Guards

"Three ruthless bone brothers with shields. Knock off their shields and all that's left are three ruthless bone brothers."

Summary

 * The Guards are unlocked from the Royal Arena (Arena 7).
 * It spawns three single target, melee Skeletons with low hitpoints.
 * They seem to have an underbite, similar to the Giant Skeleton.
 * The Guards are slightly larger than regular skeletons, roughly the size of a Bomber.

Strategy

 * The Guards can counter high damage, single target troops, as their shield allows them to survive an extra hit.
 * The Guards' shields prevent them from being killed in one hit by spell cards.
 * The Guards can be used effectively to counter a alone Sparky. With their shield, they can withstand a blow from the Sparky and destroy it before it shoots a second time.
 * The Guards can be countered with Area Damage troops or buildings. The Fire Spirits and Bomber are most effective, but the Wizard or the Bomb Tower are also good (but expensive) options.
 * Fire Spirits may only take out the Guards' shields and may not kill them entirely. This does render them without a shield, however, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.
 * It can be noted that when the Guard(s) lose their shield, they get knock-backed by a little bit.

Trivia

 * The Guards were added to the game on 3/5/16 with the May Update.
 * On 18/5/16, a Balance Update increased The Guard's hitpoints and damage by 8%.
 * The Guards is one of the 9 cards associated with Skeletons.
 * The Guards and Dark Prince are the only 2 cards to have a shield along with their own health.
 * Similarly, both have an Epic rarity, and both are unlocked at Arena 7.
 * The Guards are the cheapest Epic troop, tied with Rage for the cheapest Epic card in the game.
 * No matter how much damage is inflicted on to the shield, the guard inside will remain intact, like the Dark Prince. This means that even a Rocket can not destroy a Guard when it still has its shield.

Wächter