Hreidmarr, The Dwarven Mountain King: Mana Thief and Buff Bandit

Overview

Hreidmarr is a Legendary Dark hero hailing from the frozen and fiery depths of the Untold Tales 2 (Nidavellir) family. Released in early 2025, he represents the heavy hitting, slow moving archetype that terrifies players in Rush Wars and tests the patience of tile movers everywhere. As a Wizard, he has the innate ability to deal extra damage to buffed enemies, which pairs perfectly with his kit designed to punish teams that rely on status effects. He is essentially a greedy dwarven king who decides that your mana and your buffs are actually his property.

Hero Art & Visuals

Hreidmarr's design screams "opulence meets occult." He is adorned in heavy, jeweled dwarven regalia with a deep purple and gold color palette that signifies his royal status and Dark element. His expression is one of cunning satisfaction, likely contemplating the taxes he is about to levy on your health bar. The "Molten Core" theme of the family is subtle but present, suggesting a burning power beneath the heavy robes. It is a solid design that communicates his role as a sturdy, high value target on the battlefield.

General Info

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Hero Stats

Hreidmarr enters the arena with stats that, while impressive upon his release in early 2025, are beginning to show slight signs of age by late 2025 standards. With a base power of 1180, he sits comfortably in the upper echelon of modern heroes but trails behind the absolute bleeding edge (like Devyani's 1233 power).

His stat distribution is incredibly well balanced. With over 2200 HP and nearly 1200 Defense, he is built to take a beating, which is requisite for a Slow mana hero. His Attack stat is no slouch either, ensuring his special skill hits with the weight of a mountain. In the current meta, he is still statistically competitive and robust enough to serve as a tank or flank without melting under tile damage.

Special Skill: Dwarven King’s Levy

Hreidmarr's special skill is a masterclass in total battlefield control wrapped in a damage dealing package. It does three distinct, devastating things:

Firestorm Strike: It deals up to 2100 damage to all enemies. This is a "Firestorm" mechanic, meaning the damage scales. It also deals 40% extra damage against Nature enemies and never misses. This "never miss" clause is crucial against the dodge heavy meta or blind inducers.
Global Mana Steal: He steals generated mana from all enemies over 5 turns. This scales up each turn (likely 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%). This is a massive upgrade over older single target mana stealers like Onatel. Shutting down the mana generation of the entire enemy team is often a checkmate move.
Buff Redistribution: At the end of every turn for 5 turns, he steals the latest dispellable buff from all enemies and gives it to a random ally. This turns the enemy's strength into your own and acts as a continuous dispel.

By the Numbers

Mana Speed: Slow. He requires 12 tiles to charge. With a level 29 Magic/Styx troop or level 30 Legendary troop, you can shave this down, but he will generally remain a slow hero outside of Rush Attack formats.
Damage Potential: The skill states "up to 2100 damage." Assuming a standard distribution against a team with average defense, and factoring in the Molten Core passive, Hreidmarr can easily output 4000 to 5000+ total damage across the enemy team in a single cast.
Mana Efficiency: The mana steal is the hidden killer. By turn 5, enemies are generating zero mana for themselves and feeding it all to Hreidmarr. This often allows him to recharge his Slow skill much faster for a second cast, creating an infinite loop of despair for the opponent.
Passive Damage: The Molten Core passive adds Corrosive Burn. While the base numbers might look small, when applied to 5 enemies over 3 turns combined with Defense Down, it adds significant attrition.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Nidavellir family and passives are designed to make Hreidmarr a prickly pear to attack.

Family Bonus

The Nidavellir bonus provides a stat boost based on the number of unique family members. While nice, Hreidmarr is strong enough to stand alone and does not strictly require a family team to function.

Passives

Empowered Resist Burn: This is highly specific but incredibly punishing against Fire metas or Burn heavy teams. Resisting a burn not only prevents damage but heals him for 450 boosted health and grants 5% mana. This makes him a hard counter to many Red DoT heroes.
Molten Core: Upon casting, he applies Corrosive Burn to all enemies. This deals burn damage and lowers defense by -12% per turn. This defense down synergizes perfectly with his "Hit All" special or follow up attacks from allies.

Aether Power

Counterattack: This is a solid defensive Aether Power. Since Hreidmarr is likely to be a target for tiles and specials due to his threat level, reflecting damage helps wear down the attacker. It is not as game changing as "Revive" or "Defense Up," but it adds to his tankiness.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

Historical Context: Upon release, Hreidmarr was compared to a "Fergus on steroids" or a more aggressive version of Mooncure. He was immediately identified as a Rush War monster and a formidable tank.
Power Creep Analysis: Ten months post release, his raw damage cap of 2100 is still threatening, though newer heroes might hit harder or faster. However, the utility of stealing buffs and mana from the entire team is a mechanic that ages very well. It is a functional disruption that stats alone cannot replicate.
Modern Viability Verdict: Hreidmarr remains a top tier threat in Very Fast wars and tournaments. In standard speed play, he is viable but requires support to ensure he fires. He has not been relegated to the bench; he is a premium tool for specific control strategies.

Emblem Path Analysis

Hreidmarr needs to survive to cast. Once he casts, he controls the game. Therefore, his emblem path should prioritize keeping him upright.

The Iron Wall (The Defender)

Path: Defense > Health > Attack
Pros: Maximizes his survivability, allowing him to absorb more tile damage and sniper hits. This is crucial if using him as a Tank.
Cons: His "Firestorm Strike" deals damage based on his attack power (implied by the mechanic), so lower attack might reduce his burst potential slightly.

The Molten Hammer (The Punisher)

Path: Attack > Defense > Health
Pros: Increases the damage of his special skill and the burn damage from his passive.
Cons: Makes him squishier, risking death before he can charge his 12 tiles.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Iron Wall (Defense/Health) path is recommended. His utility (mana/buff steal) is his primary asset, and dead heroes steal no mana.

Strengths

Total Control: Steals mana and buffs from all enemies, not just one or three.
Anti-Evasion: Special skill never misses, bypassing Dodge and Blind.
Attrition: massive DoT potential via passives and mana strangulation.
Sustainability: Can heal himself via passive if facing burn heavy teams.

Weaknesses

Speed: Slow mana is his Achilles' heel. He is vulnerable to mana control or being killed before firing in standard speed matches.
Cleanse Vulnerability: While the mana steal is undispellable (mostly), the burn and other effects can be managed if the opponent is prepared.
Passive Dependence: His survivability boost relies on the enemy using Burn; otherwise, he is just a big stat stick until he fires.

Best Game Modes

Rush Attack (Wars/Tournaments): He is an S+ tier god here. Firing this skill at Very Fast speed is almost an instant win condition.
PvE / Map Stages: Excellent for boss waves where you need to control the enemy's mana generation.
War Defense (Tank): A formidable tank, especially in setups that punish passive play.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Hreidmarr thrives when he is bought time to fire.

Sample Team Ideas

The Purple Wall: Phorcys - Hreidmarr - Ludwig. Two taunters protecting Hreidmarr (or mana boosting him) ensures he fires. Once he fires, the enemy has no mana to break the taunts.
The Slow Death: Mother North - Hreidmarr - Khufu. A Rush war classic. Revivers keep him alive; he sets the table; Khufu cleans up the scraps.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

Mana Controllers: Heroes like Hel, Proteus, or Silence heroes can shut him down before he ever gets started.
Taunt: While he hits all, a Taunt hero can sometimes absorb the brunt of the "Buff Steal" if the timing is right (though he hits all, so he steals from all... actually Taunt is less effective against him than most).
Gargoyles: Stoneskin can mitigate his initial hit significantly.

Advice for New Players

If you are lucky enough to pull Hreidmarr early, he will carry you through almost all map stages. His mana steal shuts down bosses completely. Focus on keeping him alive with healers. Do not worry about his slow speed in the early game; his impact is worth the wait.

Advice for Veterans

Hreidmarr is a luxury tool for your Rush roster and a viable tank option. He is worth Limit Breaking (LB1) for the stats. LB2 is a harder sell unless you use him in your primary defense team, as the Counterattack aether power is good but not top tier. If you have newer, faster heroes for offense, he might stay on your Rush bench, but he is a VIP on that bench.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community reaction to Hreidmarr was a mix of awe and dread.

"Fergus on steroids" was a common sentiment, highlighting his similarity to the beefy mana controller but with more aggression.
Players noted he is a "Nightmare" to face, particularly when placed in the Tank position.
One player remarked, "All of this power!! He is a nightmare," summarizing the general feeling of facing a hero who steals everything you generate.
There was debate about his emblem path, with many favoring Attack to maximize the "Firestorm" damage, though Defense remains the pragmatic choice for a Slow hero.

Final Thoughts

Hreidmarr is the definition of a "boss monster" hero. He sits there, menacingly, daring you to dump tiles into him. If you fail to kill him before he charges, he flips the board, taking your mana, your buffs, and a chunk of your health. While the speed of the game continues to accelerate, the sheer weight of his utility ensures he remains a relevant and terrifying force, especially when the ruleset allows him to speed up. He is a greedy king, and he demands his tithe.

Note: This review is based on the base version of Hreidmarr as no costume was specified or available at the time of writing.