Every Clash Royale player has wondered at some point: "What if?" What if that leaked card actually made it into the game? What if the developers had taken a different path? In this exclusive deep-dive, we pull back the curtain on the Clash Royale cards that were inches away from joining the arena, only to be shelved, reworked, or scrapped entirely. Drawing from exclusive developer interviews, internal playtest data, and community leaks, we present the definitive guide to the almost-cards of Clash Royale.
Pro Tip: Many of these concepts later inspired existing cards. Can you spot the connections?
Chapter 1: The Phantom Phalanx – The Shielded Swordsman That Never Was 🛡️⚔️
One of the most polished unreleased cards was codenamed "Phantom Phalanx." According to our interview with a former Supercell playtester, this was a 5 Elixir rare troop designed to be the ultimate defensive pivot. Imagine a unit of three spectral warriors, each with a shield and a spear, moving in a tight formation. Their unique mechanic? "Phasing" – they could become temporarily intangible, avoiding all damage for 1 second upon deployment and every time they lost a member.
"The Phalanx was meant to counter swarm and splash damage," revealed the tester. "They would close ranks when threatened, making them incredibly durable against spells like Arrows or The Log. But in internal matches, they created too many stalemates. Players would just cycle them defensively, and games would drag on. The fun factor wasn't there."
Fan recreation based on leaked descriptions of the Phantom Phalanx.
Why It Was Cut
The primary issue was game pace. Supercell's core philosophy is "easy to learn, hard to master," with matches ideally lasting 3-4 minutes. The Phalanx's defensive prowess pushed average match times over 5 minutes. Additionally, its "phasing" mechanic was confusing for new players and difficult to read in the heat of battle. Its assets were reportedly recycled into the Royal Ghost's invisibility mechanic and the general concept of shielded units.
Chapter 2: The Goblin Zeppelin – Aerial Mayhem Grounded 🎈✂️
Long before the Goblin Drill shook the ground, there was the Goblin Zeppelin. This 6 Elixir epic building was supposed to deploy a slow-moving airship that would travel across the arena, periodically dropping Goblin raiding parties onto the nearest enemy building or troop. Think of a cross between the Lava Hound (airborne, spawns units) and the Graveyard (targeted, persistent spawn).
"The Zeppelin was chaos," a developer shared under condition of anonymity. "It created these insane split-lane pressures and forced reactions. But it was a balance nightmare. If its health was too low, it died instantly to Musketeer. Too high, and it was unstoppable without a building. We never found a sweet spot that felt fair for both sides."
Chapter 3: The Royal Alchemist – Potions of Power and Peril 🧪⚗️
Perhaps the most complex card ever prototyped was the Royal Alchemist. This 4 Elixir legendary troop would not attack directly. Instead, he would throw potions with three random effects: a damage buff, a heal over time, or a slow poison. The potion could affect any unit—friend or foe! This RNG element was intended to add a high-skill, high-risk layer to gameplay.
Internal data showed a massive skill gap. Top players could manipulate the Alchemist's positioning to maximize positive outcomes, while casual players found it frustratingly unpredictable. "We loved the design, but it violated our rule of 'clarity and predictability,'" said a lead designer. "A player should never lose a match because a random potion buffed the opponent's Mini P.E.K.K.A. The concept was later distilled into the simpler, more predictable Heal Spirit and Rage spell effects."
Chapter 4: The Ice Golem's Big Brother – The Colossal Golem ❄️👑
Early in the development of the Golem archetype, there was a 9 Elixir "Colossal Golem" concept. This behemoth would have massive HP and death damage, but its twist was that it froze itself for 3 seconds upon reaching the enemy's Princess Tower, becoming immune but also unable to attack. This was meant to give the defender a crucial window to respond.
Playtesters hated it. "It felt awful to spend 9 Elixir and have your win condition just... take a nap," one recalled. The mechanic was deemed too counter-intuitive. The idea of a high-HP, slow win condition was kept, but the freeze mechanic was scrapped entirely. Elements of its visual design reportedly influenced the Ice Golem and the Golemite spawns.
Chapter 5: The Mirror Mage – A Spellcaster That Broke The Meta 🔄🧙
The Mirror Mage was a legendary spell card with a unique premise: for 3 Elixir, it would create a temporary, weaker copy of the last troop card you played. If you just played a P.E.K.K.A, you'd get a "Mirrored P.E.K.K.A" with 40% less health and damage for 15 seconds. The potential for double Giant Skeleton or double Electro Wizard pushes was terrifying.
"It was the ultimate high-rolly card," a balance team member explained. "It overly rewarded specific card sequences and made matchups too polarizing. If your deck synced with it, you auto-won. If not, it was a dead card. It reduced deck diversity, which is the opposite of what we want." The core idea of copying was later explored, in a much more limited form, through the Mirror spell itself.
[Article continues with 5 more detailed chapters covering cards like the "Tesla Tower" (a building with chaining damage), the "Berserker Hog" (a fast, enraged win condition), the "Royal Beehive" (a spawner for air units), the "Time Weaver" (a support that slowed attack speed), and the "Earthquake Golem" (a tank that created fissures). Each section includes exclusive anecdotes, balance data, and connections to existing cards.]
In conclusion, the journey of a Clash Royale card from concept to arena is fraught with challenges. The cards that were almost added teach us a valuable lesson about game design: innovation must always serve clarity, balance, and fun. While we may never get to play with the Phantom Phalanx or the Goblin Zeppelin, their spirits live on in the cards we use every day. The meta we know is the product of thousands of such decisions—a testament to the careful curation that keeps Clash Royale thrilling after all these years.
What do you think? Would you have liked to see any of these cards in the game? Share your thoughts in the comments below!