The Clash Royale August 13, 2025 update brings a major meta overhaul with extensive balance changes affecting 20 cards, alongside gameplay fixes and mode adjustments. This update aims to re-balance dominant strategies, buff underused cards, and deepen tactical diversity for both competitive and casual play.
Merge Tactics Balance Changes
Clash Royale Merge Tactics is a turn-based, seasonal game mode where four players compete in fast-paced battles by drafting, deploying, merging, and automatically battling troops from classic Clash Royale cards.
This new strategy mode has returned to the game with the August 13, 2025 update after being temporarily disabled on August 9, 2025. Along with its return, the August 13 update brought significant balance changes to Merge Tactics. Key buffs were made to the Undead and Juggernaut traits:
- Undead: Increased number of cursed troops to make the Undead bonus easier to trigger and more effective, especially against hidden backline troops.
- Juggernaut: Extended shield duration from 8 seconds to 12 seconds, and increased shield amounts by 50% for different shield tiers, encouraging more strategic play involving the Juggernaut trait.
When was Clash Royale Merge Tactics disabled?
Merge Tactics was temporarily disabled on August 9, 2025. The pause was implemented to address technical and performance issues encountered during the Clash Royale League (CRL) 2025 Qualifiers.
Where is Clash Royale Merge Tactics?
Merge Tactics is available within Clash Royale once players reach Arena 3, making it accessible relatively early in the game progression. It appears as a separate game mode option alongside others like Ladder and Clan Wars. The mode runs on a seasonal schedule, with updates that introduce new troops, traits, and balance changes to keep the gameplay dynamic and strategic.
Key Balance Changes Overview
Nerfs focus on reigning in top-tier staples and fast-paced strategies:
- Miner suffers a hit speed slowdown (1.2s to 1.3s) and 10% HP reduction, toning down its chip damage dominance.
- Dagger Duchess has reduced hit speed, while Royal Chef now produces pancakes slightly less frequently.
- Spear Goblins’ first hit delay increases from 0.4s to 0.6s, aiming to weaken bridge spam and bait decks.
- Evolved Skeleton Barrel and Battle Ram also receive nerfs to curb their tank-busting effectiveness.
Buffs target underperforming or situational cards, giving them more viability:
- Spirit Empress gains substantial HP enhancement, promoting her as a durable high-elixir powerhouse.
- Phoenix gets durability buffs, removing its death damage reduction for better sustain.
- Zappies have improved attack speed to encourage synergy in control decks.
- Golem’s Golemites now deal more death damage, supporting golem beatdown strategies.
- Golden Knight and Little Prince receive damage and HP boosts for better impact.
Reworks and Adjustments fine-tune cards to better fit their intended roles:
- Firecracker’s sight range is slightly reduced but with the intent of improving DPS and reducing recoil inconvenience.
- Evolved Giant Snowball slows down, while Minions increase movement speed.
- Rage spells deal more damage.
- Tweaks to Cannoneer, Evolved Witch, Evolved Dart Goblin, Dart Goblin, Archers, Evolved Archers and Goblin Hut improve consistency or balance power without major role changes.
- Executioner receives a damage buff, while its evolved form is toned down somewhat.
Additional Improvements and Fixes
Summary
The August 13 update encourages a slower, more tactical meta by nerfing aggressive bridge spam and chip damage staples, while boosting control-oriented cards and heavy beatdown strategies like Golem. The buffs to Spirit Empress, Phoenix, and Zappies introduce fresh possibilities for deck builders to explore new synergies and counterplay.
Supercell’s update strategy reflects a data-driven, community-inspired approach aiming to diversify gameplay without totally discarding existing playstyles. Players should anticipate experimenting with underused cards brought into the spotlight and recalibrating their decks to adapt to the evolving meta environment.
This mid-August update is still a work in progress and may receive further tweaks before full deployment, but it promises to define the Clash Royale meta for the coming months.