3 Elixir
Overview
Princess is the longest-range troop in Clash Royale with an incredible 9.5 tile range and splash damage. At 3 elixir, she provides constant chip damage, swarm control, and most importantly, spell bait for Goblin Barrel decks. Her uniqueness comes from shooting across the river - a Princess at the bridge forces responses while staying safe from melee troops. In bait decks, Princess's role is to force Log or Arrows, opening the door for Goblin Barrel to deal massive damage. Left alone, Princess deals 400+ tower damage over her lifetime. She's fragile (216 HP) but her range makes her untouchable against ground troops without spells.
Strategy
When to Play
Deploy Princess at the bridge for immediate tower chip and spell bait. This is the primary placement in bait decks - force opponent to Log her or take 140+ damage per shot. If they Log, immediately Goblin Barrel. If they ignore, you get free chip and swarm clear. Against swarm decks (Skeleton Army, Minion Horde), Princess behind your tower clears waves before they reach your defenses.
In double elixir, stack multiple Princesses by playing one in each lane. Two Princesses force responses on both sides of the arena, making it impossible to defend without negative trades. Use Princess to apply pressure when opponent drops expensive cards at the back.
Placement
Master these Princess placements for maximum value:
- Bridge placement: Princess at river shoots tower immediately. Forces spell response or takes 400+ damage.
- Behind King Tower: Princess in the back shoots everything in front. Safe from spells that would hit your Princess Tower.
- Opposite lane: Princess opposite your main push splits opponent's attention. They can't Log both lanes.
- Same-lane support: Princess behind your Knight/Valkyrie push adds DPS that opponents can't easily reach.
Against spell bait opponents, place Princess at the bridge to trade Princess-for-Log. This leaves your Goblin Barrel free to deal damage.
Synergies
Princess is essential in classic bait alongside Goblin Barrel, Goblin Gang, and Skeleton Army. Every card forces spells - opponent can't counter everything. When Princess dies to Log, Goblin Barrel gets damage. When Barrel dies to Log, Princess chips freely.
Pair Princess with Knight pushing opposite lane for dual-threat pressure. Use Princess to clear swarm defenses for your Hog Rider or Battle Ram. In triple elixir, stack 2-3 Princesses for unavoidable splash damage that melts pushes and towers alike.
Matchups
Strong Against
Swarm decks - Princess splash clears Skeleton Army, Goblin Gang, and Minion Horde efficiently. Essential anti-swarm.
Elixir Collector decks - Princess at bridge constantly chips tower while they try to generate elixir. Pressure prevents their strategy.
Graveyard - Princess behind tower clears Skeletons before they deal significant damage. Great value.
Single small spell decks - If opponent only has Log, baiting it with Princess leaves Goblin Barrel free to deal damage.
Countered By
The Log - Kills Princess for equal trade while pushing back support troops. The classic counter.
Arrows - Kills Princess from anywhere on the map for equal trade. Can't outposition Arrows.
Barbarian Barrel - Kills Princess for equal trade and leaves a Barbarian for counterpush.
Miner - Miner kills Princess before she gets significant value. Difficult to protect.
Fireball - Kills Princess while hitting tower. Positive trade for opponent if they needed Fireball anyway.
Tips
Bridge chip pressure: Princess at bridge deals 140+ damage per shot to tower. Left alone for 3 shots, that's 420 free damage.
Spell baiting: Play Princess first to force Log, then immediately Goblin Barrel for guaranteed 400+ tower damage.
Opposite lane splits: Princess one lane, Knight/Gang the other. Opponent can't Log both threats.
Swarm clearing: Against Skeleton Army or Minion Horde, Princess behind your tower clears them before they reach your push.
Princess stacking: In double elixir, play Princess both lanes. Two Princesses dealing chip is impossible to efficiently counter.
Graveyard defense: Princess behind tower shoots Skeletons as they spawn. One Princess significantly reduces Graveyard damage.
Common Mistakes
Predictable bridge placement: Always playing Princess at the same bridge spot makes Log timing easy. Vary left/right and distance.
Ignoring splash value: Using Princess only for chip when opponent has Minion Horde or Skeleton Army wastes her splash potential.
Not tracking Log: Playing Princess when opponent has Log in hand is guaranteed -0 trade at best. Wait for them to use it.
Forward placement against Miner: Putting Princess at bridge against Miner decks lets Miner kill her easily. Play behind King Tower.
Stacking same lane: Playing multiple Princesses same lane lets one spell kill all of them. Split for resilience.
Defending with Princess: Using Princess to defend big pushes wastes elixir - she dies instantly to most troops. She's for chip and swarm clear.