Welcome to Merge Tactics, a new game mode where four players are pitted together in a round-based game of combat and commerce. Buy, sell, merge, fight!
Gameplay
Rounds consist of a Deploy Phase and a Battle Phase.
Deploy Phase: Buy, sell, move, and merge Troops.
Battle Phase: Deployed Troops will begin fighting automatically. You can continue to buy and sell during this phase, but only between the bench and the shop.
Each player gains four Golden Elixir per round to spend on Troops. Tap a card to instantly deploy your Troop, or drag and drop it to choose a precise position in the arena.
The Shop, located at the bottom of the screen, offers a choice of three cards. The card options will only refresh to offer three different cards when a card is purchased. Choose a card which matches a Troop you’ve already deployed to the Arena to merge it into a stronger version, or choose a different card with a matching Trait to activate powerful bonuses!
Troops
All players have access to the same pool of cards, so leave your decks at home! Deploying Troops in Merge Tactics costs Golden Elixir. More powerful Troops cost more Golden Elixir, and the cost doesn’t always match the card’s normal Elixir cost. You can sell Troops that you’ve deployed by dragging them back to the shop, or move them to the bench if you want to make room for another Troop in the Arena without selling it.
You can buy a duplicate Troop to merge it and make it more powerful and gain one additional Golden Elixir. However, a merge can’t be undone! Selling a merged Troop refunds the total cost of the merge, minus one Golden Elixir.
Bench
Troops on the bench do not take part in the Battle Phase. If the Troop limit has been reached, any additional troops purchased will be placed on the bench. Troops purchased during the Battle Phase are stored on the bench, but if it’s a duplicate Troop, it will automatically merge at the start of the next Deploy Phase.
Troops on your opponent’s Bench will show up as shadowy figures — you can see how many Troops are there, but won’t know what Troops they are until they’ve been deployed.
Rulers
Rulers - the faces of Merge Tactics! Rulers take damage when they lose a round, and are defeated when their HP reaches zero.
Each Ruler has a unique passive ability. You can unlock more Rulers - as well as level them up - by earning Ruler Cards on the League Road!
Modifiers
Modifiers apply different battle rules for all four players! A random modifier will be applied at the start of each Merge Tactics game.
You’ll unlock the first modifiers when you reach Bronze II on the League Road. More Modifiers will unlock as you climb to higher leagues! Here's the complete list:
Buildings
Modifier buildings will spawn on the Bench and join the battle only when you deploy them. Unlike Troops, buildings cannot be moved or sold once deployed.
Buildings don’t lose HP over time, only when attacked! Each building acts individually, with unique range, damage, and HP. They also don’t count towards Team Size or Ruler HP deduction.
League Road
Claim victory and earn Starsteel in Merge Tactics games to climb the League Road and earn cards! The top 3 players of the highest league – The Diamond League – are displayed on a leaderboard for all to see!
Four players compete in each match, but only those who finish in 1st and 2nd place will be considered the winners. Rewards for the winners include:
Battle Rewards
1 Crown per round won
Starsteel
Please note! Starsteel rewards vary depending on your final placement at the end of a game, and the Trophy difference between all players in the game. Finishing in 1st place will grant twice as much Starsteel as 2nd place, while finishing in 4th place will result in losing twice as much Starsteel as 3rd place.
Traits
When enough Troops sharing the same Trait are deployed on the battlefield (Troops on the bench do not count), that Trait activates to grant additional Power.
Summon Troops with the same Traits to activate powerful bonuses! Traits can be viewed on a card’s Merge Tactics tab. There are two types of traits:
Origin (Noble, Goblin, Undead, etc.)
Role (Marksman, Warrior, Assassin, etc.)
Every Troop has both an Origin Trait and a Role Trait. Refer to the below for a detailed description of each Trait:
Origin Traits
Clan (Barbarian, Archer, Archer Queen, Valkyrie)
Team gains bonus HP, Clans gain double
2 Troops: +30% Max HP
4 Troops: +50% Max HP
Noble (Knight, Musketeer, Prince, Golden Knight)
Adjacent Nobles take less and gain bonus damage
2 Troops: -10% damage taken, +30% damage
4 Troops: -25% damage taken, +50% damage
Goblin (Goblin Demolisher, Goblin, Dart Goblin, Goblin Machine)
You'll get an extra random Goblin for free next round
2 Troops: Gain a 2 or 3-Elixir Goblin
4 Troops: Gain a 3 or 4-Elixir Goblin
Undead (Skeleton Dragon, Giant Skeleton, Witch, Skeleton King)
Combat Start: Highest HP enemy is cursed and your Undead gain +30% bonus damage when that enemy is defeated
2 Troops: Curses 2 enemies, max HP cut by -25%
4 Troops: Curses 3 enemies, max HP cut by -50%
Ace (Monk, P.E.K.K.A)
Combat Start: Your strongest Ace becomes the Captain
2 Troops: Captain gains +40% bonus damage and +50% HP of damage dealt
Titan (Royal Giant, Giant)
Titans gain special effects
2 Troops: Giant and surrounding troops take less damage. Royal Giant and surrounding troops deal bonus damage
Fire (Wizard, Baby Dragon)
Fires gain special effects
2 Troops: Wizard deals bonus damage per attack, stacking up to 6x. Baby Dragon and surrounding troops gain bonus hit and movement speed
Role Traits
Warrior (Barbarian, Goblin Demolisher, Prince, Skeleton King)
Warriors gain bonus damage and hit speed (8s after battle starts)
2 troops: +30% damage, +30% Hit Speed
4 troops: +60% damage, +60% Hit Speed
Marksman (Archer, Dart Goblin, Musketeer, Royal Giant)
Marksmen gain +1 range and deal bonus damage to targets 4+ tiles away
2 troops: +30% damage
4 troops: +60% damage
Assassin (Goblin, Golden Knight)
Combat Start: Assassins will leap to the enemy's backline Troops
2 Troops: +30% Hit Speed for 3s upon enemy’s defeat
Tank (Knight, Valkyrie, Giant Skeleton, Monk)
Tanks heal rapidly when below 50% HP
2 troops: +40% max HP
4 troops: +80% max HP
Hinder (Wizard, Witch)
Hinders have a 40% chance to slow enemies’ hit and movement speed for 3s with each hit
2 troops: -30% Hit and Movement Speed
Dragon (Skeleton Dragon, Baby Dragon)
Dragons take less damage from and deal bonus damage to melee troops
2 troops: -50% damage taken, +50% damage
Superstar (Archer Queen, Goblin Machine, P.E.K.K.A, Giant)
Combat Start: Superstars’ ability bar is partially filled. 50% chance to recast after casting their ability
2 Troops: 1/2
4 Troops: 2/3