So here we are again with another hero review after some extensive testing. This one is a bit tricky since I was lucky enough to pull Sif and Heimdall at the same time and been raiding almost exclusively with those two in several team combinations, so I’ll def try to focus on Sif only.
Sif is not exactly what we would considered a “must-have” hero. A lack of initial attack, average mana and a baseline defense/health stats might make her much less desirable than many other S3 5* heroes. At 788, attack is her most appealing attribute. To be completely honest I wasn’t all that excited about maxing her at first. But I have to say, she quickly became one of my new favorite heroes to raid with. Here’s why:
Survivability:
Sif does an outstanding job at keeping herself and her flanks alive, often times being the last 2-3 heroes standing. A combination of ALL damage reduction by 50% AND 24% mana boost over 4 turns means that she’s able to take on some heavy punishment long enough to recharge her special. This may not seem like a huge deal if it weren’t for the fact that her flanks also benefit from the same buffs which can triple your survivability if you run healer(s) or heroes with reviving capabilities for example. I think 4 turns is an adequate length of time for an average hero and makes up for some of ther other somewhat nerfed abilities.
Offense:
Truth be told, I don’t usually like playing with heroes without any initial attack damage. They seem too circumstantial to me, like you can’t be really effective without first setting them up and hope they make a difference. Not so with Sif. Her counter attack of 100% of damage received is essentially the lowest of this type of ability. However this “low” counter attack is once again offset by a combination of the rest of her abilities, i.e. damage reduction and mana boost for 4 turns. This gives her the ability to keep and recharge her counter attack quicker and for longer. I really really like this balance of mana speed and counter attack damage. I found that it allows the player to manage her special much more effectively, whether you choose to extend it on a favorable board or making use of all her 4 turns while managing the board to help you recharge her again. It is by far from OP but it is also not a weak as some might perceive.
Defense:
Sif has enough unique utilities you typically find on a sturdy tank. However, it is obvious that SG never intended her to be one. I ran a +18 Sif tank to test her tank durability, and she actually defended way more than I anticipated, but still, at the end of the day she just doesn’t have the defensive capabilities to withstand heavy damage before her special can fire. Specially not with all the new power creeping heros and monochrome being the meta for too many players. She’s just not a very successful long term tank. I can’t help but wonder how good she could actually be if both her Defense and Health were only 100pts higher.
There are no perfect heroes:
No there are not and that is the beauty of it, that not one hero is so perfect that it makes all others obsolete, far from it. However, Sif, in my opinion is a very well balanced hero, which is far more interesting than making any one of her specials skills more powerful or weaker than the rest. This is probably the best type of hero tbh, one who can stand on their own but also make other heroes that much better. The possibilities are vast and plenty. Kudos to whoever designed her.
Final thoughts:
Sif is a very well balanced hero who shines best on offense. Her attack stat is one of the highest for holy element, so she may work well on a yellow stack when tile damage is important. Don’t let her lack of initial damage fool you, her ability to reduce damage received is far more important and clutch than it appears. And last but not least, a 24% mana boost is a valuable yet rare ability that few other heroes have. Any mana boost hero is worth maxing imo. I don’t suggest breaking the bank trying to acquire Sif, specially if you don’t have the right supporting heroes, but I wouldn’t hesitate to give her the 4* mats treatment if you do summon her. She is loads of fun to raid with as well figuring out who pair her with. I found Sif to be a step above Neith but not quite as OP as Guinevere but somewhere in between. One of the best supporting heroes I’ve ever played with.
Here are some Dos and Don’ts to consider:
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Sif is best suited as a flank on defense. Probably one of the few heroes whose special you want to fire before the tanks. She lacks the defensive stats to be a successful tank at high levels but could be a feasible option to keep you at high platinum or low’sh diamond raid arenas.
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Place Sif on center position when raiding to maximize her area of counter attack. And only # 2 or # 4 position (starting from the left) when facing a hero like Jabberwock who attacks your wings. This is to ensure that you’re able to counter his damage as well as minimize damage received.
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Flank her with other mana boosting heroes to play on each other’s abilities as often and quickly as possible. Other excellent options are slow mana or taunt heroes. A taunt hero with a counter attack damage reduction will usually not only retain their minions/taunt for longer but they’ll also force attacking hero to take on the same damage they dealt. Consider using Black Knight or Queen of Hearts for best results.
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Caveats: Be prepared to witness her counter attack be rendered useless when being attacked by debuffing heroes (Kage, Eve, Seshat, etc…), by Ranger class heroes that can bypass the riposte, if they miss because they’re blinded and lastly her insanely dumb evade class talent. Seriously, what were they thinking ? I cringe every time I see her evade a special since I would prefer leverage her counter attack instead. As annoying as her being a Rogue is, I suppose evading any special skill is still better than taking any damage at all.
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Her realm is MIDGARD and currently only 3 other heroes share this realm that can leverage her attack boost of up to +15%. Those heroes are 4* Brynhild, 4* Mist and 3* Bjorn, none of which I have maxed so I wasn’t able to test this buff.
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Up next, Heimdall…
(if the noobs that are calling for her to be nerfed don’t get their way before they even ever play her)