AI Overview: Heal Spell in Clash Royale no longer exists. Supercell replaced it with the 1-elixir Heal Spirit in April 2020. The old tier list was a prediction made before release, but several of its pairings, such as Lava Hound with Balloon and Three Musketeers, still make sense with the spirit. Here is what to keep and what to skip.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- Search summaries say Heal Spell was replaced by Heal Spirit in April 2020, and owners’ copies were converted. The summaries disagree on the exact day.
- Heal Spirit costs 1 elixir, is a Rare and unlocks in Arena 13. It leaps at an enemy, then leaves a healing area for your troops.
- SeeMeta lists one change: Heal Spirit hitpoints went from 230 to 215 on August 4, 2026.
- RoyaleTracker’s best Heal Spirit deck, a Bridge Spam list, won 72.1% over about 1,100 battles, while the most played one won 44.9%.
- Treat it as history.
What Happened to the Heal Spell
Its author wrote a tier list of cards that might work well with the Heal Spell before it came out, and ended with a note that not everything would be accurate. He was right to hedge. The card was later removed.
The short version: search summaries say Supercell replaced the Heal Spell with Heal Spirit in April 2020, and turned all copies of the old spell into the new card. The same summaries disagree on the exact day, so the page says April 2020. The catch: the spirit is a troop, not a spell, so it behaves differently.
| Point | Heal Spell (old) | Heal Spirit (2026) |
| Type | Spell | Troop (spirit) |
| Elixir | Not given | 1 |
| Unlock | Not given | Arena 13 (Rascal’s Hideout) |
| Effect | Heals troops in an area | Leaps at an enemy, deals a little damage, leaves a healing area |
| 2026 change | Gone | Hitpoints 230 to 215 on August 4 |
Cards that change type, such as a spell turning into a troop, show how far Supercell will go to fix a weak design. If Heal Spirit keeps winning in Bridge Spam, expect more trims to its hitpoints. The negative effect: a 1-elixir card that moves up and down every season is hard to build around.
Which Old Pairings Still Make Sense
The old tier list had three groups. The Tier 1 pairs were Lava Hound with Balloon, Three Musketeers and both kinds of Barbarians. The logic was to heal a big group of troops, so the healing effect repeats. That idea still holds for the spirit, as long as your troops stand together.
- Lava Hound and Balloon. Healing the pups keeps them alive against Zap. Lava Hound got a damage buff on October 6 (53 to 71), but its best deck has only 241 battles, so the 78.8% is not reliable.
- Three Musketeers. Healing reverses Fireball damage for one elixir less. Three Musketeers costs 9, and SeeMeta lists its hitpoints rising from 883 to 906 on October 6. The best deck won 70.6% over 695 battles.
- Barbarians and Elite Barbarians. Healing a group of fighters counts for each one. Barbarians are 5 elixir, and the best Barbarians deck won 53.1% over 731 battles.
- Support troops and spell bait. Healing revives Musketeer, Electro Wizard and Mega Minion, and forces opponents to one-shot your Goblin Barrel, Minion Horde or Goblin Gang.
What it means: healing works best when many units share the area. Still unknown: how much a 1-elixir spirit heals compared with the old spell, because the old numbers (576 total heal, 970 Elite Barbarian hitpoints) were guesses. Check the card in game.
A healing card that costs 1 elixir fits cycle decks, and Supercell likes to tune such cards through small hitpoint changes. If the effect gets stronger, push decks will lean on it. The negative effect: strong healing can make pushes harder to break, and spells like Poison may become the only counter.
The Three Old Decks, Rechecked
Lavaloon Heal. The old list: Lava Hound, Balloon, Heal, Minions, Mega Minions, Goblin Gang, Arrows and Elixir Collector. The site’s guides show Goblin Gang decks winning 62.9% at best and Mega Minion decks under 48%, so the Mega Minion slot is the weak one now.
Hog Trifecta. Hog Rider, Musketeer, Barbarians, Cannon, Heal, Ice Spirit, Arrows and Elixir Collector. Hog Rider has no 2026 change and its best deck won 61.2%. The Elixir Collector, per the site guide, never appears in the starting hand, which weakens a deck that needs it early.
Three Musketeers Beatdown. Three Musketeers, Hog Rider, Barbarians, Elixir Collector, Ice Wizard, Arrows, Heal and Minion Horde. It is very expensive, but the top 2026 Three Musketeers list does pair the Collector with Evolutions, not with a heal.
The takeaway: use the old decks as ideas, not as lists. The catch: try the spirit in a cheap deck first. A 1-elixir card that does not pay for itself is just a lost cycle.
Battle Healer was reworked on August 4 to deal more damage, hit slower and stop healing herself, which shows Supercell shifting healing toward other cards. The negative effect: if healing becomes a niche role, fewer decks will carry it, and the cards built around it will lose partners.
Is a Healing Card Worth It?
Here’s the thing: healing sounds nice, but a good heal needs a group to heal. A lone troop gains little.
When it helps: a big push with Lava Hound and Balloon, or three Musketeers standing together. The area heals many at once. The catch: Heal Spirit leaps at an enemy first and dies, so it needs a target nearby.
When it does not: a split push, a single tank or a deck that needs every elixir for defense. At 1 elixir the risk is small, but a cycle slot has a cost.
What it means: try Heal Spirit in a Bridge Spam or Lavaloon list first. Still unknown: its exact healing numbers, since the support pages did not load during this research. See the Heal Spirit page and the Lava Hound page for current decks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Heal Spell still exist in Clash Royale?
No. Search summaries say it was replaced by Heal Spirit in April 2020.
What is Heal Spirit?
A 1-elixir Rare troop that leaps at an enemy and leaves a healing area for friendly troops.
What did Heal Spirit change in 2026?
Its hitpoints went from 230 to 215 on August 4, according to SeeMeta.
What is the best Heal Spirit deck?
A Bridge Spam list won 72.1% over about 1,100 battles in RoyaleTracker’s October 2026 sample.
Are the old Heal Spell decks still good?
They are ideas only.
Sources
Researched from the following (no links, listed for transparency):
- Search summaries of Game Informer, Android Authority and One Esports on the Heal Spell replacement by Heal Spirit (April 2020; the summaries disagree on the exact day)
- 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 September 2026), read through search summaries