Quick answer: Clash Royale Clan Wars (the current version is Clan Wars 2) is a weekly clan-vs-clan mode played through the River Race. Every week your clan sails a shared Clan Boat down a river by earning Medals, and the clan that banks the most Medals moves its boat furthest and wins the biggest reward. A war week is split into 3 Training Days (practice, Gold only, the boat can't move) and 4 Battle Days (the real race — Medals count and boats can be attacked). A full Clan War Season lasts 4 or 5 weeks, and the final week has no River Race at all — clans enter the Clan War Colosseum to fight for Clan War League placement. You attack with War Decks you build yourself, and a card used in one War Deck that day can't be reused in another.
If Clan Wars has ever felt like a screen full of boats and tasks you clicked through without understanding, this is the guide that fixes that. Below is exactly how a war week is structured, what Medals do, how the three battle types differ, why Duels are the best use of your day, and what changes in the Colosseum week — all verified against Supercell's official Clan Wars pages as of September 2026 (Season 87, "Minion Academy").
Key takeaways
- The current mode is Clan Wars 2 / the River Race — not the old "Collection Day / War Day" system, which was Clan Wars 1 and is long gone.
- A war week = 3 Training Days + 4 Battle Days. Training Days only pay Gold and your boat can't progress; Battle Days are where Medals are earned and the boat actually moves.
- Medals are the only thing that matters for the race. Every clan member's Medals are pooled; the clan total decides your finishing position and how far your Clan Boat sails that day.
- A Clan War Season lasts 4 or 5 weeks, one River Race per week, and it follows the regular monthly game Season with a clear start and end.
- The final week is the Clan War Colosseum, not a River Race — no Boat Battles, just clan-vs-clan for Clan War League promotion and the best rewards.
- Duels are the most efficient battle you can play: Best-of-3, they hand out more reward than three separate 1v1s, and they burn through your War Decks in one sitting.
What is Clash Royale Clan Wars — and why "Clan Wars 2"?
Clan Wars is Clash Royale's cooperative clan mode, found under the Clan tab. It is always running in the background — no Leader or Co-Leader has to start it — and it pits your clan against four other clans in a shared race down a river.
You will still see people call it "Clan Wars 2." That is because the mode was completely rebuilt. The original Clan Wars (Clan Wars 1) ran on a two-phase "Collection Day → War Day" loop, where you collected cards to build a war deck on one day and fought on another. Supercell replaced that entirely with the River Race format, officially branded Clan Wars 2 at launch. So a quick terminology check before you read any older guide:
- ❌ "Collection Day" and "War Day" → that is Clan Wars 1, retired.
- ✅ "Training Days," "Battle Days," "River Race," "Boat Battles," "Colosseum" → that is Clan Wars 2, what you play today.
Everything below is Clan Wars 2. It is also worth stating plainly, because Supercell publishes two similarly named games: this is Clash Royale, the 1v1 card game — not Clash of Clans. Clan Wars in Clash of Clans is a different mode entirely and none of the mechanics carry over.
How a war week is structured: Training Days vs Battle Days
Each River Race week runs on a fixed 3 + 4 rhythm:
| Phase | Days | Can the boat move? | Battles reward | What you should do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training Days | First 3 days | ❌ No — boats are locked in place and can't be attacked | Gold only (no Medals) | Test your War Decks, farm Gold, don't stress |
| Battle Days | Last 4 days | ✅ Yes — Medals push your boat and rivals can attack your boat | Medals + Gold | Play your attacks; this is the actual race |
The single most common Clan Wars mistake is treating Training Days like Battle Days. During Training Days, nothing you do moves your Clan Boat — those battles only pay Gold, so you can experiment freely without hurting your clan. The race is decided across the four Battle Days, when every battle you play converts into Medals for the clan pool.
Per Supercell's official Clan Wars page: "In the final week of a Clan War Season, there is no River Race, and therefore no Boat Battles. Instead, your Clans enter the Clan War Colosseum." (Source: support.clashroyale.com — About Clan Wars.)
What are Medals, and how does the Clan Boat move?
Medals are the race currency. Playing any Battle Day battle earns Medals, and — this is the key point — every clan member's Medals are added into one clan total. Supercell's own explainer puts it directly: "Each player earns Medals as they fight Battles, and the sum of the Medals accumulated by all Clan members define your position on the leaderboard." (Source: supercell.com — Clan Wars: What Has Changed?)
At the end of each Battle Day, your clan is ranked against the other clans in your race by total Medals. Your finishing rank converts into Movement Points that push your Clan Boat further down the river. Bank the most Medals across the four Battle Days and your boat reaches the finish line first — and that clan takes the biggest reward.
The practical takeaway: Clan Wars is a participation mode, not a carry mode. One strong player can't win it alone, because the boat moves on the sum of everyone's Medals. A clan of 20 people each playing their attacks will out-sail a clan with two great players and 18 who never logged in.
The three battle types: 1v1, Duels, and Boat Battles
On a Battle Day you complete River Tasks using your War Decks. There are three ways to earn Medals:
1. 1v1 Battles (Head-to-Head). A single standard match against a player from a rival clan, using one of your War Decks. Simple, quick, and the fallback if you don't have enough decks for a Duel.
2. Duels — your best-value option. A Duel is a Best-of-3 against one opponent (first to 2 wins takes the Duel), and it requires 3 unique War Decks. Per Supercell: "Duels require players to battle other players in a Best of 3 format… and use 3 unique War Decks. You can play a Duel with a minimum of 3 War Decks, but it is optimal to take 4." A Duel rewards more than three separate 1v1s would, and if you win it in two decks, your third deck stays free for another battle. If you can field the decks, always Duel over 1v1.
3. Boat Battles. A PvE attack: you send your War Decks against the boat defenses rival clan members set up. Each enemy boat is guarded by three defensive towers backed by pre-set four-card decks, and you win by destroying at least one tower. Boat Battles are optional pressure — useful to slow a leading rival — but Duels and 1v1s are the efficient Medal sources for most players.
The War Deck rule that trips people up: a card used in one War Deck can't appear in another of your War Decks for that day. That is why you build four non-overlapping decks — one win condition, one big spell, one small spell, and a tank-killer in each — so you always have a legal deck ready for a Duel.
Building your War Decks (the 4-deck rule)
Because cards can't be shared across your War Decks, deck-building for war is a different puzzle from ladder. Your goal isn't four perfect decks — it's four functional, non-overlapping decks so you never get stuck unable to enter a Duel. A reliable template for each deck:
- A win condition (Hog Rider, Royal Giant, Balloon, Graveyard, X-Bow, etc.) — spread your best win conditions across all four decks, not stacked in one.
- A tank or beatdown core where the archetype needs it.
- One big spell + one small spell for value and chip.
- A dedicated tank-killer (Mini P.E.K.K.A, Inferno Tower/Dragon, Valkyrie) so no deck folds to a giant push.
Then remember the September 2026 balance context so your war decks aren't playing last month's game: since the 8 September 2026 patch, Freeze lasts 3.5s (down from 4s) and Fireball deals less Crown Tower damage, so neither is the free finisher it used to be. And since the 26 August 2026 rework, every Hero and Champion ability is single-use per deployment (the only exception is Boss Bandit) — build around one activation, never a cooldown. (Sources: official Clash Royale September and August 2026 balance-change posts.)
If you want live, community-sourced war-deck sets, deck-stat sites publish current war and Duel line-ups — but the structure above is what keeps you legal and flexible across a whole Battle Day.
The final week: the Clan War Colosseum
Here is the part most players never fully register. A Clan War Season lasts 4 or 5 weeks — each of the first weeks is a normal River Race, but the last week is the Clan War Colosseum. Per Supercell's official page, in that final week "there is no River Race, and therefore no Boat Battles."
You still fight through your War Decks in the Colosseum — you'll need at least 3 decks to battle, so bring your best ones — but instead of racing a boat, your clan is fighting directly for placement in the Clan War Leagues — the ladder of clan leagues where finishing well promotes your clan into a higher league with better Gold rewards and a bigger War Chest for the next Season. This is where a Season's real prizes are decided, so if your clan has been coasting, the Colosseum week is the one to show up for.
Common mistakes that cost your clan the race
- Skipping Battle Days. Training Day battles earn Gold, not Medals. If you only play on Training Days, you contributed zero to the race.
- Hoarding attacks. Unused Battle Day attacks are Medals your clan never banks. Play them all.
- Playing 1v1s when you could Duel. Duels reward more and clear your decks efficiently — default to them.
- Copy-pasting one deck four times. Illegal in war (cards can't repeat across your decks) and it leaves you unable to enter a Duel. Build four different decks.
- Reading a Clan Wars 1 guide. If it says "Collection Day," it's describing a mode that no longer exists.
FAQ
What is the difference between Clan Wars 1 and Clan Wars 2? Clan Wars 1 used a "Collection Day / War Day" loop where you gathered cards to build a war deck, then fought on a separate day. Clan Wars 2 replaced it entirely with the River Race: a weekly clan-vs-clan race where you earn Medals to sail a shared Clan Boat down a river. Everything in Clash Royale today is Clan Wars 2 — "Collection Day" no longer exists.
How do you win a River Race? By earning the most Medals. Every clan member's Medals are pooled, and the clan total each Battle Day decides your rank, which converts to Movement Points that push your Clan Boat. The clan that reaches the finish line first wins the biggest reward. It rewards whole-clan participation, not one strong player.
What is the difference between Training Days and Battle Days? The first 3 days of a war week are Training Days — your boat can't move or be attacked, and battles reward Gold only. The last 4 days are Battle Days — battles reward Medals (which move the boat) plus Gold, and rival boats can be attacked. The race is decided on the four Battle Days.
Are Duels better than 1v1 Battles? Yes, if you can field the decks. A Duel is a Best-of-3 needing 3 unique War Decks (4 is optimal), and it rewards more than three separate 1v1 Battles would. Winning a Duel in two decks even leaves your third deck free for another battle. Default to Duels whenever possible.
What are Boat Battles in Clash Royale? Boat Battles are the PvE layer of the River Race: you attack the boat defenses set up by rival clan members. Each enemy boat has three defensive towers backed by pre-set decks, and you win by destroying at least one tower. They're optional Medal pressure — most players get more value from Duels and 1v1s.
How long does a Clan War Season last? A Clan War Season lasts 4 or 5 weeks, with one River Race per week, following the regular monthly game Season's start and end dates. The final week is not a River Race — it's the Clan War Colosseum.
What is the Clan War Colosseum? The Colosseum is the final week of a Clan War Season. There's no River Race and no Boat Battles; clans fight directly for placement in the Clan War Leagues, which promotes or demotes your clan and sets your Gold rewards and War Chest for the next Season. You still play through your War Decks and need at least 3 decks to battle.
The bottom line
Clan Wars 2 rewards showing up. The mechanics are simpler than the screen makes them look: play all your Battle Day attacks, prefer Duels, build four non-overlapping War Decks, and treat the Colosseum week as the one that decides the Season. Do that as a clan and the boat takes care of itself.
For more Clash Royale strategy, we keep guides on the current meta, balance changes, and progression:
Want to climb faster outside of war? These same decks and mechanics carry over to ladder and Ranked.
- Best Clash Royale decks (September 2026): the post-balance meta
- Clash Royale September 2026 balance changes explained
- How to unlock Ranked in Clash Royale (the real trophy requirement)
- Best free-to-play Clash Royale deck (September 2026)
Facts verified against Supercell's official Clan Wars pages (support.clashroyale.com, supercell.com Clash Royale blog) and the September 2026 game state (Season 87, "Minion Academy"). Last verified 16 September 2026.
