8 Cards To Upgrade First In Clash Royale (2024)

Clash Royale is a complicated game since it mainly features a ton of characters who interact with other cards in all sorts of unique ways. Climbing up the ranks can be hard when you’re faced with overpowered enemies on the ladder. That’s why it is important for a beginner to know which cards to invest in in order to build up cards that counter most of the other roster.

Since it’s a tower defense game with variable options for both players, investing in the right cards for a deck can decide whether climbing the ladder is going to be easy or not. It’s easier to narrow things down, since the cards that one starts off with are essentially the same.

8 Knight - A Rugged Powerhouse

The Knight may resemble a giant when it comes to how beefy it is with its high health points, but it can get across the bridge a lot faster. Paired up with the right troops, it can help you build up a massive push against your opponent, so leveling it up and increasing its chances of survival are crucial for any beginner just starting out.

Since the Knight is a ground unit, it won’t help you out much against air units, but anything on the ground can be distracted immediately. The Knight by itself can tank two hits from a mini P.E.K.K.A and a Prince.

7 Musketeer - Slow Yet Steady Damage

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If you want your skies covered, then there’s no better option than a musketeer. Musketeers aren’t great at tanking damage, but they can be a huge addition to your attack that can snipe away at enemies that are six tiles away from it.

The bullets themselves cause a significant amount of damage, and fast cycling can help you put down the Musketeers in one go, which can easily overwhelm your opponent’s defenses. Placing the musketeer near the middle can help your musketeer avoid any unnecessary damage from your opponent’s troops.

6 Prince - A Beginner’s Main Heavy-Hitter

The Prince is a trump card that can help you change the outcome of the game if played right. There are two kinds of attacks it's capable of: the charge and the spear. Once your Knight gains enough speed, it can charge up an attack and kill off any of your opponent’s forces with ease.

The Prince can also be used defensively to take out Knights or Elite Barbarians with your tower’s help. Its attacks are fairly significant, and the high elixir cost balances out the card. It can also be easily distracted, so be careful when using it.

5 Baby Dragon - A Beefy Tank

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Considered to be one of the best air defense units in the game, the Baby Dragon is an excellent card for both defensive and offensive purposes, since it can easily chip away at swarm units whether they’re on the ground or in the air.

With its high health and steady damage output, you can prevent the enemy from building up an attack against your towers on their side of the bridge. You can also use this card to deal with Balloons or Lavahounds.

4 Tesla - Solid Defensive Unit

The Tesla may cost a fair amount of elixir, but it can help you retarget any beefy enemy troops coming for your tower while simultaneously zapping away at them with a hefty amount of damage to boot. The Tesla can also redirect a flying swarm of minions or the Hog Rider if you need time to stall.

When it’s not in use, it can tuck itself away underneath the ground to avoid any hits from an incoming Fireball or Earthquake. Like other buildings within the game, it can take a lot of damage as well. It can also one-shot most cards that don’t cost a lot of elixir.

3 Archers - Inexpensive Yet Viable

The Archers may seem useless at first, but once they’re leveled up, they can melt away any large number of troops with fast chip damage. They pair up exceptionally well with beefy tanks and can target airborne troops as well. With the help of the tower, they can also almost destroy a Balloon before it hits the tower.

The Archers can also be used to distract your opponent’s troops, especially if their "win condition" is a Prince or a P.E.K.K.A. They may be weak to a Baby Dragon, but they can definitely take away most of its health.

2 Mini P.E.K.K.A - A Tanky Demolisher

The Mini P.E.K.K.A is not only fast but also very capable when it comes to taking down troops like Valkyries, Knights, or Giants. They can take large chunks of health away from giant troops and can potentially win you the game if they ever reach one of your opponents' towers.

It doesn't cost as much as the Prince does, but it does dish out just about the same damage output, albeit slowly. The best time to play this card is for defensive purposes or when you’re sure the opponent can’t easily distract it.

1 Valkyrie - Beautiful Yet Deadly

Cards like the Knight or Mini P.E.K.K.A may essentially do the same thing, but the Valkyrie is useful because she covers more area with her attacks. She can wipe out any swarm units on land, like goblins or skeletons, and she can also take quite a few hits from a Prince or a P.E.K.K.A. before despawning.

You can also use a Valkyrie to distract your opponent's air units, like the Minions or the Baby Dragon, by having them "walk" to the other lane as they try to follow and attack her. Switching lanes with a Valkyrie can help you defend against most overwhelming aerial or ground attackers at a reasonable cost.