If you’ve ever gone up against a Clash Royale player who uses Vines to freeze your entire push and chip away at your tower for free, you know just how overpowered this little spell can be. It’s become a staple in most top-tier meta decks over the past few seasons, and it’s easy to see why: it deals consistent damage, slows enemy units for seconds, and costs almost no elixir to play. If you’re wondering how to get Vines in Clash Royale, you’re in the right place. I’ve been playing Clash Royale daily since it launched, hit 7200 trophies last season, and tested every single unlock method to separate the legitimate options from the scams. This guide covers everything you need to know to add Vines to your collection and upgrade it fast, no hacks required.
Legitimate Ways to Get Vines in Clash Royale
There are no secret tricks or loopholes to unlock Vines instantly, but there are 5 proven methods that work for all players, free and paid alike. None of these methods require you to spend real money, so you can unlock Vines entirely for free if you’re willing to put in the time. You can also mix and match these methods to speed up your unlock timeline depending on how much you play each week.
You won’t find Vines as a drop until you hit Arena 12, so if you’re still in lower arenas, focus on pushing trophies first to unlock the card pool. Stay far away from any third-party sites that promise free Vines for completing surveys or entering your account info. All of these sites are scams designed to steal your login credentials and take over your account, so there’s zero reason to risk it for a single card.
How to Speed Up Your Vines Unlock Without Spending Money
If you don’t want to spend cash on the season pass or shop offers, you can still unlock Vines in as little as 7 to 10 days with a bit of planning. Prioritize opening chests on a strict schedule to maximize your drop chances without wasting gems. Silver chests take 3 hours to unlock, gold chests take 8, so open a silver chest right before you start work or school, another one on your lunch break, then a gold chest before you go to sleep. This schedule lets you open 4 to 5 chests a day without paying to unlock them early.
Join an active clan with at least 30 regular players as soon as you hit level 3. Active clans run clan wars every week, and the rewards include extra chests, gold, and trade tokens that you can use to get Vines faster. You can also ask clan members to trade you extra Vines copies if they have spares, most players are happy to swap for cards they need for their own decks. I used this method when I was grinding for Vines last season, and I got 3 extra copies in 3 days just by trading with clan mates.
Make sure you complete all 3 daily quests every single day. The 100 gem reward for finishing all daily quests adds up fast, and you can save those gems for limited-time shop offers that give you guaranteed Vines copies instead of gambling on random chest drops. These offers pop up at least once a week, so you won’t have to wait long to use your saved gems.
The Best Ways to Upgrade Your Vines Once You Unlock Them
Unlocking your first copy of Vines is only the first step, you’ll need multiple copies to level it up enough to be useful in higher arenas. Don't waste gold upgrading Vines until you have a deck that uses it consistently—it’s a niche spell that works best in control and cycle decks, so if you main a beatdown deck with Golem or Pekka, you might not get enough use out of it to justify the upgrade cost. Test it in a few friendly battles with clan members first to make sure it fits your play style before you pour gold into upgrades.
Use trade tokens to get extra copies first before spending wild cards on Vines. Wild cards are a limited resource, and they’re better saved for cards you can’t easily trade for, like legendaries or newly released cards that most players don’t have spares of. If you have extra epic or rare trade tokens lying around, ask your clan if anyone has Vines copies to swap before you touch your wild card stash.
If you do buy the monthly season pass, use the magic items you earn to upgrade Vines faster. A book of cards can instantly give you enough copies to go from level 9 to level 13 if you have enough gold saved up. For most players, level 11 is the sweet spot for Vines, as it deals enough damage to take out most support units like Musketeer or Wizard in one hit, which is the main use case for the spell. You don’t need to max it out immediately unless you’re pushing for top 1000 leaderboard spots.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Farming for Vines
There are a few common mistakes that slow down players’ Vines unlocks by weeks, and they’re all easy to avoid if you know what to watch for. Don't spend all your gems on unlocking chests early—you’re far better off saving gems for special shop offers that give you guaranteed Vines copies, instead of gambling on random chest drops that might not have the card you want. I made this mistake when I first started farming for Vines, spent 800 gems unlocking chests early, and didn’t get a single Vines copy from any of them.
Don’t trade away your only copy of Vines for another card, even if that card seems more useful right now. The Clash Royale meta shifts every few weeks, and Vines has stayed a top-tier spell for multiple meta cycles already, so it’s almost guaranteed to be useful for your deck at some point. Keep at least one copy in your collection at all times, even if you’re not using it right now.
Don’t waste your wild cards on Vines when you still have underleveled win conditions. Your win condition (like Hog Rider, Electro Giant, or Royal Giant) should always be the first card you upgrade, as it has a far bigger impact on your win rate than a support spell. I wasted 20 epic wild cards on Vines early last year when my Hog Rider was only level 10, and I lost 200 trophies in a week because my win condition was too weak to punch through enemy towers. Wait until your core deck cards are maxed before you upgrade support spells like Vines.
At the end of the day, learning how to get Vines in Clash Royale doesn’t require any fancy tricks or expensive purchases. All you need is consistent play, a bit of patience, and a plan to prioritize the unlock methods that work best for your play style. Once you have it leveled up, it’s one of the most versatile spells in the game, capable of shutting down pushes, locking down enemy towers, and turning losing battles around in seconds. Give these methods a try, and you’ll have a max level Vines in your collection before you know it.
