‘Evolved Skeleton Barrel’ is the evolved form of the common card Skeleton Barrel. It costs 3 Elixir and has higher hitpoints and death damage than the base card. Best played in bait or pressure decks, Evo Skelly Barrel forces opponents to spend spells or troops to stop chip damage. In January’s balance update, Supercell nerfed its death damage to reduce its raw damage to both troops and towers.
With the nerf to its death damage, Evo Skeleton Barrel will not be able to take down heavy troops like Minions. So is it still one of the most overpowered cards in the meta after that change?
What Changed in the Balance Update and Why
In January’s balance update, Supercell reduced Evolved Skeleton Barrel’s death damage from 238 to 220, an 8% decrease, which slightly reduced the card’s ability to kill or severely weaken troops and buildings with its explosions.
The nerf was aimed at making it easier for defensive buildings and troops to survive the barrel explosions. Before the change, the high death damage could wipe out swarms and let skeletons get free hits on towers even after spells were used. The change doesn’t affect its health, number of barrels, or skeleton count, only the raw splash damage per barrel.
Despite the nerf, community discussion and feedback suggest players still treat Evolved Skeleton Barrel as OP because the dual explosions still force reactions.
Why It Feels Strong Even After the Nerf
Evolved Skeleton Barrel still has many key strengths:
- It drops two barrels, each dealing death damage and spawning skeletons.
- The first barrel can drop mid-path, forcing early responses.
- Skeletons can distract and chip even if the barrels don’t connect.
- It fits well with bait and support troops that make it hard to spell efficiently.
Even after the nerf, the barrels still deal major splash damage relative to Elixir cost, and the second barrel adds guaranteed pressure unless completely shut down. These factors keep it relevant in competitive play.
Evo Skeleton Barrel in the Current Meta
Many tier lists and meta reports still rate Evolved Skeleton Barrel highly, even with the nerf. In recent evaluations of card evolution strength, this card still appears in the S-tier list because of its double-barrel attack, death damage, and pressure.
Feedback from community discussions suggests that some players feel the nerf wasn’t enough to change how often it deals chip damage to towers and troops. Players often use the Evo version of this card with bait decks to overwhelm the defenses of their opponents.
Compared to other evolved cards, Evolved Skeleton Barrel still offers unique dual explosion pressure that simpler cards can struggle to match. However, it is no longer as deadly against prepared defense as it once was.
Conclusion
The nerf to Evolved Skeleton Barrel’s death damage reduced its raw potential to wipe out troops instantly and chip towers for free. At the same time, its core design, two barrels that explode and drop skeletons, remains strong. It still demands real counterplay and proper defensive planning. Against well-timed counters and solid spell use, you can manage it effectively. In cycle and bait decks, it continues to be a strong choice, though less punishing than before. Its status still carries enough pressure to be a top option in many deck builds