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SEASON 8 BALANCE CHANGES!
This Season we take a look at the infamous Zappies - a card that has been the center of balance discussion since it faded out of the meta.
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ZAPPIES
- Damage: +20%
- Hit Speed: 1.6s -> 2.0s (25% slower)
- Faster ‘First Attack’ on target: 1.4sec -> 1sec
- Staggered Deploy Time: 0.15sec (like Goblin Gang, Minion Horde)
WHY?
Zappies is a tough design to balance – while they are fragile and low damage, they had the ability to stunlock enemies unless they could be dealt with. We want you to be able to play your cards, so having other cards that shut down interaction is a no-no. When Zappies were competitively viable before, the meta became overly defensive and difficult to break through.
HOW?
Ultimately, the stun-locking is the biggest problem with Zappies so it made the most sense to reduce its effectiveness. By reducing the hit speed (and increasing the damage), Zappies remain about the same DPS-wise, but won’t lock out enemies permanently. In exchange, Zappies get a faster first attack, enabling them to block charging Princes and other fast-moving targets before they close the gap.
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BARBARIAN HUT
- Building Lifetime: Reduced 60sec -> 50s
- Spawn Time: Reduced 13.5s -> 12.5s
- Now spawns 2 Barbarians when destroyed
WHY?
Since Barbarians were reworked months ago, each individual Barbarian is weaker than before. This led Barbarian Hut to be much lower value for the cost, so we sought ways to make Barbarian Hut worth the big investment, without making it an overly powerful defensive building.
HOW?
Despite the reduced lifetime, Barbarian Hut will spawn the same number of total Barbarians (10). The last wave will come when the building dies, making the Hut a bit more spell-resistant and consistent against Giants and Golems. The slightly faster spawns will allow waves to build up more, making Barb Hut better at creating offensive meat shields to tie up enemy towers.
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ROYAL HOGS
- Damage: +6%
WHY?
Royal Hogs haven’t found their place in the meta. On ladder, they struggle against Wizards and Valkyries. In challenges, they bump into Mega Knights and Bomb Tower. Overall, they didn’t usually provide a good reward for the cost/risk.
HOW?
A simple damage increase is appropriate here – we want to raise the ‘reward’ half of the risk/reward trade to make Royal Hogs a bit more threatening in the face of so many effective defenses.
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WITCH
Faster ‘First Attack’ on target: 1.0sec -> 0.7sec
WHY?
A few months back, we nerfed several very powerful cards. Among them were Witch, where we reduced her first-hit and spawning speed. In combination, this was a bit too much. Witch struggles to get off attacks with a long charge-up time, often getting stuck on Skeleton Army or other fragile troops.
HOW?
We are increasing her first hit time, allowing Witch to provide the ranged support she is meant to provide.
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Other Changes:
Adding Firecracker to Clan War Collections, Draft Modes, Mega Deck Touchdown, Mini Collection, etc
Clan War Collection Day Battles
1v1
Balloon Festival
Classic Decks
Double Elixir Draft
2v2
Balloon Festival
Double Elixir
Classic Decks
- Royal Hogs
- P.E.K.K.A.
- Lava Loon
- Log Bait
- Royal Giant
- Giant Prince
These changes go live on February 4th!
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Let us know what you think of the changes below.
The Clash Royale Team
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