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Clash Royale
Image via Supercell

Five Outstanding Defensive Cards in Clash Royale

Keep your opponent's attacks at bay with these five cards.

Supercell released Clash Royale, a card-playing, tower-rush strategy game, in 2016. Millions of people have installed the app, and in 2016, the year in which it was launched, it was named the Google Play Awards Game of the Year. The primary goal of the game is to demolish more of your adversaries’ three towers than they do of your own.

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Players build a deck of cards with a variety of fun and interesting powers to accomplish this. Due to their special powers, some of these cards can be challenging to battle against, whereas others are rather simple. It is simple to grow connected to specific game cards, and doing so is somewhat rewarded. You will progress faster if you’re more at ease using a small group of cards that complement one another.  Due to the need for a balanced game, these compositions frequently perform well against some decks while failing to do so against others. Therefore, the main point of contention among gamers in Clash Royale is which cards are the right choice to put in your deck.

There are a few key points that stand out, even though this argument largely hinges on what you enjoy playing. First and foremost, it’s essential to have a strong mix of defensive and offensive cards. Having no defenses could be a problem if you play too aggressively and your attempts to attack get blocked. On the other hand, you won’t be able to take down your opponent’s towers if you don’t have any cards that can deal damage and act offensively. Consequently, it’s critical for you to be familiar with the benefits and drawbacks of some of the top rated cards.

Related: Five Essential Cards For Your Clash Royale Offense

Five Defensive Cards That Will Keep Your Towers Spotless

Although attacking is important in Clash Royale, protecting your own towers is just as crucial. Stopping your opponent’s offensive in its tracks can give you an opening for a swift counterattack. Here are some of the absolute must-haves in any deck when you’re competing in the mega draft challenge.

The Mega Knight

Mega Knight Clash Royale
Image via Supercell

The Mega Knight is one of the most expensive cards in Clash Royale, and for good reason. Being a card with one of the highest hitpoints in the game, the Mega Knight can certainly take a punch. With the third most hitpoints, behind only the Giant and the Golem, the Mega Knight may not seem as special as either of those two. However, it is unique amongst the three in that it attacks troops as well as buildings. Another power it has is that when it is deployed, the Mega Knight falls from the sky and stuns ground troops nearby. This stun can reset charge abilities like the Ram Rider or Prince, and push smaller troops away.

Counters to the Mega Knight include both the Inferno Tower and Inferno Dragon, which deal increasing damage over time. To defend against them, load your deck with cards like the Electro Wizard or Zap. They will stun and reset the damage of these heavy-hitters. Other counters include ground units that also have high hitpoints, such as the Valkyrie. To defeat these troops, use air units such as Bats or Minions to wreak havoc from above. While the Mega Knight does have a high amount of health, its attacks are not the fastest and thus support troops are important.

The Ice Wizard

Ice Wizard Clash Royale
Image via u/1998cr on Reddit

Help opposing troops chill out by deploying the Ice Wizard to the field! With its ability to slow down units and reduce their attack speed, the Ice Wizard is a strong defender for any mega draft deck. By dealing splash damage on top of the slowness effect, this ranged troop can fight off swarms and keep your towers safe. Even more impressive, the Ice Wizard can then go on to help your counterattack, by slowing down enemy defenders. With such a low cost of elixir, similar to the Bandit mentioned above, the Ice Wizard can be played quickly when needed.

Although the Ice Wizard is powerful, it loses almost every encounter if enemies close to melee range. Despite it slowing down others, its own attack speed is also not very quick. Most troops that attack from a melee distance, such as the Knight and the Valkyrie, can take out the Ice Wizard in a handful of hits. To counter these troops, place a defender in front of the Ice Wizard who will occupy the melee troops. One card that has a strong synergy with the Ice Wizard is the Golden Knight, who has lots of hitpoints.

The Dart Goblin

Dart Goblin Clash Royale
Image via Supercell

Affectionately known as “Snoots” by some members of the Clash Royale community, the Dart Goblin is a fan favorite for good reason. Boasting an extremely fast attack speed, coupled with decent damage, the Dart Goblin is a force to be reckoned with. Another reason the Dart Goblin is so versatile is due to his long range. Compared with other units, the Dart Goblin can shoot his projectiles very far, targeting troops far before they can return fire. Due to the Dart Goblin’s ability to hit both air and ground units, nobody is safe from his fast attacks that chip away health quickly.

The main downside to the Dart Goblin is quite similar to that of the Ice Wizard. While he does have a potential to do lots of damage to enemy troops, he has a small amount of hitpoints. This means he falls victim to spells such as Arrows or Poison. To counter these, since they’re spells you will need to bait out your opponent’s hand by using other cards to draw their fire. Another weakness of his is melee units getting within striking range. Although Snoots attacks fast, and hits hard, the Dart Goblin’s hitpoints will ultimately give out under constant pressure.

Related: Best Phoenix Decks in Clash Royale

The Skeleton Army

Clash Royale Skeleton Army
Image via Supercell

A vast swarm of fast-moving, low-HP skeletons for 3 elixir? This card is certainly a bargain for anyone needing a quick defender. The Skeleton Army is able to take down even the toughest of enemies, specializing in countering slow tanks or ranged units. By surrounding their target and overwhelming them with their strength in numbers, Skeleton Army often brings good value for its user. The card is especially strong against win conditions such as the Giant, the Ram Rider and others that can’t handle their numbers easily. It doesn’t take much skill or practice to master the Skeleton Army, so it is a good card for beginners to try out.

The main weakness for this unit is that the skeletons do not have a lot of staying power. That is, their hitpoints are very low and they die almost instantly. While their strength in numbers is potent, they are vulnerable to splash damage. Troops like the Baby Dragon, the Wizard and the Valkyrie will quickly make short work of them. Spells also cause trouble for the Skeleton Army. Cards like Arrows, Zap and Snowball are all cheap counters that result in the complete elimination of the Skeleton Army. To counter these shortcomings, only use the Skeleton Army when there are no splash troops around. For the spells, try to bait out your opponent’s hand with other units that are also susceptible, like the Goblin Barrel or Wall Breakers.

The Bats

Bats Clash Royale
Image via WallpaperCave

The Bats are a cheap flying unit that deal damage at a melee range. They are a strong defense against cards like the Valkyrie, the Knight, and other ground troops. While the Bats aren’t very strong against other air units like the Minions or the Baby Dragon, they can help to distract those troops. In short, the Bats are a cost-effective way of dealing with ground troops without sacrificing your own ground cards. In fact, playing Bats can be a better way of dealing with cards that have a lot of hitpoints than the Skeleton Army. Although they won’t distract these ground troops, they will require your opponent to play a spell or support troops. Drawing out this extra reaction forces your enemy to invest more elixir than perhaps is ideal for a single attack.

Similar to the Skeleton Army, the Bats can’t survive for long when under fire. Their hitpoints do not offer them much protection, and most units will kill a single Bat with one attack. Their strength is also in their numbers, and in their flight, which protects them from ground attacks. However, be wary of troops that deal splash damage, as they can wipe out the Bats with little effort.

Cards that easily handle the Bats include the Ice Wizard and the Dart Goblin, due to its lightning fast attack speed. The same spells that counter the Skeleton Army, like Arrows and Snowball, also finish off the Bats. Luckily, the Bats are often played strictly for defense, and so players won’t have to worry about their Bats being countered as often as other cards. However, baiting out spells that can counter the Bats when you can will help you to keep pressure on your opponent.

We hope you can take away a few tips from this Clash Royale Defensive Card guide. Go ahead an visit Gamer Journalist on Facebook for more news and guides on the video games you like most. If you’re interested in mobile games, particularly those produced by Supercell, read our tutorial on getting trade tokens in Clash Royale next, or check out what a ‘Personal Break’ is in Clash of Clans, as that is an important part of the game for all to understand.

Author
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Sullivan Pearson
Sullivan is a longtime gamer with a special passion for MMORPG games and single-player classics. He is always looking for a new game to play, and loves to share his interests and expertise with the gaming world.