Magic Archer

Main article File:MagicArcherCard.png

The Magic Archer is a Legendary card from Clash Royale that is unlocked from the Rascal's Hideout (Arena 13) or from a Legendary Chest. He is an area damage, long-ranged troop with low hitpoints and moderate low damage output. The Magic Archer shoots arrows which go linearly to damage his target and any other units in the arrow's path. A Magic Archer card costs 4 Elixir to deploy.

## Strategy

* The Magic Archer is excellent at countering buildings in the opponent's territory due to his long range while also surviving spells like The Log, Zap and Arrows.
* When he shoots a Princess Tower, his arrow goes through the Tower. This can be used to hit troops behind a Tower, although it is very unlikely the opponent will deploy a troop behind a Tower while the Magic Archer is attacking it.
* Due to his fast hit speed and his arrow's ability to go through other troops, he can defeat swarms such as the Goblin Gang and Skeleton Army. He can also completely destroy a Minion Horde without taking any damage as long as he has the help of a Princess Tower.
* A Fireball or Poison can completely destroy a Magic Archer for a neutral Elixir trade, but hitting other targets with the said spell such as a Princess Tower will make the move even more advantageous.
* He is an effective counter to the Graveyard, as he shoots rapidly and his arrows can hit multiple Skeletons at once. However, his higher vulnerability to Poison compared to a troop like Musketeer means that he will often be defeated during a larger Graveyard push. Players should take advantage of his long range and place him behind their King's Tower to make it harder for the Graveyard user to spell him without accidentally activating the King's Tower.
* The Magic Archer's long projectile range means that if a unit is in front of a Princess Tower, he can be played at the river and damage both of them. If the opponent is distracted with the player's other troops and lacks a unit that can quickly defeat the Magic Archer, he can garner immense chip damage. When defending against a Magic Archer crossing the bridge, the counter unit should be placed off to the side to prevent the Magic Archer dealing unnecessary Tower damage.
* The Magic Archer can be effectively used with the Tornado to cripple or even defeat large groups of enemy troops. The Tornado will group up all the troops, and the Magic Archer will constantly shoot them, dealing quite a bit of damage, all due to his ability to pierce multiple troops with his projectile. If done at the bridge, he can also snipe the Princess Tower for some chip damage. His long range should also be accounted for when placing the Tornado; units can be pulled slightly farther away than if the player was defending with something like an Executioner, which helps prevent the opposing units from attacking him during the Tornado's effect.
* A lone Magic Archer can be countered with an Ice Spirit and the help of a Princess Tower. As the Magic Archer crosses the river, the Ice Spirit should be placed one tile to the opposite side and five tiles up from the King's Tower. The Magic Archer will attempt to chase and shoot it as it moves away, and the arrows will miss due to the Ice Spirit's Very Fast speed. The defender can also activate their King's Tower during the kite by deploying a unit between the Magic Archer and their King's Tower.
* The Fisherman can be used to activate the King’s Tower against the Magic Archer. The defender should place the Fisherman in the middle of their side of the Arena, staggered two tiles diagonally towards the Princess Tower in the lane that the Magic Archer is walking in, as soon as the opponent’s Magic Archer crosses the bridge. The Magic Archer would then be hooked towards the Fisherman and start firing, with his arrows piercing through the Fisherman and activating the King Tower.
* A Magic Archer can pierce almost all the Skeletons from the Skeleton Barrel with a very precise timing, similar to the Princess. Deploy him behind your King's Tower in the same lane when the barrel's shadow is 5 tiles from the Princess Tower. If timed correctly, his arrow will hit the Skeletons as they are clumped up, leaving only one alive at most (which is easily defeated by the Princess Tower).
* In 2v2, one can activate the King's Tower with a troop only if the Magic Archer is staggered towards the center of the arena as it crosses the bridge (caused by being placed or displaced towards the center of the Arena). The counter troop should be placed to the side to your Princess Tower as the Magic Archer crosses the bridge.
* Due to its long range and fast initial hit speed, a Magic Archer at critical health is still able to land a shot on a Tower before the Crown Towers' arrow can reach the Magic Archer. This can deal considerable chip damage over the course of a game, so one should consider using a cheap troop to distract the Magic Archer in these instances.
* A Magic Archer that is 1 level lower takes more hits to kill certain units like the Princess. This can be beneficial for doing more piercing damage to the Princess Tower. However, it is not recommended, as it will result in the Magic Archer having less hitpoints, which makes him easier to defeat after he crosses the bridge.

## History

2018

* The Magic Archer was once available in the Magic Archer Draft Challenge which started on 16/2/2018. In this challenge, gameplay was similar to a regular Draft Challenge, except that one of the players was able to choose who would use the Magic Archer. If the player achieved 12 wins, they obtained the Magic Archer early.
* From 23/2/2018 through 26/2/2018, the Shop had a special offer where Arena 11+ players could buy up to 9 special Fortune Chests for 1,000 Gems that had a 33% chance to contain a Magic Archer with the first and second Chest and guaranteed with the third. If a Magic Archer was obtained in the first or second Chest, then the third one would not guarantee it. The process was repeated with the next three trios of Chests.
* The Magic Archer card was generally released on 2/3/2018.
* On 25/4/2018, the Clan Wars Update, increased the Magic Archer's projectile speed to 1000 (from 800).
* On 20/6/2018, the Summer 2018 Update, fixed a bug where the Magic Archer would extend his range and accidentally activate the King Tower. It also moved the Arena to unlock the Magic Archer from Electro Valley to Hog Mountain.
* On 5/9/2018, the September 2018 Update, changed it so that Template:Rarity cards start at Level 9 and end at Level 13 (from 1 to 5).
* On 5/11/2018, a Balance Update, increased the Magic Archer's first attack time interval to 0.9 seconds (from 0.4 seconds).

2019

* On 7/1/2019, a Balance Update, decreased the Magic Archer's first attack time interval to 0.6 seconds (from 0.9 seconds).
* On 28/1/2019, the January 2019 Update, moved the Arena to unlock the Magic Archer from Hog Mountain to Spell Valley.
* On 15/4/2019, the April 2019 Update, added two extra Star Levels.
* On 5/8/2019, a Balance Update, increased the Magic Archer's damage by 16%, increased his attack time interval to 1.1 seconds (from 1 second), and decreased his first attack time interval to 0.5 seconds (from 0.6 seconds).
* On 26/11/2019, the End of November 2019 Update, added a card render to the Magic Archer's card info screen.

2020

* On 7/4/2020, a Balance Update, decreased the Magic Archer's range to 6 tiles (from 7 tiles).
* On 5/5/2020, a Balance Update, increased the Magic Archer's range to 7 tiles (from 6 tiles), but also decreased his hitpoints by 10%.

2021

* On 7/6/2021, the Summer 2021 Update, moved the Arena to unlock the Magic Archer from Spell Valley to Rascal's Hideout.
* On 27/10/2021, the Champions Update, increased the Level cap of all cards to 14 (from 13).

2023

* On 6/2/2023, the February 2023 Update, changed the Magic Archer's card render.

## Trivia

* The word "*Archer*" comes from the Latin "*arcus"*, meaning bow. The practice of archery was first developed in Africa by the later Middle Stone Age (approx. 70,000 years ago). It is documented as part of warfare and hunting from the classical period until the late medieval period when it was made obsolete by the increased use of firearms.
	+ The bow that Magic Archer uses in battle is a magical recurve bow.
* The Magic Archer is 1 of 19 troops that originate from Clash Royale and reappear in Clash Mini, the others being Knight, Spear Goblins, Mini P.E.K.K.A., Musketeer, Battle Healer, Dart Goblin, Guards, Prince, Giant Skeleton, Mega Knight, Electro Wizard, Miner, Royal Ghost, Ice Wizard, Bandit, Lumberjack, Fisherman, and the Skeleton King.
	+ Along with the Spear Goblins, Battle Healer, Dart Goblin, Electro Wizard, and Fisherman, the Magic Archer has the same Elixir cost in both games.
* The Magic Archer has the smallest area radius out of all troops, with an area radius of 0.25 tiles. This is equivalent to a projectile width of 0.5 tiles.
* The Super Archer troop in Clash of Clans is likely inspired from the Magic Archer, with both being long range troops whose attacks pierce through enemy troops.
* When deployed, the Magic Archer will say "*好的 (Hǎo de)*"*,* and when attacking, often says “*爆炸 (Bàozhà)*” which mean "*Ok*" and *“Explode*“ in Chinese.
	+ The Magic Archer is 1 of 19 cards that speak distinct words when on the field, the others being Mini P.E.K.K.A., Wizard, Hog Rider, P.E.K.K.A., Dark Prince, Bowler, Electro Wizard, Princess, Ice Wizard, Lumberjack, Fisherman, Super Mini P.E.K.K.A., The Log, Party Hut, Golden Knight, Skeleton King, Archer Queen, and the Terry.
* During the global release of Brawl Stars celebration, the Magic Archer was reskinned as Bo in the Heist mode.
* The Magic Archer is the subject of 3 Emotes.
* A cloned Magic Archer does not fall from the sky when deployed.