Explore seasons, leaderboards, balance changes, team builds and a practical tutorial for Clash Royale Merge Tactics.

Beginner guide · Updated July 19, 2026

Merge Tactics Tutorial: From First Shop to Final Board

Build a team, combine matching troops and outlast three opponents. This guide separates the rules that define every match from the systems that rotate with each season.

10 min readSeason 10: RoninCore rules verified
Start here

What are you trying to do?

Merge Tactics is a four-player auto-battler. You make the decisions before combat; your troops execute them automatically.

4playersOne shared match
3shop offersA purchase refreshes the shop
5Golden ElixirCurrent base income per round
2 / 4 / 8base copiesFor 2-, 3- and 4-Star
The win condition

Your Ruler carries your hit points. Lose a round and the surviving enemy board damages it; reach zero and you are eliminated. The last Ruler alive takes first place. In Ranked, both first and second are winning placements.

Your real controls

You control the shop, Bench, star levels, Traits, Equipment and formation. Once Battle begins, targeting and attacks are automatic, so a good plan matters more than fast inputs.

The match loop

One round, step by step

Every round follows the same rhythm. Read the shared Modifier first, then build for the fight in front of you.

  1. 01
    Deploy

    Buy, sell, merge and move troops between the Board and Bench. Set Equipment and complete your formation.

  2. 02
    Lock the board

    Check your Trait breakpoints, Ruler Quest and likely opponent. Fragile carries belong behind or offset from the frontline.

  3. 03
    Battle

    Teams fight automatically. Board positions are locked, but shop purchases can still be sent to the Bench when space is available.

  4. 04
    Resolve

    Ruler damage, Crowns and Quest progress are applied. The next Deploy phase begins with income and any earned rewards.

Watch every fight for First targetBlocked melee pathsExposed carryTrait timingEquipment trigger
Spend with a purpose

Shop, Elixir and merging

The shop is a shared resource. Buy strength now, but keep enough flexibility to take the duplicate that matters later.

Knight2 copiesmerge automatically
2-Star Knight2-Star+1 Elixir
4 copies → 3-Star8 copies → 4-Star
Income
Five each round

Golden Elixir carries forward, but there is no normal interest payment for saving it.

Refresh
Buy to cycle

The shop shows three troops and refreshes after a purchase. There is no permanent reroll button.

Resale
Cost minus one

Selling returns the invested value minus one Elixir. A blind buy-and-sell cycle therefore costs one.

Shared pool
Scout before forcing

Copies held by opponents reduce your access. The exact current copy count is not officially settled.

BuyA useful pair appears, a team slot is empty, or the unit improves this round immediately.
SaveYou are one duplicate from a major upgrade or want enough Elixir to pivot after scouting.
SellThe Bench is clogged by a speculative unit with no near merge or current role.
CycleYou have a specific target and the expected upgrade is worth the one-Elixir resale loss.
Turn stats into a board

Build roles first, Traits second

A glowing Trait threshold cannot repair a board with no frontline, no damage or no path to the target.

Enemy side
Knight as frontline
Tank
Valkyrie as frontline
Melee
Archer as ranged carry
Carry
Firecracker as ranged damage
Control
Your backline
Frontline

Stand one or two hexes ahead of carries. Offset tanks so one area attack does not hit everything.

Melee damage

Leave a path to the target. A strong melee unit trapped behind slow allies contributes nothing.

Ranged carry

Spread against area damage and change sides when an assassin or displacement effect threatens the corner.

Support

Stay in range of the units you protect without sharing the same enemy splash zone.

Current module · Season 10

What is true for the Ronin season?

This block is dated because troop pools, Traits, Quest Orbs, Equipment and Modifiers can change without altering the core game loop.

Season windowJuly 13 – September 1, 2026
Current RulerRonin · Double Edge
Visible roster36 troops · 7 Traits
Returning systemElectric Trait
Quest 16 Elixiror Equipment
Quest 212 Elixiror a specified 2-Star troop
Quest 324 Elixiror a specified 3-Star troop
Use now
  • Five base Elixir per round
  • One visible Trait per troop
  • Season 10 Orb rewards: 6 / 12 / 24
  • Electric and Boss can activate from Orb access
Old guides may show
  • Four base Elixir
  • Two Traits on every troop
  • Season 9 Orb rewards: 5 / 10 / 20
  • Older Boss values and Modifier rotations
Your first matches

A practical game plan

Do not memorize one composition. Follow a decision order that survives bad shops, contested units and changing Modifiers.

1
Early game

Read the Modifier and Quest. Fill your available slots, buy a flexible frontline/carry pair and protect Bench space for duplicates.

2
Midgame

Reach one useful Trait breakpoint, then prioritize a 2-Star frontline and damage dealer. Scout before committing to a contested carry.

3
Endgame

Turn saved Elixir and speculative Bench units into immediate power. Move Equipment and formation for the known opponent every round.

Avoid these six losses
  • Ignoring the ModifierIt can rewrite economy, tiles or team size.
  • Forcing the first TraitThe shared pool rewards flexible buying.
  • Cycling without a targetEvery normal buy-and-sell loop costs one Elixir.
  • Overfilling the BenchYou can block duplicates and Orb rewards.
  • Clustering the boardArea damage can erase a stronger team.
  • Saving for interestElixir gives options, not passive income.
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