Based on Merge Tactics: Season 11 Balance Changes by Supercell, published 27 October 2026. Playing Clash Royale? See the Clash Royale page on The Nexus.
Power comes down in Supercell's 27 October balance pass for Merge Tactics. The Boss Trait, Super Mega Knight, Super Dark Prince, Super Mini P.E.K.K.A and the Grand Warden's Star Shield all lose strength, while Tomb Queen, Dagger Duchess and the Undead Trait pick up small gains. The pass covers Rulers, Troops, Traits and one piece of Equipment, and the biggest figures sit on the heaviest Boss boards and the strongest Super troops.
The Boss Trait and Super troops
The Boss Trait takes the largest cut. Bonus HP falls at every count, from 25/50/100/300% to 15/30/80/200%, so the top tier loses the most in absolute terms. Supercell says the old numbers made rounds drag and left the abilities hard to answer. Fear shrinks too: its radius falls from 2/3/4/5 Hexes to 1 Hex, and the duration moves from 3s to 0.5/1/2/3s. Fear survives, though stacking it across a board gets much harder. Boss boards should finish rounds faster, and opponents will push back harder when you try to hold a lane.
Super Mega Knight loses half his damage, dropping from 100 to 50. The notes say his knockback and stun already make him strong, so the cut leaves control as his main job. Super Dark Prince goes from 100 to 75, which Supercell frames as making him a team player instead of the main character. Super Mini P.E.K.K.A drops from multiple pancakes per round to 1. That single change removes the fast snowball of levelled troops, so a round that used to swing hard will climb more slowly.
Ruler changes
Grand Warden's Star Shield chance moves from 10% to 7% (-30%), while the Lava, Rage and Slowdown shield chances rise from 30% to 31% (+3%). Star Shield probably stops being the default pick for shield value, and the other three return a little more. The Shield Break Radius also falls from 3 to 2 Hexes, so breaking a shield means getting closer and Grand Warden placement matters more than before.
Tomb Queen's cooldown per Skeleton Summoning drops from 4s to 3s. Supercell wrote that her early Tombstone gave too little progress toward the Ruler Quest, and the change is meant to get the quest moving sooner. Dagger Duchess gets a longer window for her quest, from 8s to 9s (+13%) on the Win Round in Less Than check. One second is small, but the old target was described as hard to plan around, so the quest should be realistic more often.
Battle Machine takes two cuts. Building HP growth per star falls from 2 to 1.5% (-25%), and X-Bow Hit Speed slows from 0.3s to 0.5s (-67%). The X-Bow is the figure to watch, a large slowdown on the building Supercell says was out-damaging everything else.
Undead, Archer Queen and the Superstar Ring
Archer Queen's Hit Speed moves from 1.43s to 1.67s (+17%). Her ability fires less often, which keeps her in the backline as a support piece, and boards that used her as a front-line threat will notice. The Undead Trait goes the other way: Bonus HP and Damage per Ally Defeated moves from 1/2/4% to 1/3/5%, a change of 0% at the first tier, +50% at the second and +25% at the third. The notes say this makes Undead more appealing to build around, which makes it the clearest gain among the smaller entries.
The Superstar Ring loses its random recast. The ability used to have a 50% chance to recast, up to 4x, and that is removed. The Ring now triggers once at Combat Start, a predictable opener where repeated triggers used to be. If you built around the random extra casts, you need a new reason to hold the Ring, and if you wanted a cleaner start, you now have one. The notes say nothing more about the new value.
Key numbers
| What | Change | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Warden, Star Shield Chance | 10% to 7% (-30%) | Star Shield fires less often and stops being the automatic shield pick. |
| Grand Warden, Lava/Rage/Slowdown Shield Chances | 30% to 31% (+3%) | All three of these shields proc a touch more than before. |
| Grand Warden, Shield Break Radius | 3 to 2 Hexes | A shield break covers less ground, which puts more weight on placement. |
| Tomb Queen, Cooldown per Skeleton Summoning | 4s to 3s (-25%) | Skeletons show up sooner, which should speed up the Ruler Quest. |
| Dagger Duchess, Win Round in Less Than | 8s to 9s (+13%) | The quest target gains one second of room. |
| Battle Machine, Building HP Growth per Star | 2 to 1.5% (-25%) | Buildings put on less HP as stars go up. |
| Battle Machine, X-Bow Hit Speed | 0.3s to 0.5s (-67%) | The X-Bow shoots far more slowly. |
| Super Mega Knight, Damage | 100 to 50 (-50%) | Direct damage is halved, so knockback and stun carry his role. |
| Super Dark Prince, Damage | 100 to 75 (-25%) | He hits softer and works as support. |
| Super Mini P.E.K.K.A, Pancakes per Round | Multiple to 1 | Level-ups per round are capped, so the snowball rolls slower. |
| Archer Queen, Hit Speed | 1.43s to 1.67s (+17%) | Her ability comes around less often. |
| Boss Trait, Bonus HP | 25/50/100/300% to 15/30/80/200% | Every count of the Trait hands troops less HP. |
| Boss Trait, Fear range | 2/3/4/5 Hexes to 1 Hex | Fear reaches a much smaller area. |
| Undead Trait, Bonus HP & Damage per Ally Defeated | 1/2/4% to 1/3/5% | The biggest jumps land at the second and third tiers. |
| Superstar Ring, Ability recast | 50% chance, up to 4x to removed (triggers once at Combat Start) | The Ring turns into one predictable opener per round. |
Winners and losers
Who gains
- Tomb Queen players wait 3s between Skeleton Summonings instead of 4s. Supercell says that should get her Ruler Quest moving earlier, since her Tombstone was doing little there.
- Dagger Duchess players get a Win Round in Less Than target of 9s instead of 8s (+13%). The old time was called too hard to plan around, so the extra second makes the quest more reachable.
- Undead Trait boards climb from 1/2/4% to 1/3/5% Bonus HP and Damage per Ally Defeated, which works out to +50% at the second tier and +25% at the third.
- Grand Warden players on Lava, Rage or Slowdown shields see those chances rise from 30% to 31% (+3%) as Star Shield falls from 10% to 7% (-30%), so the four shields sit closer together.
Who gives ground
- Battle Machine players lose twice: building HP growth per star slides from 2 to 1.5% (-25%) and X-Bow Hit Speed from 0.3s to 0.5s (-67%). Supercell aimed both cuts at the late-game buildings it said were carrying the Ruler.
- Boss Trait boards give up Bonus HP at every tier, from 300% to 200% at the top count for one, while the fear radius shrinks from 2/3/4/5 Hexes to 1 Hex and takes most of the Trait's old area control with it.
- Super Mega Knight and Super Dark Prince pilots keep the control or team role, yet direct damage drops hard: 100 to 50 for the Knight and 100 to 75 for the Prince.
- Archer Queen and Superstar Ring builds trigger less. The Queen's Hit Speed goes from 1.43s to 1.67s (+17%), and the Ring loses its random recast, keeping a single trigger at Combat Start.
Adjusting your boards
Recheck any Boss-heavy board before trusting the old tank values. Bonus HP now runs 15/30/80/200% and the fear radius is 1 Hex, so the frontline may not stall as it did. Battle Machine lineups want a second damage source, since the X-Bow now fires every 0.5s and its buildings grow 1.5% HP per star. Drop any plan that counted on Super Mini P.E.K.K.A handing out many levels in one round, because pancakes per round are capped at 1. Put Tomb Queen or Dagger Duchess forward if their quest is your main goal this season. Treat the Superstar Ring as a Combat Start opener, since it can no longer deliver extra mid-round triggers. Test Undead boards in a few matches before committing upgrades to them, as the notes give no figures on how often a full Undead board comes together.
Gaps in the notes
There are no win rates, pick rates or tier placements, so nothing here says which Rulers or Traits now lead the field. The notes also leave open how much the Star Shield and the other shields change in real matches, and how often the new Shield Break Radius will matter. We expect the Boss and Super troop cuts to matter most, though the notes never say so. Super Mega Knight is still usable: the notes do not tell you to stop using him, and he stays a control tool that will no longer finish fights on damage alone.
