3 Elixir
Overview
Knight is the highest value mini-tank in Clash Royale. At just 3 elixir, he boasts 1452 HP and 167 damage per hit (tournament standard) - stats that rival 4-elixir troops. Knight's strength is defensive versatility: he tanks Mega Knight jumps, kills glass cannons (Musketeer, Wizard), kites P.E.K.K.A and Prince, and survives to counterpush. In 2.6 Hog Cycle and X-Bow decks, Knight is the primary defensive anchor - stopping pushes for minimal elixir while enabling your win condition. The card punishes opponents who overcommit with expensive troops, generating +1 to +3 elixir advantages that accumulate into victories.
Strategy
When to Play
Deploy Knight reactively to tank damage while your tower or support troops kill threats. Against glass cannons (Musketeer, Wizard, Witch), drop Knight directly on top of them - he kills them while taking minimal damage. Against tanks (Giant, Golem), plant Knight to distract support troops while your DPS focuses the tank.
On offense, use Knight as a cheap tank for Musketeer, Archers, or Hog Rider. His 1452 HP absorbs tower shots while your damage dealers connect. In double elixir, Knight + Hog Rider every 10 seconds creates relentless pressure that exhausts opponent's defensive cards.
Placement
Master center kiting: drop Knight in the middle of your side (4 tiles from King Tower) to pull P.E.K.K.A, Mega Knight, or Prince into both Princess Towers' range. This turns a 3-elixir investment into a complete shutdown with counterpush potential. Against Mega Knight, place Knight 4 tiles from your tower so MK jumps onto him instead of your tower - Knight survives with 500+ HP.
For Hog Rider defense, plant Knight directly in Hog's path at the river - Hog targets Knight instead of your tower, taking 0 hits. Against Balloon, place Knight to tank for your air defense (Musketeer, Tesla) while they kill the Balloon.
Synergies
Knight + Musketeer is the defensive core of 2.6 Hog. Knight tanks while Musketeer shreds threats from range - together they stop almost any push for just 7 elixir. Support counterpushing Knights with Ice Spirit for a freeze that lets Knight get 2-3 extra tower hits.
In X-Bow decks, Knight protects your X-Bow from tanks while the siege weapon deals damage. Against bridge spam, Knight + Archers shuts down Bandit and Battle Ram for massive value. Pair Knight with Skeletons to distract while Knight kills - the combination handles Mini P.E.K.K.A, Prince, and other single-target threats.
Matchups
Strong Against
Musketeer/Wizard/Witch - Knight placed on top kills them while taking ~600 damage. Clean +1 elixir trade with counterpush.
Mega Knight - Knight tanks MK jump and survives with 500+ HP. Combined with tower damage, Knight kills MK for +4 elixir trade.
Prince - Kite with center placement so Prince walks into both towers' range. Knight survives and converts to counterpush.
Bandit - Knight's HP pool tanks Bandit's dash damage. Place in her path to shut her down completely.
Mini P.E.K.K.A - Knight + tower kills Mini P.E.K.K.A for +1 elixir trade. Kite with center placement for best results.
Countered By
Swarms (Skeleton Army, Goblin Gang) - Knight's slow attack speed gets overwhelmed. Need spell support.
Inferno Tower/Dragon - Knight melts against ramping damage. Don't use Knight to tank for pushes against Inferno decks.
Air troops - Knight can't hit Balloon, Minions, or Lava Hound. Need separate air defense.
Valkyrie - Valkyrie's splash and higher HP beats Knight 1v1. Don't commit Knight alone against Valkyrie.
P.E.K.K.A - P.E.K.K.A kills Knight in 2 hits. Only use Knight to kite P.E.K.K.A, never to fight directly.
Tips
Center kiting: Drop Knight in the center (4 tiles from King Tower) to pull charging troops into both towers' range - turns +1 trades into +3.
Same-tile placement: Place Knight directly ON TOP of glass cannons to start hitting immediately - don't give them free shots while Knight walks.
Mega Knight counter: Place 4 tiles from tower so MK jumps onto Knight, not your tower. Knight survives with 500+ HP for counterpush.
Hog distraction: Drop Knight in Hog's path at the river - Hog retargets to Knight and your tower takes zero damage.
Counterpush always: Never let Knight die without value. Even 200 HP Knight behind a push forces 3+ elixir defensive response.
Spell tanking: Use Knight to tank spell damage that would kill glass cannons. Better to lose 200 Knight HP than your Musketeer.
Common Mistakes
Fighting P.E.K.K.A directly: Using Knight to fight P.E.K.K.A head-on loses - kite P.E.K.K.A to the center instead for tower help.
Ignoring air: Committing Knight against Lava Hound or Balloon does nothing - save elixir for actual air counters.
Offensive overcommit: Placing Knight at bridge alone is 3 elixir for ~200 tower damage. Only push Knight when he survives defense.
Poor Mega Knight timing: Dropping Knight too early lets MK jump on your tower. Wait for MK to cross bridge before placing.
No swarm support: Using Knight alone against Skeleton Army - he gets surrounded and dies. Pair with Zap or Log.
Backward kiting: Placing Knight behind where you want enemies to go defeats the purpose - always place AHEAD of charging troops.