Chang'e, The Lunar Warden: Blocking Buffs by Moonlight

Overview

Chang'e is a 5-star Legendary Ice hero from the Journey family, released in December 2023. She represents a significant tactical shift in the game, moving away from simple damage dealing to comprehensive board control. As a Wizard, she not only hits all enemies but also imposes a unique and powerful blockade: preventing all new status effects. She is the "fun police" of Empires & Puzzles, ensuring that if she can't have buffs, nobody can.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Chang'e’s artwork is elegant and ethereal, fitting her lore as the Moon Goddess. She is depicted with a serene expression, surrounded by lunar motifs and soft blue light. Notably absent in some versions of the art is her legendary white rabbit companion, a detail that eagle-eyed fans might miss. The visual design contrasts sharply with the chaos she causes on the battlefield; she looks like she's about to sing a lullaby, but she's actually about to silence your entire team's toolkit.

General Info

Hero Stats

In the context of late 2025, Chang'e's stats are starting to look a bit "Classic 2023."

• Attack (974): This was decent upon release but is now significantly lower than the 1300+ attack stats of modern attackers like Devyani.
• Defense (990) & Health (1678): Her bulk is acceptable but not impressive compared to the 2200+ HP behemoths of the current meta. However, her Wizard class gives her some offensive bite, and her passives help mitigate the stat gap.
• Power (978): She falls into the "serviceable veteran" category. She won't win a stat check against a Temple Summon hero, but her utility keeps her relevant.

Special Skill: Lunar Locket

Analysis: "Lunar Locket" is a skill that defines matches.

1. AoE Damage: 310% damage to all enemies is a respectable hit, especially for an Average speed hero (who can effectively become Fast with family bonuses and passives). It's enough to punish, though not necessarily wipe, a team.
2. Status Blockade: This is the crown jewel. "All enemies cannot cast any new status effects on enemies or allies for 4 turns." This shuts down everything cast by special skills: Taunt, Dodge, Attack Up, Defense Down, DoT, Regenerate, etc. It turns complex heroes into vanilla tile-matchers.
3. Special Defense: +45% defense against Special Skills for allies ensures that while the enemy is silenced, they also can't brute-force their way through your team with raw damage.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed Analysis: Average. However, her Journey family passives (mana on buff received) can accelerate this significantly. In a buff-heavy team, she can often fire at a speed comparable to Fast heroes.
• Damage Calculation:
  • Base Attack ~974.
  • 310% to all = ~3019 raw damage value spread across 5 targets.
  • While not a nuclear option, it's a very strong "softener" that sets up kills for your snipers.
• Key Passives Impact: The 50% chance to gain 10% mana when receiving a buff is huge. If you pair her with a hero who casts multiple buffs (like a Costume Kiril or spice it up with newer buffers), she can gain significant mana chunks passively, breaking the usual "Average speed" limitations.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Journey family is all about momentum and extending effects.

Family Bonus

Analysis: The chance to increase status effect duration (1/2/3 turns) is incredible for Chang'e. A 4-turn status block is annoying; a 7-turn status block (with 3 family members) is a death sentence for the enemy team.

Passives

Analysis:

• Mana on Buff: As mentioned, this is her engine. It allows her to keep up with faster heroes.
• Health on Buff: Provides sustain, keeping her alive longer to cast her blockade again.

Aether Power

Analysis: Ailment Reflect. This is a fantastic defensive tool. For the first 6 turns, she not only ignores ailments but bounces them back. It forces the enemy to be very careful with their openers.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Chang'e was praised as a "Total Impact" hero. She was seen as a direct upgrade or side-grade to heroes like Malosi, but affecting the entire team. She was a staple in War Defenses for a time.
• Power Creep Analysis: Her stats have fallen behind. 310% damage is now "okay" rather than "devastating." However, her mechanic—Blocking Status Effects—is timeless. It counters new mechanics just as well as old ones (except for "Stacks" like Wither/Growth which are often excluded from standard status effect blocks, a point of confusion for many).
• Modern Viability Verdict: Niche but Powerful. She is no longer a universal defense hero due to her stats, but on Offense, she is a tactical nuke. If you see a defense relying on buffs (Taunt, Dodge, huge Heals-over-time), Chang'e is the key to unlocking it.

Costume & Costume Bonus

As of this review, Chang'e does not have a costume.

Emblem Path Analysis

Chang'e is a Wizard. This class is excellent for her because the Jinx talent deals extra damage for every buff the enemy has.

The Tactician (Health > Defense > Attack)

• Path: Prioritize survivability.
• Pros: She needs to survive to cast her block. Once the block is up, you've won the tactical advantage.
• Cons: Lowers her damage output, making her purely a support/control hero.

The Punisher (Attack > Health > Defense)

• Path: Prioritize Attack to maximize the 310% hit.
• Pros: Makes her a genuine threat who can kill weakened enemies.
• Cons: She might die before firing against fast, modern snipers.

Final Recommendation

For modern play, The Tactician (Def/HP) path is recommended. Her damage is no longer her main selling point; her ability to shut down the enemy team is. Keep her alive at all costs.

Strengths

• Total Shutdown: Stops Taunt (Ludwig/Phorcys), Dodge (Constance/Kadilen), and huge buffers dead in their tracks.
• Passive Speed: Can charge faster than Average thanks to her passive.
• Family Synergy: Becomes exponentially stronger with other Journey heroes.
• Ailment Reflect: Innate protection against early game debuffs (defense down, mindless attack).

Weaknesses

• Stats: Her survivability is lower than modern heroes; she can be one-shot by strong snipers.
• Cleanse Vulnerable: Her block can be cleansed (if the cleanser fires before the block is applied or if a passive cleanses).
• Does Not Block Stacks: She does not stop Goblin Wither/Growth or other permanent stacks, which are prevalent in the current meta.
• Timing: As an Average hero, she might charge too late against a Rush team if she doesn't get good tiles or passive procs.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack: In Rush wars/tournaments, she is God-tier. Blocking all effects for 4 turns when everyone is Very Fast is game-winning.
• Buff Booster Tournaments: Stops the enemy from getting buffs while she gets mana from yours.
• War Attack: excellent counter to "stall" defenses that rely on healers and buffers.
• PvP Raids: Great for dissecting complex modern defenses.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Chang'e shines when she fires first or early.

Sample Team Ideas

1. The Journey Core:
   • Chang'e - Sha Wujing - Queen Guowang
   • Concept: Use the family bonus to extend effect durations. Sha Wujing provides healing and buffs to feed Chang'e's passive.
2. The Blue Control:
   • Kiril (C) - Chang'e - Lord Loki
   • Concept: Kiril buffs (triggering Chang'e mana) and debuffs enemies. Chang'e locks them down. Loki copies whatever is left.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Monks/Clerics who resist her ailment. Fast Cleansers who can reset the board before she fires. Passive Cleansers (like some Toons).
• Anti-Synergy: Don't pair her with heroes who rely on the enemy having buffs (like some specific dispellers who do extra damage per buff), as she prevents them from getting buffs in the first place.

Advice for New Players

Chang'e is a fantastic pull. She simplifies the game. If you are struggling against teams with crazy effects you don't understand, bring Chang'e. She turns them off. Prioritize her leveling.

Advice for Veterans

She is a specialist tool. You won't use her every raid, but against specific heavy-buff teams (Aramis, Hathor, Ludwig), she is a cheat code. She is worth keeping in your roster, but maybe not worth 2LB (Alpha Aethers) unless you use her for Rush wars constantly.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• "The AoE Malosi": Players immediately recognized her as a team-wide version of Malosi, praising her utility.
• "Does she stop Goblins?": A common point of confusion. The consensus (and frustration) is that she does not stop Wither/Growth stacks, which limits her effectiveness against the Goblin meta.
• "Beautiful Art": She is widely considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing heroes in the game.

Final Thoughts

Chang'e is the embodiment of "work smarter, not harder." She doesn't need to out-damage the enemy if she simply prevents them from doing anything useful. While her stats have aged, her ability to impose a complete status blackout remains one of the most powerful control effects in Empires & Puzzles.

Verdict: A tactical powerhouse that has transitioned from a meta-defender to a niche but essential offensive tool.

• Costume Verdict: N/A

May the moonlight guide you... and block their buffs!