It is time for a new rare card rankings for all the rare cards in Clash Royale! We will be having a power ranking, 24-1, of the rare cards in Clash Royale as of November 2018. As many of you know, I have done this ranking before, back in August when there were still 24 cards. The top 5 cards then, in order, were valkyrie, hog rider, fireball, wizard, and royal hogs. 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/2018/08/21/clash-royale-rare-card-rankings-august-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 24!

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

Rare Card Rankings

#24 Heal

Yet again, the heal spell is going to come in as our worst rare card in Clash Royale. This card has so much potential, in fact too potential that it could become OP, that Clash Royale has decided to keep it at a low and extremely weak level. Basically, the heal only works to keep almost dead three musketeers and minion hordes alive.

#23- Bomb Tower

Even with a gigantic rework in the August balance changes, and another buff in the October balance changes, bomb tower has remained one of the weakest defenses in Clash Royale. With royal hogs decreasing in popularity, the one win condition that the bomb tower was good against disappeared, plunging it back to the bottom of the meta.

#22- Goblin Hut

I’m honestly pretty thankful to see the goblin hut this low in the rankings, especially for all the pain it caused players at the beginning of the year. At this point in Clash Royale, there are better defensive building options than the goblin hut and there are better ways to get chip damage on the tower than the goblin hut.

#21- Furnace

Just like the goblin hut, the furnace is definitely outclassed. If your furnace is underleveled, it has the possibility to do no damage on your opponent’s tower, which is just disappointing. However, having the splash damage from the fire spirits can make offensive pushing pretty irritating, which is why it is ranked a bit higher than the goblin hut.

#20- Zappies

With the release of the electro dragon being another zap shooting troop in Clash Royale, zappies dropped even lower in the rare card rankings. Zappies used to be a great card even back in August, but the September balance changes gave the zappies a rework that completely killed the card and make it a second tier option behind the other support cards.

#19- Barbarian Hut

The final real spawner is appearing here at our #19 rankings, actually moving up a couple spots since August. Honestly, I think that the barbarian hut has the ability to become a super meta card, with its high HP and stream of barbarians, but let’s hope that never happens. For now, I’m happy with it in the bottom 25% of rare cards.

#18- Mini-PEKKA

Honestly, it’s not so much that the mini-PEKKA is a bad card, it’s more that all of the rare cards are just so good. At this point though, the mini-PEKKA is outclassed by a ton of different small tank cards like the knight, valkyrie, lumberjack, and bandit. I think in order for the mini-PEKKA to really make a rise, the hit speed he offers has to be decreased.

#17- Tombstone

It shows how good the tombstone was that even after its nerf in the November balance changes, it was still able to move up in the rankings. Spawning four skeletons made the tombstone able to shut down a number of different troops and having it only spawn three now will make it a lot less of a powerful card, especially for only three elixir.

#16- Elixir Collector

With the popularity of the miner at an all time high, the elixir collector is suffering a little bit. The three musketeers are definitely on the rise though, which in turn will make the elixir collector rise up a bit in the rankings. Of course, if the fireball and poison continue to dominate the meta right now, it’s going to be tough for the elixir collector to move up.

#15- Rocket

As mentioned above, fireball and poison are two of the best spells, if not cards, in Clash Royale, which definitely sets back the rocket quite a bit. However, the rocket is still able to be somewhat reliable due to its high damage completely being able to take out cards like the elixir collector, executioner, and witch. There will always be a place for the rocket in the meta!

#14- Royal Hogs

In the rare card rankings, the royal hogs are going to be the biggest fallers, dropping 9 spots from #5 all the way down to #14. With nerfs in both the September and November 2018 balance changes, the royal hogs have fallen from being one of the best win conditions in Clash Royale, to a decent card that can be countered with a multiple of different defenses.

#13- Musketeer

In all of the rare card rankings, this is the lowest ranking that the musketeer has ever received. With all of the new cards with special abilities coming out, the musketeer is kind of slacking down a little bit in the meta. That being said, the musketeer is still a great card to play on defense and offense, giving you a solid 4 elixir card that can take out almost anything.

#12- Flying Machine

With range being one of the more valued things in Clash Royale now, the flying machine has been slowly rising up through the rare card rankings, now being on the upper half of all rare cards. The flying machine is only 4 elixir but offers a lot of value, which lets it fit into basically any meta in Clash Royale, including LavaLoon, golem beatdown, and hog cycle.

#11- Wizard

Just like the musketeer, the wizard is definitely dropping through the meta a bit due to the release of more specialized cards. Of course, the wizard is still a great support option behind the giant and other cards. However, with the electro-dragon and executioner are a bit stronger in the meta right now, shifting the wizard towards the back seat.

#10- Giant

The giant just received a slight nerf in the November balance changes, but it still remains a pretty strong win condition. But the giant is definitely not as strong as it used to be in the giant prince meta. With a 5 elixir cost, the giant can provide a bunch of value, but we are just a bit behind where it should be right now. I wish they would reverse the balance change.

#9- Inferno Tower

The November balance changes gave the inferno tower a huge buff, adding 3% to the HP, which definitely makes it a solid alternate option to the inferno dragon. Without a doubt, the inferno tower is one of the best defensive buildings now, being able to melt any tank unit in Clash Royale, and usually deal with the support troops as well!

#8- Three Musketeers

With the release of the royal hogs, split push decks were at an all-time high, with led to more decks with the royal hogs and three musketeers. As royal hogs have faded a bit, three musketeers remain strong, staying at the top of the meta. Part of the reason is the success of the battle ram, which pairs super well with the three musketeers.

#7- Valkyrie

In the August rankings, the valkyrie was the #1 rare card. It is no longer such a strong card, but the valkyrie is still seen many different decks. In the September balance changes, thankfully, the valkyrie received a hit speed nerf, making it attack much slower. Now though, the valkyrie is a great spot in the meta, strong, but not OP.

#6- Mega Minion

Surprisingly, LavaLoon is actually really strong right now in the current meta, and that really helps the mega minion be one of the best support cards in Clash Royale. It also doesn’t hurt that golem beatdown decks are pretty strong, another deck archetype that the mega minion is an essential part of. It may crack into the top 5 next rare card rankings.

#5- Hog Rider

I don’t think that the hog rider has ever been this low in the rare card rankings. Of course, the hog rider is still one of the best win conditions in Clash Royale, but other cards have surpassed the hog rider in value. Without a doubt, the hog rider will turn back to a top 3 rare card, but for now, it will have to be happy with the #5 ranking.

#4- Dart Goblin

In one of the most unnecessary buffs in Clash Royale, the dart goblin is going to jump up 13 spots to #4. Most of the experienced community voted for archers, yet the dart goblin ended up receiving a buff in the November balance changes. This damage buff just makes him a pain to deal with and you can only really use the log to easily take him out.

#3- Battle Ram

Our top rare card win condition is going to be the battle ram, coming in at the highest ranking it has ever been at in the rare card rankings. The battle ram has become absolutely ridiculously strong in the meta, being a great way to get some chip damage onto the tower. I doubt the battle ram stays this high, but no nerf is in sight for the battle ram.

#2- Ice Golem

For only two elixir, the ice golem offers so much value that it is impossible not to rank it in the top 3. You can literally take out a mega knight with the ice golem, contingent on your arena towers. Not just on defense, you can also use the ice golem as a secondary tank unit. With the ability to take down bats and skeletons upon death, the ice golem is way too valuable for 2 elixir.

#1- Fireball

And the number one card in the rare card ranking is going to be the fireball! This spell is absolutely dominant right now, with a new deck archetype emerging of fireball bait. Zap has long been the best spell in Clash Royale, but fireball is definitely giving it a run for its money lately, especially thanks to the electro-dragon adding a bit to the bait meta.

So that is going to wrap it up for our rare card rankings for November 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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