Also like megamaid from spaceballs
I came to isarnia late, but I now use her for red titans and for vf tournies. She has a use even at end game
1 Like
I swear Kvasir is the most surprising hero for me, and single handedly responsible for making 3* tournaments and heroes exciting
2 Likes
For me the most surprising 5* hero is Bera. Yeah, Skadi is fantastic, but I remember reading her skills and knowing she was going to be a beast. Bera though, especipally being a hero that does absolutely no direct damage is the definition of surprising. Here’s just a list of her benefits:
-no direct damage avoids riposte skills
-shuts down opponents summoners
-beefy minion meat shield
-high minion attack
-DoT
-synergy with other summoners and DoT heroes
I mean c’mon, zero direct damage and she’s currently in 6 of the top 10 raid defense teams.
1 Like
What falsehoods have I told, exactly?
I agree that she is good, and I would love to get her. But I think there are getting to be more and more counters to her that she won’t be prevalent in defences for too much longer. In offense though I think she would be very useful
I’m known to be a fan of 3 stars and feel that costume Renfeld is pretty damned good and deserves a mention.
4 Likes
She is only a flank support for me but the mana boost, heal and protection against specials pays off in spades. Never once regretted levelling her or her clone sister.
2 Likes
I have a new addition and in hindsight it’s somewhat obvious…
Sif
Now to explain I really don’t like riposte heroes. The idea of taking hits on purpose is just too passive for my personal playstyle. So when I got her last year I was so rudely dismissive of her. Like a literal “meh” moment.
I ignored her until I got Baldur and wanted a way to keep him permanently firing and the damage reduction looks like a great synergy so I took her to 3-70 and wows…eyes open moment. So as soon as got the 6th dart over she went and now she has 15 emblems and is a core component of my Yellow mono and in my S3 hard mode grind team.
And that’s the strength of Sif. The riposte is actually quite nice (making me rethink my views their as well) but it’s the damage reduction. That’s the wow factor. She’s taken hits that would drop the team, kept her 2 buddies safe and killed the attacker so may times now it’s unreal.
And then they charge faster with the mana boost!
TLDR -
Great hero, I’m an idiot
3 Likes
Here are the ones I have been most impressed with compared to original expectation: DISCLAIMER I am F2P
4*
Gretel - She was my first non-vanilla mana controller. I knew she would be an improvement, but the ratio of improvement was staggering. This lady allowed me to complete quests and events much easier. I think my expectations were tempered by her views on the forum as she is admittedly worse than Hansel, Proteus, Hel, etc. Holy smokes what an upgrade!
C-Chao - Again in the mana control group. I got Chao late and had him idling barely used at +1 on the bench. I leveled his costume anticipating the CB would make his base form better. After experimenting with his costume though he can be a SUPER effective mana controller against non-fast bosses/enemies in quests and events.
5*
Elkanen - I admittedly maxed him “just cause”. My only good impression was when he was alive in a corner late in a field aid war and I hated trying to kill him 
. He was “okay” after maxing, but since I had no clerics he got pushed to +16 and is kind of awesome. He is a pseudo tank in my D in a double formation. He can hits hard following Buddy. He is also extremely durable given his 5* stats and boosted health.
Leonidas - Another 5* “just because” project. His A value is solid, he is pretty survivable, amplified by self heal, and the 40% cut is noticeable. My biggest gripe with Chao and Li Xiu was the cut bough you almost nothing so often. 40% gains you something . He is not +7 and comes along on raids regularly.
I will note these are not the best heroes on my roster. Those are just the heroes that surprised me the most based on expectations. Most are vanilla, wonder what that says 
… When I got Guillinbursti I knew he would be great and he is, so no surprise.
Honorable mention to my +13 Quintus.
3 Likes
One of the heroes that gives me the most grief in defence, if I don’t bring a dispeller (which I often can’t, as I really only have C Melendor available, and in raids I emulate my war teams so I don’t bring heroes that are techincally “available” for selection). With other troublesome heroes you have the secondary option of waiting it out for 3 turns… but the 5 turns is a real killer.
And she has gone through a hurge resurgence with those double formations
Great thread! I have many heroes that i levelled ‘just because’ and turned out to be surprisingly good.
-
Skittleskull. Hated slow heroes. Hated slow AND squishy heroes. Hated her art. Hated her art even more when her costume was released. So of course I got her costume. And then levelled her because I wanted to check her off my levelled list. And her attack just grew and grew. And my mana troops got a few levels on them and made her faster. Put emblems on her. And she got even better! In fact, both Little John and Skittleskull have been surprisingly effective with their costumes and boosts.
-
Colen. Still don’t have his costume. Everyone told me he sucks. But his damage always surprises me!
-
Isarnia. Everyone likes her in a ‘oh nice hero but we don’t actually use her’ way. I just wanted to max her because I loved her art. Then her costume came out and I didn’t like the art so much anymore, so she got sidelined. Finally, managed to level her, and with the costume bonus, she is a staple in my defense and mono blue attack team. Got some emblems on her and hoping to get more in.
Is there a pattern in slow squishy heroes who surprise me? Add one more to the list … 4. Elena! Fire Isarnia and then Elena … bye bye enemy!
-
Here is someone different - Grevle. Never thought much about him till one day I levelled him. Omg the badger is a beast! Fastest hero I took to +20 ASAP!!
-
Nordri. We know he is great against 3s. But lack of blue def down means I take him against Titans as well! And he takes some coddling, but still a member of my blue Titan team (hitting 10-11s)
-
Noor. The hero people love to hate. Auto farms Atlantis 15-9 levels like a beast!
-
Bane. Who would think your first free hero would continue to be relevant 2 years later!
-
Mist. This is a funny and personal quirk tbh. Everyone knows she is great. I use her extensively for her attack and buffing up others specials. I continuously forget she also blocks target from casting effects. Surprises me every time that blocks an effect, especially in class trials and against counter attackers!
-
Boril. Another early- mid game stalwart I never expected to use end game. But pair him with Gullin and watch them outlast everyone on the field. Another great pve auto farming combo. They carried me through literally ALL of S3, both normal and hard, done in first attempt.
Apologies for the long post, but I truly love this part of the game - trying to do something different from what everyone is doing and finding hidden gems!
4 Likes