It is time for a new epic card rankings for all the epic cards in Clash Royale! We will be having a power ranking, 26-1, of the epic cards in Clash Royale as of November 2018. As many of you know, I have done this ranking before, when there were 24 epic cards. The top 5 cards then, in order, were witch, golem, PEKKA, poison, and balloon. 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/2018/08/23/clash-royale-epic-card-rankings-august-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:

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 26!

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

Epic Card Rankings

#26- Clone

Without much of a surprise, the clone is again going to be at the bottom of our epic card rankings. The clone really only offers value in extreme circumstances and even then, can often lead to a negative elixir trade. Sometimes in golem or lava hound decks, the clone can overwhelm the tower, but most of the time it ends up being a waste of three elixir.

#25- Mirror

I’m not going to lie, like the clone, there are some places where the mirror can be extremely effective. Mostly, this card fits into zap bait decks, when having an extra bait card can be the difference in the battle. However, mirror use is a niche play, since most of the time it will lead to a negative elixir trade due to the increase of 1 elixir.

#24- Goblin Giant

One of our newest epic cards, the goblin giant, is going to debut nearly at the bottom of the rankings, slotting in at the #24 spot. Unfortunately, the goblin giant just doesn’t pack a big enough punch for 6 elixir compared to other win conditions in the game. The two spear goblins can be very useful for defending in some cases, but the giant part needs a buff.

#23- Freeze

Remember the meta days of hog freeze? Those days are long gone, as freeze is now one of the worst spells in Clash Royale. With balloon and graveyard, the freeze can make some big plays, but most of the time, your opponent simply plays another counter card for less than 4 elixir and you end up missing out on the damage that you were hoping for.

#22- Bowler

For a while, back in August, it was looking like the bowler would make a return to the top, since graveyard was making some moves back to the front of the meta. However, while graveyard has continued to be a decent win condition, the bowler hasn’t followed, with a lot of splash damage cards upping him since the bowler can’t kill air cards.

#21- Cannon Cart

In the epic card rankings, the cannon cart is going to be the biggest dropper, going from the #6 epic card all the way down to #21. This is caused by a nerf in the September AND November balance changes, which has absolutely destroyed the card. I think that the second nerf was a bit uncalled for, but the cannon cart definitely needed to drop from August.

#20- Rage

Luckily, we are seeing less and less giant/witch/rage in the current Clash Royale meta. This was such an annoying combo to try and counter, but it was extremely effective at dominating. Now, the rage has returned to a low tier epic card, but it fits here, as the witch and balloon are the only two cards who really benefit from the 2 elixir spell.

#19- Giant Skeleton

It’s quite a shame to see the giant skeleton drop in these rankings, since he was doing so well before. However, there are just way too many solid tank options in Clash Royale right now, leaving the giant skeleton on the outside looking in. Instead of using him as a tank, you should focus on the GS as a defensive counter card to eliminate support units behind a tank.

#18- Hunter

Up there with the old magic archer, the hunter is one of the highest skill cap cards in Clash Royale. You can really do a ton of damage with the hunter if you play him close to the unit you want to eliminate. Unfortunately, the hunter just doesn’t do enough damage from a range, which makes him a tough pick over cards like the musketeer or wizard.

#17- X-Bow

Siege isn’t completely dead! Many players were complaining how the royal giant buff back in the October balance changes would spell the end of siege decks with the x-bow and mortar. While the x-bow definitely isn’t at the best spot its ever been at, it is definitely still a viable win condition in Clash Royale in the current meta.

#16- Dark Prince

With the dark prince starts the real rankings of the epic cards. All of the cards here and ahead are solid options that you can use to win in Clash Royale. The dark prince has certainly suffered a bit since he was ranked #3 in the May epic rankings, but you can definitely still use him as a secondary tank option to support something a bit tankier like a giant or golem.

#15- Tornado

Similarly to the dark prince, the tornado has fallen off a bit since the OP days of February and May. Still, the tornado can be used to make some huge plays, especially when combined with splash cards like the executioner. While other spells that deal more damage might take precedent over the tornado, the need for the tornado is still there.

#14- Goblin Barrel

I feel like log bait is at an all time low right now. With the introduction and rise of the barbarian barrel and giant snowball, there are two more spells that can eliminate log bait cards. The goblin barrel has suffered because of this, not appearing as in as many decks. Still, there are a ton of decks that the goblin barrel can slot into and fit perfectly.

#13- Skeleton Army

Once upon a time, the skeleton army was the best defensive cards in Clash Royale. Since then, too many new cards have been added that diminish the skeleton army’s power, but there still remains a need for a card that can completely overwhelm most units in the game. However, as with the goblin barrel, there are too many cards right now that can take skarmy out with ease.

#12- Lightning

With spells being so prevalent in the current meta, it’s tough for each spell to gain playing time. However, after the September 2018 balance changes, where lightning got a 5% damage increase, it pulled away enough from the fireball and got close enough to the rocket to justify the 6 elixir cost. With one obvious exception, this is the spell most of the rise in Clash Royale.

#11- Prince

I’m happy to see the prince rising up a bit since the double prince meta we had a year and a half ago was one of the best Clash Royale has ever seen. However, the prince is playing more of a support card in this meta, behind bigger cards like the mega knight or golem. Hopefully with the prince coming up, he can drag the dark prince along with him.

#10- Executioner

Slowly but surely, the executioner is falling away from the top 5 epic cards. With the introduction of the electro-dragon, there are better options than the executioner to defend large beatdown pushes with a ton of units. Still, the executioner is a great card that can fit into practically any meta or deck in Clash Royale.

#9- Guards

As I have mentioned many times, spells are super powerful right now in the Clash Royale meta. That is what makes the guards so valuable as a defensive troop, since they can’t be taken out by a single spell. It is a huge advantage to have these guys keep defending no matter what spells your opponent throws at you, which is why they crack the top 10.

#8- Witch

I have to say, I am extremely happy to see the witch fall. The giant witch meta that we had to suffer through over the summer was just flat out annoying to play against, and I want to see the witch drop out of the top 10 completely. In the meantime, the witch is still a very solid support unit to throw in behind any tank and the skeletons can do some big damage.

#7- Baby Dragon

Since the golem is still pretty strong in the current meta, it only makes sense that the baby dragon would follow. However, it isn’t just golem beatdown decks that the baby dragon is fitting into anymore. This card can play well in LavaLoon, bridge spam, and royal giant decks. Suddenly, without any buffs, the baby dragon is one of the most versatile support cards.

#6- Balloon

Without a doubt, LavaLoon is slowly gaining ground to start being a great deck once again. However, solo balloon decks have dropped off a bit, leading to the fall of the balloon out of the top 5. A lot of players are starting to bring back the giant-balloon beatdown combo, which means versatility for the balloon, which is much needed to move up again.

#5- Poison

Simply said, the poison is one of the best spells in Clash Royale, especially in the heavy deck meta we are currently in. However, with the fireball laying claim to be possibly the best CARD in Clash Royale, it is tough for the poison to remain up. However, with the use in lava hound, golem, and PEKKA decks fitting perfectly, the poison remains in the top 5.

#4- Golem

Don’t be fooled by the red font signifying the golem’s fall in the rankings. The golem is definitely one of the best win conditions in Clash Royale, only barely beat out by the PEKKA and the battle ram. There is no card in the game that can survive as long as the golem, making it the perfect card to spearhead huge, overwhelming pushes to punish your opponent.

#3- PEKKA

In a time where the meta wasn’t so skewed, PEKKA would almost certainly be the #1 epic card in Clash Royale. However, it will have to settle for being the best tank card in Clash Royale. The PEKKA is leading the way in battle ram decks, offering a great defensive card that can immediately turn into a huge offensive push.

#2- Barbarian Barrel

Yes, the barbarian barrel. One of the biggest risers EVER in our rankings, jumping an amazing 21 spots to the #2 ranking in our epic card rankings. The barbarian barrel received a bit of a rework in the October balance changes, making it roll faster and have a quicker barbarian spawn. This has made it one of the best spells in Clash Royale, possibly overtaking log.

#1- Electro-Dragon

Our number one epic card is going to be a brand new card in Clash Royale. Debuting at the #1 spot is the electro-dragon which has been an absolute monster on defense. Originally, most players thought that the electro-dragon was a bit weak, but once play came out, it was clear that the e-dragon could shut down a number of different pushes and be a force on offense too.

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