Clash Royale: Merge Tactics Season 11 Balance Changes

Supercell has posted a new Merge Tactics balance update for Season 11, dated October 27th, and it touches four Rulers, four troops, two Traits and one piece of equipment. If you play Clash Royale and its Merge Tactics mode, these tweaks decide which builds stay strong this season.

We will go over every change in the October 27th update, from the Ruler adjustments to the Superstar Ring rework, and then recap the two earlier balance updates listed in the same notes.

Merge Tactics Season 11 Highlights

• Grand Warden: the Star Shield drop chances are rebalanced and its break radius changes.
• Super Dark Prince and Super Mega Knight: both get toned down.
• Archer Queen: her Hit Speed is reduced.
• Boss Trait: the troop HP boost and the fear radius are reduced.
• Superstar Ring: the randomness is gone and it triggers once per round at Combat Start.

October 27th Ruler Changes

Grand Warden

Supercell says the Star Shield is a bit too powerful, especially with its high drop chance. The team is rebalancing the drop chances of all shields and adjusting the break radius, so you can try different positionings.

Tomb Queen

Tombstone is not reliable early in the game and gives little progress toward Tomb Queen's Quest. The time it takes to summon her Skeletons is being adjusted so she can fulfill her Ruler Quest more easily.

Battle Machine

Battle Machine's late buildings are too tanky, and the X-Bow out-damages every other building several times over. The goal is for Battle Machine's buildings to stay threatening without carrying the game alone.

Dagger Duchess

Winning a round in under 8 seconds is too hard to plan around. Her Ruler Quest is now one second longer, so she can achieve it more often.

October 27th Troop, Trait and Equipment Changes

Troops

• Super Dark Prince: his attacks are too strong, so he is toned down to be more of a team player.
• Super Mega Knight: his knockback and stun are already powerful, so his damage is reduced and his control can take center stage.
• Super Mini P.E.K.K.A: he was leveling up troops and snowballing his team too fast, so the pancakes he can hand out each round are capped.
• Archer Queen: her ability triggers quickly and too often, so her Hit Speed is reduced to keep her supporting from the backline.

Traits

• Boss: the Trait was raising troop HP by too much, which made rounds slow and abilities hard to play against. Its fear effect was also too strong when stacked, so the radius is smaller.
• Undead: it wasn't as rewarding to build around as other Traits, so Supercell is tweaking it to make it a more appealing choice.

Equipment

The Superstar Ring was causing some abilities to trigger too often. Its randomness is removed and it is limited to one trigger per round at Combat Start, which gives it a clear role as a strong opener.

Earlier Balance Updates in the Same Notes

The October 1st update was a massive overhaul meant to give 2- and 3-Elixir troops more chances to shine. Archer, Barbarian, Bomber, Dart Goblin, Firecracker, Knight, Magic Archer, Princess, Royal Ghost and Spear Goblin were buffed. Archer Queen, Boss Bandit, Goblin Machine, Golden Knight, Skeleton King, Super Dark Prince, Super Hog Rider, Super Prince and Super Ram Rider were nerfed.

The September 8th update adjusted several Rulers and Traits:

• Grand Warden: his quest targets were too demanding, so the change should make him more competitive.
• Royale King: his quest paid out too late, so he should now stabilize earlier after losing streaks.
• Spirit Empress: she kept dominating the top leagues, and the change helps other Rulers catch up.
• Clan Trait: the Hit Speed burst on top of healing was overperforming.
• Undead Trait: a full team of six Undead troops was too strong.
• Rider Trait: it paid out too much at low counts, so the tile buff is adjusted to reduce the early power spike.

That September update also changed Archer, Barbarian, Dart Goblin and Valkyrie (hit-count requirements), Baby Dragon (speed buffs), Super Dark Prince and Super Hog Rider.

And that covers all of the changes in the Merge Tactics Season 11 balance update. You can read the official notes on the Supercell website. For more Clash Royale, see our Clash Royale tier list for January 2024 and our guide to Cannoneer's release date and stats.