Gongniu: The Zen Master of "Wait for It... Wait for It..."

Overview

Gongniu arrived with the Lunar New Year 2024 celebration, representing the Year of the Ox (despite arriving in the Year of the Dragon, Empires & Puzzles time is wibbly-wobbly). He is a Slow mana Holy Cleric designed to be a bastion of team survivability. Unlike the instant gratification of modern heroes who blast enemies into the next dimension upon firing, Gongniu asks you to invest in a 3-turn bond of trust. He promises great rewards—healing and mana—but only if you can survive long enough to cash the check.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Gongniu is a majestic, anthropomorphic ox dressed in traditional festive robes, pouring a magical elixir from a gourd. The art style is vibrant and respectful of the source material, capturing a sense of calm authority. He looks like the kind of guy who would give you really good life advice while crushing a goblin with one hand. It's a refreshing change from the "angry guy with big sword" aesthetic.

General Info

Hero Stats

When Gongniu was released in early 2024, his stats were considered quite tanky, boasting over 1000 Defense and 1800 Health. However, looking at him through the lens of the current meta (where new heroes are pushing 1300+ Defense and 2200+ Health), he has fallen behind significantly.

• Attack: 875 (Low by modern standards)
• Defense: 1042 (Average/Low compared to new tanks)
• Health: 1864 (Low compared to the 2200+ norm)

While not "paper thin," he relies heavily on his defensive buff to survive against modern snipers who can easily hit for 1000+ damage.

Special Skill: Rejuvenating Elixir

Gongniu's special skill is a unique "delayed gratification" mechanic. Let's break down the three components:

1. Immediate Defense Buff: +54% Defense is substantial. The fact that it increases by +5% every time an ally is hit (up to a likely cap, usually +64% or higher) makes your team incredibly sturdy against tile damage and multi-hitters. This is the only "instant" part of his skill.
2. Delayed Healing: He promises 1000 HP after 3 turns. If the buff is removed (dispelled or cleansed) or replaced (overwritten by another buff), it triggers early for a massive 1400 HP heal. This is a brilliant counter-play to dispellers. If enemies try to strip your buffs, you get healed more.
3. Delayed Mana Boost: Similar to the heal, you get 25% Mana after 3 turns. If removed/replaced, it jumps to 35%. Crucially, this effect cannot be replaced with itself. This prevents infinite mana loops if you fire Gongniu twice in quick succession.

Analysis: The skill is a gamble. In a fast-paced raid, 3 turns is an eternity. However, the "trap" mechanic (triggering stronger effects on removal) forces the opponent into a difficult decision: suffer through the high defense, or dispel it and fully heal your team.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Slow (12 tiles). With a Lv. 29 Magic/Styx troop or Lv. 30 Legendary troop, you can shave this down, but he will rarely be "fast."
• Healing Potential: 1000 HP is roughly 40-50% of a modern hero's health pool. 1400 HP is nearly a full heal for many heroes. This is one of the strongest raw heals in the game, balanced by the delay.
• Mana Generation: 35% mana is roughly 3.5 to 4 tiles worth of mana. That is a massive swing that can instantly charge Average or Fast heroes from empty to full if they had some charge already.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Zodiac family (Lunar New Year) is somewhat disjointed, but Gongniu brings some specific utility.

Family Bonus

The bonus depends on which other Lunar heroes are present. It's a nice cherry on top but rarely a strategy to build around given the rarity of these heroes.

Passives

This is the main event.

1. Disable Minion Abilities: This passive is arguably more valuable than his special skill. It completely shuts down the special effects of enemy minions.
   • Waterpipe's minions won't steal mana.
   • Miriam & Midnight's minions won't heal.
   • M&M or Lady of the Lake become significantly less threatening.
   • Note: It does not remove the minions or stop them from acting as meat shields, but it neuters their utility.
2. Health Recovery on Ailment: Recovering 10% health when receiving an ailment is fantastic for a tank. It gives him passive sustainability against DoT heavy teams.

Aether Power

Boosted Regen: At the start of battle, regenerates boosted health for 6 turns. This helps offset his Slow speed, keeping him alive long enough to fire his first cast.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Gongniu was seen as a "Rush War specialist" and a niche counter to the minion meta. He wasn't the flashy damage dealer everyone wanted (like his portal-mate Qinglong), but smart players recognized the value of his passive.
• Power Creep Analysis: His stats have aged poorly. A 5-star hero with sub-900 Attack and barely 1000 Defense struggles to stand on the front lines against 2025/2026 monsters. His healing numbers (1000/1400) are fixed, meaning they don't scale with stats, but they remain high enough to be relevant.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Niche but Necessary. Gongniu is not a hero you take into every raid. However, in Rush Attack wars/tournaments, he is still S-Tier. His passive also keeps him relevant as a hard counter to minion-heavy defenses, even if you just hide him in the wing to keep the passive active.

Emblem Path Analysis

You are using Gongniu to survive and cast his spell. He deals zero damage with his skill. Do not give him Attack nodes.

The "Wall of China" Build (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his survivability. Every point of Defense makes his +54% buff more effective.
• Cons: His tile damage will be negligible.

Final Recommendation

Go full Defense/Health. He is a Cleric, so his Manashield talent (chance to resist mana effects) pairs beautifully with his role as a cleanser/healer. Keeping him mana-active is priority number one.

Strengths

• Minion Nullification: Just bringing him makes Waterpipe and other minion pests significantly less annoying.
• Dispel Punishment: Punishes enemies for dispelling your buffs by instantly healing and granting mana.
• Rush Attack King: In Very Fast modes, the 3-turn delay matters less because he charges so quickly, and the mana boost helps cycle your other slow heroes.
• High Defense Buff: +54% is a massive mitigation tool.

Weaknesses

• Slow Speed: Outside of Rush modes, 12 tiles is a lot to ask for a hero that doesn't do anything immediately (except buff defense).
• Delayed Effect: If he fires and then your team gets wiped out on the next turn, his healing does nothing.
• Buff Blockers: If he gets hit by Buff Block (e.g., from Hippo or generic blockers), he does literally nothing. His skill is 100% buff-based.
• Outdated Stats: He is squishy compared to modern heroes.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack Wars/Tournaments: This is his home. He is an absolute monster here.
• Minion Wars: His passive shines here.
• PvE / Map Stages: The high defense and massive healing make auto-farming safer.
• Anti-Minion Raiding: Bringing him specifically to counter minion-heavy teams.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

The "Trap & Heal" Defense

• Team: Gongniu (Tank/Flank) + Cleanse/Dispel Punisher (e.g., Costumed Snow White)
• Concept: Gongniu buffs the team. If the enemy dispels, you get healed. If they don't, you have +54% defense. Pair him with heroes like Costumed Snow White who removes buffs from allies to deal damage. Snow White will remove Gongniu's buffs, triggering the 1400 Heal and 35% Mana boost instantly for the whole team. It's a devastating combo.

The "Immortal Rush" Team

• Team: Mother North - Gongniu - Khufu - Alfrike - Alberich
• Concept: A classic Rush defense. Gongniu keeps the revivers alive with defense buffs. If he fires, the mana boost helps Alfrike and Khufu fire again.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Buff Blockers: Heroes who prevent buffs (e.g., Mist, Onyx) render Gongniu useless.
• Buff Stealers: While stealing counts as "removing" (triggering the heal), the enemy still gets your defense buff.
• Grimsteel/Gestalt: Modern heavy hitters might just kill him through the defense buff before the heal triggers.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Gongniu early, he is a fantastic safety net. He will keep your team alive through difficult map stages and quests. Level him up, but be aware that he might feel "slow" in raids until you get better troops.

Advice for Veterans

Gongniu is a situational tool. Don't strip him of emblems if you play Rush wars competitively. However, don't prioritize Limit Breaking him (LB2) unless you specifically need him for your top war defense. His stats are his biggest weakness, so if you use him, you must protect him.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

When released, the community was torn.

• Some players called him a "Future headache on all defenses," predicting the annoyance of his defense buff.
• Others were skeptical of the mechanics: "He’s slow to charge, then you have to wait three more turns... Not too useful IMO."
• The comparison to Tremor was frequent, with players testing if the heal triggered on death (it generally doesn't, making timing critical).
• The consensus settled on him being a "Rush War specialist" and a "Passive Merchant"—carried largely by his ability to shut down minions.

Final Thoughts

Gongniu is the definition of a "specialist." In the wild west of modern Empires & Puzzles, bringing a slow hero with delayed skills to a gunfight seems crazy. But when the conditions are right—specifically in Rush Attack or against minion hordes—this Ox is strong as, well, an ox. He isn't flashy, he isn't fast, but he is one of the few heroes who can turn an enemy's dispel into your advantage.

Value Grade: B+ (S in Rush) Costume Grade: N/A (No costume yet)

Bottom Line: Keep him for Rush wars and Minion counters, but don't expect him to be your daily driver in the current speed meta.