Clash Royale’s Merge Tactics Gets a Major February 2026 Update With New Badges and a Returning Ruler

Merge Tactics is heading skyward in February 2026 with a new seasonal update for Clash Royale. The upcoming season brings back a fan-favorite Ruler, introduces a fresh competitive badge system, and refreshes several core modifiers to shake up gameplay.

Although February’s update does not add new troops or traits, the adjustments to progression and modifiers offer meaningful changes for both competitive and casual players. Below is a full breakdown of what to expect from the February Merge Tactics season.

Clash Royale Merge Tactics – February 2026 Update Overview

New Competitive Badge System

A brand-new Badge System debuts this season, giving top players a new way to showcase their achievements. Players who finish the season within the top 1,000 will earn a special badge that displays their final leaderboard rank.

Once unlocked, the badge remains permanently in the player’s collection and will only update if a higher placement is achieved in future seasons. This allows players to highlight their best competitive results over time.

Returning Ruler: Spirit Empress and New Cosmetics

The Spirit Empress returns as February’s featured Ruler after being absent last season. Back on Starsteel Road, she once again brings her signature ability, Fusion Foresight, which rewards aggressive merge strategies by granting +1 bonus Elixir for every merge.

Players who missed her original release will have another opportunity to unlock Spirit Empress by collecting her Ruler Cards and progressing through her upgrade track. This progression also unlocks cosmetic rewards at no cost.

For players who already have Spirit Empress fully upgraded, the February season adds new cosmetic rewards tied to her milestone progression. These include:

• Ivy Empress
• Auric Empress
• Starry Strike
• Inferno Empress
• Wushi Empress (Skin)
• Flaming Fury (Confetti)

The Wushi Empress skin, which features Spirit Empress riding the Spirit Dragon, is also available through the Merge Tactics Ruler Skins Shop.

February 2026 Season Modifiers

Three new modifiers are being introduced this season, each designed to reward smart merging decisions, troop investment, and star-level planning:

• Star Advantage (Bronze III): Higher-Star troops deal increased damage to and receive less damage from lower-Star troops.
• Domination (Silver I): 3-Star and 4-Star troops gain bonus HP and damage.
• Merge Bonus (Gold III): Every merge grants a 1-Star base troop of the merged unit.

Adjustments to Existing Modifiers

Several existing modifiers have also been rebalanced for February:

• Building modifiers now grant a 3-Star building in Round 5, replacing the previous 2-Star building reward at the start of Round 3.
• Tile modifiers now spawn two tiles at the start of battle, doubling their early-game impact and opening up more strategic positioning options from Round 1.