Elite Barbarians

“Spawns a pair of leveled up Barbarians. They're like regular Barbarians, only harder, better, faster and stronger.”

Summary

The Elite Barbarians are unlocked from the Royal Arena (Arena 7).
It spawns two single-target, melee, stronger, faster Barbarians with high hitpoints and very high damage.
An Elite Barbarians card costs 6 Elixir to deploy.

Strategy

Compared to the regular Barbarians, they have higher stats and much more capabilities. However, they only come in 1 pair, while the Barbarians comes in 2 pairs. In total, they do less damage than regular Barbarians and are less effective for defending due to their lower numbers. However, they are capable of withstanding area damage cards regular Barbarians cannot (Fireball, Zap, Ice and Fire Spirits).They also have to be acquired in Royal Arena, which means that the Barbarians are much easier to obtain. They cost 1 more Elixir than the Barbarians.
Due to their fast move speed the Elite Barbarians can be paired with other very fast units like the Hog Rider.
Pairing the Elite Barbarians with the Lumberjack is a good idea since the Lumberjack's fast hit speed will help the Elite Barbarians take care of small swarms, and when the Lumberjack dies, his Rage effect will make the Elite Barbarians far more dangerous. However, this combo is vulnerable to swarm cards and air troops, so bring a good spell.
Casting Rage on Elite Barbarians can be a deadly combo because the Elite Barbarians will hit faster and run faster which can demolish a tower in seconds, though it can result in a large loss if it is countered.
Since they spawn in pairs they are useful for split pushing, with one Elite Barbarian down each lane.
One can use the Elite Barbarians' fast speed to your advantage by having them push a slow unit, such as the Valkyrie or Ice Golem.
If the opponent is low on Elixir or the player knows that the opponent's counter for the Elite Barbarians is out of rotation, the player can rush a lane with Elite Barbarians. Their very fast move speed allows them to reach the Crown Tower very quickly and gives little time for the opponent to react. However, it is advised to have a damaging spell ready since swarms will make short work of the Elite Barbarians.
Although Elite Barbarians have very high damage per second their health is only mediocre, so almost all swarms can counter it for a positive Elixir trade. An Ice Golem with any other high damage support card (e.g. Minions) can also easily take down the Elite Barbarians.
You can use a Rocket to completely destroy Elite Barbarians for an even Elixir trade. However, due to their very fast movement, coupled with the time it takes for the Rocket to hit, it can be difficult and risky to use it successfully. Alternatively, you can use Lightning to get rid of the Elite Barbarians and 1 supporting card.
A Dark Prince can completely shut down Elite Barbarians when paired with the Ice Spirit for a positive Elixir trade; when the Elite Barbarians are deployed, one should immediately put Dark Prince behind the Crown Tower. After he deals the charge damage, the player must immediately drop an Ice Spirit behind the Elite Barbarians to freeze them and allow the Dark Prince to kill them all. Keep in mind that the opponent may have Zap or The Log to reset the charge or an inexpensive card to distract the Ice Spirit.

History

The Elite Barbarians card was added to the game on 25/11/16.
On 15/12/16, a Balance Update increased the Elite Barbarians' hitpoints by 19%, damage by 14% and hit speed to 1.4 sec (from 1.5 sec).
On 23/1/17, a Balance Update decreased the Elite Barbarians' hitpoints by 4%, damage by 4% and hit speed to 1.5 sec (from 1.4 sec).
On 19/4/17, a Balance Update decreased the Elite Barbarians' hitpoints by 4%, and delay their initial attacks by 0.1 seconds.

Trivia

The Elite Barbarians resemble level 6 Barbarians in Clash of Clans.
It is tied with the Royal Giant as the most expensive common card. Coincidentally, both are found at Royal Arena.
It is one of the two cards that come in pairs, the other being the Archers.
The sound they make when they attack is like that of regular Barbarians but with a deeper pitch.
The helmet that the Elite Barbarians wear may be a reference to the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Iron Helmet, which is one of the most iconic helmets in the game.
Its description is a reference to Daft Punk's song, "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".
It's one of the 4 cards associated with Barbarians, the others being Barbarians, Battle Ram, and Barbarian Hut.