a permanent troop in Clash of Clans?
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The witch is gonna be completely broken after the July change, not only that she’s getting a huge 17% HP increase, but also she will spawn skeletons a lot faster
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I KNOW!
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Can I just say that I’m just very glad we have Valkyrie, Baby Dragon and especially Executioner on the meta?
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Ehhh, I don’t really like most of those cards that much
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Golem: Insane HP, good Damage
Balloon: Insane Damage, good HP
Combination between both of them is going to be a nightmare ……… now I get why people wanted both Golem and Balloon to be nerfed
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It could be the next meta, but I think royal hogs are pretty decent
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My new rank
24. Bowler
23. Cannon Cart
22. Mirror
21. Skeleton Army
20. Barbarian Barrel
19. Clone
18. Freeze
17. Lightning
16. Hunter
15. Rage
14. Tornado (Really, I feel like it’s a lot weaker now)
13. Giant Skeleton
12. Guards
11. X-Bow
10. Witch
9. Goblin Barrel
8. Poison
7. Baby Dragon
6. Prince
5. Dark Prince
4. Executioner
3. PEKKA
2. Balloon
1. Golem
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Honestly, I think that bowler is a bit on the rise, and clone hasn’t jumped that much
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Ok, I meant to place Bowler higher than Skeleton Army…….
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Who’s happy that the tornado finally got reworked?
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Definitely me!
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I still love double prince!
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Yeah, at least it was pretty different from the past meta (except that one giant double prince poison meta)
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And supercell will nerf them next update
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I got an idea to buff the Barb Barrel
Remove the Barbarian and replace it with an Elite Barbarian
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Honestly, I kind of like it but that might make the barbarian barrel pretty OP
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Executioner is going to be severely impacted in the next update…….
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I think the wizard buff is going to be a big nerf towards the exe
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Did you know? You can use Baby dragon to either speed up the balloon or tank for it!
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Exactly why it is so high in the rankings!
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But do you prefer speeding it up or ranking it?
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To be honest I prefer the old Executioner image instead of the new one
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You know, there’s actually a lot of people who loved Giant Larry. While definitely nowhere as impressive as PEKKA or even better, Golem, Giant Skeleton is OP against a massive swarm of support units behind a Giant (Except Baby Dragon and Executioner of course), not a terrible card on counterpush and especially 2v2 where he’s broken. I would love to see a Giant Skeleton meta!
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I would too, definitely one of my favorite epic cards
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Sure Clone is very bad but I think the Barb Barrel is far worse. At least Clone can often offer some good value while Barb Barrel is just trash
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But the barb barrel can at least provide SOME value for three elixir while the clone usually ends up costing you
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My favourite epic card is the Dark Prince
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Mines the golem!
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My least favourite epic card is the poison (I knew you aren’t seeing that coming)
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Mine is far and away the clone; just a pointless card
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But that’s because I excluded the uh……… ugh, it just hurt to think about it
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It is tough to catch them all
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Ah the good old days, I absolutely hated the Balloon. Looking back I really regret on hating it. I just didn’t know how to counter it. Even if the Balloon is at the deadliest state right now, the only thing i can complain about it is the 1st strike which is too fast. I like the Balloon now, even Lava Hound isn’t as great as before
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It’s honestly not that hard to counter, but the good players will draw out your counter cards so it guarantees two shots at least
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Honestly I really don’t want to use Witch anymore because there’s just some much better options, but this ranking proved that she’s still great! Should I use her again?
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I’d only use her with giant or PEKKA decks that include the rage spell; that’s where she is really dominant
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But I’m using PEKKA
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PEKKA>mega knight for sure
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True, I found dark prince stronger as he deals area damage
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My rank
24. Barbarian Barrel
23. Clone
22. Mirror
21. Bowler
20. Cannon Cart
19. Freeze
18. Skeleton Army
17. Lightning
16. Hunter
15. Rage
14. Guards
13. Giant Skeleton
12. X-Bow
11. Tornado
10. Witch
9. Goblin Barrel
8. Poison
7. Baby Dragon
6. Balloon
5. Executioner
4. PEKKA
3. Prince
2. Golem
1. Dark Prince
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Awesome, we match up almost exactly!
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Wow Prince #1?! I personally think Dark Prince is better
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Honestly, the top 3 were all pretty close, but the prince has more power which helps on defense
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