Rocket

Rocket
Elixir Cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Spell
Arena	Builder's Workshop
Release Date	4 January 2016

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

The Rocket card is unlocked from the Builder's Workshop (Arena 6). It is an area damage spell with a small radius that inflicts very high damage on impact. A Rocket card costs 6 Elixir to cast. This spell takes the form of a large missile launched 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. The spell should be aimed at the bottom corner of the Crown Tower closest to the player's own King's Tower  to minimize the travel time of the Rocket.
• 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 take out medium health troops such as the Musketeer, Wizard or the Witch. However, since this is a negative Elixir trade, it is better to wait and see if the medium health unit is placed close to a Crown Tower or used with another unit, which would allow the Rocket user to get more value. Otherwise, using regular units along with the Princess Tower's damage is more efficient.
• It can completely counter Elite Barbarians. However, due to their fast move speed making it difficult to aim, this is a somewhat risky play.
• It is not recommended to use the Rocket against swarms of low hitpoint troops. Using Arrows will save on Elixir, as well as having a significantly larger radius. However, the Rocket can be used only if necessary 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 crosses 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 the player is consistently facing spawner decks.
  • The player can aim the Rocket so that it lands on the very edge of the hut, damaging both the hut and nearby Barbarians. Hitting both the hut and barbarians requires precise timing, as the explosion radius is fairly small.
  • A Rocket can deny all Elixir from being generated by an Elixir Collector up to 2 levels higher than it. Since players usually place their Elixir Collectors in the back of Crown Towers, the user can destroy the Elixir Collector while also dealing heavy damage to a Tower.
  • The Rocket is a good counter to X-Bow. It will heavily damage it, or destroy it if it is a higher level than the X-Bow, and also fully eliminate many of its common support troops. However, it will still take around 15% of the player's Princess Tower health, so using a cheap unit to distract it for a bit longer is recommended.
  • 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 fast troops, as the spell has a considerable cast time and small damage radius, but can be overcome by an experienced player.
  • Aim the Rocket considerably in front of the target or at the shadow in order to hit them properly.
  • Because of this, Rocket pairs very nicely with Tornado. The Tornado will drag most if not all desired targets into the Rocket's blast radius, allowing for the annihilating of large groups of medium sized troops while also heavily damaging larger ones. Make sure that the Rocket is launched before the Tornado, and the Tornado's center overlaps with the Rocket's radius. Remember that certain units resist a Tornado more than others, including charging units such as Prince and heavy units such as Giant, so this tactic may not always work.
  • The player can also use the Lightning as an alternative, as it has a larger range and can hit up to three targets, along with doing instant damage. The tradeoff is that Lightning does considerably less damage, can only hit a maximum of three targets, already has a wide radius, and targets based on hitpoints.
• 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 the opponent places a Sparky, a Rocket the same level can destroy it for a neutral Elixir trade. If they placed their Sparky in the back, the Rocket can also deal decent damage to their Crown Tower.
• This can be used as an alternative to the powerful Fireball and Zap combo, as that combo can only defeat a minimum of seven cards of equivalent level that a lone Fireball cannot (Ice Wizard, Hunter, Witch, Night Witch, Musketeer, Wizard, Three Musketeers, Electro Wizard and Mega Minion), while the Rocket can defeat at least twenty other cards of equivalent level (e.g. Executioner, Fisherman, Skeleton Barrel, Sparky, Baby Dragon, Electro Dragon, Mini P.E.K.K.A., Furnace, Royal Ghost, Ice Golem, Elixir Collector, Miner, Mortar, Elite Barbarians, Bomb Tower, Tesla, Lumberjack, Inferno Dragon, and Cannon), as well as the cards that are taken out by the Fireball and Zap combo. Additionally, it uses one less deck slot.
• A Rocket is a decent counter to the Cannon Cart. Without its shield, the Cannon Cart cannot move and will decay within thirty seconds, which is beneficial as long as the player does not need to push into its lane any time soon. This becomes an even more effective trade if other units like a Princess Tower can be caught in the Rocket's blast.

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.
• The 20/6/18 Update moved the Arena to unlock the Rocket from Barbarian Bowl (Arena 3) to Builder's Workshop (Arena 6).
• On 4/8/20, a Balance Update decreased the Rocket’s Crown Tower damage from 35% to 30% 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 a radius of 2 tiles, which is also the smallest area of effect for a damage spell in the game.
• A maximum level Rocket does the most damage in a single hit of any card in the game, meaning it is the spell that does the most direct damage.
• The Rocket's Star Level 3 skin has a Goblin riding on top of it.

Statistics

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

Level	Area Damage	Crown Tower Damage
3	700	210
4	770	231
5	847	255
6	931	280
7	1,022	307
8	1,120	336
9	1,232	370
10	1,351	406
11	1,484	446
12	1,631	490
13	1,792	538