Rocket

Rocket
Elixir Cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Spell
Arena	Barbarian Bowl
Release Date	4 January 2016

“Deals high damage to a small area. Looks really awesome doing it. Reduced damage to Crown Towers.”

The Rocket is unlocked from the Barbarian Bowl (Arena 3). It is an area damage spell with a small radius and very high damage. A Rocket card costs 6 Elixir to cast. It is a damage dealing spell that launches a large missile from the King's Tower.

Strategy

• The Rocket is most effectively used offensively, to take down Crown Towers with low hitpoints. Therefore, it is a great endgame card, allowing the user to finish off their opponent's Crown Tower before the timer runs out.
• As a general rule of thumb, if there are or will be units around the Rocket's intended target, aim to hit them all at once. It isn't worth it if the primary target isn't hit, so don't switch targets from the intended one unless a more important target is deployed.
• It can also take out medium health troops such as the Musketeer, Wizard or the Witch.
  • Because of this, it is not a bad idea to cast the Rocket upon a deadly troop or supporting units behind a Giant or other tank.
  • It can completely counter Elite Barbarians; however, due to their fast move speed making it extremely difficult to aim, this is impractical unless the Elite Barbarians are distracted by another unit.
• It is not recommended to use the Rocket against swarms of low hitpoint troops. Cheaper alternatives such as Arrows will save on Elixir in that case, as well as have a significantly larger radius. However, Rocket can be used in dire situations to take out a Minion Horde or Skeleton Army.
• Use the Rocket to weaken or destroy buildings, such as the Barbarian Hut, to hinder the opponent and also make way for a push. Rocketing the Barbarian Hut also yields an elixir profit.
  • If not timed properly the Barbarian Hut will still spawn 2 out of 5 waves of Barbarians, but, if timed just right, it will only produce 1 wave of Barbarians. Launch the Rocket when the first Barbarian has traveled 15 tiles. If they plant their hut in the back, launch the Rocket when the first Barbarian crossed the bridge. If it is not placed in the back, keep in mind that the Barbarian Hut takes 14 seconds to spawn. Keep track of the time and send the Rocket after 9 to 11 seconds, depending on where it is placed. Memorizing these timings is important if you are consistently facing spawner decks.
  • However, the player can aim the Rocket so that it lands on the very edge of the hut, damaging both it and possibly any Barbarians spawned within its radius.
  • A Rocket can deny up to 8 Elixir from an Elixir Collector up to 2 levels higher than it. Since players usually place their Elixir Collectors in the back of Crown Towers, you can destroy the Elixir Collector while also dealing heavy damage to a Tower.
  • The Rocket is a great counter to X-Bow. It will heavily damage it, if not destroy it by itself, which it will if the Rocket is 4 levels higher.
  • Even though the Rocket is one of the best ways to destroy buildings, in most cases it is a negative Elixir trade. Therefore, it is important to know when it is a good time to fire a rocket.
• The Rocket is difficult to aim and target at moving or flying units, as the spell has a considerable cast time and small damage radius.
  • Aim the Rocket considerably in front of your target or at the shadow in order to hit it properly.
  • It is not a wise idea to fire the Rocket at fast troops unless you can aim properly.
  • Because of this, Rocket pairs very nicely with Tornado. The Tornado will drag most if not all of the desired targets into the Rocket's range. Make sure that the Rocket is launched before the Tornado, and that the Tornado's center overlaps with the Rocket's radius. Remember that certain units resist Tornado more than others, so this tactic may not always work.
  • The player can also use the Lightning as an alternative, as it has a bigger range and can hit up to 3 targets, along with doing instant damage. The trade off is that Lightning does considerably less damage and has a specific prioritization.
• If the opponent uses a Rocket, depending on what they hit, it may be a good idea to send an attack down either lane as long as it is not too expensive, due to the fact that they will have to replenish up from four Elixir unless they have Elixir Collectors down.
• If your opponent places a Sparky, a Rocket at least 6 levels higher can destroy or cripple it for a neutral Elixir trade. If they placed their Sparky in the back, the Rocket can also can deal a lot of damage to their Crown Tower at the same time.
• This can be used as an alternative to the powerful Fireball and Zap combo, as that combo can only defeat 7 cards of equivalent level that a lone Fireball cannot (Ice Wizard, Witch, Barbarians, Musketeer, Wizard, Three Musketeers and Mega Minion), while the Rocket can kill 11 other cards of equivalent level (Goblin Hut, Sparky, Dark Prince, Baby Dragon, Mini P.E.K.K.A., Furnace, Elixir Collector, Miner, Tesla, Lumberjack and Cannon), as well as the cards that are taken out by the Fireball and Zap combo. Additionally, it uses 1 less deck slot.
• A Rocket is a good counter to the Cannon Cart because without its shield, it can not move or survive for more than 20 seconds. It is more effective when you hit a Tower along with the Cannon Cart, too.

History

• The Rocket was added with Clash Royale's soft launch on 4/1/16.
• On 19/2/16, a Balance Update decreased the Rocket's Crown Tower damage by 20%.
• On 12/12/17, a Balance Update decreased the Rocket’s Crown Tower damage from 40% to 35% of the full damage.

Trivia

• It is tied for the most expensive spell with the Lightning, not including the Mirror which doesn't have a defined Elixir cost.
• The Rocket has a picture of a skull on its chassis.
• Its hull looks similar to the barrel of the Goblin Barrel and Balloon.
• It is the only area damage spell with the radius of 2 tiles, which is also the smallest area of effect in the game.
• A maximum level Rocket does the most damage in a single hit of any card in the game.
• It is the spell that does the most direct damage.

Statistics

Cost	Radius	Target	Type	Rarity
6	2	Air & Ground	Spell	Rare

Level	Area Damage	Crown Tower Damage
1	700	246
2	770	270
3	847	297
4	931	326
5	1,022	358
6	1,120	392
7	1,232	432
8	1,351	473
9	1,484	520
10	1,631	571
11	1,792	628