3 Elixir
Overview
Vines is a 3-elixir Epic spell that entangles the three highest-hitpoint targets in a 2.5-tile radius, stunning them for 2 seconds while dealing damage and grounding air troops. In the February 2026 meta, Vines has surged to a 13.24% usage rate with an 81.8% win rate on Ladder, climbing +3.2% in usage from last week alone. Released in September 2025, this card has weathered two rounds of nerfs and still dominates as a cheaper, higher-damage alternative to Freeze that locks down key threats at a critical moment.
Strategy
When to Play
Vines is a reactive punishment spell. Deploy it when your opponent commits heavy troops to a push — stunning their three biggest units freezes the entire attack while your tower and defenders shred them. On offense, time Vines when your tank reaches the enemy tower and the opponent drops defensive units like P.E.K.K.A, Mega Knight, or Inferno Tower. The 2-second stun window lets your tank land 2-3 free hits, often deciding the game.
Placement
Center your Vines on the densest cluster of high-HP targets. Since it only hits the three highest-hitpoint units, avoid casting it when swarms are mixed in — the spell will lock onto your opponent's tank and ignore the Skeleton Army behind it. On defense, drop Vines slightly in front of your Princess Tower so stunned troops sit in tower range for the full duration. Against air pushes like Lava Hound + Balloon, Vines grounds and stuns both, buying time for your anti-air to connect.
Synergies
Vines excels in Skeleton King Bait (82.3% WR) where the stun protects your Skeleton King's soul buildup. In Golem Beatdown (84.8% WR), Vines on the opponent's defensive cluster lets Golem reach the tower uncontested. Pair Vines with splash damage like Executioner or Baby Dragon — stunned, grouped targets take full splash value. Graveyard players use Vines to freeze defensive troops while Skeletons accumulate unchecked.
Matchups
Strong Against
- Inferno Tower / Inferno Dragon: Stun resets the damage ramp completely, saving your tank from melting
- Sparky: 2-second stun wastes a full Sparky charge cycle, then your troops kill it before it fires
- P.E.K.K.A: Freezing P.E.K.K.A in place while your ranged units chip it down is devastating
- Three Musketeers: Vines locks all three, letting Fireball or splash finish them off
Countered By
- Swarm decks: Skeleton Army, Goblin Gang, and Minion Horde flood the field with low-HP units that Vines ignores in favor of higher-HP targets
- Spell bait: Multiple cheap threats exhaust your Vines, then the real push comes through
- Split-lane pressure: Vines only covers a 2.5-tile radius — split pushes force you to choose one lane
Tips
Target priority awareness: Vines always locks the three highest-HP units. Count your opponent's troops before casting — if they drop Skeletons alongside P.E.K.K.A, Vines still hits P.E.K.K.A and ignores the swarm.
Air grounding combo: Against Balloon, cast Vines to ground it directly into your building's range. A grounded Balloon takes hits from ground-targeting units like Mini P.E.K.K.A that normally can't touch it.
Offensive stun timing: Wait until your tank crosses the bridge and the opponent reacts with defenders. Premature Vines wastes the stun on nothing — patience turns 3 elixir into a tower.
Inferno reset: Vines fully resets Inferno Tower and Inferno Dragon. Time it when the beam reaches medium damage (orange glow) for maximum value.
Double lane threat: In 2x elixir, push one lane with your tank, then Vines the other lane's defenders when your opponent splits attention. The stun on their counter-push buys your tower time.
King Tower activation bait: Experienced opponents try to activate King Tower early against stun decks. Avoid casting Vines near the center where pulls might drag troops to King range.
Common Mistakes
Wasting Vines on swarms: Casting Vines on Skeleton Army or Goblin Gang is 3 elixir down the drain. The spell targets the three highest-HP units — swarm units are too low-HP to be the primary target when bigger threats exist.
Casting too early on offense: Dropping Vines before the opponent places defenders stuns nothing. Wait for their response, then punish with the stun.
Ignoring the 2.5-tile radius: Vines has a smaller radius than Freeze. Placing it between two spread-out groups often misses both. Center it on the tightest cluster.
Forgetting the grounding mechanic: Vines grounds air troops for the stun duration. Failing to place ground-targeting DPS under a grounded Balloon or Lava Hound wastes this unique advantage.
Using Vines defensively every time: At 81.8% win rate, the card's strength is offensive disruption. Saving Vines exclusively for defense means you never exploit its best use case — freezing defenders while your push connects.