Madhammer: The Goblin Queen of Smash and Summon

Overview

Madhammer is a Legendary Fire hero hailing from the Goblin family, originally introduced during the Goblin Summon event in late 2023. As a Barbarian class hero, she is designed to hit hard and disrupt the enemy team with her massive weapon and her signature companion, the Black Boar Mega Minion. While she doesn't have a costume, her base form offers a chaotic mix of sniping, random damage, and unique utility through her summon. She represents the "heavy hitter" archetype of the Goblins, preferring brute force over subtle tricks.

Hero Art & Visuals

The artwork for Madhammer is distinctively "Goblin" but with a fierce, almost feral punk aesthetic. With her bright pink hair, green skin, and a hammer that looks like it weighs more than she does, she visually communicates her role perfectly: she is here to break things. The Black Boar Mega Minion adds to the intimidation factor, looming large on the battlefield. It is a refreshing departure from the noble knights and mystical sorcerers, giving us a gritty, aggressive brawler who clearly enjoys her work a little too much.

General Info

Hero Stats

When looking at Madhammer's stats in the context of late 2025, the power creep is undeniable. With a base power of 949 and Limit Broken 2 (LB2) power around 1142, she falls significantly behind modern heavyweights who boast base powers well over 1260 and LB2 stats exceeding 1500.

Her attack stat, while respectable for her time, is now overshadowed by newer attackers who can reach 1600+ attack power. Her defense and health follow a similar trend. In the current meta, she is considered "stat-squishy" without her Mega Minion. To keep her relevant, full embleming and Limit Breaking are mandatory, not optional. She relies heavily on her Mega Minion to act as a meat shield to compensate for her lower base survivability compared to the titans of the modern era.

Special Skill: Heedless Hammer Flurry

Heedless Hammer Flurry is a skill that tries to do several things at once, with varying degrees of reliability.

First, the 500% damage to the target is a solid sniper hit. Even with older stats, 500% is a hefty multiplier that can dent most enemies.

Second, the 50% chance to deal 450% damage to a random different enemy introduces a gambling element. When it lands, it is fantastic value for an Average speed skill, essentially giving you two snipes for the price of one. When it misses, it feels like a wasted opportunity, though the primary hit remains consistent.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, is the Black Boar Mega Minion. This summon inherits a massive 62% HP and 230% Attack. In a meta where "overheal" and "boosted health" are common, having a substantial chunk of extra HP on top of your health bar is excellent for survival. The minion hits extremely hard, adding significant passive damage every turn.

Finally, the Cleanse Block applied by the Mega Minion's hit is a subtle but powerful control effect. Preventing enemies from cleansing ailments can lock in defense downs or damage-over-time effects that would otherwise be wiped away by a healer.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Average. She charges in 10 tiles (9 with a level 23 mana troop, or fewer with other bonuses).
• Damage Potential:
  • Primary Hit: 500% of Attack.
  • Secondary Hit (Expected Value): 50% chance * 450% = 225% average added damage.
  • Total Immediate Average: 725% spread across 1-2 targets.
  • Mega Minion Hit: 230% of Attack per turn (automatically).
• Survivability Boost: The Mega Minion inherits 62% of her Max HP. If she has 2000 HP, the minion has ~1240 HP. This acts as a massive shield, effectively giving her over 3000 total health to chew through.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Goblin family brings a unique flavor to the table, focusing on debuffs and extra damage.

Family Bonus

The Goblin family bonus typically interacts with other Goblins, but Madhammer functions perfectly fine as a solo Goblin in a team.

Passives

Madhammer's passive is a coin flip every time she casts. A 50% chance to deal 90% damage to all enemies and inflict -25% accuracy is incredible when it triggers. It adds a layer of soft mitigation (blind) and chip damage to the entire enemy team. When this aligns with her secondary hit triggering, one special skill activation can result in a surprising amount of total devastation.

Aether Power

Attack Up is a simple but effective Aether Power for her. Since both her special skill damage and her Mega Minion's attack stats are derived from her base Attack, this boost double-dips, making her hits harder and her minion more lethal.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Madhammer was seen as a strong contender, often compared favorably to her batchmate Boom & Fang due to her direct damage potential. She was a threat in wars and a nuisance on defense wings.
• Power Creep Analysis: The harsh reality of 2025 is that 500% damage off ~940 attack is no longer "one-shot" territory against enemies with 2500+ HP and 1500+ Defense. Modern heroes do more damage to more targets at faster speeds. Her "gambling" mechanic (50% chance for extra hit) is less appealing when consistency is key.
• Modern Viability: Madhammer has transitioned from a primary threat to a niche attacker. She is still usable in wars, particularly for clean-up teams or in Rush Attack tournaments where her Average speed is mitigated. The Mega Minion remains her saving grace; if she can get it out, she becomes annoying to kill. However, she is no longer a top-tier defense option and struggles to crack the toughest modern defenses without significant support (defense down, attack boost).

Costume & Costume Bonus

Madhammer currently does not have a costume. This review focuses solely on her base form.

Emblem Path Analysis

Madhammer needs to stay alive to fire, but her primary role is dealing damage.

The Balanced Brawler (Attack > Defense > Health)

• Path: Focus on Attack nodes first, then Defense.
• Pros: Maximizes the damage of her special and, critically, the Attack stat inherited by her Mega Minion. Higher attack means the minion hits harder every turn.
• Cons: She remains somewhat fragile until the minion is summoned.

The Survivalist (Defense > Health > Attack)

• Path: Prioritize Defense and Health nodes.
• Pros: Increases the HP inherited by the Mega Minion, making the "meat shield" even thicker. Helps her survive long enough to fire her average speed skill.
• Cons: Reduces her kill pressure significantly.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Balanced Brawler (Attack path) is recommended. The unique value of the Mega Minion is its high attack scaling. You want that boar to hit like a truck. Rely on the minion's inherent high HP % for survival rather than emblem stats.

Strengths

• Mega Minion Durability: The Black Boar provides a huge buffer of HP, protecting her from snipers and DoT.
• High Damage Potential: If the 50% extra hit and the 50% passive trigger, she deals massive total damage.
• Ailment Protection Denial: The "Block Cleanse" on the minion target is a rare and useful utility for locking down slippery targets.
• Passive Blind: The chance to blind all enemies can be a game-changer, causing key enemy specials to miss.

Weaknesses

• RNG Dependent: Her performance is inconsistent. Sometimes she hits two people and blinds everyone; other times she just hits one person and does nothing else.
• Average Speed: In a Fast/Very Fast meta, Average speed without a mana-boosting passive feels slow.
• Vulnerable Before Firing: She is squishy by modern standards until she gets her minion out.
• Minion Counters: Heroes who destroy minions or prevent minion summoning (like Grimsteel or Lunar heroes) completely neuter her survivability.

Best Game Modes

• War Attacks: Good for hitting specific targets and surviving return fire with her minion.
• Rush Attack Tournaments: Average speed becomes Very Fast, mitigating her main weakness. Her Mega Minion becomes oppressive when fired early.
• PvE / Towers: The Mega Minion helps significantly with survivability in long event stages.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Madhammer works best when she is not the only threat. She needs setup to ensure her hits secure kills.

Sample Team Ideas

• The Goblin Gang: Pair her with other Goblins like Deadboot or Smartongue. The Goblins soften up targets with Wither/Defense Down, allowing Madhammer to finish them off.
• The Minion Horde: Use her with other Mega Minion summoners. Overwhelming the enemy with high-HP minions forces them to bring minion counters, which limits their team building.
• Red Stack: Pair with Guardian Kong (cleanse/reflect) or Khagan (mana gen) to speed her up and protect her.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Minion Destroyers: Heroes like Ogima, Eloise, or newer anti-minion specialists will delete her Black Boar instantly, removing her protection and a chunk of her damage.
• Lunar New Year Heroes: Heroes that disable minions passively are a hard counter.
• Grimsteel: Prevents minion summoning, leaving Madhammer exposed.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Madhammer early in your journey, she is a fantastic asset. Her Mega Minion acts as a pseudo-healer/shield that will carry you through hard map stages. Prioritize leveling her, as she will likely be your strongest hero for a long time.

Advice for Veterans

Madhammer is a luxury toy at this point. If you have her fully maxed from 2023/2024, she still sees play in war depth. However, do not prioritize Limit Breaking (LB2) her over newer 2025 stats monsters unless you really love the Goblin mechanics or lack other Red options. Her stats are just too low to justify Alpha Aethers compared to a hero with 1300+ base power.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

When Madhammer was released, the community was generally impressed, especially comparing her to her batchmate Boom & Fang.

• One user noted: "Unless otherwise changed, this is the one to hope for. Miles ahead of Boom&Fang as they both currently sit."
• Another player highlighted the minion damage: "Has anyone noticed the mega minion does ~triple Dmg to greens. I keep seeing the mega minion doing ~600 to a 2lb granny ninja."
• However, concerns about consistency were real: "Madhammer is rather 'okay'. She is hindered by the 50% chance for the 2nd hit."

It is funny to look back and see people calling 500% damage "not that strong" even in 2023, foreshadowing the insane power leaps we would see in the following years.

Final Thoughts

Madhammer is a hero who lives up to her name—she is a little chaotic, a little dangerous, and very blunt. While the sands of time (and power creep) have eroded her stat dominance, the mechanic of a massive, hard-hitting Mega Minion keeps her relevant in specific niches. She is not the terror she once was, but she is far from useless. If you like gambling on big hits and hiding behind a giant pig, Madhammer is your goblin.

Verdict: A solid B-tier hero in the modern era, bumped up to A-tier in Rush modes or for roster depth. Keep her hammer polished, but don't expect her to solo the latest god-tier defenses.