Is Clash Royale really free?

Yes, it's a free-to-play . All cards can be obtained for free via chests, challenges, seasons, and leagues. The Pass Royale and gem purchases speed up progression but aren't required.

How many cards are there in Clash Royale?

There are currently over 120 cards classified by rarity (Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Champion). Supercell adds 1-2 new cards per season. Champions are the most powerful rarity with active abilities.

What are card evolutions?

Evolutions are upgraded versions of common/rare cards unlocked from King Level 9. They add a unique mechanic (immunity, transformation, boosted damage) after a few cycles in your deck.

What are Champions and how to unlock them?

Champions are ultimate-rarity cards with a manually activated ability (different from classic Spells). You can have only one Champion per deck . They unlock starting from Arena 16 (King Level 14).

Is the Pass Royale worth it?

For $5/month, the Pass Royale gives access to an exclusive card, premium chests, magic items, and hundreds of rewards . For a regular player, it's the most cost-effective purchase in the game.

Clash Royale: complete overview and strategy guide for Supercell's card game

Clash Royale is the real-time strategic card game from Supercell, released in March 2016. Combining deck-building, simplified MOBA, and tower defense, it has become one of the biggest mobile successes of all time with over 500 million downloads and a mature esports scene (Clash Royale League with multi-million dollar prize pool).

The concept: build a deck of 8 cards from 120+, and use it in 1v1 duels of 3 minutes to destroy opponent’s towers.

What makes Clash Royale unique?

Clash Royale combines accessible mechanics with real strategic depth:

8-card decks from 120+ (almost infinite combinations)
3 minutes per match perfect for mobile
Elixir system (continuous regeneration, tempo management)
3 towers per side (two princess towers + one king tower)
Champion cards with unique active abilities
Evolved cards (cycling in the deck)

Gameplay pillars

The elixir system

Each card costs 1 to 9 elixir. You start with 5 elixir and the counter rises automatically (1 per 2.8 seconds). Game tempo is built around elixir trades: pay less to counter a more expensive opponent card.

Example: using Mini P.E.K.K.A (4 elixir) to counter a Giant (5 elixir) = positive trade of +1 elixir.

The 5 card rarities

Rarity	Difficulty to obtain	Notes
Common	Chests, leagues	Easy to upgrade
Rare	Chests, leagues	Moderately expensive
Epic	Chests, challenges	Complex cards
Legendary	Premium chests, events	Very powerful
Champion	Arena 16+, premium	1 per deck max

Champions

Champions have a unique mechanic: they have an activatable ability (like a Super in Brawl Stars). You can trigger it anytime when the Champion is on the field. This radically changes tactical depth:

Mighty Miner (digs to opponent’s tower)
Skeleton King (summons an army on death)
Archer Queen (enters invisible mode)
Golden Knight (charges and combos multiple enemies)
Monk (blocks all projectiles)

Evolved Cards

Evolutions are the game’s most recent evolution (2023). An evolved card triggers after 2-3 cycles in your deck and gains a bonus ability:

Barbarian Evolved: double damage on death
Royal Recruits Evolved: 360° wave
Knight Evolved: damage immunity
Mortar Evolved: explosive shots

Maximum 2 Evolutions per deck.

Arenas and leagues

Arena	Trophies required
Arena 1 (Training Camp)	0
Arena 10 (Legendary)	4000
Arena 16 (Champions)	7000
Arena 20+ (Ultimate)	8000+

Beyond arena 15, you enter Path of Legends and global Ladder rankings.

Seasons

Each season lasts ~28 days and brings:

New Pass Royale with unique rewards
Themed King Tower skin
Season shop with limited offers
Special Magic Items

Recommended decks per arena

Beginner (Arena 1-9)

Hog Cycle 2.6: Hog Rider + Cannon + Princess + Ice Spirit
Goblin Giant: Goblin Giant + Sparky + Wizard

Intermediate (Arena 10-15)

Lavaloon: Lava Hound + Balloon + Tombstone
X-Bow Cycle 2.9: X-Bow + Tesla + Knight

Advanced (Arena 16+)

Mighty Miner Cycle: Champion + Skeletons + Bats
Various Champion decks based on meta

Codes and free rewards

Several sources of free rewards:

Free chests every 4h
Crown chest (collect 10 crowns/day)
Path of Legends rewards
Free Pass Royale season
Special challenges (free for 1 try)

Events to never miss

Event	Rewards
Monthly Season	Pass Royale, magic items
Clash Royale League	Esports tournaments, prizes
Triple Threat Lucky Chests	Random premium chests
Gingerbread Lucky Chest	Christmas season
Clan Voyage / Clan Wars	Collective rewards

Tips for getting started

Build 1 solid deck and play it for hundreds of matches before changing
Learn the counters: each card has effective counters, memorize them
Monthly Pass Royale from arena 10: unbeatable ROI
Join an active clan: Clan Wars + card requests massively accelerate progression
Path of Legends rather than Trophy Road for rewards

App ecosystem

Available on: iOS, Android (no official PC version)
Business model: free-to-play, micro-transactions
Community: 50M+ monthly active players
Esport: Annual Clash Royale League with $1M+ prize pool

This article serves as a hub for our complete coverage of Clash Royale. As a Supercell flagship esport title, the game gets monthly seasons we cover regularly on After Strategy.