Bartholomew: The Bell Pepper That Bites Back

Overview

Meet Bartholomew, the hero who finally answers the age-old question: "Can a bell pepper kill a dragon?" Spoiler alert: Yes, and it will probably counterattack while doing so. Hailing from the Harvest Summon, this 5-star Legendary Fire hero is the face of the Vegetable family (even if botanists insist he's a fruit). Released in late 2025, he brings a unique "Harvest" mechanic and a passive skill so aggressive it feels like he's trying to take over your garden—and your defense team.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Let's be honest: it’s a giant, angry bell pepper with a shield. The design is a bold departure from the usual brooding warriors and ethereal elves. He looks like something out of a fever dream in the produce aisle—round, red, and surprisingly menacing. The "Bell Pepper Barbarian" aesthetic is equal parts ridiculous and terrifying, proving that Small Giant Games is willing to embrace the absurdity of vegetable warfare. It’s certainly... crisp.

General Info

Hero Stats

Bartholomew boasts a modern stat line with 1293 Attack, 1258 Defense, and a massive 2173 Health. While slightly eclipsed by the absolute latest December 2025 releases (which push 1320+ Attack), he remains firmly in the top tier. His bulk is significant, allowing him to survive long enough for his menacing passives to take root. He is not a glass cannon; he is a sturdy, fibrous tank-buster.

Special Skill: Capsicum Charge

Capsicum Charge is a multi-layered dish of destruction. At Average speed, hitting three targets for 300% might seem modest on paper compared to recent snipers, but the devil is in the details (and the seeds).

1. Scaling Damage: The +15% damage per Fiend (max 450%) turns him into a wrecking ball in prolonged fights. Since he generates his own fiends via passives, he sets up his own spike damage.
2. The Harvest: This is his signature move. "Harvesting" buffs is a superior form of dispelling. It removes 2 buffs, prioritizing Growth (hello, Goblins) and even undispellable effects (in specific contexts like Dance effects or standard undispellable buffs if not protected by other means, though the text clarifies it includes undispellable buffs).
3. Sustain & Reflect: Gaining 7% Boosted Health per removed effect keeps him healthy, while the 110% Counterattack punishes anyone foolish enough to hit back.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Average. With a level 29 Magic/Styx troop or level 23+ Mana troop, he can hit in 9 tiles.
• Damage Potential:
  • Base Hit: ~300% to 3 targets.
  • Max Hit: 450% to 3 targets (requires 10 fiends total on enemies).
• Healing: Can theoretically heal himself for 42% of max HP (7% * 6 buffs removed) in a single cast if hitting 3 fully buffed enemies.
• Passive Damage: The Seedling Fiend starts at 50% Attack but evolves into a Mega Fiend with 250% Attack. That is a ticking time bomb of passive damage that requires zero mana to activate.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Vegetable family is all about growth, but Bartholomew’s personal kit is where the real power lies.

Family Bonus

The bonus buffs the Attack/HP of fiends summoned by the family. While nice, it requires multiple Vegetables to be effective. It’s a cherry (tomato) on top, but not the main course.

Passives

Seedling Summoner is arguably one of the strongest passives in the game.

• Every turn, he plants a seed (fiend) on a random enemy.
• If left unchecked, these evolve into Mega Fiends with 250% Attack.
• This forces the opponent to bring healing or cleansing constantly, disrupting their rhythm. It’s "win-condition" levels of pressure for simply existing.

Empowered Resist Special Skill Blocking makes him a nightmare for control heroes. Silence him? He gains 450 Health and 5% Mana. He effectively feeds on control attempts.

Aether Power

Rage fits him perfectly. As a Barbarian who wants to brawl, extra damage on special skills ensures that when he does fire, it leaves a mark.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Power Creep Analysis: Bartholomew represents the "Passive Creep" era. His raw special skill stats are strong but balanced; however, his passive ability to generate infinite value (fiends) every turn without spending mana puts him ahead of older heroes who rely solely on tile matches.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Extremely Viable. He is a hard counter to the "Growth" meta (Goblins) and "Undispellable" buffers. His passive pressure makes him relevant in almost every game mode. He isn't just a flavor of the month; he's a staple ingredient for modern offense.

Emblem Path Analysis

The Spicy Shield (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his survival, allowing his Seedling Summoner passive to spawn more fiends over time. Also increases the reflected damage from his counterattack (since he lives longer to reflect).
• Cons: Lowers the immediate impact of his special skill's damage.

The Hot Pepper

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Increases the damage of his 300-450% hit and the bleed damage from his Barbarian class.
• Cons: He might die before his fiends can evolve into Mega Fiends.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Spicy Shield (Defense/Health) path is recommended. His value comes from existing on the board to spawn fiends and harvest buffs. The longer he lives, the more annoying he becomes.

Strengths

• Passive Pressure: Free fiends every turn force enemies to play defensively.
• Buff Control: The "Harvest" mechanic is one of the few reliable counters to Growth and heavy buff stacks.
• Anti-Control: Punishes silencers and mana blockers with self-healing and mana gain.
• Sustain: Self-healing via Harvest and resistance makes him deceptively tanky.

Weaknesses

• Initial Damage: Without fiends on the board, his 300% hit is just "okay" for a modern Average speed hero.
• RNG Factor: The passive targets random enemies; it might target a hero who is about to die or one who has just been healed.
• Passive Dependency: If the enemy has heavy anti-fiend tech (e.g., Grimsteel, newer lunar heroes), his passive value drops.
• Outdated Stats (Slightly): While strong, he is already being chased by the 1300+ Attack monsters of Dec 2025.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack: His Average speed becomes Very Fast, meaning he can keep Counterattack up 100% of the time and harvest buffs constantly.
• Wars (Equalizer): Actually a bad mode for him, as Equalizer cleanses his fiends and buffs. Avoid him here.
• Wars (Attack): Excellent for cracking stall teams or Goblin defenses.
• Bloody Battle: His fiends deal damage and absorb healing (if any exists), but since there's no healing, they just act as permanent damage sources.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

1. The Salad Bar (Fiend Overload):
   • Bartholomew + Arco + Costumed Freya
   • Why: Overwhelm the enemy with minions and fiends. Bartholomew benefits from the chaos, and his passive damage softens them up for the others.
2. The Anti-Goblin Task Force:
   • Bartholomew + Deadboot + Acidfire
   • Why: Goblins rely on Growth. Bartholomew eats Growth first. This team systematically strips the enemy of their extra stats while pounding them with damage.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Heroes who block fiends (e.g., Arco, Wang Yuanji) or benefit from them (e.g., Esme). Equalizer War rule is his biggest enemy.
• Anti-Synergy: Don't pair him with too many other "Counterattackers" if they overwrite his buff (though his is to "nearby," so positioning matters).

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Bartholomew, congratulations! You have a hero who can carry you through map stages simply by surviving. Level him immediately. Focus on keeping him alive with healers; let his passive fiends do the work for you.

Advice for Veterans

Bartholomew is a tactical nuke against buff-heavy metas. He is worth the rings and potentially an Alpha Aether if you struggle against Goblins or pure-passive defenses. His ability to remove "Undispellable" buffs via Harvest is a mechanic that will age well.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The release of the Vegetable family caused quite a stir in the community.

• The "Zod Drop" Theory: Players noted the absurdly low 0.2% drop rate, with one user comparing pulling him to a "Zod Drop" from Diablo II—so rare it's unbelievable.
• The Art Debate: "They’re a pepper….. aren’t peppers fruits?" ignited a fierce botanical debate. One user lamented, "This is just so stupid. Literally everything; the art... the convoluted 'harvest' mechanic."
• The "OP" Verdict: Despite the art criticism, the consensus on his kit was clear: "The passives are so good this is still going to be a meta hero."

Final Thoughts

Bartholomew is a hero who looks like a joke but hits like a truck. He forces opponents to rethink their buffing strategies and demands constant attention to his passive fiends. While his art might make you crave a salad, his gameplay will make your opponents salty. He is a top-tier utility attacker who will remain relevant as long as buffs and Growth exist in the game.

Final Verdict: A spicy addition to any roster. Viable, dangerous, and nutritious.