Lemonwood: The Astral Machine Gun Who Keeps on Firing

Overview

Lemonwood, the Astral Elf Marksman, arrived in Empires & Puzzles back in March 2024 as part of the glitzy Astral Summon. A Holy (Yellow) Legendary Ranger, he quickly earned the nickname "Machine Gun Lemonwood" for his ability to chain hits onto unsuspecting enemies. In an era where mana control is king, Lemonwood brought a unique twist: he punishes enemies for having mana, and he keeps punishing them until morale improves (or their mana drops). While he doesn't have a costume to update his wardrobe yet, his base form remains a mechanically interesting puzzle piece in offensive raids.

Hero Art & Visuals

Lemonwood sports that classic "mystical archer" aesthetic that the Astral Elves are known for—think Legolas but with more cosmic energy and a slightly more brooding demeanor. Clad in gold and white with a hood that screams "I strike from the shadows but make it fashion," he wields a bow that looks like it was carved from a shooting star. The art effectively conveys his speed and precision, though one might wonder if that heavy cloak gets in the way of his rapid-fire archery.

General Info

Hero Stats

Lemonwood's stats reflect his role as a fast striker from the 2024 era.

Stat Analysis: By the standards of late 2025, Lemonwood's base stats are undeniably showing their age. With a max power of 1013 and attack hovering around 1042, he sits well below the modern behemoths like Devyani (1233 Power) or even updated Season 1 costumes. His defense and health, while respectable upon release, now feel fragile against the 2000+ damage snipers roaming the meta. To keep him viable, he demands full emblems and Limit Breaking (LB2) to prevent him from evaporating before he can loose an arrow.

Special Skill: Wandering Star Shot

Skill Analysis: "Wandering Star Shot" is one of the most fun, albeit RNG-dependent, skills in the game. It’s a conditional chain attack. The core mechanic is simple: he hits a target, cuts their mana by 20%, and if they still have more than 30% mana, he finds a new target and does it again.

• The "Machine Gun" Effect: Under perfect conditions (an enemy team full of mana), Lemonwood can theoretically hit every enemy multiple times until their mana is drained or the hit cap is reached.
• Diminishing Returns: The damage reduces with each consecutive hit. The first shot is a solid slap (350%), but subsequent shots become lighter taps. It’s less about wiping a team with raw damage and more about spreading mana reduction across the board.
• The 30% Threshold: This is the critical number. He stops firing on a target once they drop below this mana level.

By the Numbers

Let's break down the math behind the marksman.

• Mana Speed: Fast. He requires 8 tiles to charge. With a level 23 Mana Troop (or equivalent combinations of emblems/costume bonuses/troops), he can charge in 7 tiles, making him swift and deadly.
• Damage Potential:
  • Base Hit: 350% of 1042 Attack = ~3647 raw damage value (before defense).
  • Chain Hits: While the exact decay isn't explicitly transparent in-game, empirical testing suggests a significant drop-off (e.g., ~50% reduction or similar scaling). If he chains 3-4 times, he deals substantial total damage distributed across the team, but don't expect the 5th hit to kill a full-health tank.
• Mana Cut: A hard -20% cut is significant. Against a Fast hero (8 tiles), that's a loss of nearly 2 tiles worth of mana. If he hits a target twice, that's substantial denial.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Astral Elves are slippery and resilient, designed to survive the chaos of modern warfare.

Family Bonus

Analysis: The Astral Elf bonus is a nasty defensive deterrent. Having a 50% (or 70% with two heroes) chance to dispel a buff from an attacker is excellent. It punishes heroes who rely on buffs to do damage or those who buff themselves before hitting. It’s a passive strip that can ruin an attacker's setup without you lifting a finger.

Passives

Analysis:

• Resist Blind: (Note: While some data sources might list Poison, Astral Elves typically resist Blind/Accuracy ailments). This is crucial for a sniper. Nothing is worse than charging your Ranger only to miss because of a Drake Fong or Justice. Lemonwood ignores this, ensuring his arrows always find a mark.
• Share Received Damage: This is his survival mechanism. By sharing 20% of incoming damage with allies, he effectively mitigates the risk of being one-shot by a massive sniper. It turns him into a pseudo-tanky presence, provided his teammates are alive to soak up the pain.

Aether Power

Analysis: Dodge. For 6 turns at the start of battle, he has a chance to dodge special skills. This pairs beautifully with his damage sharing. Not only does he share damage when hit, but he might just avoid the hit entirely. It adds another layer of RNG frustration for your opponent.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Lemonwood was a sensation. Players dubbed him the "Yellow Finley" or "Machine Gun." He was a top-tier offensive hero because he punished the passive playstyle of holding specials.
• Power Creep Analysis: Fast forward to late 2025, and the numbers are his biggest enemy. 350% damage to a single target is now considered "low" for a sniper (modern snipers hit for 600%+). His stats are dwarfed by the likes of the Mahayoddha or Construct families.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Lemonwood has transitioned from a "Must-Have" to a "Niche Specialist." He is still viable in War Attacks, specifically against teams that rely on timing (like Rush wars or heavy healer teams). However, he is no longer a premier defense hero because his stats make him a target, and his damage output struggles to dent the massive health pools (2500+ HP) of modern heroes. He is a tactical tool, not a blunt instrument.

Costume & Costume Bonus

As of this review, Lemonwood does not possess a costume. This means he lacks the stat boost and skill refresh that many older heroes rely on to stay relevant. He must stand on the merits of his base design alone.

Emblem Path Analysis

As a Ranger, Lemonwood needs to hit hard and bypass defensive buffs to make his reduced-damage chain hits count.

The Glass Cannon (Recommended)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes the damage of his first hit (350%) and ensures the subsequent "ricochet" shots still sting. The Ranger class talent (Pierce) benefits greatly from high attack.
• Cons: Leaves him squishier, though his "Share Damage" passive helps mitigate this.

The Survivor

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Keeps him alive longer to fire multiple times. Useful if you use him purely for Mana Control rather than damage.
• Cons: His damage output is already aging; lowering it further risks him becoming ignorable by the enemy.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Glass Cannon (Attack) path is recommended. Lemonwood's primary job is to threaten the enemy. If his arrows tickle, his mana cut becomes an annoyance rather than a threat.

Strengths

• Punishing Mana Hoarders: Excellent against passive defenses or teams that are about to fire. He can diffuse a dangerous situation by cutting mana across multiple heroes.
• Survivability: The damage-sharing passive + Dodge Aether power makes him deceptively hard to kill early in the match.
• Anti-Buff Synergy: The family bonus can strip buffs from attackers, disrupting their flow.
• Never Misses: Resistance to Blind means he is reliable against yellow-hating tanks like Dr. Moreau or Drake Fong.

Weaknesses

• RNG Dependent: You cannot control who he hits after the first target. He might hit a critical healer, or he might tickle a hero who barely cares.
• Diminishing Damage: The damage drops off fast. He is not a team wiper against full-health modern teams.
• Stat Creep: His survivability and damage output are statistically behind the curve of late 2025.
• Toon Hard Counter: Modern "Toon" passive heroes (who resist mana ailments) can completely neutralize his main gimmick. If they resist the cut, he might keep hitting, but if they are immune to the effects or reflect them, he's in trouble.

Best Game Modes

• Raids (Offense): His best home. You can time his special to go off when the enemy is charged, maximizing his chain potential.
• Rush Attack Wars: Very Fast speed allows him to fire constantly, keeping the enemy team suppressed.
• Bloody Battle: His ability to distribute damage and stop enemies from charging is valuable here.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Lemonwood works best when he is not the only threat. He is a disruptor, setting the table for a slower, harder hitter.

Sample Team Ideas

• The Yellow Blitz: Lemonwood - Guardian Jackal (Costume) - Joon (Toon).
  • Why: Jackal applies Elemental Defense Down. Lemonwood fires next, likely chaining through the team with amplified damage. Joon finishes off whoever is left standing.
• The Mana Control Freak: Lemonwood - Roughian & Nurgib - Waddles.
  • Why: Total mana denial. Lemonwood cuts mana, Roughian steals it, and Waddles blocks it. The enemy never gets to fire.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Toon Vivica/Toon Kadilen. These heroes have high resistance to mana ailments. If Lemonwood fails to cut mana, or if they heal on resistance, he loses his utility. Taunt Heroes (Ludwig, Krampus) can also force him to dump all his shots into one target, which is less effective as the damage scales down.
• Anti-Synergy: Mana Control Allies who fire before him. If you have a hero who completely empties enemy mana (like Hel or Proteus) and they fire first, Lemonwood has no mana to target, meaning he will only hit once. He needs enemies to have mana to be effective.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Lemonwood, rejoice! He is a fantastic sniper for clearing map stages and mid-tier raids. His mechanics are fun and will teach you the importance of timing. Don't worry about his stats compared to the top 100 players; for 95% of the game content, he is a beast.

Advice for Veterans

Lemonwood is a luxury tool. He is not worth Alpha Aethers (LB2) unless you lack modern Holy options or have a specific War team that needs a Fast mana cutter. In the current meta of 2025, there are harder hitters. Use him for depth in War, but don't build your primary defense around him anymore.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community has had a roller-coaster relationship with Lemonwood.

• The "Machine Gun" Era: Upon release, players were posting videos of him wiping entire teams. "I just ran Lemonwood... and when everyone else went off, he started off at 3,000 per hit!" one user exclaimed.
• The Toon Problem: Later, players realized the danger of Toon passives. One player noted a disastrous raid against a Toon Vivica: "Superior master manashield kicks in bringing 10% healing each mana cut resistance... ends with an undefeated toon vivica and a timeout."
• The Verdict: "He is a good hero... Just recorded the last stages of Boss Stages... & uploading soon... I now call him Machine Gun Lemonwood!"

Final Thoughts

Lemonwood is like that one friend who refuses to leave the party until he's talked to everyone. When the conditions are right, he is an absolute menace, bouncing around the enemy team and shutting down their specials. However, in the harsh, high-stat environment of late 2025, his arrows have lost some of their sting. He remains a mechanically unique and fun hero to play on offense, but he has been gently retired from the frontline of top-tier defense.

Verdict: A fun, chaotic offensive weapon that is starting to show its age, but still capable of moments of brilliance.