Merge Tactics November Update: Why Rider Builds Look Strong Again

The Merge Tactics November changes are already live in Clash Royale, and they shift the mode in two directions at once. A new rotation brings back the Rider trait, adds Super Hog Rider and Super Dark Prince, and restores 5 Elixir per round, while a balance update on the same day cuts the Boss trait and slows down several of the strongest Supers. At gamemarket.gg, we went through both official posts to explain what changed, why it matters and how it affects your climb this month.

Rider Is Back, Boss Supers Step Out

The November rotation started on October 27. Two Boss Supers leave the troop pool to make room for:

• Super Hog Rider
• Super Dark Prince

At the same time, the Rider trait returns to the rotation. Riders were last the featured trait in September, when they could stack huge speed bonuses on awakened tiles. If you need a refresher on how the trait works, our breakdown of Merge Tactics Season 11 Supers and the Rider trait covers its first run.

Supercell has not named the two Boss Supers that left, but the direction is clear. With fewer Boss options in the pool and the trait itself nerfed (more on that below), Boss lineups are set to play a smaller role this month.

5 Elixir per Round Returns

The biggest economy change is a reversal. Elixir per round goes back from 4 to 5.

Supercell explained that the 4-Elixir setup was making the early game too slow. One extra Elixir each round means earlier upgrades, more room to buy the troop you need and fewer rounds spent waiting for a lineup to come together.

This undoes part of last month's economy change. Our October Merge Tactics update explains why the Elixir was cut in the first place.

Bigger Shared Pool for Cheap Troops

The shared pool now holds more copies of low-cost troops:

• 2-Elixir troops: from 4 to 8 copies
• 3-Elixir troops: from 4 to 6 copies

With more copies available, it should be easier to find duplicates and merge early, even when another player is building around the same troop. Combined with the extra Elixir, the early rounds should feel noticeably faster.

Quest Orb Changes

Quest Orbs 1 and 2 were reworked, while Quest 3 stays the same.

Quest 1 Orb now gives 3 Elixir, plus one random Equipment or one random 2-Star, 2-Elixir troop. The Equipment pool for this orb includes Maiden's Shield, Prince's Lance, Fisherman's Hook, Valkyrie's Axe, Lumberjack's Jar, Battle Healer's Blessing, P.E.K.K.A's Sword and Archer Queen's Cape.

Quest 2 Orb now gives 6 Elixir, plus one random Equipment or one random 2-Star, 3-Elixir troop. Its Equipment pool covers 13 items, from Assassin Blade and Juggernaut Armor to the Rider Emblem and Legendary Shield. Legendary Lance was removed from this pool to balance the Equipment options.

Quest 3 Orb is unchanged, still giving +1 Team Size and one 3-Star troop costing 4 or 5 Elixir.

Balance Changes: Boss Trait Nerfed

The balance update that went live alongside the rotation hits Boss lineups hardest.

Boss trait:

• bonus HP reduced from 25/50/100/300% to 15/30/80/200%
• Fear range reduced from 2/3/4/5 hexes to 1 hex
• Fear duration changed from 3 seconds to 0.5/1/2/3 seconds

Undead trait gets a small buff instead, with bonus HP and damage per defeated ally rising from 1/2/4% to 1/3/5%.

Supers and Troops Slowed Down

Several of the strongest troops were toned down:

• Super Mega Knight: damage halved, from 100 to 50
• Super Dark Prince: damage reduced from 100 to 75
• Super Mini P.E.K.K.A: now gets only 1 pancake per round
• Archer Queen: hit speed slowed from 1.43s to 1.67s

Super Dark Prince is an interesting case. He joins the rotation this month, but he does so with less damage than before, so he may not hit as hard as players remember.

Rulers and Equipment

All four Rulers in the update received changes:

• Grand Warden: Star Shield chance down from 10% to 7%, Lava, Rage and Slowdown Shield chances up from 30% to 31%, and shield break radius down from 3 to 2 hexes
• Tomb Queen: Skeleton summon cooldown reduced from 4s to 3s
• Battle Machine: building HP growth per star down from 2% to 1.5%, and X-Bow hit speed slowed from 0.3s to 0.5s
• Dagger Duchess: the Ruler Quest to win a round in under 8 seconds is now 9 seconds

On the Equipment side, Superstar Ring lost its 50% chance to recast up to 4 times. It now triggers once at Combat Start.

New Modifiers by League

Every league gets two modifiers for the November rotation:

• Bronze I: Merge Training, Trait Training
• Bronze II: Trade Training, Equipment Training
• Bronze III: Tile Training, Building Training
• Silver I: Royale River, Ascension
• Silver II: Merge Mini, Elixir Festival
• Silver III: Clear Mind, Damage Tile
• Silver IV: Orb Galore, Four Stars
• Gold I: Battle Royale, Goblin's Treasure
• Gold II: First Free, Jump Tile
• Gold III: Promotion, Invisible Tile
• Gold IV: Coaching, Echo Bench
• Gold V: Wormhole Tile, You're Mine
• Diamond: Trait Gift, Trait Dummy

Bug Fixes

The rotation also fixes several interactions:

• Goblin Cage no longer kidnaps a troop turned into a rabbit by Mage Wand, and assets no longer vanish when two cages pull each other
• Riders released from Goblin Cage no longer take unintended damage
• Dark Prince has a fixed jump duration and no longer attacks defeated enemies or keeps targeting after being pulled by Goblin Cage
• Knight's Taunt no longer disables the Giant Skeleton bomb or the Goblin Demolisher death explosion
• Inferno Tower no longer heals when damaging an Elixir Collector
• You're Mine now correctly grants an Orb when Goblin Cage is defeated

What This Means for Your Climb

The November changes point toward a faster, more flexible early game. Extra Elixir and a deeper shared pool make it easier to merge quickly, while the Boss nerf and the Super Mega Knight cut remove two of the most reliable late-game finishers. Rider lineups, now backed by Super Hog Rider, look like a natural fit for this rotation.

The ladder side of Clash Royale is busy as well. Our King vs. King season guide covers Evo Giant, Evo Mirror and everything else arriving in November. Test the new economy early, try a Rider build and adjust before the rest of your league catches up.

If you want an account with more cards and progress already unlocked, you can explore trusted Clash Royale Accounts, keep your daily progress on track with reliable Clash Royale Hourly Services, or climb faster through dependable Clash Royale Boosting.

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