This game is good, even if you play for free - Heres what you should know:

In the game, you can use eight troops at a time in a deck, all of which need to be levelled up - and levelling up troops does take time and may upset new players who want to instantly reach the legendary arena. However, the further you progress in arenas, the easier it is to upgrade them. Just taking your time to experiment with new troops while you upgrade them is part of the fun.

One aspect that may also confuse newer players is why they were able to progress all the way through arena 8 rather quickly but then got "stuck". This is because until you reach 2000 trophies, the amount the loser loses is less than the amount the winner wins. After 2000 trophies, these numbers are equal, so the game becomes more competitive and players of a very wide skill range exist here. If this concerns you, dont worry! Theres one more thing you should know.

The trophies dont matter unless youre hardcore!! What matters in this game are the chests you win that give you cards, gold, and gems! If you dont get chests, you wont unlock new cards or progress through the game. It is much better to lose trophies in a bad lose streak then earn chests climbing back up than it is to be afraid to play while sitting at an all time trophy high. If youre getting chests, regardless of the losses it takes you, youre getting better.

As a free-to-play player for a year who only plays a few times a week, Ive gotten almost all of the cards and have reached 2700 trophies (pretty high). Just ignore the losses and enjoy the game!

rebkovich about Clash Royale, v1.8.1