Jade, The Ninja of Dancing Stars: Can She Dodge the Bench?

Overview

Jade is a 5-star Nature (Green) hero from the Ninja family, originally released during the early days of the Ninja Tower event in 2020. As a Monk, she has the innate ability to resist status ailments, which pairs well with her role as a slippery, evasive support hero. Unlike the straightforward damage dealers of her family (looking at you, Cobalt and Onyx), Jade plays a more tactical game of mana control and dodge. However, for a long time, she was widely considered the "booby prize" of the Ninja portal—a reputation she has struggled to shake despite balance updates. This review focuses on her base version.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Jade's design is classic ninja chic. Clad in emerald green with dynamic, flowing ribbons (or perhaps whips?), she strikes a pose that suggests she's mid-dance or mid-strike. The "Dancing Stars" moniker fits her visual theme perfectly, emphasizing agility and grace over brute force. It's a sharp, clean design that stands out against the bulkier, armored warriors of the game, though her mask does a great job of hiding any shame she might feel about her attack stat.

General Info

Hero Stats

Base Stats (No Emblems)

Level	Attack	Defense	Health	💪Power
4/80	692	819	1446	798
4/85lb1	745	883	1558	851
4/90lb2	853	1010	1783	955

▶Calculate with Emblems

Simulation: 0 Emblems

Level				💪
4/80	692	819	1446	798
4/85lb1	745	883	1558	851
4/90lb2	853	1010	1783	955

Let's address the elephant in the dojo: Jade's stats are severely outdated. With a base Power of 798, she is roughly 450+ points behind the modern "Construct" or "Astral" heroes who are pushing 1260+ Power.

• Attack (692): This is incredibly low by today's standards, where supports often have 1000+ attack. It means her damage output, even after the buff added damage to her skill, is negligible.
• Defense (819) & Health (1446): Back in 2020, these were tank-level stats. In 2026, they are paper-thin. A modern sniper can easily one-shot her through these stats without a second limit break.

Special Skill: Shared Visage

Special Skill

Shared Visage

Mana Speed

Charge

• 1x Mana Charge
• * Deals 115% damage to all enemies.
• * Reduces the mana of all enemies by 10%.
• * The caster gets +25% chance to dodge Special Skills that deal damage for 3 turns.
• 2x Mana Charge
• * Deals 210% damage to all enemies.
• * Reduces the mana of all enemies by 15%.
• * The caster and nearby allies get +50% chance to dodge Special Skills that deal damage for 4 turns.
• 3x Mana Charge
• * Deals 300% damage to all enemies.
• * Reduces the mana of all enemies by 25%.
• * All allies get +75% chance to dodge Special Skills that deal damage for 5 turns.

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

Charge 1

4.9Base Tiles

23% Bonus

4Tiles

Charge 2

9.8Base Tiles

9% Bonus

9Tiles

Charge 3

14.7Base Tiles

6% Bonus

14Tiles

Jade's special skill, "Shared Visage," operates on the Ninja Charge mechanic, offering three levels of intensity. Originally, this skill dealt zero damage, making her a purely passive support. A balance update added a damage component, but let's break down the utility:

• 1x Charge (5 Tiles): A 10% mana cut to all enemies and a 25% dodge chance for just the caster. The mana cut is barely noticeable (often regained by the enemy in a single turn), and the self-dodge is selfish and unreliable.
• 2x Charge (10 Tiles): A 15% mana cut and 50% dodge for the caster and nearby allies. This is the "sweet spot" for many ninjas, but for Jade, protecting only three heroes with a coin-flip dodge is often insufficient.
• 3x Charge (15 Tiles): A 25% mana cut and 75% dodge for all allies. This is undeniably powerful. A 75% dodge chance is massive, and cutting 25% mana can completely reset an enemy's timing. However, getting 15 tiles with a fragile hero in the current fast-paced meta is a Herculean task.

The damage component (115% / 210% / 300%) is largely decorative due to her abysmal attack stat. It might pop a minion, but it won't kill a hero.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Charge.
  • x1: ~5 tiles. Very Fast.
  • x2: ~10 tiles. Average.
  • x3: ~15 tiles. Slow.
• Damage Calculation:
  • With 692 Attack, a 300% hit (x3 charge) deals roughly 2076 "raw damage points" before defense reduction. For context, modern heroes with 1300 attack doing 300% deal 3900 points. Jade hits like a wet noodle.
• Mana Cut Impact:
  • 10% cut: On a Fast hero (8 tiles), this removes less than 1 tile of mana.
  • 25% cut: On a Fast hero, this removes 2 full tiles. This is significant but requires the x3 charge.
• Dodge Value:
  • 75% Dodge: Statistically, 3 out of 4 damaging specials will miss. This is her only true claim to fame.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Ninja family was one of the first to introduce complex family bonuses, and it remains one of the best for survival.

Family Bonus

Family Bonus

Tower - Ninjas

• Bonus for 1/2/3 Unique Heroes:
• 5%/10%/15% chance to dodge normal attacks and Special Skills
• 5%/10%/15% chance to counterattack with 60%/90%/120% of the damage received.

The Ninja Family bonus provides a chance to dodge incoming damage and counterattack.

• Dodge: 5%/10% chance to dodge normal attacks and specials.
• Counterattack: 5%/10% chance to counter with 60%/90% damage. While the percentages are low, they stack with her special skill's dodge (though they are separate checks), adding another layer of RNG frustration for the attacker.

Passives

Jade does not possess modern passives like "Start battle with mana" or "Resist ailments." She relies entirely on her class and family bonus.

Aether Power

Aether Power

Regen

At the start of each battle, this Hero regenerates 420 health over 6 turns.

In battles with multiple waves, the effect is refreshed at the beginning of each wave.

Regen: At the start of battle, this hero regenerates a moderate amount of health for 6 turns. This is a decent survival tool for a hero who desperately needs to stay alive to reach her 2x or 3x charge. It helps mitigate her aging defense stats in the opening turns.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Jade was widely panned. In an era dominated by Telluria and Vela, a green hero who didn't deal damage or heal was a hard sell. She was the "Mica" of the green element—great in theory, poor in practice.
• Power Creep Analysis: Time has been cruel. Her mana cut, once a unique disruption, is now done better by heroes like Ruby (who cuts significantly more and deals massive damage) or Waterpipe (who cuts mana constantly via minions). Her dodge is outclassed by Costume Kadilen (Fast speed, dodge + minions) and newer dodge heroes who offer boosts to health or mana upon dodging.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Bench. Jade is simply too slow to set up her meaningful 3x charge, and too low-impact at her 1x charge. In a world where battles are decided in 3-4 turns, waiting for 15 tiles to cast a protective buff is a death sentence. She has niche use in Rush Attack wars where her charge mechanics behave differently (allowing easier access to high charges), but even there, better options exist.

Costume & Costume Bonus

This review focuses on the base Jade. While she does not currently have a costume released in this context, should one arrive, it would need to drastically overhaul her stats and perhaps change her x1 charge to be team-wide to make her competitive. Note: As of the current data, we are reviewing the base version.

Emblem Path Analysis

Jade is a support hero whose only job is to survive long enough to cast Dodge.

The Survivor (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes her 819 defense and 1446 health, giving her a fighting chance against modern snipers.
• Cons: Her attack stat becomes even more irrelevant, but let's be honest, you aren't bringing her for damage.

The "I Want Damage" (Not Recommended)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Might make her 300% hit sting a little bit more.
• Cons: She will die before she charges.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Defense/Health path is mandatory. She is a meat shield that occasionally throws sand in the enemy's eyes.

Strengths

• High Dodge Chance (x3): 75% dodge is one of the highest in the game. If you can fire this, your team becomes nearly invincible against special skills for 5 turns.
• Mana Control: Cutting mana can disrupt precise timing on defense teams.
• Ninja Family: Still a strong family bonus when paired with better ninjas.

Weaknesses

• Abysmal Stats: Her base stats are from a different geological era of the game.
• Slow to Scale: Her x1 charge is virtually useless for team protection.
• No Protection vs Dispel: Her dodge only works on damaging specials. Dispeilers who don't deal damage (like Sabina) or dispel-first heroes strip her naked.
• Outdated Skills: Newer heroes do everything she does, but faster and with damage.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack Wars: The only place where charge heroes can sometimes shine by bypassing the tile requirement, though the mechanics of Charge vs Very Fast rules can be tricky.
• Tower Events: Her mana cut can be useful for controlling bosses on higher tower floors where survival is key, and you can manipulate the board.
• Soul Exchange: Ironically, her best "mode" might be as currency for a better hero.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

If you must use Jade, hide her.

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Can't Touch This" Team:
  • Jade - Hanitra - Costume Kadilen - Mica - Inari
  • Explanation: A meme team focused entirely on dodge. It's annoying, but probably lacks the damage to actually kill anyone.
• Ninja Family Stack:
  • Jade - Cobalt - Onyx - Garnet - Ruby
  • Explanation: You use Jade purely for the family bonus to boost the dodge/counter chance for your actual threats (Cobalt/Ruby).

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Dispellers: Anyone who wipes buffs removes her only contribution.
• Sure Shot Heroes: Heroes that "never miss" (like newer Astral heroes) ignore her dodge completely.
• Minion/Fiend Summoners: Jade does nothing to stop minion damage or effects.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Jade as your first 5-star, do not feed her away, but proceed with caution. Level her to 3/70 and see if her playstyle fits you. She can be a serviceable tank in lower arenas solely because new players may not know how to handle dodge. However, do not spend precious Tonics on her unless you have absolutely no other green 5-star options.

Advice for Veterans

She is 10/15/20 souls for the Soul Exchange. Unless you are a collector or have a specific nostalgic attachment, she is not worth the Alpha Aethers or Master Emblems. The return on investment is non-existent compared to modern heroes.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community has never been kind to Jade, and for good reason.

• "She is the Salmon Loki of the ninja portal." - A common sentiment comparing her to the game's most notorious joke hero.
• "Beautiful trash can." - A player appreciating the art while lamenting the skills.
• "Even after the buff... she's barely usable." - The consensus following her balance update.
• "I pulled 4 Jades and 3 Micas... SG is sticking their middle finger at me." - The pain of RNG in the Ninja portal is real.

Final Thoughts

Jade is a tragedy of game design. She has a beautiful model, a cool concept (the dodging ninja), but execution that was too cautious on release and too slow to be fixed. While she can technically win you a match if she fires her x3 charge, the stars have to align perfectly for that to happen. In the modern era of Empires & Puzzles, she is less of a ninja and more of a spectator.

Verdict: If she's your only green 5-star, use her. If you have almost anyone else, let her dance on the bench.