AI Overview: The Clone Spell in Clash Royale is a 3-elixir Epic that copies your troops, but each clone has 1 hit point. It unlocks in Arena 15 and its best printed deck wins 54.3% over 1,500 battles. This guide lists nine tricks, the best targets, and the points where the release-day page is out of date.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- Clone costs 3, is an Epic spell, and unlocks in Arena 15 (Miner’s Mine). Arena 8.
- Clones have 1 HP and last until killed. They do not copy buildings or spells, or enemy troops.
- Best printed deck: 54.3% over 1,500 battles. Giant Skeleton is in seven of the eight printed lists.
- Cloning a 6-elixir Giant Skeleton costs 9 in total; cloning a 7-elixir Lava Hound costs 10.
- Ice Golem is the worst enemy: its death blast clears clones.
What Clone Does and What Changed
It says the spell clones troops, does not clone enemies, spells or buildings, and that clones have no spawn time, last until killed and have only 1 hit point. Those points still match how the card is described today.
| Old claim | Today |
| Unlocks in Arena 8 (Frozen Peak) | Arena 15, Miner’s Mine |
| Cost 3, Epic, radius 3 | Cost 3 and Epic confirmed; radius not verified today |
| Clones have 1 HP | Matches the card description |
| Cloned level table | Belongs to the old level system. Not repeated. |
| Elite Barbarians “underwhelming” | Release-day opinion. Not repeated. |
What the data says: the best Clone deck wins 54.3% over 1,500 battles, and Giant Skeleton is in seven of the eight printed lists. SeeMeta lists no Clone change in 2026. Giant Skeleton changed on May 4: hit points down 7.1%, the death bomb up 28.7% on troops and down 35.6% on towers.
The cost of a clone play: Clone (3) on a Giant Skeleton (6) is 9 elixir for two bombs. On a Lava Hound (7) it is 10. On a Witch (5) or Balloon (5) it is 8. You need a big lead or a good defense first.
Clone and Mirror both duplicate, but they work differently. See the Mirror guide for the other copy card. The card pages for the best targets are the Clone guide and the Giant Skeleton guide.
Clones are a single balance tweak away from being too strong or useless, because of how little hit point they have. The negative effect: players who build a deck around Clone may find it unplayable after a small change to area spells.
Nine Tricks
| # | Trick | What to know |
| 1 | Clones have 1 HP | Dark Prince and Guards shields are 1 HP as well. Cloning tanks adds little. |
| 2 | Cloning resets charges | Prince, Sparky and Inferno Dragon lose their charge, so think twice. |
| 3 | Clone a Witch | The cloned Witch spawns skeletons with full damage and 1 HP. |
| 4 | Real left, clone right | The spell always pulls the real unit left and the clone right. Plan around the side. |
| 5 | Bypass buildings | Cloning can help a troop slip past a building that targets it. |
| 6 | Clone a frozen unit | The clone is not frozen. |
| 7 | Partial hordes | If only one Minion is left, only one is cloned. |
| 8 | Ice Golem is the enemy | Its death damage removes all clones nearby. |
| 9 | Clone Lava Hound | Once it is locked on the tower, clone it. The 1 HP copy pops into pups quickly while the real one tanks. |
The Mirror order: Clone then Mirror only copies the real unit, so the old advice is to Mirror the real unit first and then Clone. That costs Mirror (+1) plus 3, so keep it for a lead.
Cloned splits: a split push that is cloned can leave the rival with a different count on each side, so a single Zap or Log cannot take out the whole benefit.
Some of these tricks come from release-day videos and were not retested for this page. Trick 5 and trick 9 in particular depend on how the current game handles targeting. Test them in a friendly battle before a ranked match.
Trick-heavy cards like this reward players who test, and punish those who copy a video. The negative effect: if Supercell changes how clones target or spawn, half the tricks above could stop working at once.
Best Targets and Counters
Clone the damage dealers. The release-day video says tanks gain little, because clones are 1 HP and add only a bit of damage. Better targets are damage dealers: Musketeer, Mega Minion, Wizard and Balloon. A cloned Balloon is dangerous because it still drops a bomb on death.
Clone from behind a tank. Units behind a tank survive long enough to use the copy.
- Best fit: Giant Skeleton, for the double bomb. It is in seven of eight printed Clone lists.
- Good fit: Witch, Balloon and Lava Hound.
- Poor fit: pure tanks, and any troop that charges, since the charge resets.
- Counters: Ice Golem, Zap, Log, Arrows and Fireball. Any area spell punishes a cloned group.
Pairing it: Clone (3) plus Giant Skeleton (6) is 9, the same as a Graveyard plus Freeze. Win the trade by holding it until the rival has spent elixir on something else, then clone the unit that is already locked on a tower.
To weigh Clone against the other spells, read the card replacements guide. It lists Mirror against Clone, with their current win rates.
Because Clone only works with troops already on the field, a strong defense deck can ignore it. The negative effect: if the meta moves toward spell-heavy decks, Clone will have fewer targets that survive long enough, and its win rate could fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Clone Spell do in Clash Royale?
It copies your troops in an area. The copies have 1 hit point.
How much does Clone cost?
3 elixir. It is an Epic spell that unlocks in Arena 15.
What is the best card to clone?
Giant Skeleton is in seven of the eight printed Clone lists.
What counters Clone?
Ice Golem’s death blast, and any area spell.
Does Clone copy buildings or spells?
No. It copies only your troops.
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)