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By GamGem ResearchLast updated 24 Oct 2026

Balance:Skeleton King was last changed on Oct 24, 2025 (October Balance Changes!, nerf).

Card overview

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

Skeleton King Clash Royale card

4 elixirChampionTroopMeleeGround onlyChampion ability
Skeleton King is a 4-elixir champion troop, a Champion with an ability. In ranked battles of top Path of Legends players (Sep 1, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026) it was in 3.1% of deck-sides and won 51.5% ±1.2 of its 6,804 uses. It ranks #7 of 123 battle cards by win rate and #94 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 Skeleton King, and what it beats(win rate)

  • Barbarian Barrel — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
    Barbarian Barrel
    47%wins
    53% losses±2.1 · n 2,138
  • Arrows — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
    Arrows
    54%wins
    46% losses±2.5 · n 1,539
  • Fireball — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
    Fireball
    53%wins
    47% losses±2.5 · n 1,531
  • Zap — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)
    Zap
    54%wins
    46% losses±2.5 · n 1,467
All 116 counted matchups for Skeleton King

How much Skeleton King is played

Usage rate 3%
Win rate 52%

±1.2 pp · n 6,804 uses

Crown rate Sample27%
Avg elixir cost3.8
Decks counted39

Skeleton King's latest balance change

nerf
  • -13%Ability Radius4 → 3.5 tiles
Official notes · Oct 24, 2025 · October Balance Changes!
All balance changes

Cards that work with Skeleton King

Top decks using Skeleton King39 counted

All decks

Key interactions

Skeleton King — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Prince — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Beats decks with Prince: Skeleton King decks won 68.1% ±6.0 of 229 games. +1 elixir trade.
Skeleton King — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Electro Giant — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)Loses to decks with Electro Giant: Skeleton King decks won 34.6% ±4.3 of 459 games. +3 elixir trade.

Evidence

Battles6,804
Win rate51.5% ±1.2
Δ WR vs last patch+0.6%Sample
ConfidenceHigh

Optimal and learnable picks

Optimal pick
Skeleton King
51.5% win rate ±1.2
Learnable option
Dark Prince
50.9% win rate ±0.7

Skeleton King level stats

DamageDPSSkeleton DamageSkeleton Damage per secondHit speedSpeed
11standard2,29820412781731.60 smedium
122,52822414089801.60 smedium
143,059272170108981.60 smedium
153,3652991861191081.60 smedium
163,7013292051301181.60 smedium

Ground only · Melee · medium speed · hits every 1.6 s · deploys in 1 s · radius 1.3. Level 11 is the tournament standard.

Card statistics and mechanics: Clash Royale Wiki, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wiki page “Skeleton King”, revision of 2026-07-16. Figures reformatted, wording ours.

Upgrade impact(11 → 16)

Hitpoints↑ 61%
Damage↑ 61%
DPS↑ 61%
Overall impact
Balance history (all patches)
  • Oct 24, 2025 · nerf: Ability Radius 4 → 3.5 tiles
Does it hold in other forms?
  • Base card: Always available. Counted: 51.5% ±1.2 over 6,804 uses.
  • Evolution: Not flagged in the official card list.
  • Hero: Not flagged in the official card list.
  • Champion: Soul Summoning: Spends collected souls to summon skeletons around himself. Costs 2 elixir. Cooldown 20 s.
Same job, other cards
  • Mini P.E.K.K.A · 4 elixir · troop · Ground · same cost
  • Valkyrie · 4 elixir · troop · Ground · same cost
  • Dark Prince · 4 elixir · troop · Ground · same cost
  • Night Witch · 4 elixir · troop · Ground · same cost
Quick answers
How much elixir does Skeleton King cost?
Skeleton King costs 4 elixir (official card list).
What rarity is Skeleton King?
Skeleton King is champion (official card list).
Does Skeleton King have an Evolution?
No Evolution is flagged in the official card list.
Does Skeleton King have a Hero form?
No Hero form is flagged in the official card list.
What level range does Skeleton King have?
Levels 11 to 16 on the unified scale (community wiki).
What are Skeleton King's stats at level 11?
2,298 hitpoints and 204 damage (community wiki).
What are Skeleton King's stats at level 16?
3,701 hitpoints and 329 damage (community wiki).
What is Skeleton King's win rate?
51.5% ±1.2 over 6,804 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 Skeleton King?
By our counts, decks with Electro Giant (34.6% for Skeleton King over 459 games), Bowler (39.5% for Skeleton King over 737 games), Tornado (39.8% for Skeleton King over 1,148 games) do best against it.
Which deck does best with Skeleton King?
Golem, Skeleton Army, Night Witch, Bats, Zappies, Skeleton King, Arrows, Lightning won 69.5% over 59 counted uses.
Was Skeleton King changed in a balance update?
Yes, last on Oct 24, 2025 (October Balance Changes!): nerf, Ability Radius 4 → 3.5 tiles.
Is Skeleton King a good card right now?
It ranks #7 of 123 battle cards by win rate and #94 by use rate in our counts. Counted from 6,804 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

Skeleton King 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)FireballZap — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)ZapSkeletons — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)SkeletonsThe Log — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)The LogTornado — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)TornadoLightning — Clash Royale card art (Supercell Fan Kit)LightningWin rate47%54%53%54%53%54%40%44%Elixir trade−2−1±0−2−3−2−1+2DifficultyHardMediumMediumMediumMediumMediumHardHard
■ Great■ Good■ Even■ Poor■ Bad

How to counter Skeleton King: every counted matchup(116 cards)

Electro Giant does best against Skeleton King: its decks win 65.4% of 459 decided games. Of 112 cards with at least 100 decided games, 9 beat it, 72 play even and 31 lose to it.

Cards that beat Skeleton King

Their decks’ win rate against Skeleton King decks

Cards Skeleton King beats

Skeleton King decks’ win rate against theirs

Skeleton King against every card, by Skeleton King win rate, lowest first
CardSkeleton King winsGamesResultElixir trade
Electro Giant34.6% ±4.3459LOSES+3
Bowler39.5% ±3.5737LOSES+1
Tornado39.8% ±2.81,148LOSES−1
Baby Dragon42.0% ±3.4819LOSES±0
Balloon43.8% ±4.8404LOSES+1
Lightning44.1% ±3.01,079LOSES+2
Ice Wizard44.2% ±3.7681LOSES−1
Executioner44.2% ±6.7208EVEN+1
Freeze45.3% ±6.0265EVEN±0
Goblin Hut45.5% ±4.2543LOSES±0
Firecracker45.6% ±5.8281EVEN−1
Goblin Curse45.7% ±7.1188EVEN−2
Mighty Miner46.1% ±6.6217EVEN±0
Electro Dragon46.3% ±5.8281EVEN+1
Barbarian Barrel46.6% ±2.12,138LOSES−2
Lumberjack46.6% ±4.8406EVEN±0
Wizard46.6% ±4.9393EVEN+1
Valkyrie46.7% ±3.7706EVEN±0
Mother Witch46.7% ±4.4488EVEN±0
Goblins47.0% ±6.1251EVEN−2
Minion Giant47.2% ±6.1250EVEN±0
Bomb Tower47.5% ±7.6160EVEN±0
Earthquake47.7% ±5.8285EVEN−1
Witch47.8% ±4.1557EVEN+1
Guards48.0% ±5.8279EVEN−1
Fire Spirit48.2% ±7.5166EVEN−3
Hog Rider48.5% ±4.0606EVEN±0
Electro Spirit48.8% ±3.6754EVEN−3
P.E.K.K.A48.8% ±4.4502EVEN+3
Giant Skeleton48.8% ±5.7293EVEN+2
Giant48.9% ±4.4489EVEN+1
Cannon Cart49.0% ±4.5465EVEN+1
Mortar49.1% ±4.7440EVEN±0
Giant Snowball49.2% ±4.6455EVEN−2
Tombstone49.6% ±5.2357EVEN−1
Barbarians49.6% ±6.3242EVEN+1
Graveyard49.7% ±4.9396EVEN+1
Mega Minion50.0% ±4.8414EVEN−1
Ronin50.2% ±6.4231EVEN+1
Berserker50.3% ±7.1185EVEN−2
Fisherman50.3% ±8.1143EVEN−1
Electro Wizard50.5% ±3.11,012EVEN±0
Furnace50.5% ±4.0596EVEN±0
Cannon50.6% ±3.6745EVEN−1
Rascals50.6% ±4.6443EVEN+1
Inferno Dragon50.8% ±4.6455EVEN±0
Sparky50.8% ±5.4329EVEN+2
Elixir Golem51.0% ±6.8204EVEN−1
Poison51.1% ±4.3523EVEN±0
Goblinstein51.2% ±6.1250EVEN+1
Dark Prince51.4% ±4.2533EVEN±0
Skeleton Dragons51.4% ±6.1253EVEN±0
Ram Rider51.5% ±6.9196EVEN+1
Vines51.8% ±5.3338EVEN−1
Miner51.9% ±5.4322EVEN−1
Battle Ram52.1% ±3.9626EVEN±0
Goblin Cage52.3% ±4.8409EVEN±0
Little Prince52.5% ±10.780EVEN−1
Skeletons52.6% ±2.61,413EVEN−3
Night Witch52.6% ±4.6456EVEN±0
Minion Horde52.6% ±5.6302EVEN+1
Fireball52.7% ±2.51,531WINS±0
Knight52.7% ±3.11,015EVEN−1
Ice Golem52.7% ±5.4330EVEN−2
Mini P.E.K.K.A52.8% ±3.3867EVEN±0
Royal Ghost52.8% ±3.4832EVEN−1
Lava Hound52.8% ±5.9269EVEN+3
Royal Giant52.8% ±8.6127EVEN+2
Void52.9% ±10.485EVEN+1
Golem53.1% ±4.1573EVEN+4
Musketeer53.4% ±4.7425EVEN±0
Zappies53.6% ±4.6455EVEN±0
Skeleton Barrel53.7% ±3.9627EVEN−1
The Log53.9% ±2.71,285WINS−2
Bats53.9% ±4.6445EVEN−2
Tesla54.0% ±4.2539EVEN±0
Phoenix54.0% ±6.6213EVEN±0
Zap54.1% ±2.51,467WINS−2
Arrows54.2% ±2.51,539WINS−1
Archers54.2% ±5.6299EVEN−1
Goblin Demolisher54.3% ±8.5129EVEN±0
Minions54.5% ±4.6448EVEN−1
Magic Archer55.0% ±7.9149EVEN±0
Golden Knight55.3% ±4.8400WINS±0
Rocket55.8% ±5.6294WINS+2
Bandit55.9% ±3.9628WINS−1
Rage55.9% ±4.7431WINS−2
X-Bow55.9% ±8.2136EVEN+2
Skeleton Army56.3% ±3.7675WINS−1
Princess56.3% ±4.1572WINS−1
Goblin Drill56.3% ±6.9192EVEN±0
Goblin Gang56.5% ±3.9627WINS−1
Suspicious Bush56.6% ±8.0143EVEN−2
Hunter56.7% ±6.4224WINS±0
Ice Spirit57.2% ±3.6736WINS−3
Dart Goblin57.4% ±3.6713WINS−1
Heal Spirit57.5% ±4.8407WINS−3
Royal Hogs58.3% ±4.5456WINS+1
Bomber58.3% ±6.0254WINS−2
Boss Bandit58.3% ±10.384EVEN+2
Elixir Collector58.4% ±5.0363WINS+2
Goblin Barrel58.5% ±3.9609WINS−1
Goblin Giant58.6% ±9.0111EVEN+2
Monk59.6% ±7.7151WINS+1
Wall Breakers59.8% ±4.6433WINS−2
Royal Delivery59.9% ±7.1177WINS−1
Mega Knight60.3% ±4.7418WINS+3
Elite Barbarians60.9% ±4.0573WINS+2
Inferno Tower61.0% ±5.7277WINS+1
Flying Machine62.3% ±6.0244WINS±0
Rune Giant62.3% ±11.169WINS±0
Royal Recruits64.3% ±5.3308WINS+3
Three Musketeers66.2% ±7.6145WINS+5
Spirit Empress66.7% ±7.9132WINS+2
Archer Queen67.5% ±5.5274WINS+1
Prince68.1% ±6.0229WINS+1

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 “Skeleton King”, revision of 2026-07-16. 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.