Costumed Sun Quan: Unstoppable Fire & Fury

Overview

The "Warlord of Fortune" has arrived to reclaim his throne. Costumed Sun Quan (C1) takes everything the base hero tried to do and actually makes it work in the modern meta. He swaps his Ranger bow for Rogue daggers and brings the War of the Three Kingdoms' most annoying mechanic: Unstoppable Minions.

Released significantly later than the base version and receiving a massive balance update in January 2025, this hero is a serious contender. He hits three enemies hard, summons beefy minions for everyone, and sets the battlefield ablaze with high-damage burn.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Gone is the slightly "goofy" stance of the original. The costume features Sun Quan in imposing, darker armor with jagged, flame-like motifs. He looks more aggressive, more battle-hardened, and ready to scorch the earth. The "Fire Bat" aesthetic (hinted at in the internal ID) really shines through with a sharper, more dynamic look.

General Info

Hero Stats

Thanks to the costume bonus and modern stat distribution, Costumed Sun Quan boasts impressive numbers:

• Power (1110): A massive leap from the base version, putting him in league with modern event heroes.
• Attack (1125) / Defense (1020) / Health (2185): These are top-tier stats. The 2100+ HP ensures he (and his minions) stick around.
• LB2 Potential: With full limit break, he reaches 1387 Attack and nearly 2700 Health. He is a stat monster.

Special Skill: Order to Advance

Skill Analysis:

• The Hit: 330% damage to three targets. While technically 10% lower than the base version, his significantly higher Attack stat means the actual damage dealt is much, much higher.
• The Minions (Post-Buff): This is where he shines.
  • 22% HP: With his massive health pool, these minions have 500-600+ HP. That is a substantial shield for the entire team.
  • 30% Attack: These minions hit hard.
• The Burn: 543 Burn damage over 3 turns. This is huge. Since he summons minions for everyone, multiple minions hitting different targets spreads this burn rapidly. It forces the enemy to bring a cleanser or melt.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Average.
  • Costume Bonus (5% Mana): This makes it much easier to hit the 9-tile breakpoint. You only need a Level 5 Mana Troop (or equivalent) to make him effectively Fast after the first charge (combined with family bonus).
• Burn Output: 543 damage per activation. Unlike standard DoT, this is applied by the minions. If 5 minions hit 5 different enemies, that's 2715 potential burn damage spread across the team every few turns.
• Minion Health: ~480 HP (Standard) / ~600 HP (LB2).

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Kingdom bonus gives Mana and Health on minion summon. With his Average speed, he fuels the rest of your Kingdom heroes, creating a perpetual motion machine of minions and mana.

Passives

The Game Changer:

• Unstoppable Minions: This is why you want him.
  • Cannot be Removed: Grimble? Useless. Topaz? Useless. Eloise? Useless.
  • Cannot be Prevented: Bera and Kvasir cannot stop him from summoning.
  • The only way to get rid of these minions is to damage them until they die. This guarantees his team gets the protection and the burn application.

Aether Power

• Attack Up: Boosts his attack by 20% for 6 turns. This scales his special skill damage and, crucially, his minion damage (since minion stats are based on the caster's current attack).

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Power Creep Analysis: The January 2025 buff (increasing minion HP from 15% to 22% and Burn from 441 to 543) was critical. Before that, he was "good but soft." Now, he is a meta-relevant threat. He stands tall against modern heroes because his minions offer guaranteed value that cannot be countered by standard dispel/removal mechanics.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Highly Viable. He is a fantastic flank or offensive support hero. The Unstoppable mechanic ensures he always provides value, regardless of the enemy's counter-picks.

Costume & Costume Bonus

Costume vs. Base: It's not even a contest. The Costume provides:

1. Unstoppable Minions (Base has normal removable ones).
2. +12% Minion HP (22% vs 10%).
3. +12% Minion Attack (30% vs 18%).
4. Double the Burn Damage.
5. Rogue Class (Dodge) vs Ranger (Bypass). The Dodge adds survivability, which is excellent for a minion summoner.

Costume Bonus:

• Attack/Defense/Health/Mana bonuses make him statistically relevant. The 5% Mana bonus is particularly juicy for breakpoints.

Emblem Path Analysis

The Warlord's Bulwark (Recommended)

• Path: Health > Defense > Attack
• Reason: Minion HP is based on his Max HP. The higher his health, the beefier the Unstoppable Minions. With 22% inheritance, every point of HP you give Sun Quan is huge value for the whole team.
• Pros: Massive minions, high survivability.

The Scorched Earth

• Path: Attack > Health > Defense
• Reason: Increases special skill damage and Minion Attack/Burn.
• Cons: Minions die slightly faster.

Final Recommendation

Go Health/Defense. The value of Unstoppable Minions lies in them staying alive to absorb damage and apply burn repeatedly. Make them as thick as possible.

Strengths

• Uncounterable Protection: Unstoppable Minions force the enemy to chew through HP; they can't just press a button to remove them.
• High Passive Damage: The burn damage is significant and re-applies constantly.
• Stat Stick: Excellent modern stats.
• Rogue Dodge: Frustrating to kill on defense.

Weaknesses

• Average Speed: He isn't "Rush" fast, though the mana bonus helps.
• Minion Dependence: If the enemy has raw damage output (e.g., heavy AoE hitters), they can clear the minions through brute force.
• Burn Immunity: Heroes immune to burn (e.g., Untold Tales 2 passives, Grazul) negate half his kit.

Best Game Modes

• War Defense: Unstoppable minions are a nightmare to deal with in timed battles.
• Bloody Battle: He is S-Tier here. Minions provide "healing" and apply DoT.
• PvP Raids: Excellent against teams that rely on minion removal (Grimble users will cry).

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The Unstoppable Wall: Sun Quan C + Diaochan C + Liu Bei C.
  • Strategy: All three kingdoms heroes with Unstoppable minions. The enemy simply cannot clear the board of meat shields.
• The Dot Stack: Sun Quan C + Tetisheri + Gestalt.
  • Strategy: Overwhelm the enemy with various DoTs (Burn, Poison, Sand) while hiding behind minions.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Hard Counters: Untold Tales 2 Heroes (immunity/heal from burn) completely shut down his offensive pressure. Cleansers (Rigard, etc.) remove the burn, but they have to keep firing constantly.
• Brute Force: High damage AoE heroes (like Relius or Sha Wujing) don't care if minions are "unstoppable"; they just kill them with damage.

Advice for New Players

This is a jackpot pull. Prioritize leveling the Costume immediately. The stats alone will carry you, and the minions will save your team in difficult quests.

Advice for Veterans

The January 2025 buff moved him from "meh" to "must-level." The increase to 22% Minion HP is a breakpoint that allows his minions to survive a standard slash attack. If you have Alpha Aethers, he is a worthy candidate for the Attack Up power to maximize his offensive pressure.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• Community Reaction (Pre-Buff): "Can’t believe this guy’s minions are that weak in HP... Should have been made fast like a fire version of Bera."
• The Turning Point: "Thoughts on the buff? ... Wu Soldier Minion Inherited HP increased: 15% -> 22%."
• Post-Buff: "It’s personal preference, but with the buff I think Sun Quan’s costume edges him out - I’d use him more often."
• The Debate: There is still debate about his match-up against newer heroes: "Regardless of the buff, he has a bad matchup against untold tales 2 heroes who are not only immune to burn, they heal from it."

Final Thoughts

Costumed Sun Quan is the redemption arc we wanted. He went from being the "weakest" Kingdom costume to a powerhouse of sustainability and damage. The combination of Unstoppable Minions with significantly buffed stats makes him a defensive stalwart and an offensive nuisance. He might not be the flashiest hero, but he wins wars of attrition.

Verdict: Excellent. A modern staple for Red decks and Minion teams.