Arco: The Gargoyle Who Turns Demons into Dinner

Overview

Arco is a 5-star Nature (Green) hero from the Sanctuary of Gargoyles Challenge Event. Released in 2022, he quickly established himself as one of the premier support heroes in the game, offering a unique blend of minion summoning, overhealing, and specific anti-fiend utility. Unlike traditional healers who restore a fixed amount of HP, Arco's healing is dynamic, scaling with the number of minions on the board. He's a chunky stone boy who loves company.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Arco is depicted as a jovial, heavyset gargoyle, complete with stone skin, horns, and a wide, almost mischievous grin. He carries a satchel and seems ready for an adventure—or perhaps a snack. The art style fits the gothic yet slightly whimsical theme of the Gargoyles event perfectly. He looks like the kind of guy who would laugh while turning your terrifying Fiends into harmless little stone buddies.

General Info

Hero Stats

Let's address the elephant (or gargoyle) in the room: Arco's stats are ancient. With a base power of 841 and LB2 power just barely cracking 1000, he is statistically frail compared to modern behemoths pushing 1260+ power. His defense and health, while impressive for 2022, are now considered low-to-average. He relies heavily on his Stoneskin passive and his high-HP minions to survive against modern snipers who can easily hit for 2000+ damage.

Special Skill: Gargoyles of Redemption

Analysis: Arco's special skill is a masterpiece of utility. It performs three distinct actions in a specific order:

1. Fiend Replacement: He takes every Fiend on your team and instantly converts them into Gargoyle Minions. This is not a cleanse; it's a transformation.
2. Summoning: He then summons a fresh batch of Gargoyle Minions for everyone.
3. Boosted Healing: Finally, he heals everyone by 75 HP for every minion they own (including the ones just created).

This synergy creates a massive swing in momentum. Against a heavy Fiend summoner, Arco can flip the board from "we're dying" to "we have 15 minions and double HP" in a single cast.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Average (10 tiles). With a level 23 Mana troop (or slightly less with family bonus/emblems), he can become functionally Fast (9 tiles) in Rush wars, or just faster in general play.
• Minion Health (LB2): ~561 HP (30% of ~1871 HP).
• Healing Potential (Minimum): 75 HP * 5 Minions = 375 Boosted Health.
• Healing Potential (Maximum): 75 HP * 15 Minions (3 per hero) = 1125 Boosted Health.
• Total Swing vs Fiends: If replacing 5 Fiends (assuming ~500 HP debt each) + Summoning 5 Minions + Healing:
  • Removes 2500 HP debt.
  • Adds 2500+ HP in Minion shields.
  • Heals for ~750 HP.
  • Total HP Value: ~5750+ effective health swing.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Gargoyle family offers excellent survivability tools that keep Arco relevant despite his aging stat line.

Family Bonus

Analysis: Immunity to Poison and Burn is fantastic. These are the two most common DoTs (Damage over Time) in the game. Pairing him with just one other Gargoyle grants Burn immunity, which is huge against red heavy hitters.

Passives

Analysis: Stoneskin is arguably one of the best passives in the game history. Reducing damage to 1 for the next 3 hits (since he is Average speed) is a "Get Out of Jail Free" card. It allows him to tank hits from modern nukes like Jwala or Turundh that would otherwise vaporize him instantly. This passive single-handedly keeps him viable.

Aether Power

Analysis: Defense Up is a solid, albeit boring, choice. Given his role is to survive and cast, extra defense helps mitigate his lower base stats.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Arco was a titan of the meta. He was the answer to the dominance of Elizabeth and Hannah, turning their oppressive Fiends into assets. He was a staple in defenses and a must-have for tower events.
• Power Creep Analysis: Mechanically, Arco is still top-tier. There are very few heroes who can convert Fiends to Minions (Esme destroys them, she doesn't convert). However, statistically, he has fallen far behind. His minions are tied to his HP, so as his HP stat lags behind modern heroes, his minions become comparatively softer.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Niche but Powerful. He is no longer a universal defense hero. However, in Bloody Battle tournaments (where he effectively heals via minions and transformation) and Rush Wars, he remains a formidable force. He is also excellent for PvE content like Towers where overheal is king.

Emblem Path Analysis

Arco is a support hero whose main job is to stay alive long enough to fire his special. His damage comes from tiles and minions, not his special skill.

The Stonewall (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his survivability and, crucially, increases the HP of his minions (since minion HP is % based).
• Cons: Lower tile damage.

The Hybrid

• Path: Health > Defense > Attack
• Pros: Prioritizes raw HP, which directly buffs minion HP.
• Cons: Slightly less mitigation against direct hits compared to defense path.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Defense/Health path is recommended. You want him to survive the initial barrage so his Stoneskin can activate.

Strengths

• Fiend Alchemist: Turns the enemy's greatest weapon (Fiends) into your greatest asset (Minions).
• Stoneskin: incredible survivability tool that mitigates infinite damage down to 1.
• Massive Overheal: Potential to double the team's HP bar in long fights.
• Bloody Battle King: Minions and Stoneskin provide "healing" and protection even when healing is blocked.

Weaknesses

• Ancient Stats: Extremely vulnerable to modern snipers before Stoneskin activates.
• Minion Counters: Heroes like Grimble, Bera, or modern Lunar heroes who punish/block minions shut him down completely.
• Slow-ish Start: As an Average speed hero without a starting mana boost, he can be dead before he moves against a fast modern defense.

Best Game Modes

• Bloody Battle Tournaments: Arguably his best mode. The ability to add HP (via minions) and block damage (Stoneskin) when healing is forbidden is a cheat code.
• Rush Wars: Making him Very Fast allows him to keep Stoneskin up almost permanently and flood the board with minions.
• PvE / Towers: The overheal is essential for completing "Impossible" tower floors.
• War Attack: Specifically against Fiend-heavy defenses (e.g., against old Elizabeth tanks or new fiend summoners).

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The Minion Horde: Arco - Pengi - Mother North.
  • Why: The classic "Pengi" team. Arco provides the beefy minions that fuel Pengi's chain attacks. Mother North ensures Arco comes back if he gets sniped.
• The Anti-Burn Ward: Arco - Hohenwerf - .
  • Why: Pairing Arco with another Gargoyle activates the family bonus, making them immune to Burn and Poison. This is excellent against red DoT heavy teams.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Bera/Kvasir: They block minion summoning. If Arco can't summon, he can't heal (since the heal is based on minions owned). They neuter him completely.
• Grimble/Topaz/Eloise: Minion destroyers who gain mana or deal massive damage to minion owners.
• Modern Snipers: Any 1300+ Attack sniper can likely one-shot Arco if his Stoneskin isn't active.

Advice for New Players

If you pull Arco early, you have won the lottery for map stages and quests. He will carry you through Hard Mode seasons simply by keeping your team's HP double what it should be. Prioritize leveling him as your main healer.

Advice for Veterans

Arco is a "luxury" tool in the modern era. He shouldn't be your primary war tank anymore. However, keep him in your roster for those specific wars or tournament situations where Minions are buffed or Healing is blocked. He is not a priority for Alpha Aethers unless you use him religiously in tournaments; his stats won't catch up to modern heroes even with LB2.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• "Arco is what Esme wishes she could be." - A common sentiment upon his release, highlighting how much better his fiend handling was compared to the dedicated 5-star healer released shortly before him.
• "Replacing a fiend with two, 500hp minions with a sick overheal is GODLY." - The community quickly realized the math behind his skill was broken (in a good way).
• "The un-dispellable damage stone skin sponges up... It’s far more valuable that I would have guessed reading the card." - Players consistently underrated Stoneskin until they faced it.

Final Thoughts

Arco has aged like a fine stone statue. While the elements (power creep) have weathered his surface (stats), his core structure (mechanics) remains rock solid. He is no longer the terrifying tank he once was, but as an offensive support hero—especially against Fiends or in Bloody Battle—he remains a premier choice. He turns demons into dinner and makes sure your team leaves the table full.

Verdict: A mechanical masterpiece that defies his age. Keep him dusted off for the right occasion.