Malum: The Red Reaper of Maximum Health

Overview

Malum is a 5-star Fire hero from the Ninja family, introduced in late 2024. As a Rogue class hero with Charge mana speed, he fits the classic archetype of a high-risk, high-reward damage dealer. He brings a devastating combination of direct damage and max health reduction, a mechanic that has become increasingly vital for countering overhealers. Unlike the older generations of Ninjas who were purely about damage or status effects, Malum permanently alters the battlefield by shrinking your opponent's health bars.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Malum's design is classic shinobi but with a distinct "blood demon" aesthetic. He sports a horned headband and a mask that obscures everything but his glowing red eyes, suggesting he might be more supernatural entity than human assassin. The dynamic pose, wielding a kama (sickle) and a kunai, screams agility. The color palette is a menacing mix of deep crimson and black, perfectly matching his element and his "ruthless" moniker. He looks like the guy you send in when you don't want anyone to wake up the next morning.

General Info

Hero Stats

Malum boasts a staggering base attack stat of 1310, which was absolutely top-tier upon his release and remains competitive against even the newest power-creep monsters. When fully emblemmed and limit broken, his attack can easily surpass 1900, making him one of the hardest hitters in the game. However, this comes at a price. His defense (1106) and health (1530) are noticeably lower than modern tanks and bruisers, squarely placing him in the "glass cannon" category. He hits like a truck but can shatter just as easily if not protected.

Special Skill: Lacerating Leap

Lacerating Leap is a versatile tool that scales terrifyingly well with charge level.

• x1 Charge: A quick jab. It reduces max health by 500 and deals 250% damage to three targets. This is excellent for finishing off weakened enemies or quickly reducing the overhead of a boosted-health team.
• x2 Charge: The sweet spot. Max health reduction bumps to 650, damage to 375%, and crucially, it bypasses defensive buffs. This makes him a nightmare for heroes like Ludwig or Krampus who rely on defense buffs or counterattacks.
• x3 Charge: The nuclear option. 800 max health reduction and 500% damage to three targets is often a team-wipe. The added "healing resistance" ensures that even if they survive, they can't recover.

The key differentiator here is the order of operations: he reduces max health before dealing damage. This means he is effectively hitting a smaller health pool, increasing the likelihood of a kill.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed Analysis: As a Ninja, Malum charges in 5, 10, and 15 tiles base.
  • With a Level 23+ Mana/Magic/Styx troop (or lower with family bonus/emblems), you can get his x1 charge down to 4 tiles (ghosting 2 tiles).
  • Reaching x2 (9-10 tiles) is often the goal, requiring two matches or one ghosted match and a regular match.
• Damage Calculation:
  • At x2 Charge (375% to 3 targets) with ~1900 Attack: 1900 * 3.75 = 7125 raw damage output potential (distributed). Against a target with ~1300 defense, this is a massive hit, especially since it ignores defense buffs.
• Max Health Swing:
  • Reducing max health by 650 (x2) or 800 (x3) is equivalent to dealing that much "true damage" that cannot be healed back. Against a team with 3000 HP (boosted), an 800 reduction is a 26% permanent HP loss instantly.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Ninja family is all about survival through agility, which Malum desperately needs given his stat distribution.

Family Bonus

The chance to dodge special skills and counterattack is a lifesaver. Even a small percentage chance can swing a match when Malum avoids a sniper shot that would otherwise kill him.

Passives

Decreased Minion Health: Enemy minions inheriting -50% HP is a subtle but effective counter to minion summoners. It makes those meat shields paper-thin, allowing your tile damage to punch through much easier.

Aether Power

Rage: At the start of battle, he gets a 15% attack boost, scaling up to 20% when hit. Considering his already sky-high attack stat, this is overkill in the best way possible. It ensures his first strike, even at x1 charge, dents the enemy severely.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: When released, Malum was seen as a direct upgrade to many red damage dealers, offering utility (max HP reduction) alongside raw damage. He replaced older Ninjas like Ruby in many attack teams due to his bypass capability.
• Power Creep Analysis: While his defensive stats are starting to look average compared to the 3500+ HP behemoths being released in 2025/2026, his attack stat remains relevant. The mechanic of reducing max health is "future-proof" because it scales with the enemy's health pool—the more health they have, the more valuable the reduction becomes.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Malum remains highly viable in PvP Offense and War. He is a premier shield-breaker. In defense, the AI struggles to use Ninja charges effectively, making him less desirable there. He is a staple for players who prefer manual control and tactical dismantling of defensive teams.

Emblem Path Analysis

Malum is a Rogue, and his primary job is to kill things before they kill him.

The Assassin (Attack Focused)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes his already insane attack stat. Makes his DoT on healing resistance (x3 charge) and direct damage hit harder. Synergizes with his Rage aether power.
• Cons: He remains fragile. A strong sniper or slash attack can take him out early.

The Survivalist (Defense/Health Focused)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Keeps him alive long enough to reach x2 or x3 charge. Leverages the Rogue dodge talent to survive longer.
• Cons: Sacrifices his main asset—damage.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Assassin (Attack) path is recommended. You bring Malum to kill, not to tank. Pair him with taunt heroes or revivers to keep him safe, but let him hit as hard as possible.

Strengths

• Massive Damage Output: One of the highest attack stats in the game combined with high percentage multipliers.
• Max Health Reduction: Permanently weakens enemies, countering overheal meta.
• Bypass: x2 and x3 charges ignore defensive buffs (Defense Up, Counterattack, Elemental Defense Up), making him a reliable hitter.
• Versatility: Can be used as a finisher (x1) or a nuker (x3).

Weaknesses

• Glass Cannon: Low defense and health compared to modern standards make him vulnerable.
• AI Incompetence: The AI often fires at x1 charge randomly, wasting his potential on defense.
• Charge Speed Dependency: While flexible, getting to x3 requires a lot of tiles (15), which can be too slow in rush or bad board scenarios.

Best Game Modes

• Raids & War Offense: His best habitat. You can time his charges to bypass defenses or finish off key targets.
• Bloody Battle: The max health reduction effectively acts as unhealable damage, and the bypass is great against buffers.
• Events: High attack stat makes him great for high scores if you can manage the tiles.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Malum shines in red stacks where he can benefit from Elemental Defense Down (EDD).

Sample Team Ideas

1. The Red Wrecking Crew: Guardian Kong (Costume) (Cleanse/Blue Reflect) - Marjana (Costume) (EDD) - Malum - Black Knight (Taunt/Attack Up) - Hathor (Overheal/Status Block).
   • Strategy: Marjana lowers defense, Black Knight protects Malum, and Malum delivers the knockout blow at x2 charge.
2. The Ninja Squad: Quartz (Cleanse/Heal) - Malum - Ruby - Amethyst - Cobalt.
   • Strategy: Leveraging the family bonus for dodge/counterattack. It's risky but fun.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Mana controllers (Hel, Proteus) stop him dead. Silencers (Miki, Peters) prevent him from using his accumulated charge.
• Anti-Synergies: Heroes that rely on the enemy having high health for specific effects might clash slightly, but generally, damage is always good.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Malum early, congratulations. He will be your main damage dealer for a long time. Focus on keeping him alive with healers and taunters. Don't be afraid to use his x1 charge to snip a dangerous enemy if you don't have the tiles for x2.

Advice for Veterans

Malum is a surgical tool. In the current meta of massive overhealing and stats, his max health reduction is his most valuable asset. Don't waste emblems on defense; lean into his role as a destroyer. He pairs exceptionally well with heroes who provide mana generation stacks or boosts (like Khufu or fast mana troops) to get him to that critical x2 charge faster.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community reaction to Malum was mixed initially due to his stat distribution.

• "With his 1888 Attack stat, I will probably use him with someone like Odile or against overhealing/counterattack teams with his 3x charge ability."
• "He is on 80/20 and glass cannon. Attack is nice but nothing spectacular... I'll sure try to lb and then we will see if things improve."
• Many players noted that while his damage multiplier was "toned down" before release, his raw attack stat compensated for it.
• The comparison to Serandite often comes up, with Malum generally winning out on raw stats, though Serandite fans miss her burn.

Final Thoughts

Malum is not a hero you put on defense and forget. He is a weapon you wield. He demands active play and board management, but the payoff is seeing three enemy heroes suddenly lose 50% of their health bar and then disintegrate. He brings the "Assassin" fantasy to life in Empires & Puzzles better than almost anyone else.

Verdict: A lethal offensive tool that remains relevant thanks to bypassing and max health reduction mechanics.

Note: Malum currently does not have a costume, but his base form is strong enough to stand on its own.