Clash Royale / Practical guide
Clash Royale Card Types: Evolutions, Heroes and Champions Explained
Clash Royale changed its deck slots, King Level and card progression three times since December 2025. An old guide to Evolutions, Heroes and Champions can describe a game that no longer exists.
ALVIRAN Editorial · Reviewed 2026-10-12
In this guide
Looking for a Clash Royale account?
Compare King Level, trophies and Evolutions on every listing. This guide explains what each card type means before you decide.
1. What each card type is
Clash Royale has five card rarities: Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary and Champion. Evolutions and Heroes are different. They are special forms that a card can gain on top of its normal version. Heroes arrived with the December 2025 update, which went live on 24 November 2025, and are the newest of them.
| Type | How it is unlocked | Deck slot |
|---|---|---|
| Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary | Chests, shop offers, events and Trophy Road. | Any of the eight deck slots. In a special slot it still plays as a normal card. |
| Champion | A rarity of its own, with an activated ability. Obtained through chests, offers and progression. | The Hero slot or the Wild slot. |
| Evolution | Six Evolution Shards for that card. A Wild Shard counts as one shard for any Evolution. | The Evolution slot or the Wild slot. |
| Hero | 200 Hero Coins, and you choose which Hero. Random Hero summons ended on 16 March 2026. Pass Royale and events can also grant Heroes. | The Hero slot or the Wild slot. |
The Evolution rules are in Supercell's Evolution guide, the Wild Shard rule in its magic items guide, and the Hero rules in the December 2025 update and the March 2026 update. Heroes and Champions are not the same thing: a Champion is a rarity, while a Hero is a form of an existing card. They only share a slot.
2. Three special slots decide what fits
On 16 March 2026 Supercell reduced the special slots from four to three. They are three of the deck's eight slots, not extra ones, and Ranked, events and challenges all use the same three.
Evolution slot (Arena 3)
Holds Evolutions only.
Hero slot (Arena 5)
Holds Heroes and Champions.
Wild slot (Arena 10)
Holds an Evolution, a Hero or a Champion. If a card has both its Evolution and its Hero form unlocked, a switch button lets you choose between them here.
The arithmetic follows from that. Evolutions can use the Evolution slot and the Wild slot, so a deck holds at most two. Heroes and Champions can use the Hero slot and the Wild slot, so at most two of those. A deck cannot run two Evolutions and two Heroes at the same time, because that would need four special slots. A card with a special form that sits in an ordinary slot simply plays as a normal card.
Why this matters for a buyer. A very long list of unlocked Evolutions does not add up to a stronger deck. A deck can only use two at a time. What you need is the specific Evolution or Hero your deck is built around, at a card level you can play.
3. “Unlocked” is not the same as “has shards”
Evolution Shards, unassigned Wild Shards and Hero Coins are progress towards a form, not the form itself. That distinction matters in two places. A form that is not unlocked cannot be placed in a slot, and an unlocked form adds five points to Collection Level, while shards and coins add nothing.
Hero Coins are capped at 200. Anything above that cap is paid out as Gems at a one-to-one rate, and the free Pass Royale track gives up to 75 coins per season. A listing that says “lots of Evolution progress” should name the exact Evolutions that are unlocked.
Start with the deck you want to play
Name your Evolution, Hero or Champion first, then compare King Level, Evolutions and Champions on the listings.
4. The numbers on a listing, and what they mean now
Two of the headline numbers changed meaning in 2026. On 26 May 2026 Supercell removed XP and the King's Journey. King Tower Level now depends on your cards, and Collection Level was added. The announcement explains the details.
| Number | What it measures | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| King Tower Level | Supercell's requirements table currently ends at level 16. Level 15 needs 13 cards upgraded to level 14 or higher. Level 16 needs 14 cards at level 15 or higher. | Which cards those are, or whether they belong to a deck you want. |
| Collection Level | The sum of all card levels, plus five for every Evolution or Hero form you have unlocked. Each upgrade adds one. | Whether the cards you play are the ones that are high. |
| Trophies | Progress on Trophy Road, and what opens Ranked. | Card strength, or which cards are high. |
| Evolutions and Champions | How many forms or Champions are owned. | Which ones. Two accounts with six Evolutions can own very different sets. |
The old XP-based “King Level” no longer exists. If a listing still says “King Level 50” or quotes an XP level, it was written for the old system, so ask for a current screenshot. Card levels also rose: the maximum is now 16, so an account called “maxed” before late 2025 may sit at level 15.
5. Which special cards can share one deck
With one Evolution slot, one Hero slot and one Wild slot, only some combinations are possible. The table applies the slot rules from section 2.
| Combination | Possible? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Evolutions + 1 Hero or Champion | Yes | Evolution slot, Wild slot for the second Evolution, Hero slot for the Hero or Champion. |
| 1 Evolution + 2 Heroes or Champions | Yes | Evolution slot, Hero slot, and the Wild slot for a second Hero or Champion. |
| 1 Evolution + 1 Hero + 1 Champion | Yes | One of each form, with the Hero and the Champion taking the Hero slot and the Wild slot. |
| 2 Evolutions + 2 Heroes | No | It would need four special slots, and a deck has three. |
| 3 Champions | No | Only the Hero slot and the Wild slot accept Champions. |
The practical lesson for an account: decide which three special cards your deck needs, and check that the account has those three unlocked. Owning more than three adds options, not strength in a single deck.
6. Why old information misleads
The rules changed three times in six months. Check which version a screenshot or guide describes.
- 24 November 2025 (the December update): Heroes arrive, and the maximum card level rises to 16.
- 16 March 2026: four special slots become three, and Heroes are chosen with Hero Coins instead of being summoned at random.
- 26 May 2026: XP and the King's Journey are removed, King Tower Level is based on cards, and Collection Level is introduced.
Dozens of cards have an Evolution now, and new ones keep arriving with the seasons, so a list written a few months ago is already incomplete.
7. Five questions before you buy
- Which single deck do you want to play? Name its Evolution, its Hero or Champion, and the other cards.
- Are those forms unlocked, or does the account only hold shards and coins?
- What level are the cards in that deck? Compare against the maximum of 16.
- What are the King Tower Level and Collection Level today, from a dated screenshot?
- Does the listing use the current rules, with three special slots and Collection Level?
Browse the Clash Royale account category and compare listings against your deck. The existing Clash Royale account guide explains how to read a profile as a whole.
Frequently asked questions
Can a deck use two Evolutions and two Heroes?
No. There are only three special slots. A deck can hold two Evolutions and one Hero or Champion, or one Evolution and two Heroes or Champions.
Is a Hero the same as a Champion?
No. A Champion is a card rarity. A Hero is a special form of an existing card. They share the Hero slot and the Wild slot.
Do Evolution Shards mean an Evolution is unlocked?
Not necessarily. An Evolution needs six shards for that card, and a Wild Shard counts as one. A partial set or unassigned Wild Shards are progress. The Evolution has to show as unlocked before it can be used or adds to Collection Level.
Does a high Collection Level mean a strong deck?
Not by itself. It adds up all card levels, plus five for each unlocked form. A strong deck needs the right cards at a good level, so check the specific deck.
Is King Level still based on XP?
No. Supercell removed XP and the King's Journey on 26 May 2026. King Tower Level now depends on how many cards you have upgraded to a given level.
Can a Hero and a Champion be in the same deck?
Yes. They share the Hero slot and the Wild slot, so a deck can hold two of them in total, for example one Hero and one Champion.
Ready to compare Clash Royale accounts?
Check the card forms, King Tower Level and Collection Level on each listing against the questions above. For the whole profile, read our Clash Royale account guide.
Sources and editorial scope
Reviewed on 12 October 2026 against Supercell's March 2026 update, collection level announcement, December 2025 update and Evolution guide. The deck arithmetic and the buying checklist are ALVIRAN editorial advice.
Supercell prohibits buying, selling and sharing accounts in its Terms of Service. Collection and access checks do not override those rules.