Merge Tactics (Clash Royale): Season 11 lasts three months, Diamond bumps up to 4,000 Starsteel — and bosses come back in October, not September

Supercell released on Friday, August 28, 2026, the patch notes for Season 11 of Merge Tactics, the auto-battler built into Clash Royale. It kicks off on Tuesday, September 1st and runs all the way to December 1st: three months in one stretch, with no monthly reset. Season 10, by comparison, ran for 50 days, from July 13th to September 1st.

Starsteel Road: Diamond now requires 4,000

Diamond League no longer opens at 3,000 Starsteel but at 4,000, a third more. Three tiers have been added to bridge the gap: Silver IV, Gold IV and Gold V.

The trade-off is generous: where a season used to hand out cards for 2 Rulers, this one gives out 4 — Royale King, Elixir Loong, Battle Machine and Dagger Duchess. The exclusive "Elixir Loong" Emote, meanwhile, sits right at the gates of Diamond League, so at 4,000 Starsteel.

The change in pace is right there: Starsteel earned in early September still counts in late November, but no reset will wipe away a bad month. A quiet September drags along all the way to December 1st.

Supers: four troops drawn at random, never bought

Supers are 5-elixir versions of ordinary troops, equipped with 2 distinct abilities that unlock once their conditions are met. Four of them are randomly assigned to each player at the start of combat: you don't choose them, you don't buy them. They can, however, be sold for elixir, making them a backup source of cash when the draw doesn't fit the plan.

Around them, the overhaul is broad: 3 new troops, 1 brand-new Trait, 10 troops removed and 17 reworked. Supercell doesn't say which ones are being removed: you'll have to open the client on September 1st to find out.

September: the Rider supers and their Trait

The opening month belongs to Rider, the brand-new Trait. Its four supers get their boost at 4 stars: that's the tier that decides whether they're worth their 5 elixirs.

The Rider Trait doesn't buff Rider units directly: it alters the battlefield. Every tile a Rider touches becomes "awakened" and boosts the attack speed and movement speed of the troops standing on it. The charge's path therefore matters just as much as the target: sending the Dark Prince through your ranged troops is worth more than launching him at an empty flank.

October: the bosses return — the French article says September

As of August 29, 2026, the French version of the post presents the 17 reworked troops "including boss troops that will be returning in September." That's wrong: the correct date is October. The English, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese versions all say October — the English one reads "including Boss troops who will be making their return in October." Five languages against one.

The French text even contradicts itself twice: its own October section is the one for super bosses, and its equipment list specifies that the Boss Mask will only enter Quest Orbs "starting from October, with the return of the Boss Trait." The count adds up correctly: the 12 troops in the "Reworked Troops" section, plus the 4 Boss supers and the Prince, do indeed make 17. Supercell may quietly fix its page; in the meantime, don't build any boss compositions for September.

The four October super bosses move to stage 2 as soon as their HP drops below 50%.

The Boss Trait, also reworked, grants bonus HP and then, below that same 50% threshold, moves the troop to stage 2 and frightens nearby enemies for 3s. Another clue about the French proofreading: that version titles the post's last section "Règles retravaillées" - reworked rules - where the English reads Ruler Rework, a Ruler overhaul, not a rules one.

Echo Sage: one charge per round, a re-toughened quest

Once per round, the Echo charges, eliminates its target and nearby enemies, then disappears for the rest of the round. It gains a level after 2, 4, then 8 knockouts, and its Ruler Quest follows the same milestones: defeat 2/4/8 units in one match.

This is a clear toughening. On July 2, Supercell had brought these targets down from 2/6/18 to 1/3/7, explaining that the Echo Sage's quests were harder to complete than other Rulers'. The first milestone doubles back up. On the other hand, since the counters are now aligned, every level-up simultaneously validates a quest milestone, and therefore an orb.

November remains a blank page

The post says nothing about the third month and points to an announcement "in late October": out of a 91-day season, a third of the calendar is still unwritten. What remains is the material side — five new pieces of equipment, Quest Orbs and league-by-league modifiers — which we cover in a separate guide.