Evaluating Card Strengths and Weaknesses

In Clash Royale, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your cards is essential for building a successful deck. Each card has unique attributes that determine its effectiveness in different situations. Some excel in certain plays where others get countered or punished pretty easily. Here are some key factors to consider when evaluating card strengths and weaknesses:

Damage Output

The amount of damage a card can deal is a crucial factor in its strength. Cards with high damage output are effective at quickly eliminating enemy troops and towers. Consider the card's damage per hit, attack speed, splash radius, and overall DPS (damage per second) when picking a card for your intended deck.

One of the cards that can inflict a ton of damage is PEKKA. Despite its ability to demolish offensive high HP cards in an instant while maintaining a high HP base stat, it can easily be distracted by swarms and is usually outranged by a lot of cards especially with its low mobility and high elixir cost.

Hitpoints and Durability

The durability of a card refers to its ability to withstand damage from enemy troops and spells. Cards with high hitpoints can tank damage and provide a strong defensive presence. Consider the card's hitpoints, shield hitpoints (if applicable), and ability to resist specific types of damage like a Bandit's dash or a Royal Ghost's invicibility.

Usually, a card is considered durable when it cannot be killed easily with spells which allows the opponent to commit a negative elixir trade. One good example is a Giant which only costs 5 elixir. Considering its hitpoints, it is one tanky card but it can easily be countered by high damaging cards especially swarms.

Range and Intended Target

The range of a card determines how far it can attack from. Cards with long range can target enemy troops or structures from a safe distance, while cards with short range need to get close to their targets. Consider the card's range while also learning what cards target with their attacks. While some cards are able to target troops which branch off into two: land and air. Most troops that can target air are also able to attack land troops. Some cards only attack and target buildings (which are also known as win conditions). Putting way too many win conditions will leave you vulnerable in defense while not putting win conditions and spells will lessen your chances on touching your opponent's tower. Each troop has its own way of attacking, make sure to learn which one you can implement on your deck.

For example, Royal Giant is a card that only targets buildings from a far away distance while Prince is a card that charges fast and can attack troops. Each card has a distinct way of attacking while some also differ in stats. There are multiple ways to neutralize these cards, so adding variety to your deck may help you improve its capabilities.

Attack Speed and Retargeting

The attack speed of a card influences its ability to quickly respond to new threats. Cards with fast attack speed can eliminate enemy troops rapidly, while cards with slow attack speed may struggle against swarms. Consider the card's attack speed and how quickly it can retarget (first attack speed) to new enemies.

One card that has the slowest attack speed is Sparky. Despite its ability to inflict a ton of AoE damage within a single attack, its attack can easily be interrupted or distracted by low elixir troops. Troops that inflict crowd control such as Electro Wizard and Electro Dragon are also effective against Sparky.

Special Abilities and Synergies

Some cards have a hard time against those that have special abilities or synergize well with other cards. These abilities can greatly impact their effectiveness in battle. Consider unique abilities such as splash damage, area denial, DPS, and distractions. With the new Champion rarity, cards are also able to whip out their special abilities based on the player's timing.

An iconic combo that cover each other's weaknesses are the Electro Giant and Lightning. The Electro Giant that dominates against low health swarms, while the Lightning neutralizes any long range threats that the Electro Giant cannot kill. These two are great as a beatdown push. It's downside is it's elixir cost is too high when played together so skilled players are able to create a counterplay while the user's elixir is still low. There are numerous ways to synergize cards and create amazing plays, but sometimes there are cards that can easily neutralize the play you are creating and it is much better to play them independently if you are having a difficult time executing it.

Elixir Cost

The elixir cost of a card is an important factor in deck building. Higher-cost cards may provide significant power but can also lead to elixir disadvantages if not managed carefully. It is not an indicator that the higher the elixir cost, the more it can be useful for you. Usually, cheap cards like the Ice Spirit and Log give more benefits when put into a deck. But saving all 8 slots for cheap cards won't do you any good as well. Considering the elixir cost of each card while aiming for a well-balanced deck that allows for efficient elixir management will help you towards an efficient progression of deck building.

A good example for a card with a high elixir cost is the Three Musketeers. There are multiple ways to counter this assuming its user has insufficient elixir to react to what you are about to do. One easy way to neutralize it is to use Lightning or spells that can lower its hitpoints completely while others use tanks that deal a lot of damage. It is a card that requires aggressive cards as its support in order for it to shine. It is also why Three Musketeer users passively play their cards and only become aggressive when their opponents make a mistake.

Versatility

Versatile cards can be effective in a wide range of situations and provide flexibility in gameplay. Cards that can target both air and ground units or have a balanced mix of offensive and defensive capabilities are valuable additions to a deck. Most versatile cards can be seen as cheap, can be utilized in multiple situations, and can be used as an answer in every situation within its respective role.

Card versatility usually depends on what decks dominate and what cards are perceived as overpowered. There were times when Skeletons were preferred over Goblins across multiple decks. There were also times when Musketeer was favored better as a ranged support or DPS troop. Most low elixir cards can be versatile since it can fit in multiple decks. The Log has dominated the game for a very long time since not only does it neutralize ground cards effectively, but it has also served as a cycle card which allows players to spam Win Conditions repeatedly. Versatile cards are a great baseline on what to prioritize in upgrading since it allows changing main decks to be way more easier.

Utility and Niche

There are special kinds of cards that cannot be categorized alongside normal cards. There are those that are capable of hard countering a certain kind of card. There are those that serves its niche as the main support or secondary win condition. There are also those kinds of cards that only serve as an elixir investment. These kinds of cards may seem overpowered in their own right, but there will always be cards that can easily counter them which prohibits them from becoming overpowered. There are also instances when a card becomes less impactful against a certain kind of meta compared to when the meta is a card it usually hard counters.

One great example is putting Clone in your deck. A beatdown deck with Clone usually ends up becoming overpowered especially when your opponent doesn't have a decent counter like an AoE card, a building, or a spell. But when your opponents have those counters mentioned earlier, the deck becomes harder to play despite its initial concept of being broken. So it may be better to find a more cohesive, meta, and safe to play deck, or let hell break loose and create your own niche deck with the cards you levelled up.

Crusher's short clip explained it clearly how low-HP cards can have their own distinct strengths: 

Remember, evaluating card strengths and weaknesses is not only about individual card attributes but also about how they complement each other in a deck. Building a balanced deck that covers a variety of scenarios will increase your chances of success in Clash Royale. Make sure to consider carefully on what cards to fit on your deck, or what cards to upgrade first.