By Jason Olmez · Last updated:
This isn’t a guide. It’s the story of how I, the person behind ElixirDeck, built a bond with this game. I’m no tournament champion and not a “pro” player — just someone who has loved a game that kept me company through different chapters of my life.
I discovered Clash Royale in my first years at university. Back then there were no evolutions, no heroes, none of the many features we take for granted today — just an eight-card deck and short, sharp battles.
I took the bus to and from class. The moment I got on, my eyes searched for an empty seat; as soon as I sat down, I pulled out my phone and opened the game. A battle lasting just a few minutes was a perfect fit for those rides. In the middle of the crowd, the traffic and the rush to make it to class, I had a little arena of my own.
I played like that for a while. Then, as with most things, life got in the way and I stopped. For a long time I didn’t even think about it.
When I started working, I found myself in endless meetings and speaker panels. Some of them were so boring that one day those bus rides came back to me. Like wanting to see an old friend again, I opened the app store and downloaded the game once more.
The game had changed: new cards, evolutions, heroes… But in the very first battle I found the same feeling. As if I had never left.
The real surprise came later: a coworker had been playing the game too, without me knowing. The day we found out, my workdays changed. The boredom gave way to little rivalries and a lot of laughter.
Our favorite thing was picking random cards and playing each other with the most absurd decks we could come up with. Winning came second; trying to turn a battle around with a ridiculous deck — or completely falling apart and laughing at each other — gave the game a whole new flavor. Playing with a friend is far more fun than playing alone.
Let me be honest: I don’t claim to be a great player. I barely made it to 13,000 trophies; behind every trophy there are plenty of losses, a few “never again” moments, and yet another “one last game.”
But it was never about the rank. I really enjoy this game, and to me that’s the trophy that matters most.
I got another friend into the game. Some time later I looked at their profile and couldn’t believe my eyes: more than 2,000 wins in less than two months. This game really hooks you; once you say “one more battle,” that one battle never stays just one.
So what keeps bringing me back, even years later? I think it’s this: Clash Royale sometimes asks you to think like in chess, and sometimes to react instantly like in a reflex game.
On one side there’s building a strategy from the back: when to spend your elixir, which card your opponent just used, which moment to wait for before attacking. On the other there are split-second decisions: dropping the right card on the right tile, casting a spell at exactly the right time. Having both at once makes every battle feel like a small game of chess — on a bus seat or in the middle of a meeting.
ElixirDeck grew a little out of that same joy: so that everyone can find decks they can enjoy with the cards they have, at their own level. If you’ve built up a story with this game too, write to us — I’d love to read it.