If you’ve logged into Clash Royale in the last two weeks, you’ve probably seen the hype around the latest drop that’s been flipping ranked lobbies upside down. If you’re still asking what is the new card for Clash Royale, you’re in the right place to catch up before you get blindsided by it in your next trophy push. I’ve been testing this card nonstop since its soft launch, and I’ve got all the details you need to use it well, counter it, and decide if it’s worth spending your wild cards on to max it early. I’ve faced so many players lately that have no idea how to deal with it, so I figured I’d put together everything I’ve learned from 100+ matches with and against it.
What Is the New Card for Clash Royale? Core Stats & Official Design Context
The new card is called the Plunderling, a small, fast goblin unit focused on quick tower chip damage and extra gold rewards for successful hits. Supercell teased this card for almost two months before its launch, asking players for feedback on its design and ability, and the final version is a lot more balanced than the initial test version they showed off. The original test version stole 20 gold per hit, which was way too overpowered, so they nerfed it to 10 before full launch, which makes it rewarding but not game-breaking.
Its core stats at level 11 (the standard for most mid-tier ladder players) are: Elixir cost: 3, Hit points: 520, Damage per hit: 96, Gold steal per tower hit: 10. It targets only ground units, has a very fast movement speed, and a 1.2 second hit speed. It disappears automatically after landing 3 hits on a crown tower, so you can’t use it to take a full tower down on its own, even if it’s left unopposed. It’s a common rarity card, so it’s easy to level up once you unlock the base copy.
Supercell’s design goal for the Plunderling was to add a low-cost aggressive option that rewards proactive play without making control decks obsolete. The gold steal ability is meant to give players a small extra incentive to take risks with fast pushes, rather than just turtling and waiting for the opponent to make the first move.
Best Synergies for the New Plunderling Card
When you’re first learning how to use the Plunderling (the answer to what is the new card for Clash Royale), start with low-stakes friendly battles so you don’t lose trophies while you test. It works best in fast cycle decks that focus on constant pressure, and pairs poorly with slow, heavy tank decks that take too long to reach the bridge. The best synergies I’ve tested so far are:
- Hog Rider: Pair the Plunderling with Hog Rider for a fast dual-threat push. Your opponent will have to choose between countering the hog or stopping the Plunderling from stealing gold and chipping tower health. Even if they counter both, you only spent 7 elixir on the push, so you’ll likely have a positive elixir trade if they use 8 or more to defend.
- Fireball: Use Fireball to clear out medium-health swarms like Minion Horde or Valkyrie that would shut down your Plunderling before it reaches the tower. If you can hit a defensive unit and the opponent’s tower at the same time, you get extra chip damage on top of protecting your Plunderling.
- Zap: Zap resets enemy inferno towers or slows down defensive units just long enough for the Plunderling to get one or two extra hits on the tower. It also takes out small swarms like Skeletons or Ice Spirits that would otherwise kill the Plunderling for a 1-elixir trade.
- Goblin Barrel: Combine Plunderling with Goblin Barrel for a cheap, high-pressure push that forces your opponent to spend more elixir defending than you spent attacking. If they don’t have a Log or Zap ready, you can get 20+ extra tower damage and 20 gold from the Plunderling hits alone.
I’ve been running a 2.8 elixir cycle deck with Hog, Plunderling, Zap, Fireball, Skeletons, Ice Spirit, Cannon, and Log, and I’ve pushed up 300 trophies in the last week using it. It works especially well against the popular Pekka decks that have been dominating the meta lately, because you can keep constant pressure on them before they can get their heavy push going.
How to Counter the New Plunderling Card Effectively
If you’re still getting caught off guard by what is the new card for Clash Royale, try keeping one low-cost swarm card in your starting hand for the first minute of the match, so you’re never caught without a counter. The Plunderling is surprisingly easy to stop once you know what to do, and most counters give you a positive elixir trade, so you can turn their aggressive push into your own advantage.
Small swarms are your best first line of defense. Skeleton Army, Goblin Gang, or even regular 1-elixir Skeletons can take out a Plunderling for 1 or 2 elixir, giving you a 1 to 2 elixir advantage immediately. I used to panic when I saw Plunderling coming across the bridge and waste my Fireball on it, but once I started keeping a 1-elixir Skeleton card in my cycle, I stopped losing elixir to it entirely. It’s a super easy counter once you get the timing down.
Don’t waste high-cost spells on it unless you can hit another high-value unit at the same time. Using a Fireball or Rocket to take out a 3-elixir Plunderling on its own is almost always a bad trade, and will leave you short on elixir for their next push. The only time it’s acceptable to use a higher-cost spell on Plunderling is if it’s paired with a Hog Rider or Goblin Barrel, and you can hit both units with a single Fireball. That gives you a positive elixir trade and stops the push entirely, so it’s worth it in that specific case.
Place defensive buildings just behind your crown tower to pull the Plunderling away before it can land any hits. A Cannon or Tesla positioned correctly will aggro the Plunderling as soon as it crosses the bridge, and take it out for a positive elixir trade without any tower damage. This works especially well if you’re running a control deck that already uses defensive buildings as part of your core strategy.
How to Unlock the New Plunderling Card for Free
You don’t have to spend any real money to get the new Plunderling card, and there are multiple easy ways to unlock it for free within a couple of weeks of its launch. First, it’s available on the free track of the current season pass, at tier 15. You can reach that tier in less than a week just by doing your daily and weekly challenges, even if you only play a couple of matches a day. The premium track of the pass gives you extra copies to level it up faster, but you don’t need it to get the base card.
If you don’t want to grind the season pass, you can get it from Clash Royale chests once you reach Arena 12 (Spooky Town), including silver, gold, magical, and legendary chests. Drop rates are pretty high for the first month after launch, so most active players will get it randomly from chests within two weeks without any extra effort. Don’t spend your hard-earned gems on buying it from the shop right away, unless you’re desperate to test it immediately. It will drop randomly from chests soon enough, so you can save your gems for season passes or special offers instead.
You can also get it from trade tokens if you have a common trade token and a clan mate who has extra copies to trade. Once you have the base card, you can request copies from your clan twice a week, since it’s a common rarity card. Common cards are easy to get from clan requests, so you can max it out in a couple of weeks if you request it regularly, no wild cards needed.
Whether you’re looking to add a new aggressive tool to your deck or just want to stop losing to it in ranked play, knowing what is the new card for Clash Royale and how it works is key to staying ahead of the current meta. Give the Plunderling a test run in friendly battles first to get a feel for its speed and hit range, and don’t be afraid to tweak your deck to fit it in if you prefer fast, pressure-heavy playstyles. If you’ve already tried it, drop your favorite Plunderling deck in the comments below to help other players out!
