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The way we approach card balance in Clash Royale is a combination of playtesting, listening to the community and looking at the stats. You can expect monthly balance updates to keep gameplay fine tuned and as fun as possible.
In this balance update we're taking a look at Freeze, Three Musketeers, Cannon Cart and more!
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- Musketeer: Damage +3%
The basic Musketeer Troop is supposed to be a strong single target ranged attacker, strong against medium sized bodies. In practice, she is often set aside for other ranged attackers with more utility. We are improving what she is meant to be good at (shooting stuff), and she is now able to destroy Baby Dragon, Prince, Inferno Dragon (and more) in one fewer shot.
- Three Musketeers: Elixir Cost increased 9 -> 10
Three Musketeers has been a balancing problem for a while – they have dominated multiple metagames and resisted every balance change. We have tried to indirectly nerf them by buffing counters or nerfing support cards in the deck. Despite this, the deck persists at extremely high win rates.
The time has come to try a more direct nerf, paired with a buff to the basic Musketeer. Ideally the increased cost is offset partially by the increased power level, and the card finds itself in a balanced place for 2019.
- Freeze: Damage -6%, Freeze Duration Reduced 5.0sec -> 4.0sec
Freeze has been a top tier Spell for two months. It’s on the high end of acceptable win rates, but after seeing how it impacts the metagame we have decided it is not a card we want to be that powerful or that popular. Freeze is antithetical to our desire of having counterplay and Troop-based combat as the main drivers in a game of Clash Royale, so we are taking it down a power level.
- Cannon Cart: Hit Speed faster 1.3 -> 1.2
Revisiting past balance changes, Cannon Cart was nerfed due to high win rates in a variety of decks. A small nerf dropped it to near the bottom of use rate charts, indicating the card was not overpowered but merely a victim of being good in that metagame. We want Cannon Cart to exist as a viable counter to cards like Mortar, X-Bow, and Bowler so we are reverting the nerf from a few months back.
- Knight: Hitpoints +2.5%
The main draw of Knight is his high health pool. However, Knight can only take two hits from the popular P.E.K.K.A. We hope that increasing Knight’s pool to need 3 P.E.K.K.A hits will make Knight a compelling defensive alternative to Rascals, Ice Golem, and Valkyrie.
- Dart Goblin: Hit Speed slower 0.65sec -> 0.7sec
Dart Goblin it meant to be high-risk, high-reward, but the fast attack speed creates a lot of damage in the short time that he is alive. Slowing down the attack speed reduces the overall damage output while opponents can respond.
- Clone: New Clone placement (Clone now placed behind Cloned Troop)
The animation of shifting left for Clone created some odd moments, sometimes the Clone would get ahead of the original Troop. Now the Clone Spell will always put the Cloned Troop behind the original, protecting it for better, more consistent attack strategies.
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The changes to Clone are already live!
Let us know what you think about these changes below!
See you in the Arena,
The Clash Royale Team
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