AI Overview: This Clash Royale tier list started in 2020 with three tiers, A, B and C, sorted by role, from win conditions to buildings. The whole list is kept below. This page sets those picks beside October 2026 win rates to show which cards rose, which fell and which held, and why a tier list needs a date.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The 2020 list used three tiers, A, B and C, and seven role groups. Cards were not ranked inside a tier.
- Risen from C: Royal Ghost (best 2026 list 77.0%), Giant Skeleton (72.1%), Bowler (72.3%), Tombstone (63.8%) and Fisherman (61.6%).
- Fallen from A or B: Bats (best list 48.2%), Mega Minion (44.7% base), Valkyrie (47.8% or less) and Barbarian Hut (55.1% best, 44.5% or less for the rest).
- Held: Hog Rider (61.2%), Giant (71.6%), Bomb Tower (70.1%) and Ice Spirit (every printed list 56.7% or more).
- Win rates here are the best printed deck per card, not ladder-wide numbers, so they show direction and not rank.
Cards That Rose Since 2020
Here’s the thing: the 2020 author sorted cards by how well they fit decks that year. Tier C meant niche: strong in one deck, weak in the rest. Six years later, several C cards have printed lists above 60%. A tier is a snapshot of the meta, and the meta moves.
| Card | 2020 tier and reason | Best printed 2026 list | 2026 note |
| Royal Ghost | C: barely plays outside P.E.K.K.A Bridge Spam | 77.0% over 993 battles | Hitpoints 1,210 to 1,152 on October 6 |
| Giant Skeleton | C: few decks use it | 72.1% over 1,100 | Death bomb up 28.7% on troops, down 35.6% on towers |
| Bowler | C: too weak to air | 72.3% (Hero 72.1%) | The other six base lists won only 42.7% to 45.1% |
| Tombstone | C: highest win rate, but skilled players | 63.8% (Hero 64.6%) | Hero Tomb Queen buffed in August |
| Fisherman | C: nerfed down | 61.6% over about 700 | No 2026 change |
| Zappies | C: nerfed to the ground | 66.1% over 1,500 | Four of six lists at 50% or more |
| Magic Archer | C: one of the worst Legendaries | Hero lists 55.2% to 65.8% | Base damage 143 to 135 on August 4 |
A few of these have full pages here: Royal Ghost, Giant Skeleton, Bowler, Tombstone and Magic Archer. The Magic Archer’s range nerf in early 2020 made him “one of the worst Legendaries”, which the 2026 Hero lists clearly no longer show.
Translation: a card moves up a tier when a deck is built around it, or when a buff or a nerf to its partners changes the math. Royal Ghost did not change much. The decks around it did.
Several of the risen cards come from lists with fewer than 1,200 battles. The negative effect: a small sample can inflate a card for a week, so a player who rebuilds a deck around Royal Ghost or Fisherman today may be chasing a number that settles lower once more games arrive.
Cards That Fell or Stayed Low
The other side of the story is just as useful. Some A-tier cards of 2020 are now at or below 50% in every printed base-card list. This does not mean they are bad cards. It means the decks that carried them no longer run them.
| Card | 2020 tier and reason | Best printed 2026 list | 2026 note |
| Bats | A: replaced Minions as the king of air | 48.2% over 912 | None of eight printed lists above 50% |
| Mega Minion | B: not in its prime | Hero 47.7%, base 44.7% | No printed list on either page won 50% |
| Valkyrie | B: great stats, no home | Evo 63.6%, Hero 64.7% | All eight base-card lists 47.8% or less |
| Barbarian Hut | A: big boost from the death spawn | 55.1% over 577 | The other five printed lists 42.5% to 44.5% |
| Electro Dragon | A: useful in Golem decks | Evo 64.6% over about 1,700 | Eight base lists 39.8% to 48.5% |
| Firecracker | A: positive trades in cycle decks | Evo lists 54.8% to 61.2% | Eight base lists 41.6% to 48.0% |
| Mortar | C: falling off | Base lists 41.9% to 51.9% | Still the weakest of the siege cards |
| Elite Barbarians | C: easy to counter above low leagues | 48.9% over 1,100 | Evo lists elsewhere 60.6% to 70.6% |
The pattern: three of the fallen cards, Valkyrie, Electro Dragon and Firecracker, have strong Evolution or Hero lists and weak base-card lists. The 2020 list had no Evolutions or Heroes, so the old tiers cannot see this split. A modern tier list has to say which version of the card it means.
Two more pages that cover this split: the top ladder cards guide compares a different old tier list with 2026 data, and the Golem guide shows how one 2020 B-tier card now tops 68%.
Evolution and Hero versions are now carrying the cards that the old list called A-tier. The negative effect: if Supercell trims the Evolution or Hero version of Valkyrie or Firecracker, the base card has no list to fall back on, and the card could vanish from play.
Cards That Held, and How to Use an Old Tier List
The steady ones: Hog Rider was A-tier in 2020 and its best 2026 list is 61.2% over about 3,800 battles with no 2026 change. Giant’s best list wins 71.6%. Bomb Tower, praised for its new death rattle, has a 70.1% list, and six of its eight printed lists win 54.9% or more. Ice Spirit, called a terrific cycle card, has all eight printed lists at 56.7% or more.
How to use this list. Treat the 2020 tiers as ideas about roles: win condition, support, swarm, spell, building, tank killer. Then check the card’s current page for a 2026 win rate.
Spend gold on the cards that hold. The level 16 upgrade table shows what a level costs, and the Deck Builder lets you load a full deck and read its average cost.
A tier list that is never dated invites old advice. The negative effect: players who find this page from a search may copy an A-tier card from 2020 into a deck and lose to a rival who checked the October 2026 data, so always read the date on any tier list, and check the card’s own page for the current numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best tier list for Clash Royale in 2026?
This page does not rank cards. It sets the 2020 tiers beside October 2026 win rates for the best printed deck per card.
Which cards were A tier in the 2020 list?
Hog Rider, Graveyard, Giant, Lava Hound, Baby Dragon, Musketeer, Ice Wizard, Ice Spirit, Sparky, Electro Wizard, The Log, Fireball, Zap, Mega Knight, Bandit and Mini P.E.K.K.A, among others.
Which low-tier cards from 2020 are strong now?
Royal Ghost, Giant Skeleton, Bowler, Tombstone and Fisherman all have printed 2026 lists above 60%.
Why do some cards have two win rates?
Many cards now have an Evolution or Hero version, and those lists often win more than the base card.
Are the 2026 numbers ladder-wide win rates?
No. They are the best printed deck for each card from RoyaleTracker samples, so use them for direction and not for exact rank.
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)