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By GamGem ResearchLast updated 24 Oct 2026

Balance:Lightning: no change in the 20 official balance updates we hold (Aug 6, 2025 – Oct 19, 2026).

Card overview

Lightning — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
Unofficial guide · Card · Checked Oct 24, 2026

Lightning Clash Royale card

6 elixirEpicSpell
Lightning is a 6-elixir epic spell. In ranked battles of top Path of Legends players (Sep 1, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026) it was in 15.7% of deck-sides and won 49.9% ±0.5 of its 34,041 uses. It ranks #63 of 123 battle cards by win rate and #9 by use rate in our counts.
Source: official card list, checked Oct 24, 2026 · rates counted Sep 1, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026 (n 108,336 battles)

What beats Lightning, and what it beats(win rate)

  • Barbarian Barrel — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
    Barbarian Barrel
    49%wins
    51% losses±0.9 · n 10,951
  • Arrows — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
    Arrows
    51%wins
    49% losses±1.1 · n 7,748
  • Fireball — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
    Fireball
    49%wins
    52% losses±1.1 · n 7,531
  • Skeletons — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
    Skeletons
    53%wins
    47% losses±1.1 · n 7,422
All 120 counted matchups for Lightning

How much Lightning is played

Usage rate 16%
Win rate 50%

±0.5 pp · n 34,041 uses

Crown rate Sample27%
Avg elixir cost3.9
Decks counted167

Lightning's latest balance change

No change to Lightning in the 20 official balance updates we hold, Aug 6, 2025 to Oct 19, 2026.

All balance changes

Cards that work with Lightning

Top decks using Lightning167 counted

All decks

Key interactions

Lightning — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Elixir Golem — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Beats decks with Elixir Golem: Lightning decks won 60.8% ±3.0 of 1,014 games. −3 elixir trade.
Lightning — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Goblin Giant — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Loses to decks with Goblin Giant: Lightning decks won 42.0% ±4.0 of 584 games. ±0 elixir trade.

Evidence

Battles34,041
Win rate49.9% ±0.5
Δ WR vs last patch+0.6%Sample
ConfidenceHigh

Optimal and learnable picks

Optimal pick
Lightning
49.9% win rate ±0.5
Learnable option
Graveyard
49.6% win rate ±0.8

Lightning level stats

DamageArea damageCrown Tower Damage
6656656178
9874874236
11standard1,0571,057286
141,4071,407381
161,7021,702461

. Level 11 is the tournament standard.

Card statistics and mechanics: Clash Royale Wiki, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wiki page “Lightning”, revision of 2026-08-14. Figures reformatted, wording ours.

Upgrade impact(6 → 16)

Damage↑ 159%
Overall impact
Balance history (all patches)

No change to Lightning in the 20 official balance updates we hold (Aug 6, 2025 – Oct 19, 2026).

Does it hold in other forms?
  • Base card: Always available. Counted: 49.9% ±0.5 over 34,041 uses.
  • Evolution: Not flagged in the official card list.
  • Hero: Not flagged in the official card list.
Same job, other cards
  • Graveyard · 5 elixir · spell · targets not stated · 1 elixir less
Quick answers
How much elixir does Lightning cost?
Lightning costs 6 elixir (official card list).
What rarity is Lightning?
Lightning is epic (official card list).
Does Lightning have an Evolution?
No Evolution is flagged in the official card list.
Does Lightning have a Hero form?
No Hero form is flagged in the official card list.
What level range does Lightning have?
Levels 6 to 16 on the unified scale (community wiki).
What are Lightning's stats at level 11?
1,057 damage (community wiki).
What are Lightning's stats at level 16?
1,702 damage (community wiki).
What is Lightning's win rate?
49.9% ±0.5 over 34,041 uses in ranked battles of top Path of Legends players, Sep 1, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026. Counted by GamGem, not an official statistic.
What counters Lightning?
By our counts, decks with Goblin Giant (42.0% for Lightning over 584 games), Sparky (43.0% for Lightning over 1,872 games), Cannon Cart (43.2% for Lightning over 2,205 games) do best against it.
Which deck does best with Lightning?
Knight, Skeletons, Ice Wizard, Bats, Minion Giant, Cannon, Lightning, The Log won 72.2% over 54 counted uses.
Was Lightning changed in a balance update?
No change in the 20 official balance posts we hold, Aug 6, 2025 – Oct 19, 2026.
Is Lightning a good card right now?
It ranks #63 of 123 battle cards by win rate and #9 by use rate in our counts. Counted from 34,041 uses in ranked battles of top Path of Legends players, Sep 1, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026; a rank is a place in that sample, not an official tier.

Every interaction we hold

Lightning vsBarbarian Barrel — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Barbarian BarrelArrows — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)ArrowsFireball — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)FireballSkeletons — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)SkeletonsZap — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)ZapThe Log — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)The LogTornado — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)TornadoKnight — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)KnightWin rate49%51%49%53%48%52%51%49%Elixir trade−4−3−2−5−4−4−3−3DifficultyMediumMediumMediumMediumMediumMediumMediumMedium
■ Great■ Good■ Even■ Poor■ Bad

How to counter Lightning: every counted matchup(120 cards)

Goblin Giant does best against Lightning: its decks win 58.0% of 584 decided games. Of 120 cards with at least 100 decided games, 32 beat it, 58 play even and 30 lose to it.

Cards that beat Lightning

Their decks’ win rate against Lightning decks

Cards Lightning beats

Lightning decks’ win rate against theirs

Lightning against every card, by Lightning win rate, lowest first
CardLightning winsGamesResultElixir trade
Goblin Giant42.0% ±4.0584LOSES±0
Sparky43.0% ±2.21,872LOSES±0
Cannon Cart43.2% ±2.12,205LOSES−1
Minion Horde43.8% ±2.41,585LOSES−1
Mortar44.1% ±2.12,109LOSES−2
P.E.K.K.A44.9% ±2.02,369LOSES+1
Goblinstein45.2% ±2.81,168LOSES−1
Zappies45.4% ±2.02,294LOSES−2
Inferno Tower45.4% ±2.71,341LOSES−1
Bandit45.5% ±1.83,060LOSES−3
Rascals45.6% ±2.12,095LOSES−1
Archers45.6% ±2.61,455LOSES−3
Goblin Gang45.9% ±1.82,978LOSES−3
Mother Witch45.9% ±2.02,451LOSES−2
Battle Ram46.0% ±1.73,158LOSES−2
Dark Prince46.4% ±1.92,685LOSES−2
Dart Goblin46.5% ±1.73,187LOSES−3
Goblin Barrel46.7% ±1.82,890LOSES−3
Princess46.7% ±1.92,722LOSES−3
Electro Wizard46.8% ±1.45,069LOSES−2
Goblin Cage46.9% ±2.21,977LOSES−2
Flying Machine46.9% ±2.81,208LOSES−2
Magic Archer46.9% ±3.6729EVEN−2
Giant47.2% ±2.02,508LOSES−1
Suspicious Bush47.2% ±3.6726EVEN−4
Ice Wizard47.4% ±1.63,544LOSES−3
Heal Spirit47.4% ±2.21,954LOSES−5
Skeleton Barrel47.5% ±1.83,010LOSES−3
Wall Breakers47.6% ±2.21,986LOSES−4
Giant Skeleton47.6% ±2.41,600EVEN±0
Goblin Hut47.9% ±1.92,631LOSES−2
Wizard47.9% ±2.22,026EVEN−1
Electro Giant48.0% ±2.12,252EVEN+1
Bomb Tower48.0% ±3.4817EVEN−2
Royal Ghost48.3% ±1.54,078LOSES−3
Zap48.4% ±1.27,242LOSES−4
Fireball48.5% ±1.17,531LOSES−2
Fisherman48.5% ±3.6738EVEN−3
Barbarian Barrel48.6% ±0.910,951LOSES−4
Mini P.E.K.K.A48.7% ±1.54,413EVEN−2
Minions48.7% ±2.02,310EVEN−3
Vines48.7% ±2.41,609EVEN−3
X-Bow48.7% ±3.8661EVEN±0
Royal Recruits48.8% ±2.51,521EVEN+1
Phoenix48.9% ±3.1986EVEN−2
Bowler49.0% ±1.63,728EVEN−1
Furnace49.0% ±1.82,947EVEN−2
Golden Knight49.1% ±2.41,719EVEN−2
Minion Giant49.1% ±2.81,182EVEN−2
Knight49.3% ±1.35,284EVEN−3
Bats49.3% ±2.12,280EVEN−4
Mega Minion49.7% ±2.21,909EVEN−3
Royal Hogs49.8% ±2.02,490EVEN−1
Prince49.8% ±3.01,094EVEN−1
Rage49.9% ±2.12,103EVEN−4
Goblin Demolisher50.0% ±3.9624EVEN−2
Rocket50.1% ±2.61,368EVEN±0
Electro Spirit50.2% ±1.54,123EVEN−5
Barbarians50.2% ±2.91,108EVEN−1
Freeze50.3% ±2.71,360EVEN−2
Baby Dragon50.4% ±1.63,941EVEN−2
Graveyard50.4% ±2.12,098EVEN−1
Giant Snowball50.5% ±2.12,273EVEN−4
Fire Spirit50.8% ±3.4851EVEN−5
Tornado50.9% ±1.35,751EVEN−3
Valkyrie50.9% ±1.73,408EVEN−2
Goblins50.9% ±2.81,199EVEN−4
Lava Hound51.0% ±2.91,114EVEN+1
Tesla51.1% ±1.82,922EVEN−2
Skeleton Army51.2% ±1.73,495EVEN−3
Arrows51.3% ±1.17,748WINS−3
Firecracker51.3% ±2.51,566EVEN−3
Poison51.4% ±1.82,932EVEN−2
Rune Giant51.6% ±6.6217EVEN−2
Ice Spirit51.8% ±1.63,663WINS−5
Elite Barbarians51.8% ±1.92,708EVEN±0
Balloon51.8% ±2.22,060EVEN−1
Three Musketeers51.8% ±3.7701EVEN+3
Tombstone51.9% ±2.41,731EVEN−3
Goblin Drill51.9% ±3.01,028EVEN−2
Mega Knight52.0% ±2.12,192EVEN+1
Miner52.0% ±2.41,652EVEN−3
Bomber52.0% ±2.81,248EVEN−4
The Log52.1% ±1.26,423WINS−4
Ram Rider52.1% ±3.4840EVEN−1
Mighty Miner52.2% ±2.81,246EVEN−2
Spirit Empress52.3% ±3.6734EVEN±0
Goblin Curse52.5% ±3.2927EVEN−4
Lumberjack52.6% ±2.21,967WINS−2
Skeletons52.9% ±1.17,422WINS−5
Hunter52.9% ±2.91,172EVEN−2
Skeleton Dragons52.9% ±2.91,143EVEN−2
Cannon53.0% ±1.63,929WINS−3
Spear Goblins53.0% ±5.8281EVEN−4
Guards53.2% ±2.71,337WINS−3
Little Prince53.7% ±5.1361EVEN−3
Musketeer53.8% ±2.02,280WINS−2
Executioner53.9% ±3.01,085WINS−1
Elixir Collector54.2% ±2.41,707WINS±0
Monk54.2% ±3.4801WINS−1
Mirror54.2% ±5.8275EVEN–
Inferno Dragon54.4% ±2.12,250WINS−2
Ronin54.4% ±2.91,119WINS−1
Golem54.5% ±1.92,761WINS+2
Ice Golem54.5% ±2.41,688WINS−4
Royal Giant54.6% ±3.7679WINS±0
Berserker54.7% ±3.01,056WINS−4
Archer Queen55.0% ±2.51,514WINS−1
Hog Rider55.2% ±1.73,237WINS−2
Skeleton King55.9% ±3.01,079WINS−2
Earthquake56.1% ±2.41,629WINS−3
Boss Bandit56.2% ±4.8413WINS±0
Witch56.5% ±1.82,770WINS−1
Night Witch56.6% ±2.12,242WINS−2
Clone57.7% ±6.4227WINS−3
Royal Delivery58.7% ±2.91,085WINS−3
Electro Dragon58.9% ±2.61,406WINS−1
Battle Healer59.2% ±5.4309WINS−2
Void59.4% ±4.9377WINS−1
Elixir Golem60.8% ±3.01,014WINS−3

Data window

Mode: Ranked 1v1Facts checked: Oct 24, 2026Rank range: top Path of Legends playersSample size: 108,336 battlesTime frame: Sep 1, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026

Counted by GamGem from 108,336 ranked 1v1 battles of top Path of Legends players, 1 Sep – 24 Oct 2026. A sample, ± is the 95 % interval in percentage points — not official Supercell statistics.

Card statistics and mechanics: Clash Royale Wiki, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wiki page “Lightning”, revision of 2026-08-14. Figures reformatted, wording ours.

Card, arena and character art: Supercell Fan Kit (fankit.supercell.com), shown unchanged. Fan Kit · Fan Content Policy

Fan-made; not affiliated with or endorsed by Supercell.