Fungustine, The Rejuvenating Slime: Stealing Buffs and Sprouting Survival

Overview

Fungustine is a 5-star Nature (Green) hero from the Slime Family, first introduced during the Solstice Summon in June 2024. As a Paladin class hero, she was designed to be a sturdy anchor for any team, providing massive boosted health and a unique mechanic called "Sticky Surface" that directly counters the rampant Growth meta. While she arrived with a visually cute aesthetic, her kit is anything but harmless. She serves primarily as a defensive healer and a tactical counter to buff-heavy teams. In the fast-paced meta of late 2025, she stands as a veteran option who has seen buffs to keep her relevant, though she now faces stiff competition from the newer, faster stat-monsters.

Hero Art & Visuals

Fungustine's design leans heavily into the whimsical side of fantasy. She appears as a personified mushroom or slime creature, adorned with dewdrops and forest flora. The bright green palette screams "Nature," and her expression is disarmingly cheerful for someone who is about to steal every positive status effect your team worked hard to generate. It is a refreshing departure from the grimdark warriors often populating the roster, proving that you can kill enemies with kindness, or at least with very sticky sludge.

General Info

Hero not found.

Hero Stats

When looking at Fungustine's stats in the context of December 2025, the power creep is evident. With a base power of 1120 and stats hovering around 1081 Attack, 1209 Defense, and 1987 Health, she falls into the "average" category for modern legendary heroes. Newer heroes like Devyani (released Dec 2025) boast base stats that rival Fungustine's Limit Broken figures. However, because she is a healer and support hero, her raw stats are slightly less critical than they would be for a sniper. Her defense and health are still high enough to let her do her job, especially when bolstered by her Paladin class talent and defensive passives, but she is no longer the statistical titan she was upon release.

Special Skill: Revitalizing Sludge

Revitalizing Sludge is a loaded special skill that does a lot of heavy lifting for the team. First, the boosted health of 1250 is substantial. Even by modern standards, an overheal of this magnitude can completely reset a battle, undoing damage from multiple enemy snipers. Second, the "Sticky Surface" effect is her signature move. For 4 turns, any enemy that hits an ally with Sticky Surface (via normal attacks or special skills) risks having their buffs stolen. This includes the elusive "Growth" effects (like those from Goblins), which are typically hard to remove. This makes hitting a Fungustine team a tactical nightmare; you are essentially punished for attacking. Finally, the +30% defense and immunity to dispels/relocations wrap the team in a protective blanket. The dispel immunity is particularly valuable, ensuring that the defense buff and the sticky surface itself cannot be simply wiped away by a dispeller like Sabina or newer equivalents.

By the Numbers

Let us look at the mathematics behind the slime.

Mana Speed Analysis: At Average speed, she requires 10 tiles to charge. With a level 29 Magic/Styx troop or a level 30 Legendary troop, plus emblem nodes, you can shave this down to 9 tiles, making her functionally faster and much more reliable in raids.
Healing Output: 1250 boosted health is a fixed amount. In a standard 5-hero team, that is a total swing of 6250 HP for your side. This is independent of her attack stat, meaning attack debuffs do not cripple her healing capability.
Defense Buff: +30% defense is a moderate increase. It is not the +63% we see on some specialized tanks, but combined with the Paladin class (which offers its own defense boosts) and the high base health, it effectively increases the team's "Effective HP" significantly.
Passive Impact: The Mega Minion she spawns has 50% HP. If Fungustine has 2500 HP (a reasonable figure with troops and Limit Break 1), that Mega Minion has 1250 HP. That is essentially a second life bar for herself or her allies, forcing the enemy to deal nearly double her health pool in damage to actually kill her.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Slime family brings a very specific flavor of survivability that focuses on minions and punishing high-damage dealers.

Family Bonus

The family bonus boosts the Attack of all minions and fiends summoned by allies. While 10% to 20% might sound small, when you have Mega Minions hitting for substantial damage, this adds up. It turns her defensive minions into offensive threats over time.

Passives

These passives are arguably the strongest part of her kit. Slime Minion Split: If she takes damage exceeding 25% of her max health in a single hit (common from snipers), she instantly spawns a Mega Minion on herself. This disrupts sniper strategies completely. You might hit her hoping for a kill, only to find she has suddenly gained a massive meat shield, wasting your follow-up attacks. Slime Minion Upon Defeat: Even in death, she serves the team. Spawning Mega Minions for her neighbors means that killing the tank (Fungustine) makes the flanks significantly harder to kill. It is a win-win scenario for her; she protects the team while alive and buffers them when she dies.

Aether Power

The "Regen" Aether power is a classic survivability tool. It provides healing over time at the start of the battle. While not as flashy as "Revive" or "Rage," it helps her survive the opening turns to fire her special skill at least once, which is often all she needs to swing the match.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

Historical Context: Upon release in mid-2024, Fungustine was considered a top-tier "annoyance" tank. She was part of the wave of heroes designed to counter the Goblin "Growth" meta. Her ability to steal growth was unique and highly sought after. She initially received a buff to her healing (up to 1250) which solidified her position as a premier healer.
Power Creep Analysis: As we approach 2026, her stats are starting to show their age. The sheer damage output of new attackers means her 1250 health boost, while great, can be wiped out in a single turn. However, the mechanics of Sticky Surface and her Mega Minion passives remain unique and powerful. Damage numbers go up, but utility like stealing undispellable buffs tends to age better.
Modern Viability Verdict: She is still a very viable hero, particularly in War Defenses (Rush and Equalizer excluded) and as a counter-pick in Raids against buff-heavy teams. She has transitioned from a "must-have" to a "strong option." She is no longer the absolute wall she was, but ignoring her mechanics will still lead to a loss.

Costume & Costume Bonus

At the time of this writing, Fungustine does not have a costume. She relies entirely on her base form and the Slime family mechanics.

Emblem Path Analysis

As a Paladin, Fungustine benefits greatly from defensive nodes. Her primary role is to survive long enough to fire her heal and to keep her "Sticky Surface" active.

The Iron Mushroom (Defense/Health)

Path: Prioritize Defense nodes, then Health. Take the shield path wherever possible.
Pros: Maximizes the effectiveness of her Paladin talent (defense boost on damage). Makes her Mega Minions beefier (since they inherit HP). Increases the threshold for the 25% damage passive, making it slightly harder to trigger, but generally, you want her to survive hits, not mitigate them so much that the passive never triggers.
Cons: Lower tile damage for titans or offensive stacks.

The Final Recommendation

For almost every player, the Defense > Health path is the correct choice. Her job is not to deal damage; it is to stay alive, frustrate the enemy, and keep the team overhealed.

Strengths

Growth Counter: One of the few reliable ways to strip and steal Growth effects from enemies.
Sniper Deterrent: Her passive punishes high-damage single hits by spawning a massive Mega Minion.
Dispel Immunity: Once she fires, her buffs are locked in. You cannot dispel the defense up or the sticky surface.
Massive Overheal: 1250 HP boost is a significant buffer against damage.
Death Benefit: Even dying provides value to the team via Mega Minions for neighbors.

Weaknesses

Average Speed: In a Very Fast meta, she can sometimes be killed before she fires, despite her passives.
Passive Threshold: If enemies use Damage Over Time (DoT) or many small hits (like minion hits) rather than one big hit, her "Minion Split" passive will not trigger.
Buff Dependence: Sticky Surface requires the enemy to have buffs to steal. Against raw damage teams with no buffs, this part of her skill is less effective.
Tile Damage: Her attack stat is average, contributing less to tile damage in stacks.

Best Game Modes

War Defense: Excellent tank or flank. Her passives make her a pain to clear efficiently.
Rush Attack/Defense: At Very Fast speed, she becomes nearly broken. Constant overheal and buff stealing makes her team immortal.
PvE / Auto-Farming: The overheal keeps the team alive through almost any map stage or quest.
Buff Booster Tournaments: She provides buffs and steals enemy buffs, swinging the match heavily in your favor.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Fungustine shines when she can prolong the fight, allowing her theft and healing to wear down the opponent.

Sample Team Ideas

** The "Immortal" Defense:** Fungustine (Tank) flanked by heavy hitters who benefit from protection. For example, placing her between two glass cannons ensures that if she dies, they get Mega Minions to keep them alive long enough to fire.
The Anti-Goblin Raid Team: Use her alongside a cleanser (just in case) and three damage dealers. Bring her specifically against teams relying on Pepperflame or other Growth heroes. Timing her firing before the enemy fires allows you to steal their buffs immediately upon their attack.
The Minion Horde: Pair her with other minion summoners (like Waterpipe or newer summoners). The Slime family bonus will boost the attack of all these minions, turning the board into a swarm of high-damage biting pests.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

Counters: Heroes that block healing or steal healing are her nemesis. Also, heroes that prevent minion summoning (like Grimble or newer anti-minion specialists) negate her passives.
Anti-Synergy: Do not pair her with heroes that overwrite her defense buff with a weaker one, although at +30%, most modern buffers will overwrite hers with something better, which is fine. Avoid pairing with too many other passive healers; you need damage dealers to actually win the fight.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Fungustine early in your career, congratulations. She will carry you through the entire map and almost every quest. Prioritize leveling her immediately. Her overheal acts as a safety net for your under-leveled heroes. Do not worry too much about perfect team synergy yet; just putting her in the center of your defense will deter many attackers.

Advice for Veterans

She is a luxury tool for your toolbox. While you likely have faster healers, her specific niche of stealing Growth makes her invaluable against specific meta defenses. She is worth the Limit Break 1 for the stats, but consider carefully before using Alpha Aethers (LB2). Unless you plan to use her as your main war tank or in a top-tier Rush defense, those Alpha Aethers might be better spent on a modern damage dealer with higher base stats.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community's relationship with Fungustine has been a roller coaster.

On Release: Players called her "Disney kinda cute" but "game-breakingly strong." There were immediate calls for nerfs, with players fearing she was "in the same realm as Telluria."
The "Buff": Surprisingly, instead of a nerf, she received buffs post-release (Health boost increased to 1250), which shocked the community. "I honestly can't believe they buffed this card," one user lamented.
The Goblins: She is widely recognized as the "End of the Mega Minion Goblin population" due to her sticky fingers.
The Verdict: Many players view her as a "timeout win by default" hero when paired with other healers. She is respected, feared, and occasionally hated for making raid battles last 5 minutes longer than necessary.

Final Thoughts

Fungustine is a hero who proves that you do not need to look scary to be terrifying. She combines top-tier survivability with a unique disruption mechanic that ages like fine wine (or perhaps fine fungus). While her stats may not top the leaderboards in late 2025, her utility remains elite. She is the gum on the shoe of the enemy team—annoying, persistent, and incredibly difficult to get rid of.

Final Verdict: A fantastic defensive support hero who remains a staple for War depth and Rush formats. Definitely worth leveling and enjoying, just do not expect her to win battles quickly.