Basil: The Mouse That Roared (Eventually)

Overview

Basil is a Rare (3-star) Fire hero from the Abyss Hunter family, originally released in the Covenant Summon portal around Christmas 2022. He represents a very specific archetype: the "Support Tank." Visually, he's a battle-hardened rat warrior who looks like he's seen things—terrible things, mostly involving mousetraps and hungry cats.

His kit is a cocktail of defensive buffs and offensive retaliation, making him a "Red Gunnar" with a twist. While he lacks a costume (unlike his blue counterpart who has two), Basil tries to carve out a niche by making your team unkillable while simultaneously punishing the enemy for trying. He is primarily a Rush Attack specialist, as his Slow speed makes him a sitting duck in standard formats.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Basil sports a gritty, "Redwall-meets-Mad-Max" aesthetic. He wields a massive axe and a wooden shield, adorned with tribal skulls and armor scraps. It's a surprisingly serious look for a rodent, contrasting with the often cartoonish designs of other animal heroes. You get the sense that Basil isn't just a pest; he's a pest with a plan and a very large axe.

General Info

Hero Stats

When we look at Basil's stats in the context of 2026, he is starting to show his age.

• Attack (460): Quite low, but he's a support hero, so this is forgivable.
• Defense (538): Decent for a 3-star, allowing him to survive long enough to fire (hopefully).
• Health (782): This is where the power creep really hurts. Modern 3-star heroes like Ironvein (976 HP) or Jax (908 HP) simply have much larger health pools. Basil relies heavily on his defensive buffs to mitigate this lower HP.

Special Skill: Squeak of Protection

Analysis: Basil's special skill is a "kitchen sink" of defensive mechanics, but it suffers from a bit of an identity crisis.

1. Soul Connection (Shared Damage): This is his strongest asset. Sharing damage among all allies prevents snipers from one-shotting your key heroes. It essentially turns your team into one giant health bar.
2. Defense Buff (+35% to +65%): A ramping defense buff is fantastic for long battles. It makes the shared damage even more manageable.
3. Counterattack (70% to 100%): Here is the contradiction. Counterattack damage depends on the damage you take. By buffing your defense and sharing the damage (which mitigates spikes), you are actively reducing the damage your enemies take from the counterattack.

While this "anti-synergy" frustrates min-maxers, it actually serves a purpose: Survival. The counterattack shouldn't be viewed as a nuke, but rather as a "thorn" deterrent. The primary goal is to keep your team alive; the damage reflection is just a nice bonus that chips away at the enemy.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Slow. This means 12 tiles to charge. In Rush Attack tournaments, this becomes Very Fast (6.5 tiles), which is where Basil shines.
• Defensive Value: A +65% defense buff combined with shared damage reduces incoming damage significantly—often by more than 50-60%.
• Counterattack Calculation: If an enemy hits for 100 damage (after defense reduction), the team takes 100 damage total (20 per hero). The counterattack reflects 70-100 damage back. It's not huge per hit, but against AoE enemies, it adds up.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Abyss Hunter family bonus provides a Defense boost (5%/10%/15% etc.) if you have multiple unique heroes. In 3-star tournaments, you are unlikely to field a full team of unique Abyss Hunters, so this is often negligible. However, the bonus applies to Monster Island event battles as well, giving him distinct advantages there.

Passives

• Hunter's Mark: Applies a DoT (150 damage over 3 turns) to a random enemy when he fires. This is free damage and helps wear down opponents.
• Hunter's Sense: This is the hidden gem. When he fires, he transfers his latest cleansable ailment to the target. If he has no ailments, he heals himself for 12%.
  • Tactical Use: If Basil is hit with a defense down or mana ailment, firing his skill throws that problem right back at the enemy. If he's clean, he gets a nice self-sustain heal.

Aether Power

Damage Reduction: A generic but useful power for a tank. It helps him survive the initial barrage before he can get his buffs up.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Basil was immediately dubbed the "Red Gunnar." Players were confused by the counter-intuitive skill set (Def Up + Riposte), but he quickly found a home in Rush tournaments where Red tanks were needed.
• Power Creep Analysis: As mentioned in the stats section, his base stats are lagging. Newer 3-star tanks like the Toons or Constructs offer higher raw survivability or more aggressive threats. However, the specific combination of Shared Damage + Counterattack remains rare in the 3-star arena.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Niche Viable. Basil is effectively retired from standard play. He is too slow and his stats are too low. However, in 3-Star Rush Attack Tournaments (especially buff booster or no-blue), he is still a top-tier tank or flank option.

Emblem Path Analysis

The Survivalist (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Basil's job is to survive until he casts. Once he casts, his job is to stay alive to keep the buffs active. Maximizing Defense and Health is the only logical choice.
• Cons: Lowers his counterattack damage slightly (since he takes less damage), but a dead Basil reflects zero damage.

Final Recommendation

For virtually all players, the Defense/Health path is the way to go. As a Druid, this path also makes his Minion minions slightly sturdier, providing an extra layer of meat shield.

Strengths

• Rush Attack King: In 3-star Rush tournaments, he creates a defensive wall that is incredibly hard for uncoordinated teams to break.
• Anti-Sniper: Shared damage completely neutralizes enemy snipers, forcing them to chew through the entire team's HP pool.
• Passive Utility: The self-heal/cleanse transfer passive adds a layer of sophistication that older 3-stars lack.
• Element: Being Red allows him to tank effectively in "No Blue" tournaments where Gunnar is banned or weak.

Weaknesses

• Slow Speed: excruciatingly slow outside of Rush modes. He will often die before charging.
• Conflicting Skills: The Defense Up actively reduces the effectiveness of his Counterattack.
• Dispellers: One dispel (Tyrum, Sabina, Mielikki) removes all his protection, leaving your team vulnerable and clumped up.
• Low Base Stats: His HP is significantly lower than modern 3-star standards.

Best Game Modes

• 3-Star Rush Attack Tournaments: His absolute best use case. Put him at Tank or Flank.
• Buff Booster Tournaments: He provides multiple buffs (Def, Counterattack, Soul Connect), powering up the team's attack.
• Challenge Events (Rare): Can be used to keep squishy damage dealers alive against bosses, though items usually do this better.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Red Wall" (Rush Defense):
  • Team: Sudri - Basil - Buster - Bauchan - Waqas
  • Why: A full red/slow team for Rush. Basil keeps everyone alive, Sudri and Waqas nuke the enemy, and Buster increases the damage taken.
• The "Annoyance" (Buff Booster):
  • Team: Faiez - Basil - Kvasir - Rekhetre - Treevil
  • Why: Infinite buffs. Basil protects the summoners (Kvasir) and the slow killers (Treevil).

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Treevil is the ultimate counter. He gives Defense Down, making the shared damage fatal. Tyrum (especially costume) and Belith disperse his buffs instantly.
• Anti-Synergy: Avoid pairing him with other Defense buffers (like Kailani) as the buffs overwrite each other.

Advice for New Players

If you pull Basil early, he is a safe investment if you lack Gunnar or Kailani. He will help you survive difficult map stages by keeping your damage dealers alive. However, do not prioritize him over fast snipers or healers for your general raiding team.

Advice for Veterans

Basil is a "keep one for tournaments" hero. You likely won't use him anywhere else. If you have a fully emblemed/limit-broken Toon Gunnar or Goldie, you might find Basil collecting dust. However, in Red-allowed, Blue-banned Rush, he is superior to Gunnar simply because he isn't weak to the strong color (Green) that attackers will bring.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

When Basil dropped, the community was... confused.

• "First I saw red and slow and was going to stop reading... Counterattack first then damage share and defense boost? In the current order, it’s totally counterproductive."
• Many players initially dismissed him as a "Red Gunnar" or even a "Tile Dump".
• However, once Rush tournaments hit, opinions shifted: "I laughed at your face, I played you down... But you’re so good. Your shared damage and counterattack carried me to a 5-0 today. Forgive me."
• The consensus settled on him being a specialist tool: "Only potential use case I see in the rat’s current form is for no blue rush tourneys."

Final Thoughts

Basil is a paradox: a defensive hero with an offensive bite that dulls his own teeth. While his stats are gathering dust and his speed is a liability, he remains a staple in the specific niche of 3-Star Rush Tournaments. He isn't flashy, and he isn't a "must-have" generalist, but when the conditions are right, this little rat can build a fortress that few can breach.

Verdict: Keep one. Level him for Rush Tournaments, but don't expect him to carry you through the daily grind.

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