Gideon: The Faun Who Dares You To Dispel Him

Overview

Gideon is a 5-star Holy (Yellow) hero from the Woodland Faun family, released in December 2024 as part of the Wilderness Summon. Standing tall as a Paladin, he brings a unique twist to the support role. Unlike traditional healers who patch you up immediately, Gideon plays the long game. He’s a "trap" healer—setting up a defensive perimeter that punishes enemies for trying to remove it. If you like mind games and forcing your opponent into lose-lose situations, Gideon is your guy. If you prefer immediate gratification... well, he is Slow speed, so patience is part of the package.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Gideon cuts a striking figure with his glorious horns and confident stance. He looks less like a frolicking creature of the woods and more like a battle-hardened commander who just happened to grow antlers. The gold and teal color palette screams "Royal Paladin," fitting his defensive nature perfectly. He looks ready to block a truck with his face, which is exactly what you want from your tank.

General Info

Hero Stats

When Gideon debuted in late 2024, his stats were respectable. However, looking at him through the lens of early 2026, he is starting to show his age. With 1122 Attack and 1165 Defense, he sits significantly behind the current power curve established by the latest Tower and Astral heroes, who now routinely push 1300+ in base stats. His 2193 HP is still quite chunky, allowing him to absorb punishment, but don't expect him to stat-check modern monsters. He relies heavily on his Paladin class and defensive buffs to stay relevant.

Special Skill: Purifying Light

Purifying Light is a fascinating, multi-stage skill that requires a bit of a tactical breakdown:

1. The Safe Cleanse: First and foremost, he wipes the slate clean. This is a "Safe Cleanse," meaning it bypasses those nasty ailments that deal damage when removed (looking at you, certain S5 and newer heroes). It guarantees his subsequent buffs land on a clean team.
2. The Dodge Trap: This is the core mechanic. Every ally gets a 100% chance to dodge special skills. This isn't a percentage roll; it is guaranteed immunity to the next special skill hit.
3. The Payoff: The dodge effect lasts until it works once OR until it is removed/replaced. When that happens, the ally gets a massive 56% Heal and a +60% Defense buff.

Tactical Analysis: This skill creates a dilemma for the attacker. If they fire a damaging special, it gets dodged, and your team gets healed and buffed. If they try to dispel the dodge to avoid the miss... your team still gets healed and buffed because the effect was "removed." The only way to bypass this trap is to use "Never Miss" heroes (who ignore the dodge) or rely purely on tile damage. However, at Slow speed, getting this engine running is the hardest part.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Slow. In a fast-paced meta, this is his biggest liability. He needs 12 tiles to fire, making him vulnerable to being killed before he can set his trap.
• Healing Potential: 56% is massive. On a Limit Broken Gideon with ~2700 HP, that's a raw heal of ~1,512 HP. This effectively fully resets a hero's health bar if they survive to trigger it.
• Defense Buff: +60% Defense is one of the highest standard defense buffs in the game, making his team incredibly durable against tile damage for a whopping 6 turns.
• Passive Mana: He gains 5% mana every time he receives an ailment. If the enemy team is ailment-heavy, Gideon can effectively function at Average speed, punishing them for their own debuffs.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Woodland Faun family bonus is excellent for a tank. Innate resistance to mana reduction means water-damage heroes and mana cutters can't stop him from charging. The extra damage vs. Minions is a nice bonus, helping him contribute some offense even as a support hero.

Passives

Gideon is built to resist control:

• Resist Defense Reduction: He cannot get Defense Down. This is huge for a tank, as it forces enemies to chew through his raw defense stat without softening him up first.
• Resist Insanity: A niche but vital passive for "Insanity" wars or events, ensuring he doesn't turn against his own team.
• Mana on Ailment: As mentioned, this is his accelerator. It discourages the enemy from dumping DoTs or debuffs on him early.

Aether Power

Boosted Regen fits him well. Since he doesn't heal immediately upon firing, having a passive regeneration keeps him alive long enough to cast his spell.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Gideon was seen as a potential "Rush War" king and a tricky tank. His mechanic was compared to a slow, holy version of Meg Giry but with a dodge twist.
• Power Creep Analysis: While his mechanics are still unique, his stats have fallen behind the 2025/2026 elite. The sheer damage output of modern "Never Miss" snipers can often delete him before he fires.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Gideon is Situationally Viable.
  • In Rush Wars/Tournaments, he is still a monster. The slow speed penalty vanishes, and his high-percentage heal/def buff becomes oppressive.
  • In Standard PvP, he is too slow and too easily countered by the abundance of "Never Miss" heroes (Astral Elves, Owls) who completely bypass his dodge mechanic without triggering the heal immediately (or killing him through it).

Costume & Costume Bonus

At the time of writing, Gideon does not have a costume. This review focuses on his base form.

Emblem Path Analysis

Gideon is a tank and a survivor. His job is to live long enough to fire.

The Iron Wall (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his survivability and synergizes with his Paladin class and "Resist Defense Down" passive.
• Cons: His tile damage will be negligible.

The Balanced Bruiser

• Path: Health > Defense > Attack
• Pros: prioritizes raw HP to survive fixed damage and DoTs.
• Cons: Slightly less mitigation against direct physical hits.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Defense/Health path is the way to go. Gideon isn't there to kill; he's there to annoy, survive, and reset the board.

Strengths

• Dispel Trap: He turns the enemy's dispel attempts into a massive heal for your team.
• Immunities: Immune to Defense Down and Mana Control (Family bonus), making him very "sticky" as a tank.
• Massive Sustain: 56% Heal + 60% Defense is one of the strongest defensive swings in the game if triggered.
• Cleanse: Priority safe cleanse is always valuable.

Weaknesses

• Speed: Slow speed is a death sentence in many modern raids.
• "Never Miss" Counters: Heroes that bypass dodge (like Astral Elves/Owls) can hit him without triggering the dodge, leaving him vulnerable.
• Delayed Gratification: He offers no immediate healing when he fires (only the cleanse and dodge). If your team is at 1 HP, firing Gideon won't save them from a slash attack immediately.
• Outdated Stats: Low base defense by 2026 standards means he takes heavy tile damage.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack (Wars/Tournaments): This is his kingdom. At Very Fast speed, his special is devastatingly hard to play around.
• War Equalizer: His cleanse is less useful here, but his passive mana gain from ailments can help him fire before the cleanse tick.
• PvE / Map Stages: His high sustain and defense buff make him excellent for keeping the team alive through long, grinding boss fights.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Can't Touch This" Defense:
  • Ludwig - Gideon - Xandrella
  • Why: Ludwig (or another taunter) buys time for Gideon to charge. Once Gideon fires, the dodge protects the taunter.
• The Rush Nightmare:
  • Alfie - Gideon - Jwala
  • Why: In Rush wars, pairing him with heavy hitters and other annoying supports makes the team unkillable.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Astral Elves & Owls. Their "Never Miss" passives completely ignore his dodge. While this might eventually trigger the heal if the dodge is "bypassed" (mechanics vary by patch), they usually just kill you through it.
• Anti-Synergy: Other Dodgers. Don't pair him with other dodge heroes (like Costumed Kadilen). They will overwrite each other's dodge buffs, potentially triggering his heal prematurely or wasting a turn of immunity.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Gideon and you lack a strong 5-star healer, he is worth leveling, but he shouldn't be your first project if you need a general-purpose healer. He requires specific timing to use effectively. He is a great anchor for your Rush War defense.

Advice for Veterans

Gideon is a luxury hero for your Rush War depth. Unless you are specifically bolstering your Very Fast war teams, he is likely to sit on the bench in favor of faster, more modern supports. Do not use Alpha Aethers on him unless you are using him as your primary tank.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community reaction to Gideon was mixed, focusing heavily on his speed.

• "He is basically Meg Giry at slow speed... but the safe cleanse is nice." - This comparison highlights his role as a "tanky healer."
• "100% Dodge vs 100% never miss; which one will win? Loop in to confirm that those who never misses, wins." - A crucial confirmation that his main gimmick has a hard counter.
• "I maxed him and I regret it. He isn't very good... especially since we are currently overrun with heroes who can't miss." - A common sentiment among high-level players facing the Astral meta.

Final Thoughts

Gideon is a hero who suffers from being "fair" in an "unfair" game. His mechanics are clever—the trap heal is a cool concept—but locking it behind Slow mana and a conditional trigger makes him inconsistent. In the chaotic, high-speed environment of modern Empires & Puzzles, he often dies with his mana bar full, or fires his skill only for a "Never Miss" sniper to ignore it entirely.

However, in Rush Wars, he transforms into the annoying, unkillable faun he was born to be. If you respect his niche, he’ll serve you well. If you try to force him into everyday raiding, you might find yourself dodging wins.

Final Verdict: A Rush War specialist who struggles to keep up with the speed of the modern world. Keep him for the 5-star tournaments, but don't build your main defense around him.