If you’ve ever watched a fully charged Prince barrel through your front line and take half your crown tower HP in two hits, you know how frustrating this 5-elixir rare card can be. I’ve been playing Clash Royale since its global launch, and for the first year, I lost at least 30% of my matches to players spamming Prince behind a Giant or P.E.K.K.A. It took dozens of test matches and watching top ladder players to nail down how to counter Prince in Clash Royale reliably, without wasting extra elixir or leaving other lanes exposed. The good news is you don’t need legendary cards or a maxed deck to shut him down every time, as long as you understand his core weaknesses and pick the right counters for your playstyle.
Core Weaknesses to Exploit When Learning How to Counter Prince in Clash Royale
The Prince has very clear, consistent weaknesses that every player can take advantage of, no matter what deck they run. First, he only targets ground units, so any air troop will avoid his attacks entirely. Second, his 2x damage charge takes 3.5 tiles of uninterrupted movement to activate, so stopping him early cuts his damage output drastically. Third, he only hits one target at a time, so swarms of small units will overwhelm him before he can take them all out. If you can interrupt his charge within the first 3 tiles of him being deployed, you cut his damage output in half immediately. Many new players waste high-elixir units to stop him, but you don’t need to if you play to these flaws. Prince cannot hit air units under any circumstances, so even 3-elixir minions can shut him down for a positive elixir trade if you place them correctly.
Top Low-Elixir Counters for the Prince (Positive Elixir Trades Only)
A positive elixir trade means you spend less elixir to stop your opponent’s push than they spent to deploy it, leaving you with extra resources to launch your own counterattack. All the counters below cost 3 elixir or less, so you’ll always come out ahead when you use them to stop a 5-elixir Prince, as long as you avoid common placement mistakes.
- Skeleton Army (3 elixir): This is the most consistent 2-elixir positive trade against Prince, as long as you drop it directly on top of him the second he crosses the river. The only risk is if your opponent has a spell like Zap or Log to wipe the skeletons, so keep an eye on their used cards before playing this.
- Minions (3 elixir): Since Prince can’t hit air, three minions will take him down before he gets a single hit on your tower, even if he’s fully charged. This is a safer pick if you suspect your opponent has a small spell ready for Skeleton Army, and you can use the surviving minions to start a quick counterpush.
- Goblin Gang (3 elixir): With two regular goblins, two spear goblins, and one goblin brawler, this card overwhelms Prince’s single-target attack in seconds. Even if your opponent Zaps half the gang, the remaining units will still finish him off for a positive trade.
- Tombstone (3 elixir): Drop this structure 2 tiles in front of your crown tower, and the constant stream of spawning skeletons will interrupt Prince’s charge and chew through his HP before he reaches any of your units. This is a great pick if you’re already running a control deck with structure cards.
I used to waste 4 or 5 elixir on a Knight or Valkyrie to counter Prince before I realized I could save 2 elixir every time with these picks. That extra elixir is often the difference between winning a match and losing it, especially in close ladder games where every resource counts. Never drop your swarm counters more than 1 tile away from the Prince – if you place them too far, he’ll charge through the gap and get a hit on your tower before the swarms reach him.
How to Counter Prince When He’s Paired With Support Cards
Most of the time, you won’t face a Prince by himself. Players almost always back him with support units or spells to wipe your swarms, so you need to adjust your counters based on what he’s paired with. For example, if he’s behind a Giant, you first want to take out the support units behind the Giant before focusing on the Prince. If the support is a Wizard, drop a Minion Horde or Fireball to take him out first, then use a Skeleton Army to stop the Prince once the Giant is almost dead. If he’s paired with a Ram Rider, you can use a Valkyrie to take out both units at the same time, since she has area damage that hits both the Prince and the Ram’s stun goblins. Always prioritize taking out support units first when facing a Prince push – if you ignore the Wizard or Executioner behind him, they’ll wipe all your counters before they can touch the Prince.
You also want to track your opponent’s used spells carefully. If your opponent has already used Zap or Log in the last 10 seconds, you can safely use Skeleton Army to counter the Prince, since they don’t have a spell to wipe it. If they still have their small spells available, go for an air counter like Minions that can’t be hit by Log or Zap. I’ve won dozens of matches by waiting for my opponent to waste their small spell on a Goblin Barrel before dropping my Skeleton Army on their Prince push.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Countering the Prince
Even if you know the right counters, small mistakes can let a Prince slip through and take out your tower. The first mistake is dropping your counter too late. If you wait until the Prince is already at your tower to drop a Skeleton Army, he’ll get one charged hit off before the skeletons take him down, which is unnecessary damage you can easily avoid. The second mistake is overspending on counters. I’ve seen players drop a 6-elixir P.E.K.K.A to counter a 5-elixir Prince, which is a neutral trade at best, and leaves you with no elixir to defend the other lane if your opponent pushes there. The third mistake is falling for spell bait. Many players will drop a Goblin Barrel first to force you to use your Log or Zap, then immediately drop a Prince push knowing you don’t have a spell to wipe their swarms. Always keep at least one small spell or air counter in your hand if you notice your opponent is running Prince in their deck – that way you don’t get caught off guard by a last-minute push.
Another common mistake is placing your counter on the wrong tile. If you drop a Minion horde on the opposite side of the lane from the Prince, he’ll keep charging towards your tower while the minions fly over, giving him an extra hit or two before they reach him. Always place your counters directly in his path, or on top of him, to stop his charge as fast as possible. You don’t need to be perfect with placement, but small adjustments will save you hundreds of tower HP over dozens of matches.
At the end of the day, countering the Prince doesn’t require fancy cards or a high ladder rank. It just requires paying attention to his movement, tracking your opponent’s available spells, and picking the right counter for the push he’s running. Next time you see that familiar horse icon pop up on your opponent’s side of the board, don’t panic – use the tips we covered to shut him down for a positive elixir trade, and turn his push into your own counterattack. Once you get the hang of how to counter Prince in Clash Royale, you’ll notice far fewer frustrating losses to last-minute charged pushes, and you’ll climb the ladder much faster as a result.
