You may have noticed that we recently changed from balance changes every season to balance changes being included in our major game updates.

Here are the balance changes for our Magic Items Update!

The following cards are receiving balance changes this update.

• MOTHER WITCH
  

• BOMBER
  

• KNIGHT
  

• ELITE BARBS
  

• HUNTER
  

• ZAPPIES
  

• THREE MUSKETEERS
  

• WITCH
  

• CANNON CART
  

• HEAL SPIRIT
  

• BALLOON
  

• BOMB TOWER
  

• GIANT SKELETON

Read their changes (and our reasons for them) below!

• Damage: +14%

• Hit Speed: +8%
  

• First Hit: Faster (0.1sec)

The newest Legendary hasn’t felt very Legendary.

We want to make Mother Witch a bit more useful as a ranged attacker and viable in more matchups, so we significantly increased her Damage output letting her bring more DPS and use her unique Curse skill on more Troops.

• Elixir Cost: 3 > 2

• Hitpoints: -31%
  

• Damage: -32%
  

This rework to Bomber reduces its cost, along with Hitpoints and Damage to match. We want to provide more low-cost solutions to Wall Breaker and spell bait decks, as well as effect support behind mid-cost win conditions like Giant and Hog Rider.

Hitpoints: -5%

• Hit Speed: Faster (1.5sec > 1.4sec)

• First Hit: Faster (0.5sec -> 0.4sec)

These two melee cards represent opposite ends of the spectrum – Knight is extremely popular by being very tanky for the cost. Ebarbs on the other hand, are outshined by lower cost options. A little nerf to Knight’s Hitpoints and a buff to the DPS of Elite Barbs should help bring more variety to melee card choices when building a deck.

• First Hit: Slower (0.7sec > 1.1sec)

First Hit: Slower (0.9sec > 1.1sec)

These two ranged attacking cards have been defining the defensive metagame.

Hunter generates a ton of value with a near-instant shotgun blast, making him a consistent source of value. We are slowing down the first hit to make timing and placement of this card more important.

Zappies have been a bit oppressive as a split lane stunner, so we are reverting their buff from a previous balance update.

• Deploy Time: Faster (2sec > 1sec)

• Range: Increased (5 > 5.5)

These two cards have been near the bottom of the usage charts for months. While they both dominated the meta in the past, it feels safe to return some of their lost power now. Three Musketeers fans can finally rejoice (we’re looking at you !¡osama™!¡).

• Speed: Reduced (Fast > Medium)

Cannon Cart has been difficult to balance for a long time – it’s such a strong counterattacker, it can be hard to defend. When paired with backline attackers like Miner, Goblin Barrel, or Graveyard, it puts a ton of pressure on defenders.

We want to provide a larger window for Cannon Cart to be stopped at the bridge without reducing its Range. We have opted to slow it down to Medium Speed, giving defenders more time to block it before it locks onto a Tower.

• Damage +225% (reverting previous Damage nerfs)

• Heal Radius: Reduced (-28%)
  

Heal Spirit’s Season 18 Damage nerf removed too much utility from the card, so we are returning it back to its original Damage amount (which is enough to kill Skeletons again).

By making the Heal effect smaller (and therefore more targeted) with a radius nerf, we are balancing the buff to higher Damage.

CHANGES TO DEATH BOMBS (DEATH DAMAGE)

• Death Damage: -27%

• Death Damage: -50%

• Damage: +28%

• Death Damage: -54%
  

Death Bombs have been a fixture in Clash Royale for a long time. We feel over time they have reduced the skill cap of competitive play by providing a universal defensive solution to a wide range of offensive attacks. Simply plopping a Giant Skeleton or Bomb Tower in the lane can just put an end to a thrilling back-and-forth. It’s not surprising all 3 of these cards are rather popular and hold strong win rates in a variety of different decks.

In the interest of changing the meta and making mid-range attacks more viable, we are doing a chunky nerf to these 3 Death Bombs.

Giant Skeleton, with the most iconic (read: annoying) bomb, gets a Damage buff to 1-hit Princess and Dart Goblin, making him less likely to be distracted.

These changes are LIVE with the release of the Magic Items update!