It is time for a new common card rankings for all the common cards in Clash Royale! We will be having a power ranking, #24 to #1, of the common cards in Clash Royale as of August 2019. As many of you know, I have done this ranking before, back in May when there were still 24 common cards. The top 5 cards then, in order, were giant snowball, zap, goblin gang, bats, and rascals. 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/2019/05/17/clash-royale-common-card-rankings-may-2019/

How the Common Cards are Ranked

When ranking these cards we put a lot of thought and effort into what makes the best common 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 May rankings.

Common Card Rankings

#24- Royal Recruits

Royal recruits have been in the basement for so long that it is difficult to remember them being one of the most dominant cards Clash Royale has ever seen. The recruits don’t pack the punch they used to and it is difficult to use 7 elixir on this card. I think they need to go back down to a 6 elixir cost and get a slight nerf with it.

#23- Bomber

The issue with the bomber isn’t its statistics, but rather the fundamentals of the card. Unfortunately, since there are now so many air cards in Clash Royale, the bomber is absolutely useless against any of them. Despite a couple buffs, the bomber is still one of the worst cards in Clash Royale and I don’t think any reasonable buffs could fix that.

#22- Skeleton Barrel

I really like the concept behind the skeleton barrel, especially when used with the goblin barrel, but there are just way too many ways to counter it. Bats can completely counter this card, which makes negatively trades happen pretty often when you play the skeleton barrel. I think there needs to be another advantage to the barrel for it to become a useful card.

#21- Fire Spirits

I remember when fire spirits were released, there was shock because no card like this had been released yet, with the fire spirit disappearing after use. While the ice spirit has become an impactful card, the fire spirits have not. I think the fire spirits need a unique ability like the ice spirit’s freeze to set them apart from the field.

#20- Mortar

I don’t believe any other card has bounced around these rankings more than the mortar. A few rankings ago, the mortar was at the top, but a few more before that, it was at the bottom. Now the mortar is back at the bottom, having little usage across arenas. Siege is such a difficult archetype to balance and the power of the royal giant isn’t helping.

#19- Elite Barbarians

You might hate me for saying this, but I’m starting to miss the old OP elite barbarians. I don’t want this to be completely OP,  but seeing them a little bit more lately has made me sort of nostalgic for when everyone hated them. I want to see the EBs become a defensive option before an offensive one, but we will see if they continue to rise.

#18- Goblins

I’ve always preferred spear goblins over regular goblins, mostly for the reasons I listed under the bomber. Goblins are starting to come back a little bit though, as players see them as that cheap option for only two elixir to counter smaller cards. It really helps that goblins can’t die to zap, though log and barbarian barrel still shut them down.

#17- Cannon

I still use the cannon in one of my main decks, a hog cycle deck, and it serves me just fine, except against golem or heavy beatdown decks. I think that the power of the inferno tower and tesla shun the cannon to the side, even though it is still a great card to play with. This thing can help shut down a royal giant while you play other cards to counter too.

#16- Spear Goblins

It really helps that spear goblins can attack air cards, but they are losing some market share to bats and skeletons, which gives you more power and cheaper cost respectively. I still really love spear goblins as a card, and cheap counter to many different decks, but there are now stronger cards that can replace the spear gobs.

#15- Arrows

Even with the popularity of 2 elixir spells, arrows have been moving steadily up the meta over the past three months. It is so great to have a card you know will completely take out minions/goblins instead of the zap, which is the value of arrows. Also, since barbarian barrel and log don’t damage air troops, arrows are the go-to option.

#14- Barbarians

It makes me so happy to see barbarians finally this high. The buff in the March balance changes is finally coming to light, with the 5th barbarian completely changing up the gameplay. I love this card as a defensive option, since it can provide so much value with killing tank cards like the PEKKA and golem… keep rising barbarians!

#13- Rascals

Rascals are down big time in these balance changes, and it is really unclear to me why. I’ve noticed in battles I’ve played that no one near the number in May is playing rascals. The only change to the rascals was a slight nerf in June 2019, but I really thought that wouldn’t be enough to kill the card as much as it has. Maybe boy hit speed matters a lot!

#12- Archers

As typical, archers retain their position in the middle of the common card rankings, doing little to inspire a meta changing deck, but also doing enough to stay somewhat relevant. The best part about archers is that they can’t die to any of the two elixir spells, which is a huge benefit to playing them on a spam defensive stop.

#11- Minion Horde

One of the most powerful cards in Clash Royale, the minion horde is sitting just outside the top 10. The real problem is there are so many ways to counter the minion horde now, the latest of which being the fisherman. Still though, the damage the minion horde deals if it goes uncounted is unbeatable which is why it is consistently a top card.

#10- Knight

A reliantly strong, yet cheap card, there is no question the knight is a top tier option for defense in Clash Royale. The knight can shut down a number of cards, thanks to his high HP. I really think the knight is a great card to have in any deck, since it is super versatile on the defensive end. With a bit more offensive firepower, it’d be one of the best cards in the game.

#9- Tesla

Out of nowhere, the tesla has sprang up (pun intended) to be arguably the best defense card in Clash Royale. A big plus is that it cannot be damaged by spells without troops nearby, but also, it packs quite a punch against ground AND air troops. My guess is that the tesla remains a top 10 card unless some major shift in the meta happens.

#8- Minions

I’ve long been a minions fan for a long time now, and I hope that bats never completely take them out of the meta. Minions are great because they can’t die to zap, which means you have some cheaper power unless a stronger counter comes. I love playing minions against cheaper ground units, since minions can eat them alive.

#7- Goblin Gang

Goblin gang has been the ultimate swarm card for a while now, but it falters a little bit in these common card rankings. I think that the spear goblins and goblins are ultimately a little bit too weak to have continued success like it was having, but goblin gang can definitely remain a top tier common card for a long time.

#6- Ice Spirit

There’s no doubt that ice spirit is one of my favorite cards in Clash Royale, so I’m happy to see it remain a top 10 common card in Clash Royale. There is no value like it in the game; for just one elixir you can freeze an entire section of the map to allow your troops to get another hit off on the tower, plus deal some damage itself.

#5- Zap

I’ve loved the zap now for quite some time, but with the popularity of log and barbarian barrel, it has fallen a bit from its top spot. Still though, as a cheap common card that can be easily overleveled, there is no way the zap will ever fall too far, unless it gets a drastic changes from Supercell. Zap should continue to be a top tier spell for a while.

#4- Skeletons

The other one elixir card in Clash Royale is doing pretty well itself. In fact, I can’t remember the last time skeletons have been ranked this high in the common card rankings. Just imagine if they still had the fourth skeleton around! Having the one elixir cycle card that can kite other units helps a lot in any deck on the defensive side.

#3- Giant Snowball

As I type this out, I completely forgot to mention the popularity of the giant snowball in any other of the spell write ups. The giant snowball is so great, especially for giving off the slowing effect that can, like the zap, give your troops a chance to land that one more hit on the tower. I think giant snowball has a chance to fall big though, depending on what happens with the meta.

#2- Bats

Bats are one of the best support cards in Clash Royale, being a cheap way to counter so many different cards. Two elixir for a flying unit is the best that you can do in this game, so having bats in your arsenal gives you an easy way to counter left over cards. Also, these can turn offensive too, giving support behind a hog or a miner.

#1- Royal Giant

It is kind of weird to have a pure win condition this high, since usage rates don’t really show it, but the royal giant is definitely one of the best cards in Clash Royale. This thing can wind up and beat away at the tower for multiple shots. The range of the royal giant is what really makes it great, since it can do damage quickly from far away.

So that is going to wrap it up for our common card rankings for August of 2019! Stay tuned soon to see our rare, epic, and legendary card rankings soon. Thanks for reading and comment below what you think of the rankings!

Check out our videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNo3IxCrp34erbCRLmG8HIA