We'll dive into the details about the new Ruler and modifiers that are coming to Merge Tactics in the January 2026 update.
Merge Tactics is an auto-battler game mode in Clash Royale where players must assemble their most powerful squad each round, deploy their troops, merge them to become stronger, and defeat their enemies.
It's an ever-changing experience — more than the regular Trophy Road and Ranked Mode — as the troop selection pool, modifier roster, trait system, and other game mechanics are constantly evolving with each passing Merge Tactics update. It's a real dynamic game mode, and that's why keeping track of the monthly season updates is important.
The upcoming January season will begin on January 5th, 2026. It will last for a month before it ends shortly before the start of the February season.
Next Season on Merge Tactics: Summon The Echo pic.twitter.com/uokvQ8DpHQ
— Clash Royale (@ClashRoyale) December 28, 2025
With all that said, the January season will introduce a new Ruler, various skins, and a few additions to the list of modifiers.
Echo Sage Lands in Merge Tactics With New Skins
Echo Sage is a brand-new Ruler who will dominate the Arena with their powerful passive ability known as 'Striking Clone'. It summons a troop, known as The Echo, that knocks out the nearest enemy, or enemies, after charging. The Echo grows stronger with each battle.
Echo Sage can be unlocked after reaching 650 Starsteel in the League Road for the January 2026 season.
Besides this, a list of Echo Sage skins can be unlocked through a variety of means, including progressing through the Ruler reward track and purchasing them from the Skins Shop. These skins are Might Triad (confetti), Starborn Sage, and Sunlight Sage.
January Season Brings In Novel Modifiers
As always, a new season means that the roster of modifiers will be adjusted. Modifiers are essentially special rules — with one being randomly applied to the start of each game — that can have a massive effect on a Merge Tactics game.
The new modifiers for the January 2026 season are as follows:
| Modifier | Description |
| Damage Tile (Bronze III) | Troops placed on this tile enter combat at 50% HP and deal bonus damage. |
| Clone Tile (Silver II) | Troops placed on this tile will be cloned, and the duplicate will have 70% of the original's HP. |
| Immune Tile (Gold I) | The troop on this tile becomes indestructible for a minimum of 5 seconds of combat. |
| Jump Tile (Gold III) | Troops placed here jump into enemy territory at the start of a battle. |
In addition to this, the building modifiers will now grant you a 2-Star building in Round 3, instead of a 1-Star building at the start of Round 1.