Maisie, The Merry Mason: Songs, Shields, and Susan Boyle Vibes

Overview

Maisie is a 5-star Legendary Dark (Purple) hero hailing from the Garrison Guards family, originally released around Valentine's Day in February 2025. As a Fighter class hero, she is designed to be a durable support anchor for your team. Her primary role is that of a "tanky healer," utilizing boosted health and the unique mechanics of the Garrison Mega Minions to keep her allies alive and clean of ailments. While she doesn't carry a costume yet, her base form offers a distinct mix of defensive utility that separates her from standard healers.

Hero Art & Visuals

The artwork for Maisie is... memorable. Depicting a cheerful woman playing a lute alongside a howling dog (wearing a matching helmet, no less), the visual style is a significant departure from the gritty, high-fantasy aesthetic usually found in Empires & Puzzles. The community reaction was immediate and polarized, with many players pointing out her striking resemblance to celebrities like Kathy Bates or Susan Boyle. It is a whimsical, almost storybook design that stands out in a roster filled with terrifying monsters and stoic warriors. You might say her art style is playing a completely different tune than the rest of the game.

General Info

Hero Stats

With a Limit Broken (LB2) power of 1405, Maisie sits comfortably in the "modern but not cutting edge" tier as of December 2025. Comparing her to the absolute latest heroes like Adelitza (1529 Power) or Lin Chong (1527 Power), Maisie is trailing by over 100 power points. Her stats are heavily skewed towards survivability, boasting a massive 2664 HP (LB2) and 1508 Defense. While she doesn't hit the 1600+ defense numbers of the newest December releases, her bulk is still formidable, especially considering the mechanics of her special skill which scale off these stats. She is no longer the stat monster she was upon release, but she is far from fragile.

Special Skill: Join In Joyful Song

Maisie's special skill is a masterclass in defensive layering. First, she provides a flat 800 boosted health to everyone. This is a solid baseline, comparable to other top-tier boosters. Second, she punishes the enemy for debuffing you. Gaining extra health per ailment is a situational mechanic, but against heavy DoT (Damage over Time) or debuff teams, this can turn a desperate situation into a full heal. Third, and most importantly, is the Shield Guard Mega Minion. Unlike standard minions, this beefy companion inherits a whopping 65% of her HP. It doesn't just sponge damage; it acts as an automated cleanser, removing the latest ailment from all allies every turn. This provides a "set it and forget it" cleansing solution that persists even if Maisie is silenced or mana-controlled, provided the minion lives.

By the Numbers

Let's break down the math behind the Merry Mason's performance.

• Mana Speed: Average. She requires 10 tiles to charge (9 with a level 23 Mana Troop, or fewer with other bonuses). In a fast-paced meta, this is her biggest hurdle.
• Effective Health Swing:
  • Direct Boost: 800 HP.
  • Mega Minion Shield: 65% of her 2664 Max HP (LB2) = ~1,731 HP.
  • Total Survival Value: A single cast provides roughly 2,531 HP worth of protection to herself (Boost + MM) and 800 Boost to allies.
• Healing Potential:
  • Base: 800.
  • Max Condition (5 ailments): 800 + (160 * 5) = 1,600 Boosted Health. This is a massive heal, though unlikely to happen often in practice.
• Minion Attack: The Mega Minion inherits 180% of her attack. With ~1386 Attack (LB2), the minion hits for roughly 2,494 raw attack power. While minion damage calculation differs from special skills, this is a significant recurring damage source.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Garrison Guards are known for being sturdy, and Maisie is no exception. Her kit is designed to counter specifically annoying meta trends like Mana Reduction and Wither.

Family Bonus

The Garrison family bonus typically provides resistance to minion removal or manipulation, making her Mega Minion harder to counter than standard minions. This stickiness is essential because her cleansing utility is tied entirely to the minion's survival.

Passives

Resist Mana Reduction: This is a top-tier passive. Heroes like Waterpipe, Xiahou Dun, or the various mana-cutting tanks cannot stop her from charging. It ensures that she will fire eventually, which is critical for an Average speed healer. Guard Rally: Removing Wither effects every 4 turns is a direct counter to the Goblin and Construct meta. While somewhat slow, it happens automatically, helping to mitigate the permanent stat loss that plagues long battles.

Aether Power

Special Armor: This reduces damage received from Special Skills. Considering Maisie's high health pool, this makes her incredibly difficult to snipe. It forces enemies to rely on tile damage or status effects to bring her down, which plays right into her high defense and cleansing minion.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon her release in early 2025, Maisie was seen as a "balanced" alternative to heroes like Rosalind. She wasn't the fastest, but her Mega Minion was incredibly thick.
• Power Creep Analysis: By late 2025, the game speed has increased, and "Average" speed heroes really need to bring something game-changing to the table. The 1500+ Power heroes released in December overshadow her stats, but her mechanics remain unique. The 65% HP Mega Minion is still one of the largest meat shields in the game.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Maisie remains Highly Viable, particularly in Rush Attack wars/tournaments and on defense teams where her bulk can stall out attackers. She has transitioned from a "must-have" to a "reliable anchor." She isn't the shiny new toy, but she stops you from losing.

Costume & Costume Bonus

As of this review, Maisie does not have a costume. She relies entirely on her base kit.

Emblem Path Analysis

Maisie is a Fighter, which gives her the chance to Revive. This is excellent for a healer; if she dies with mana, she can revive and immediately fire to save the team.

The Iron Mason (Defense/Health)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes the HP of the Mega Minion (since it scales off her Max HP). Makes her nearly unkillable by snipers.
• Cons: Lowers her tile damage and the attack value of the Mega Minion.

The Angry Bard (Attack/Health)

• Path: Attack > Health > Defense
• Pros: Increases the Mega Minion's hitting power significantly.
• Cons: Makes her squishier, risking her death before she can cast her average-speed skill.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Iron Mason (Defense/Health) path is recommended. Her value lies in keeping the team alive and keeping that cleansing Mega Minion on the board. The more HP she has, the harder that minion is to kill.

Strengths

• Mega Minion Bulk: A 65% HP minion is effectively a second life bar. It absorbs an absurd amount of damage.
• Passive Cleanse: The minion cleanses all allies every turn. This is superior to a one-time cleanse because it works against ailments applied after she fires.
• Overheal: Boosted health is always relevant, countering max-HP reduction teams.
• Mana Shield: Innate resistance to mana cuts makes her reliable against controllers.

Weaknesses

• Average Speed: She can be too slow to save the team against Very Fast rush teams.
• Minion Dependency: If the enemy has a "Destroy Mega Minion" hero (like some Goblins or newer hunters), she loses half her utility.
• Art: Strictly subjective, but you might get tired of the dog howling at you.
• Passive Nature: She doesn't help you kill the enemy faster (no attack buff or defense down), she just helps you not die.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack Wars/Tournaments: At Very Fast speed, she is a nightmare. The constant refreshing of massive minions makes her team nearly invincible.
• War Defense: A solid tank or flank. If the attacker doesn't bring a minion counter or heavy burst, they will time out.
• Map/Tower Events: Her overheal and persistent cleanse make auto-playing difficult stages much safer.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Maisie works best in "sustain" teams or "attrition" defenses. She pairs well with heroes who provide what she lacks: offensive pressure or mana speed.

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Purple Wall" Defense:
  • Team: Ukkonen - Maisie - Phorcys - Damage Dealer - Sniper
  • Why: Phorcys provides mana, Maisie provides health/minions, Ukkonen provides buffs. Good luck breaking through.
• The Minion Horde:
  • Team: Maisie + Summoners (e.g., Waterpipe, Freya)
  • Why: While you can only have one Mega Minion, pairing her with standard minion summoners creates layers of meat shields that protect the team while the Mega Minion cleanses.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Mega Minion Destroyers: Heroes that specifically target and destroy Mega Minions (check recent Goblin or Astral hunter releases) render her primary gimmick useless.
• Grimsteel/Goblins: Heroes that steal or destroy minions efficiently.
• Buff Blockers: If blocked, she can't summon the minion or boost health.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Maisie, celebrate! She is a "carry" hero. Level her immediately. She will keep your team alive through hard map stages and quests that you have no business beating yet. Put her in the center of your defense team.

Advice for Veterans

She is a luxury tool for your war depth. While she might not replace your primary war defense tank if you have the absolute latest 1600 power monstrosity, she is incredible for Rush wars. Don't prioritize Alpha Aethers on her unless you use her on your main defense; she does her job fine at level 80/85.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The forum threads for Maisie are a goldmine of aesthetic critiques.

• The Look: One user famously asked, "Why is Kathy Bates in the game?" while another remarked, "Susan Boyle is the 1st I thought about when I saw the card lol."
• The Function: Despite the art roasting, players recognized her strength. Comparisons to Rosalind were frequent, with one user noting, "She boosts health vs heal... and has the same mega minion that is hard to kill and cleanses every turn."
• The Verdict: The general consensus settled on: "She is very good, she's just a little... boring." She isn't flashy, but she gets the job done.

Final Thoughts

Maisie is the musical equivalent of a sturdy brick wall. She isn't going to win any beauty pageants (according to the community, at least), and she won't wipe the enemy team in one shot. However, she brings a level of safety and reliability that is rare. Her Mega Minion is one of the best defensive tools in the game, providing a constantly refreshing safety net against ailments. If you can get past the lute solo, she will sing your team to victory.

Verdict: A solid, reliable defensive pivot who shines brightest in Rush modes. Keep her, level her, just maybe play on mute.