Clash Royale Glossary

A classic 2.6-average-elixir cycle deck built around Hog Rider plus cheap cards (typically Ice Spirit, Skeletons, Cannon, Musketeer, Ice Golem, Fireball, The Log). Named for its 2.6 average elixir cost, it wins by cycling back to Hog Rider faster than the opponent can answer it.

"I've been running 2.6 for years — it never leaves the meta for long."

See also: Cycle, Win Condition, Chip Damage, The Log

A meaningless internet catchphrase ("six seven") that went viral in 2025 out of TikTok/basketball culture and the wider "brain rot" trend; it has no fixed meaning. In Clash Royale chat and comments it shows up purely as a meme/joke rather than a game term.

Spammed in stream chat and YouTube comments with no gameplay meaning.

See also: Meta

Getting your own (or forcing damage to your opponent's) King Tower to take a hit so it wakes up and starts firing for the rest of the match. An active King Tower adds a third source of tower damage, dramatically strengthening defense.

Placing a unit that lets a chip attack tag the King Tower to "activate" it early.

See also: Pull, Tower Troop, Chip Damage

A deck style that runs several cards countered by the same answer (often a small spell), forcing the opponent to "waste" that answer so a follow-up card gets through unpunished. Log Bait and Spell Bait are the best-known variants.

See also: Log Bait, Spell Bait, Value

A heavy, slower archetype that builds a large push behind a tank (Golem, Giant, Lava Hound, etc.), usually spending Double Elixir to overwhelm a tower with a single big committed attack.

Golem beatdown: park the Golem in the back, stack support behind it, then push.

See also: Tank, Double Elixir, Overcommit

An aggressive archetype that drops fast, hard-hitting units (Bandit, Battle Ram, Royal Ghost, etc.) directly at the bridge to pressure both lanes and punish the opponent's placements before they can react.

See also: Counter-push, Split Push, Prediction

A balance change that makes a card stronger — more damage, health, faster speed, lower cost, etc. Opposite of a nerf.

"They buffed Hog Rider's speed, so 2.6 is back in the meta."

See also: Nerf, Meta

Small, incremental tower damage chipped away over the match — often from cheap win conditions or spells — rather than a single game-ending push. Chip decks aim to end matches slightly ahead on tower health.

See also: Win Condition, 2.6 Hog Cycle, Cycle

An archetype focused on out-defending the opponent, generating positive elixir trades, and winning with chip damage or a small counter-push rather than one big commitment. Sits between cycle and beatdown in tempo.

See also: Counter-push, Positive Elixir Trade, Chip Damage

Turning a successful defense into offense: surviving defensive units push forward into a counterattack, so the elixir you spent on defense also does offensive work.

Your defending Musketeer and Ice Golem survive, then march up the lane behind your win condition.

See also: Control, Value, Positive Elixir Trade

Two meanings: (1) the sequence in which your 8 cards return to your hand — you cannot draw a card again until the four ahead of it are played; (2) a low-cost archetype that plays cheap cards to reach its win condition faster than the opponent can defend.

"Cycle two cheap cards and your Hog is back in hand."

See also: 2.6 Hog Cycle, Four-card Cycle, Chip Damage

Positioning a card to blunt an incoming push — placing a building in the center to pull troops, dropping a splash unit behind the tower, or setting a tank so it soaks hits while support cleans up.

See also: Pull, Kiting, Tank

The phase after the first two minutes of a standard match when elixir regenerates at twice the normal rate, enabling bigger pushes. Some game modes start in Double or Triple Elixir from the opening.

See also: Triple Elixir, Overtime, Beatdown

"Damage per second" — how much damage a card deals over time. High-DPS units (Inferno Tower, Mini P.E.K.K.A, Sparky) melt tanks; players compare DPS when choosing defensive answers.

See also: Glass Cannon, Tank Buster, Reset

Being ahead of your opponent on available (or effectively spent) elixir, usually earned through positive trades. An elixir advantage lets you push while the opponent lacks the elixir to fully defend.

See also: Positive Elixir Trade, Overcommit, Counter-push

Wasting elixir by sitting at the 10-elixir cap while it keeps regenerating with nowhere to go — any elixir generated while full is lost. Leaking is a subtle way to fall behind without losing a card.

Holding at 10 elixir for several seconds "leaks" the overflow.

See also: Elixir Advantage, Cycle

An upgraded version of a card that gains a special ability once it charges up (by cycling it a set number of times). Decks may equip a limited number of Evolution slots, and evolved cards are shown with a distinct frame.

See also: Star Level, Meta

Free-to-play (F2P) means progressing without spending money; pay-to-win (P2W) describes paying to level cards faster and gain a level advantage on ladder. Level-capped modes like Ranked and tournaments exist to neutralize the P2W gap.

See also: Ladder, Ranked (Path of Legends), Tournament Standard

The four cheapest cards in a deck, played in sequence to return to a key card as fast as possible. A cheap four-card cycle is the engine of cycle decks like 2.6 Hog.

See also: Cycle, 2.6 Hog Cycle

"Good game" — a sportsmanship acknowledgment after a match, borrowed from wider gaming culture. In Clash Royale it is expressed mainly through emotes rather than text chat.

See also: Well Played, Three-crown

A unit with high damage but low health — devastating if protected, but easily killed if exposed. Musketeer, Wizard, and Sparky are classic glass cannons.

See also: DPS, Tank, Splash Damage

The level of your King Tower, which sets the health and damage of all three of your towers and gates certain unlocks. On ladder it scales with progression; in level-capped modes it is fixed (e.g. Level 11 in tournament standard).

See also: Tower Troop, Tournament Standard, Ladder

Placing a cheap unit to redirect an enemy troop's pathing — luring it away from your tower or across a lane so it wastes time and takes tower fire. Kiting toward the King Tower is a specific defensive use.

See also: Pull, Defensive Placement, Activating the King Tower

The Trophy Road progression track: you win trophies for wins and lose them for losses, climbing through arenas. Card levels are not capped on ladder, so higher-level cards carry an advantage.

See also: Trophy Road, Ranked (Path of Legends), F2P vs P2W

A bait archetype packed with cards countered by The Log (Goblin Barrel, Goblin Gang, Princess, Dart Goblin, etc.). The plan is to bait out The Log, then land a punish the opponent can no longer cheaply answer.

See also: Bait, Spell Bait, The Log

The "most effective tactics available" — the currently dominant decks, cards, and strategies at a given time, shaped by recent balance changes. Meta decks are the ones winning most in the current patch.

See also: Off-meta, Nerf, Buff

A mid-health unit (Knight, Valkyrie, Ice Golem, Battle Ram) used to soak damage for cheaper support units without the elixir cost of a full tank. Bridges the gap between squishy troops and true tanks.

See also: Tank, Counter-push, Defensive Placement

Spending more elixir to answer a card than the opponent spent to play it, leaving you behind on elixir. Sometimes taken deliberately to defuse a threatening push.

Using a 4-elixir spell to kill a 3-elixir troop is a -1 trade.

See also: Positive Elixir Trade, Elixir Advantage, Value

A balance change that makes a card weaker — less damage, health, or speed, or a higher cost. A heavy nerf can push a once-meta card out of use. Opposite of a buff.

"Post-nerf, that card fell right out of the meta."

See also: Buff, Meta, Off-meta

Decks, cards, or strategies outside the current dominant meta. Off-meta picks can catch opponents off guard precisely because they are unexpected, though they are usually considered weaker on average.

See also: Meta, Nerf

Investing too much elixir into a single push (or defense), leaving you unable to respond to a counterattack in the opposite lane. Baiting an overcommit and punishing it is a core control tactic.

See also: Counter-push, Split Push, Elixir Advantage

The extra time played when regulation ends tied on crowns. In standard 1v1 it is a two-minute sudden-death period with the elixir rate boosted (triple elixir in the final stretch); the first player to destroy any tower wins.

See also: Sudden Death, Triple Elixir, Double Elixir

Sending Hog Rider ("the pig") the moment the opponent commits elixir elsewhere — especially just as they place a unit in the back — so the Hog reaches the tower before a defense is ready.

See also: Pigs, Prediction, 2.6 Hog Cycle

Community nickname for the Hog Rider, from his mount. "Sending pigs" or "pig push" both refer to attacking with the Hog Rider.

See also: Pig Push, 2.6 Hog Cycle

Spending less elixir to counter a card than the opponent spent to play it, leaving you ahead on elixir. Stacking positive trades is the foundation of control and cycle play.

Killing a 4-elixir Musketeer with a 2-elixir spell is a +2 trade.

See also: Negative Elixir Trade, Elixir Advantage, Value

Placing a card based on what you expect the opponent to do next rather than what is on the field — such as dropping a spell where you predict their swarm will appear, or a counter before their unit is played.

A "predictive Log" thrown before the Goblin Barrel even lands.

See also: Bait, Bridge Spam, Value

Using a building or unit to drag an enemy troop off its path — commonly pulling a tank toward the center or toward the King Tower so it takes fire from more towers and wastes distance.

See also: Kiting, Activating the King Tower, Defensive Placement

Clash Royale's competitive ladder (Path of Legends). Card levels are capped so matches come down to skill, and you climb through a set of leagues by winning rather than by net trophies. Trophy Road progress does not affect Ranked and vice versa.

See also: Ladder, Trophy Road, Tournament Standard, F2P vs P2W

Interrupting a card's charge-up so it must start over — e.g. hitting an Inferno Tower/Dragon to reset its ramping damage back to minimum, or knocking a Prince/Battle Ram out of its charge so it loses the bonus first hit.

Zap the Inferno to "reset" its beam before it melts your tank.

See also: DPS, Tank Buster

An archetype built around a long-range building win condition (X-Bow or Mortar) that attacks the enemy tower from your side of the arena, defended by cheap cycle cards. Wins by chipping the tower from a distance.

See also: X-Bow, Chip Damage, Cycle

Picking off a specific target — often using a spell to finish a low-health tower, or a ranged unit to kill a key card like the Princess or Musketeer from across the arena.

"Snipe the Princess with an Arrows before she does damage."

See also: Chip Damage, Value

A building that periodically spawns troops (Goblin Hut, Barbarian Hut, Furnace, Tombstone). "Spawner decks" flood the arena with cheap units over time to overwhelm the opponent.

See also: Swarm, Value

A bait archetype that runs many cards vulnerable to the same spell (often multiple Log/Arrows/Zap targets), forcing the opponent to spend their spell inefficiently so a later threat lands for full value.

See also: Bait, Log Bait, Value

Area-of-effect damage that hits multiple units at once (Wizard, Valkyrie, Bomber, Baby Dragon). Splash is the standard counter to swarms and cheap groups of troops.

See also: Swarm, Tank Buster, Glass Cannon

Applying pressure to both lanes at once — for example splitting a unit that can be placed to go up either side, or committing threats left and right so the opponent cannot fully defend both.

See also: Bridge Spam, Overcommit, Counter-push

A cosmetic-only upgrade (via Star Points) that changes a card's in-game appearance with a gold/star effect. Star Level has no effect on stats or gameplay.

See also: Evolution, King Level

The overtime rule where the first tower destroyed ends the match immediately — there is no waiting for the clock. Also the name of special challenges played entirely under this rule from the start.

See also: Overtime, Three-crown

A group of many cheap, low-health units (Skeleton Army, Goblin Gang, Minion Horde, Barbarians) used to overwhelm a single target with combined DPS. Swarms are hard-countered by splash damage.

See also: Splash Damage, Spawner, DPS

A high-health unit whose job is to absorb damage and tower fire while your support units deal the real damage behind it. Golem, Giant, and P.E.K.K.A are archetypal tanks.

See also: Mini-tank, Beatdown, Tank Buster

A high-DPS card specialized in shredding tanks quickly — Inferno Tower, Inferno Dragon, Mini P.E.K.K.A, P.E.K.K.A. Tank busters are the standard answer to beatdown pushes.

See also: Tank, DPS, Reset

Shorthand for the card The Log, a cheap rolling ground spell that damages and knocks back all ground troops in its path. It is the defining answer that Log Bait decks aim to bait out.

See also: Log Bait, 2.6 Hog Cycle, Bait

Destroying all three of the opponent's towers for a maximum three-crown victory. A "triple" is the most decisive win possible and often the goal in challenges that reward total crowns.

"Went for the three-crown instead of playing it safe."

See also: GG, Beatdown, Overtime

A frustrated, emotionally compromised state (usually from a losing streak or bad matchups) that leads to worse decisions and more losses. Players talk about being "on tilt" or needing to stop before they tilt further.

"Lost four in a row and started tilting — time to take a break."

See also: Meta, Ladder

The level cap used in Global Tournaments and Challenges, where every card you own is set to Level 11 (King Level 11). It equalizes card levels so results come down to skill and collection, not who paid more.

See also: King Level, Ranked (Path of Legends), F2P vs P2W

A troop that replaces the default Princess Tower's projectile with a chosen unit (e.g. Tower Princess, Cannoneer, Dagger Duchess), changing how your side towers defend. Selected outside the match as part of your loadout.

See also: King Level, Activating the King Tower

An elixir rate three times the normal speed, used in the final minute of overtime and in some special game modes that run at 3x from the start. It enables rapid, heavy pushes.

See also: Double Elixir, Overtime, Beatdown

The main progression track where wins and losses move your trophy count up and down and crossing thresholds unlocks arenas and rewards. This is the un-capped ladder, distinct from level-capped Ranked.

See also: Ladder, Ranked (Path of Legends), F2P vs P2W

Getting more out of a card than it cost — an elixir profit, extra tower damage, or multiple kills from one placement. "Getting value" is the constant goal behind most in-game decisions.

A single Fireball that kills three units "got a lot of value."

See also: Positive Elixir Trade, Counter-push, Prediction

One of the default in-game emotes, often used to compliment a good move — and, thanks to emote culture, frequently used sarcastically or to taunt after a favorable trade. Central to Clash Royale's emote "conversation."

See also: GG, Three-crown

The card (or cards) a deck relies on to actually deal tower damage and close out games — Hog Rider, Balloon, X-Bow, Miner, Graveyard, a beatdown tank, etc. Everything else in the deck supports getting the win condition to the tower.

See also: Beatdown, Chip Damage, 2.6 Hog Cycle

Both the siege card X-Bow and the archetype built around it: place the X-Bow to shoot the enemy tower from range, then defend it with cheap cycle cards. The definitive siege deck alongside Mortar.

See also: Siege, Cycle, Chip Damage