Guards are considered to be one of the best defensive units in Clash Royale and they're one of the most effective counters to glass canons particularly Wizards, Musketeer and Sparky. If you're looking to create a cheap deck then you'd probably want to learn how to effectively use Guards in your matches. Today, we're going to show you the strengths of Guards and how this card can fit in most decks in the current meta.

Clash Royale Defensive Card: Guards Overview

The best thing about the Guards is their attack range that gives them a slight edge over the barbarians during engaging. They can mostly land the first strike due to their high attack speed and slightly increased melee range. Always keep in mind that the Guards are best when used on high-cost single troops rather than swarm troops (e.g. Goblins, Archers, etc.).

Important Notes:
Guards are unlockable starting from Arena 7
Any incoming damage will be mitigated by its shield first.
Its spear lets it have a decent range - slightly longer than that of a Valkyrie

Clash Royale Tips and Strategy: When To Use Guards

The most efficient way to deploy your Guards is when countering glass cannons and/or countering heavy pushes. The essence of using Guards is to make effective Elixir trades coupled with supporting cards in your hand. Unlike the Barbarians, the strength of this card relies on effectively fending off a heavy push and being able to create an unexpected counter-play on the other lane. Here's a couple of examples:

Three Musketeers

Guards are effective in making positive Elixir trades against Three Musketeers. Here's a good scenario: when the Three Musketeers are approaching your tower, simply deploy Guards alongside Ice Spirit. Due to the nature of how Three Musketeers attack, all three of them will only be able to take out the frontal Guard. This is when the Ice Spirit freezes them all and with the remaining two Guards plus your Tower, you'll be able to easily fend off the enemy push making an effective five positive Elixir trade.

Air Troops

Aside from dealing against ground troops, Guards are actually amazing in dealing against Air Troops despite being melee and can only attack ground targets. How? Well, you can make use of their bulky shields as a means to distract and redirect the Air Troops' focus. When a Mega Minion or Baby Dragon is approaching, simply redirect its focus towards your Guards by placing it within its aggro range. The shields of the Guards are effective enough to make them last longer for the Air Troops to be destroyed by your Tower or support troops.

Graveyard

One of the most overused cards in the game is the Graveyard. Now here's an interesting tip: Guards have enough range to deal against the spawned Skeletons without actually getting hit in return. This is the main reason why Guards are highly effective against Graveyard users. If your opponents play Graveyard then save your Guards until he deploys the spell near your Tower and then see how this 3-Elixir card works wonders!