AI Overview: Prince Joust tips start with timing. Princes spawn from each tower at set times, and they charge down the lane for a big hit. Use Skeletons in the middle as bait, a Firecracker or Witch on the side, and Arrows or Poison to clear a swarm. The original tips are rechecked with 2026 data below, so you can trust each number and skip the guesswork.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The first Prince spawns at the tower and a set charges ten seconds in, says the original.
- Skeletons in the middle bait the charge, and their best 2026 list wins 68.6%.
- The Guards stop a Prince easily, but their best list wins just 50.1%.
- A Firecracker with Skeletons takes out a charging Prince, and Evo lists win 54.8% to 61.2%.
- Arrows hit a tower for 75 and Poison for 168 in 2026.
How to Play the Prince Joust
The big idea. Joust is a defense game. Stop the charge, and your own Prince walks to their tower.
Worth knowing. For real-ladder answers to the card, see how to counter the Prince. For draft rules, see draft challenge tips.
Matchups. Against a Prince, bait first, then hit. The rule: never block a charge with a single troop.
| Job | Cards | 2026 note |
| Cheap bait | Skeletons, Bats | Skeletons best 68.6%. Bats none of eight lists above 50%. |
| Strong defense | Guards, Firecracker | Guards best 50.1%. Firecracker base lists 41.6% to 48.0%, Evo 54.8% to 61.2%. |
| Charge cards | Prince, Dark Prince | Prince best 52.5%. Dark Prince hit speed 1.3 to 1.4 s. |
| Swarm spells | Arrows, Poison | Arrows 75 on a tower. Poison 168. |
The table lists the tools the original uses. Cheap bait stops the charge. Strong defense kills the Prince. Charge cards win the race, and swarm spells clear the lane.
Zoom out. Special modes with timed spawns can return as seasonal events. If they do, the old tips will be a base, but new rules will change each timing, and players who memorize one schedule will be caught out.
What Changed in 2026
The short version. The Prince had no 2026 change, and his best list wins 52.5%. The Dark Prince now hits every 1.4 seconds, not 1.3. Skeletons stayed strong.
Short on time? Read the table, bait with Skeletons, and clear with Arrows.
Final word. Stop the charge, then win the race.
Plain talk. This is a defense guide. It works when your timing is calm.
One more way to see it. Joust is a toll road. The side that clears the lane gets to drive.
In plain English. Skeletons are still a perfect bait. The Prince is steady, and the Dark Prince hits a hair slower.
Claims, rechecked. The write-up lists season 12 timings and says the event gave a Legendary Chest. Both belong to the old season and are not repeated. Treat every figure as a starting point, not a rule.
The fine print. The Skeletons’ best list wins 68.6% over about 3,800 battles. The Guards’ best list wins 50.1%. Firecracker base lists win 41.6% to 48.0%, while Evolution lists win 54.8% to 61.2%.
Card pages: Skeletons, Guards, Firecracker, Prince and Dark Prince.
Zoom in. The original builds a Swarm Attack deck with an average of 3.5 elixir. The cards still exist, but the mode is not running now, so treat the deck as an idea, not a ladder list.
How to Win the Joust
Bait in the middle. Place Skeletons in the middle when their Prince reaches your side. This breaks the charge.
Extra tip. Keep Poison for the swarm on your side. It saves your Prince.
Last tip. Put Bats with the Firecracker. They cover her while she aims.
Quick recap. Bait, hit, clear. Three steps, one lane.
Reality check. The mode is not live now. Use the tips for the Prince himself, not for the schedule.
Bottom line. Defend first, then walk your Prince home.
Timing. The first Prince walks from your tower. A set of Princes follows after 25 seconds, says the original.
Tips. Practice on the Prince’s first charge. Everything else in the mode follows from stopping it. Open the linked card pages before you queue, since one balance patch can flip a trade.
Use a ranged finisher. A Firecracker or Witch on the side finishes the Prince. Bats and Guards help.
Spend elixir on a spell. Arrows or Poison clear the swarm that blocks your own Prince.
Zoom out again. If timed spawns come back, speed will matter more than strategy. The risk is a mode where whoever deploys a half second faster wins, and the skill gap shrinks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Prince Joust challenge?
A past event in which princes spawn from each tower at timed moments and charge the other side. Use it as a guide, and check the linked card pages for the current numbers.
How do you stop a charging Prince?
Bait with Skeletons in the middle, then finish with a Firecracker or Witch.
What deck did the original suggest?
A Swarm Attack deck at 3.5 elixir, focused on defense and a single Prince that reaches the tower.
Do spells help?
Yes. Arrows or Poison clear the swarm blocking your Prince.
Is the Prince good in 2026?
He is average. His best list wins 52.5%, and only one of seven lists tops 50%.
Original Guide, Kept in Full
The text below is the original page, kept in full. It was written between 2016 and 2024, so some details are out of date. The tips and numbers above use 2026 sources.
Hello Royale Clashers! As we moved into a new month, we have a new season. And every season brings with it a lot of exciting things in Clash Royale—emotes, new challenges, metas, balance changes and so on. In the new season called Prince’s Dream, we have the Prince Joust Challenge.
Prince Joust challenge was unveiled on the first day of season 12. After completing the challenge, players got a legendary chest as a reward. Sadly, no emotes in this challenge. The challenge is now completed and appears on the card collection day in clan wars and friendly battles. So there is still a month (maybe more), and you will want to excel at it to get some good wins.
What is Prince Joust?
Like every other challenge in which troops spawn at regular intervals from behind the towers, in this royal prince with armor and lance spawns.
The first prince starts from your tower and your opponent’s ten seconds into the game.
Again after 25 seconds, a set of the princes start jousting towards their opponent’s towers.
The elixir ramps up after you are one minute into the game.
After half the time, that is when one minute and a half is left, two princes from each side of the arena start spawning.
When a new challenge comes up in the game, you should ask the first question—does this need a deck of its own? This is the foremost thing that you should think, and if you don’t do it right now, you will face difficulties as most of the time the answer is YES!
So the first tip is to build a deck style=”font-weight: 400″> for the challenge. You have to play it for more than a month, and you are relying on a meta?! Jumping into the Joust with your hog rider cycle will leave you frustrated after a few matches.
Decks for Prince Joust
Swarm attack
This deck has an average elixir cost of 3.5 which means that it is a fast deck and you should be moving your fingers as the game progresses. The strategy of using this deck is defense. You don’t have to think hard about pushing the lanes and conquering the towers. Most of the cards on this deck are tiny killers and they won’t bring the bricks down for you if you let them run over the bridge. So what will they do? Let’s find out.
One thing you must know is how to deploy the cards in a way that counters your opponent’s charging princes and at the same time give you a chance to counter-push.
You will start off with a prince spawning on your left tower. You will start off with the witch or the firecracker on the right to counter your opponent’s jousting prince. Place the skeletons in the middle of the arena when their prince gets to your side.
- Skeletons will be used as bait and to stop the prince’s joust in this game every time.
- Your firecracker or witch easily takes out the prince with the help of the three skeletons. Use the arrows or poison when they put a swarm troop to stop your prince.
- The win condition is to defend nicely and make your prince reach their tower. The guards easily take out a prince, so putting it again in the middle is a defense for you while you use your elixir on poison to clear your prince’s way.
- Put bats in combination with firecracker and guards to defend when you see that two red horsemen have begun charging from the enemy’s towers.
- You will be needing to place the royal recruits after successfully defending your towers and collecting elixir. Put them at the bridge if your princes are charging and they build a kind of pressure that your opponent won’t be able to take! They will be draining elixir. Royal recruits are the real counter-push here and let them out in the arena at the right time.
Prince-o-Barrel
By the look of this deck, you can tell that this is going to blazing fast. The average elixir cost is 2.8! There are no offensive troops on this deck. You must have gotten the point of this challenge now. You somehow make your princes joust to your opponent’s towers and nudge them with the lance while protecting yours. Let’s get into this.
- Electro Dragon is a good card here to break the charge of the enemy princes. It is the only purpose of the blue beast.
- Pair your electro dragon with bats to defend whenever the pair is available. I suggest starting off the game with your electro dragon hovering over your tower and bats biting the red prince.
- Keep the zap and log handy at the same time for clearing your prince’s way. Most of the decks will have the skeleton army or some other swarm so use your zap or log on those.
- The next step is to the tombstone in the middle of your side of the arena. This is a building which should be in its place most of the time. Comes handy if your opponent releases a hog or ram rider to surprise you.
- Tip: Do not let the hog or prince reach the tombstone. Tombstone has no hitpoints and use it as just a bait. Drop your guards to kill the prince while tombstone remains intact.
Pushing:
- When your Electro Dragon flies over the bridge after taking out the enemy prince, give it company by the skelly barrel.
- Skelly barrel is paired with the dragon or the charging prince. Never alone!
Tips for Prince Joust
I have explained to you two decks above, and by any means, these are not the only ones. You can build your own and can destroy your enemies. The overall strategy will remain the same, though. Here are some general tips to remember while playing it.
- Low hitpoint cards are not a good defense. Examples are electro wizard, hunter etc. They will be out in one hit by the angry jousting prince.
- Do not try to push using a tank as a typical game. You will waste your elixir and would be forced to watch their prince slamming into your tower.
- For the same reason stated above, do not have more than one significant-sized troop on your deck.
- Do not put all your swarms at the same time. Mark this. You will invite arrows or fireball this way.
I hope that you liked the article and are excited to practice these decks in the game. Learn the decks with a friendly mode and then head to battle. If you have any other ideas or tips of your own, comment them below.
We will be coming with new guides to help you. So make sure you follow Clash World to not miss any update. Till then, stay safe and keep clashing!
Want to try these ideas with your own cards? Open the Deck Builder, load your profile and see how each change affects cycle, counters and balance risk.
Sources
Researched from the following (no links, listed for transparency):
- CryptoAIMeta card guides for these cards, built from RoyaleTracker October 2026 samples and SeeMeta 2026 balance changes
- SeeMeta, Clash Royale balance changes 2026 (page updated October 2026), read through search summaries
- Supercell official Clash Royale API, card list (elixir cost, rarity, unlock arena)
- The original clash.world page (2016 to 2024), kept in full below