AI Overview: The rarest emotes in Clash Royale share three traits: they were sold or given only once, they are not in the shop, and they took skill or a special task to earn. The original list is kept below. Its examples come from one writer, so treat the years as the writer’s, and you can skip the guesswork.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- Rarity is not an in-game label. The original builds it from three tests.
- An emote sold in the shop every two months is not rare.
- A free gift to every account, like the Lost & Crowned emote, is not rare either.
- The Santa Ice Wizard and Santa Ice Spirit were available in December 2018 only, per the original.
- The CRL 2019 Goblin was a prize for 20 wins in the CRL challenge, per the original.
The Three Tests of a Rare Emote
The big idea. A rare emote is one you cannot buy now, did not get for free, and could only earn the hard way.
Worth knowing. For tips on using emotes in a draft, see draft challenge tips.
Why it matters. An emote can show you faced a skilled player. That alone changes how you play.
| Test | What it means | Example (original) |
| Availability | Not sold in the shop every two months | Santa Ice Wizard and Santa Ice Spirit, December 2018 only. |
| Obtainability | Given once and never again | Free gifts to every account are not rare. |
| Hard to get | Needs skill or a hard task | The CRL 2019 Goblin came from 20 wins in the CRL challenge. |
| Old reward | Tied to a feature that was removed | Royal Ghost Gem went to players who earned Legend Trophies before the 2018 update. |
The table lists the three tests and the examples the original gives. Availability asks if it is in the shop. Obtainability asks if it was handed to everyone. The hard-to-get test asks if it took skill.
Zoom out. Emotes are a cosmetic economy. If studios keep selling old emotes again, the rare ones will lose their meaning, and players who earned them the hard way will feel cheated.
What Changed Since the Original
The short version. This list comes from one writer, and no external source confirmed the years. The tests still make sense. The exact examples may have changed, since emotes can return in the shop.
Short on time? Read the table. Three tests, four examples.
Final word. Rarity is about time and effort.
Plain talk. This is a method page. It works for any emote.
One more way to see it. A rare emote is a limited-edition badge. If everyone has one, it is a sticker.
In plain English. Rare means gone, not given, and hard to get. Event emotes are tied to pages like the No Tilt championship.
Claims, rechecked. The write-up mixes facts and opinion. The tests are the author’s own method, and the year of each emote could not be confirmed. Treat every figure as a starting point, not a rule.
The fine print. The Royal Ghost Gem emote was tied to the old dual trophy system, which the 2018 update removed. The CRL 2019 Goblin is described as the prize for the 20-win challenge. None of those facts were checked against Supercell.
For the game’s early years, see the history page. For the big events behind some emotes, see the Crown Championship page.
Zoom in. The original says emotes arrived in 2016 and are the only way to talk to an opponent apart from six messages. That is a fair summary of why emotes matter to many players.
How to Judge an Emote Yourself
Check the shop. If it appears every few weeks, it is common.
Extra tip. Mute emotes if they distract you. The option exists.
Last tip. Screenshot rare emotes you see. They tell a story.
Quick recap. Not in shop, not free, hard to earn.
Reality check. No source confirmed these years. Treat the list as a guide.
Bottom line. Use the three tests, then check the shop.
Skill proof. A hard challenge emote tells you the owner won a lot.
Tips. Do not pay a reseller for a rare emote. Accounts cannot be traded safely. Check the live game before you plan around any of this, since events and rules change.
Ask how it was earned. Free to everyone is common. A hard challenge is rare.
Look for removed systems. An emote tied to a feature that no longer exists is likely rare.
Zoom out again. If rare emotes return in a pass or a bundle, the whole idea of rarity will fade. The risk is a cosmetic that once proved skill and now just proves spending.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes an emote rare in Clash Royale?
Rarity is not a game label. The original uses availability, obtainability and how hard it was to get. Use it as a guide, and check the linked pages for the current details.
Is a free emote rare?
No. The original says a gift to every account is not rare.
What is the CRL 2019 Goblin?
A prize emote for completing the CRL 20-win challenge in 2019, per the original.
Do rare emotes ever come back?
Sometimes. That is why rarity can change.
Where can you see the current emote shop?
In the game’s shop tab. Check it before you buy.
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.
Hey there! I’m Krux here and I am back again with some fresh gust of wind and a new Clash Royale Article. I hope you all are enjoying the latest Clash Royale Season 17 and the ongoing Mega Rage Challenge. You can also check out our deck articles if you wanna learn some new Clash Royale decks this season.
Today we will talk about the rarest emotes in Clash Royale. It’s been a while now with the emotes being introduced in the game. Emotes were added to Clash Royale in the year it launched, i.e., 2016. Emotes are the only way to communicate with the opponents during a match or for spectators. Apart from the six messages, of course. If emotes are a good feature or not is a question best left to the player’s discretion. Some people love them, some hate them. Whichever is the case, they are there and they are a part of the game. Let’s dive in this and find out which are the rarest Clash Royale Emotes!
What is Rarest?
You should be able to guess what do I mean by the Rarest but still for the very casual and new players, here it is. Rarest is not an in-game categorization for any emote. For this list, we are taking some factors into account to decide how rare is an emote.
- Availability: The emotes which are available in the shop to buy every 2 months are not rare by any sense. The ones which were or will be available once in the game and if you missed and they will never come back are called rare.
- Obtainability: Some emote which fit the above definition are free emotes given away by Supercell like a free Lost & Crowned emote we all got. It won’t be available again but it is given to all accounts. Not rare. Obtainable once is out thing.
- Hard-to-get: We all know how hard-to-get things in life are valued. Jokes aside emote which are not very easy to get and not 80% players get it to make them the rarest of all. They can take skill to get or some difficult task to do.
Let’s start!
Top 5 Rarest Clash Royale Emotes
5. Santa Ice Wizard and Santa Ice Spirit:
The two of our cold friends—Ice Wizard and Ice Spirit came dressed as the Santa in the Holiday Season of 2018. These are the only emotes of both of these cards in Clash Royale and the only emotes with a Santa hat. Or call it depicting Christmas in the Clash Universe. These exclusive emotes could be obtained in December 2018 only and have never appeared in the shop. December is coming and we can get some new Christmas emotes this time, who knows? But we won’t get the one in which the Ice Wizard is blowing in the falling snow.
4. Royal Ghost Gem:
This one also syncs with the ongoing Treasures of the Old King Season 17 of Clash Royale. The Royal Ghost is a ghost of a dead king in the game and he has immeasurable gold and gems hidden inside the Clash Royale Palace somewhere. But the favourite gem never stops amusing him and this emote shows it. The Ghost gapes in surprise with a slight scream upon seeing the Gem. This emote was given to players who had earned Legend Trophies before the 2018 update changed it and removed the dual type of trophies from the game. Old thing, I guess.
3. CRL 2019 Goblin:
This Goblin with his face painted red and blue symbolises the Clash Royale League 20 Win-challenge of 2019. This emote was the prize you got after getting 20 wins the CRL challenge. The happy face of the goblin says it all. The challenge got pretty tough towards 17+ wins with semi-pros reigning the game. If you get matched up against someone donning this emote, take note, they are not the random trash Hog cycler.
2. Trophy Goblin Emote:
Another emote of our green tiny friend, this Trophy goblin Emote of Clash Royale is one of the most extraordinary in the way it could be obtained in 2018. This emote was given to players who linked their Youtube account to their Supercell ID and watched the CRL 2018 finals live. This is one of the emotes earned through a unique way and without playing the game itself. Having this means that you are a good Clash Royale fan. Also an old one.
1. Champion Tournament King
This exclusive emote which shows the King happily rubbing a big trophy which has 1 engraved on it. This Clash Royale Emote first appeared in January 2020 in Global Tournament. The Top 100 players of Global Tournament get this emote. Out of the millions of Clash Royale players, not more than a thousand has this one.
So this was a look at the most exceptional Clash Royale emotes by their availability in-game. Stay tuned with us for more awesome Clash Royale stuff and guides. Clash On!
Before locking in a deck, run it through the Deck Builder: the Counter and Patch risk tabs flag weak spots that reading a guide cannot show.
Sources
Researched from the following (no links, listed for transparency):