Jolyon, The Thoughtful Faun: Dodging Reality (and Damage) One Brushstroke at a Time

Overview

Jolyon is a 5-Star Legendary Ice hero from the Woodland Faun family, released in May 2025. He arrives as a curious support hero who tries to blend two distinct mechanics—dodging and minion summoning—into a single, slightly over-complicated package. With his painter's apron and satchel of brushes, he looks ready to paint a happy little tree over your enemies' graves, or perhaps just dodge their insults. While not a pure powerhouse, his unique "dodge once, then minion" mechanic offers a specific kind of protection that can be frustrating to deal with if not timed correctly.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Jolyon brings a refreshing, non-combatant aesthetic to the game. He’s depicted as a "Thoughtful Faun Tinkerer," complete with Ram horns, a blue painter's outfit, and floating wooden dolls that look suspiciously like voodoo effigies. The art style is vibrant and leans into the whimsical side of the Woodland Faun family. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual armored warriors screaming at the sky, though the floating dolls add a layer of "haunted toyshop" energy that you may or may not find comforting.

General Info

Hero Stats

Stat Analysis: Jolyon's stats reflect his release timing in mid-2025. With a base Power of 1182, he is sitting noticeably behind the late-2025 power creep curve, where new heroes are pushing 1260-1280 Power.

• Attack (1137): This is quite low by modern standards (top strikers are 1300+). However, as a support hero, his job isn't to deal damage, so this is forgivable.
• Defense (1223) & Health (2263): His bulk is decent. His HP is actually still very competitive, rivaling even the newest heroes who sit around the 2260 mark. This high health pool is critical for his minions, as they inherit 30% of his HP.

Special Skill: Charm of Protection

Skill Analysis: Jolyon’s skill, Charm of Protection, is a two-stage defensive maneuver:

1. The Dodge: First, he grants a massive +75% chance to dodge damaging Special Skills. This is significantly higher than the standard ~50% dodge seen on older heroes like Kadilen (Costume). However, there's a catch: it lasts until the ally successfully dodges once. This makes it excellent for avoiding one big hit (like a sniper or a slow hit-all), but less effective against rapid-fire teams.
2. The Minion: Once the dodge is "used up" (or removed/replaced), the ally gets a Wooden Doll Minion.
3. The Immunity: This is the real prize. As long as a hero has this specific Wooden Doll Minion, they are immune to new status ailments.

It’s a clever, if slightly clunky, way to transition from avoiding direct damage to avoiding lingering effects. The synergy is clear: dodge the nukes, then tank the DoT (Damage over Time) and debuffs with your minion.

By the Numbers

Let's look at the math behind the Faun:

• Mana Speed: Average. With the 20th emblem node (Cleric) + Family Bonus, he can be sped up significantly, especially if he resists mana cuts.
• Minion Beefiness:
  • HP: 30% of Jolyon's max HP. At LB2 max stats (approx 2791 HP), that’s a 837 HP minion. That is a very thick shield, effectively giving your team a second health bar.
  • Attack: 30% of Jolyon's Attack. At LB2 (1402 Atk), that’s roughly 420 damage per poke. Not negligible if you have 5 of them active.
• Effective Dodge: 75% is statistically reliable. In a match, 3 out of 4 incoming hits should miss.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Woodland Faun family is notoriously annoying to fight against, largely due to their anti-mana-control nature.

Family Bonus

Analysis: This is top-tier against mana controllers. A 75-100% chance to resist mana cuts (like from the Moonwives or Waterpipe) turns a weakness into a strength, granting 15% Mana instead. This makes Jolyon a natural counter to "Mana Control" defenses.

Passives

Analysis:

• Resist Insanity: Niche, but a lifesaver against the "Insanity" mechanic (common in certain newer hero families).
• Resist Defense Ailments: This is excellent for a tank or flank. Being immune to Defense Down (and Wither) keeps his stats high and his minions beefy.
• Minion Blind: This is a subtle but powerful passive. Enemy minions missing 60% of their shots reduces incoming chip damage significantly.

Aether Power

Analysis: Defense Up. Simple, effective. It keeps him alive longer to cast his skill. Combined with his passive immunity to Defense Down, Jolyon becomes a very stubborn target to take down with tile damage.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Jolyon was viewed as a "thoughtful" alternative to the brute-force heroes dominating the meta. He wasn't a "must-have" like the Goblins or Constructs, but he offered a specific counter-play style.
• Power Creep Analysis: While his stats are fading, his 75% Dodge remains unique. Most dodges are 45-50%. That extra 25% reliability is huge. However, the "one-time" limitation hurts him in a game where multi-hitters and fast wars are common.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Viable Niche. He is not a universal defense hero anymore. However, on offense, he is a fantastic counter to slow, hard-hitting teams (like those relying on a single big hit from a Construct or Cartoon sniper). He forces the enemy to waste a special skill just to trigger his minion transition.

Emblem Path Analysis

Jolyon is a support hero whose primary value comes from staying alive and making his minions as thick as possible (since minion HP scales off his HP).

The "Canvas Keeper" (Health/Defense Focus)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his survival. Maximizes the HP of the Wooden Doll Minions (making them harder to destroy, thus keeping the Ailment Immunity active longer).
• Cons: Lowers his tile damage and minion attack damage.

The "Aggressive Artist" (Attack Focus)

• Path: Attack > Health > Defense
• Pros: Increases minion slash attack damage.
• Cons: Makes him squishier. The minion HP loss (compared to the HP path) makes the Ailment Immunity easier to strip away.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Health/Defense path is recommended. The value of an 800+ HP minion that grants Ailment Immunity cannot be overstated. You want that doll to stay on the board.

Strengths

• High Probability Dodge: 75% is one of the best dodge rates in the game, almost guaranteeing a miss on the first hit.
• Ailment Immunity: As long as the minion lives, your team is safe from Poison, Burn, Mindless Attack, etc.
• Mana Control Resistance: The Family Bonus makes him dangerous to bring mana cutters against.
• Minion Durability: 30% HP inheritance creates massive meat shields.

Weaknesses

• One-Hit Wonder: The dodge disappears after a single success. A fast multi-hitter can strip the dodge from everyone quickly.
• Minion Vulnerability: Minion destroyers (like Grimsteel, Ogima, or newer Lunar heroes) completely bypass his secondary protection layer. If the minion dies, the immunity dies.
• Passive Playstyle: He doesn't help you win faster; he just helps you not lose.
• Complexity: The delay between casting -> dodging -> getting the minion means you don't get the Ailment Immunity immediately. You have to wait for someone to try and hit you.

Best Game Modes

• War Attack: Excellent against heavy hitters (like Khufu or Quintin) where dodging that one key shot wins the match.
• Bloody Battle: Wait, no. Minions are good, but he provides no healing. Actually, minions act as "pseudo-healing" in Bloody Battle, making him Top Tier there.
• PvE / Map Stages: Great for keeping the team alive against bosses with telegraphed heavy hits.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Jolyon works best when you can manipulate when the dodge happens or protect the minions once they appear.

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Can't Touch This" Team:
  • Jolyon + C. Kadilen/Bastet + Constance: Layering different types of defensive buffs. Note that multiple dodges usually overwrite, so time them carefully. Ideally, use Jolyon first to tank the big hit, then follow up with another defensive layer.
• The "Minion Fortress":
  • Jolyon + Hera + Waterpipe: Flood the board with minions. Jolyon protects the team from ailments, while the others provide mana control and overheal.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Grimsteel, Ogima, Eloise, and Goretooth. Anyone who destroys minions before hitting or prevents minion summoning ruins Jolyon's day.
• Anti-Synergy: Mega Minion Summoners (like the Goblin family). You can't have a Wooden Doll Minion and a Mega Minion at the same time. They will replace each other, potentially removing your Ailment Immunity at a bad time.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Jolyon early, congratulations! He will carry you through hard map stages. His minions act like a massive heal, and the dodge will save your under-leveled heroes from being one-shot by bosses. Max him out and use the Health path.

Advice for Veterans

Jolyon is a situational tool. You won't use him in your main war defense, but he is a valuable asset for your 4th or 5th war attack team, specifically to counter teams that rely on Status Ailments (like Cubes or Vampires). If you can dodge the initial damage and keep the minion, their DoT effects become useless.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community reaction to Jolyon was... mixed, to say the least.

• One player noted, "I don't fully understand the purpose of this guy. I think he's very niche... I would much rather pull different fawns."
• Another pointed out his specific utility: "He’s absolutely awesome vs Bearnadette. She is completely nullified when he casts... the high dodge will avoid Bearnie’s paintings."
• There was also some salt regarding a beta change: "They also took away minion doll’s immunity to buff dispels... Big change IMO."

Final Thoughts

Jolyon is the Bob Ross of Empires & Puzzles: he believes there are no mistakes, just happy little accidents (where the enemy misses you entirely). While he lacks the raw aggression of modern meta heroes, his ability to provide a massive 75% dodge followed by a thick, immunity-granting minion is a powerful combo in the right hands. He won't speed up your matches, but he will give you the canvas you need to paint your own victory.

Verdict: A solid, if quirky, support hero who shines in Bloody Battle and against specific heavy-hitting defenses. Keep him for the niche, love him for the style.