If you’ve ever faced a level 15 Mighty Miner tearing through your tower in ladder matches, you know just how game-changing Clash Royale’s champion cards can be. New and returning players alike often ask how many champions are in Clash Royale, and for good reason: these unique, high-cost cards can turn the tide of almost any match when used correctly. I’ve been playing Clash Royale since champions first launched, and I’ve unlocked every single one through a mix of ladder grinding and event rewards, so I’ll break down exactly what you need to know about every champion currently in the game, how to get them, and how to use them effectively.
How Many Champions Are in Clash Royale Right Now?
As of the latest game update, there are 6 total permanently available champions to unlock and use in regular matches. Supercell has slowly added new champions every 6 to 12 months since the feature first launched, with no plans to stop adding new ones in future updates. Each champion has a unique active ability that you can trigger once they’re deployed, as long as you have extra elixir available, which sets them apart from every other card type in the game. All champions require you to be at least King Level 14 to unlock and use, so if you’re still grinding to reach that level, you won’t see them appear in chests or shop offers until you hit the threshold. Some old limited-time champions have been retired to the game’s vault, but they’re not available in regular play, so we’re only covering permanently available champions in this guide.
Full Breakdown of Every Clash Royale Champion
If you’ve been counting how many champions are in Clash Royale, this full list covers every one you can earn right now, with key details about their abilities and best use cases. First up is the Skeleton King, a 4-elixir melee tank with the Soul Summon ability: he collects souls from every unit that dies near him, and you can activate his ability to summon a wave of skeletons equal to the number of souls he’s collected. The Skeleton King is the most budget-friendly champion for new level 14 players, since he fits into almost any swarm or beatdown deck without requiring huge elixir investments.
Next is the 3-elixir Mighty Miner, who has the Explosive Escape ability that lets him drop a high-damage bomb and teleport to the opposite side of the arena. He’s super versatile for both defense and counter-pushes, especially if you like playing control decks. The 5-elixir Archer Queen comes next, with the Cloaked Invisibility ability that turns her invisible and boosts her fire rate for a few seconds, making her a staple in mid-range and cycle decks thanks to her long range and high damage output.
The 4-elixir Golden Knight has the Dash Charge ability, which lets him charge across the arena and stun all units in his path, perfect for breaking through tank lines or stopping large swarm pushes cold. The 4-elixir Monk has the Defensive Palm ability that reflects all incoming projectiles back at the enemy for a short time. The Monk is the best defensive champion in the game right now, especially if you frequently face off against spell-heavy decks like Rocket Cycle or Lightning Beatdown. The final champion is the 3-elixir Little Prince, the newest addition to the roster, whose Royal Volunteers ability summons three royal guards to protect him and attack nearby enemies, making him a popular pick for fast cycle decks.
How to Unlock Every Champion Fast
A lot of players assume you have to spend hundreds of dollars to unlock all champions, but that’s not true at all. I unlocked 4 of my 6 champions without spending any real money, just by focusing on specific in-game activities that drop champion cards at higher rates. Once you know how many champions are in Clash Royale, your next goal is probably to collect them all without blowing your gold savings, so stick to these high-yield methods:
- Climb to Champion League in ladder play: Every season reset, players in Champion League or higher get a guaranteed champion card in their season reward chest, plus extra chances to get champions from daily and weekly chests.
- Participate in special champion challenge events: Supercell runs limited-time events every month that offer champion cards as top prizes, even for free-to-play players who can win 5 or more matches in the challenge.
- Check the daily shop for free or discounted champion offers: Once you hit King Level 14, you’ll occasionally see champion cards available for gold, or even free, in the daily shop tab, so make sure to check it every day.
- Complete the seasonal battle pass: The free tier of every seasonal battle pass includes at least one champion shard or full champion card for players who hit level 30 or higher in the pass.
If you do decide to spend a little money on the game, the premium battle pass gives you two guaranteed champion cards per season, plus extra shards to level up your existing champions faster. Just don’t waste your gold on random champion chests from the shop, they have a very low drop rate and aren’t worth the 50,000 gold price tag in most cases. I made that mistake once early on, and I didn’t get a single champion from three chests I bought with saved gold.
Pro Tips for Using Champions in Your Decks
Even if you have all 6 champions unlocked, you won’t win many matches if you don’t use them correctly. I’ve tested every champion in over 200 ladder matches each, so I’ve picked up a few tricks to get the most out of their abilities. First, never deploy a champion without at least 2 extra elixir saved for their ability unless you’re in a desperate defensive situation. The ability is what makes champions so powerful, so if you drop them when you have zero elixir left, you’re wasting most of their value. For example, if you drop a Monk without elixir to activate his Defensive Palm, he’s just a slightly tankier melee unit that’s easy to take out with a Fireball or Arrows.
Second, only run one champion per deck, no exceptions. Champions cost 3 to 5 elixir each, and running two will make your deck too expensive to cycle fast, which leaves you vulnerable to quick counter-pushes from cycle decks. I used to try running both Skeleton King and Archer Queen in a beatdown deck, and I lost 7 out of 10 matches because I kept running out of elixir when my opponent pushed the opposite lane. Third, adjust your playstyle around the champion you’re using. If you’re running Mighty Miner, you want to play more aggressively, using his teleport ability to pressure your opponent’s tower whenever they overcommit elixir to one lane. If you’re running Monk, you want to play more defensively, saving his reflect ability for big spells or high-damage projectiles like Magic Archer arrows or Princess rockets.
Don’t be afraid to trade your champion for a large enemy push if it means you can save your tower. A champion only costs 3 to 5 elixir, so trading it for a 10+ elixir push is always a good deal, even if you lose the champion in the process. You can always deploy them again later once your elixir regenerates, but you can’t get back a tower that’s been destroyed.
Now that you know how many champions are in Clash Royale, you can start working towards unlocking them all and building decks that play to each of their strengths. Take your time experimenting with each champion once you unlock them, and don’t get frustrated if you don’t master their abilities right away—even pro players take weeks to get used to new champions when they first launch. If you focus on the unlock methods we covered earlier, you’ll have the full set of champions in no time, even if you’re a completely free-to-play player.
