Costumed Francine: The Mobstress with the Cleanest Record

Overview

While the original Francine was a bit of a science experiment, Costumed Francine (The "Mobstress") is all business. Released a year later and significantly buffed since, this version transforms her from a niche cleanser into a powerhouse support hero. She swaps the Rogue class for Sorcerer, puts on a stunning black dress, and gains an ability that is arguably one of the most valuable in the game: an undispellable recurring cleanse.

This review focuses on the Costumed Version, which is the definitive way to play this hero.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Costumed Francine is a total vibe shift. She ditches the "Bride of Frankenstein" aesthetic for a 1920s flapper/mafia look. Holding a switchblade instead of scissors and radiating green electrical energy, she looks dangerous, elegant, and ready to cut a deal (or a throat). It's widely considered one of the best costume upgrades in terms of both art and utility.

General Info

Hero Stats

Unlike her base version, Costumed Francine's stats are respectable. With a base power of around 1140 (and significantly higher with Limit Breaks), she can stand toe-to-toe with many modern heroes. While she doesn't reach the absurd 1500+ base power of the absolute newest releases (like the Construct or Astral families), she is sturdy enough to survive in the current meta. Her health pool, in particular, gets a nice boost, allowing her to stay alive long enough to keep your team clean.

Special Skill: Electric Cut (Costume)

Analysis: This skill is a masterclass in utility.

1. Undispellable Cleanse: This is the crown jewel. For 3 turns, your team is cleansed at the end of every turn, and enemies cannot remove this buff. This hard-counters heroes like Khufu, Gravemaker, or any DoT heavy hitters. Even if they hit you again, you just shrug it off at the end of the turn.
2. Elemental Defense Down (Ice Only): This is a specific but powerful tool. She applies -54% Defense against Nature to Ice enemies only. This makes her a Blue Titan specialist. It's less useful in general raids unless you're stacking Green against a Blue tank, but in those scenarios, she shreds.
3. Damage: The 225% to 3 targets is still modest, but with her higher attack stats, it stings more than the base version.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Fast (8 tiles). With the costume bonus (+5% mana) and the Morlovia family bonus, she is very easy to tune.
  • Costume Bonus: +5% Mana.
  • Family Bonus: +5% to +12% Mana.
  • Total: With just one other family member, she sits at +11% Mana. A level 17 mana troop (or lower with emblems) makes her 7 tiles.
• Titan Damage: Against a Blue Titan, her -54% EDD is massive. While it affects only Blue enemies, that's all you care about on a Titan.
• Passives: The Steal Buff passive (65%) adds another layer of disruption.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Morlovia family bonus is excellent for mana speed. Running her with Alucard or Matilda makes the whole team significantly faster.

Passives

Steal Buff: As with the base version, this gives her a 65% chance to steal a dispellable buff. On the Sorcerer class, this pairs nicely with the Delay talent to disrupt enemies further.

Aether Power

Special Boost: This boosts her special skill damage. It's decent, helping her hit-3 damage feel a bit more impactful, though she is still primarily a support hero.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Costumed Francine was hailed as the "Evelyn alternative" for Blue Titans and a war machine cleanser.
• Power Creep Analysis: While her damage numbers have fallen behind, her utility has actually increased in value. As ailments become nastier (uncleansable ailments aside), having a recurring cleanse is vital. The fact that her cleanse buff is undispellable keeps her relevant when other buffers are getting dispelled left and right.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Highly Viable. She is a staple for Blue Titans and a top-tier War attacker against ailment-heavy defenses.

Costume & Costume Bonus

This section is usually a comparison, but here it's a coronation.

• Base vs. Costume: The Base version is dispellable and weak. The Costume is undispellable and strong.
• Costume Bonus: The stat boost from the costume bonus is what keeps her alive in 2026.
• Verdict: The Costume is the hero. The base version is just a skin you wear if you lose a bet.

Emblem Path Analysis

As a Sorcerer, she has a quirky talent grid.

The Sturdy Support

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Keeps her alive to maintain the cleanse loop. Maximizes her Titan survivability.
• Cons: Lowers her damage output and tile damage slightly.

The Titan Slayer

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes tile damage for Titans.
• Cons: She might be a bit squishy in high-level Wars.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Defense/Health path is safer for Wars. For Titan specialists, go Attack.

Strengths

• Undispellable Recurring Cleanse: One of the best defensive utility skills in the game.
• Blue Titan Specialist: The -54% EDD vs Ice is huge for high scores.
• Fast Speed: easy to charge in 7 tiles.
• Steal Buff Passive: Great utility.

Weaknesses

• Niche EDD: Her defense down only works on Ice enemies, making her less universal than Evelyn or Almur for general raiding.
• Modest Damage: She is not a kill-shot hero.
• Sorcerer Class: The Delay talent is generally weaker than Rogue's Evade (which the base had).

Best Game Modes

• Blue Titans: She is a must-have if you don't have a better EDD.
• War Offense: Specifically against DoT teams (e.g., against heroes like Jwala or other burners).
• Bloody Battle: Wait, no healing? She doesn't heal, she cleanses! She's great here to remove bleeds/poisons.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The Blue Titan Team: Francine C - Ratatoskr - Tarlak - Lianna - Hammertusk. Francine provides the specific EDD.
• The "Clean Slate" War Team: Francine C - Milena - Top Hitter. Francine keeps the team clean while Milena charges her massive hit.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Buff Blockers: If she is blocked from receiving buffs, she can't apply her cleanse.
• Dispellers: Wait, she's undispellable! Normal dispellers can't touch her cleanse. Only Buff Stealers or Buff Blockers are a threat before she fires.

Advice for New Players

If you have Costumed Francine, level her immediately. She will be your primary cleanser for a very long time. She is versatile enough for raids, map stages, and titans.

Advice for Veterans

She remains a key tool for your Blue Titan team. In Wars, she is an excellent counter-pick. While you might not LB2 her over a brand new 1500 power hero, she is definitely worth LB1 and full emblems.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• "Her real draw is the undispellable 3 turn cleanse." - A forum user who understood the assignment.
• "Y'all are getting too hung up on her elemental defense down... It's just a cherry on top." - Correctly identifying that her cleanse is the main course.
• "Is the undispellable nature of the cleanse, at Fast, OP?" - A valid question from 2021. The answer was "Yes, and it still is."

Final Thoughts

Costumed Francine is the kind of hero that ages like fine wine. Her damage numbers might fade, but "Undispellable Cleanse" is a phrase that never goes out of style. She is a specialized tool that does her job perfectly. Whether you're fighting a Blue Titan or a nasty DoT war defense, Francine is the professional you call to clean up the mess.

Verdict: Viable & Essential for Titans.