Quartz: The Ninja of Clean Slates (and Fragile States)

Overview

Quartz arrived in late 2021 as part of the second wave of the Ninja Tower, bringing the signature "Charge" mana speed to the support role. As a Dark (Purple) 5-star Cleric, his claim to fame was—and still is—his incredible flexibility. Need a heal now? Done. Need a massive undispellable recovery later? He can do that too.

However, time is a cruel mistress in Empires & Puzzles. While his kit is mechanically sound, his stat line comes from an era when 800 defense was considered "tanky." This review explores if his utility can outrun his age.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Quartz sports the classic Ninja aesthetic: a hooded purple gi, face mask, and a massive spiked club that looks like it weighs more than he does. The art captures a "silent but deadly" vibe, though given his role is healing and cleansing, maybe "silent but helpful" is more accurate. It's a solid, if standard, design that fits perfectly within the Ninja family visual identity.

General Info

Hero Stats

Let's not sugarcoat it: Quartz's stats are ancient.

• Attack (751): Low by modern standards, though less critical for a healer.
• Defense (774) & Health (1526): This is the danger zone. Modern 5-star heroes often launch with 1300+ Defense and 2400+ Health before Limit Breaks.
• Survivability: Even with a double Limit Break (LB2), Quartz reaches stats (Defense ~955, HP ~1882) that are merely "okay" for a regular maxed modern hero. He is fragile and relies heavily on his family bonus and emblems to survive the nuclear blasts of today's special skills.

Special Skill: Incite Ki

Analysis: The beauty of Quartz is the Choice. You aren't stuck with one speed.

• 1x Charge (5 Tiles): This is his MVP move. A 5-tile Cleanse + Attack Buff is incredibly rare. If you're facing a defense heavy on ailments (Mindless Attack, Defense Down), Quartz can reset the board state almost instantly. The heal is negligible (164 HP over 2 turns), but the utility is top-tier.
• 2x Charge (10 Tiles): The "Rigard Zone." He heals 624 HP over 3 turns and gives +44% attack. Ironically, this is often considered his weakest mode because Costume Rigard does a very similar job with similar stats but better availability.
• 3x Charge (15 Tiles): The "Undispellable" mode. Regenerating 940 HP that cannot be dispelled is fantastic, but charging 15 tiles on a hero with 774 Defense is a gamble. If he survives long enough to fire this, he can save the match.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Charge.
  • 1x: 5 tiles (Requires virtually no mana troops to hit 5 tiles, but 5 tiles is a weird breakpoint—usually you match 3 or 4, so you often need two matches regardless).
  • 2x: 10 tiles. Comparable to Average speed heroes.
  • 3x: 15 tiles. Comparable to Very Slow heroes.
• Healing Output (Base):
  • 1x: ~82 HP per turn (negligible).
  • 2x: ~208 HP per turn (solid).
  • 3x: ~235 HP per turn (strong).
• Comparison: Modern healers often boost health instantly by 600-1000. Quartz's Heal over Time (HoT) is slower and risky because dead heroes don't regenerate.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

Analysis: The Ninja family bonus is one of the best in the game. A chance to Dodge specials or Counterattack is huge for a squishy hero like Quartz. If you pair him with another Ninja (like Cobalt or Ruby), that dodge chance increases, which effectively boosts his survivability.

Passives

Analysis: Unlike the newer Tower heroes, the original Ninjas (and their second wave additions like Quartz) do not have extra passive skills beyond the family bonus. This hurts him in the modern meta where passives often define a hero's viability.

Aether Power

Analysis: Defense Up. At the start of the battle, he gets a defense buff for 6 turns. This is actually perfect for him. It helps patch his biggest weakness (low defense) right when he is most vulnerable, buying him time to get his first charge off.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Quartz was met with mixed reviews. Many compared him unfavorably to Costume Rigard, questioning why a 5-star hero was performing a 4-star's job. However, high-level players recognized the power of a 5-tile cleanse in War Attack teams.
• Power Creep: The stat gap is massive. A modern sniper can one-shot Quartz without breaking a sweat. His buffs (+34% to +54% Attack) are also lower than modern bards or dedicated buffers who push +60% or more.
• Modern Viability: Niche. He is no longer a defense candidate. On offense, he is a "Specialist." You bring him when you specifically need to cleanse a fast ailment (like a tank's defense down) immediately. For general healing, modern healers vastly outperform him.

Costume & Costume Bonus

Note: At the time of this writing, Quartz does not have a costume in the live game. This review focuses on the base version.

Emblem Path Analysis

Quartz is a support hero with paper-thin armor. There is only one logical path.

The "Please Don't Die" Build (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his chances of surviving a slash attack or a stray special skill. The Cleric Manashield talent also benefits from him staying alive to resist mana cuts.
• Cons: His tile damage will be low, but that's not his job.

Final Recommendation

Go Defense/Health. Quartz doesn't deal damage with his special, and his base attack is too low to make him a tile-damage titan. His value is entirely in firing his skill; he can't do that if he's dead.

Strengths

• Flexibility: Can act as a fast cleanser or a slow heavy healer depending on the board.
• Speed: One of the few heroes who can cleanse the entire team with just 5 tiles.
• Undispellable Buffs: The 3x charge healing cannot be wiped by standard dispellers.
• Family Bonus: The Ninja dodge can be a game-saver.

Weaknesses

• Outdated Stats: Severely low defense and health compared to the 2025/2026 meta.
• Jack of All Trades: His 2x charge is arguably worse than Costume Rigard (a 4-star).
• Heal Over Time: In a meta of massive alpha-strikes, waiting for HP to tick up over turns is dangerous.
• No Instant Heal: He cannot save a hero on the brink of death instantly; he can only start the recovery process.

Best Game Modes

• War Attack: Specifically against ailment-heavy defenses (e.g., Waterpipe, fast DoT dealers).
• Ninja Tower / Magic Tower: His flexibility shines here where you can manage his charge levels carefully.
• Buff Booster Tournaments: He provides two buffs (Attack + HoT) at very fast speed.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Purples vs. Yellows" Stack:
  • Quartz + Sergei + Heavy Hitter (e.g., Khonshu)
  • Why: Sergei drops Elemental Defense, Quartz cleanses any blind/attack down and buffs Attack, and the hitter cleans up. Quartz's 5-tile speed keeps up with the fastest heroes.
• The Ninja Dodge Squad:
  • Quartz + Cobalt + Ruby
  • Why: Maximizes the Ninja family dodge chance. Quartz keeps the heavy hitters (Ruby/Cobalt) clean of ailments so they can fire their devastating charges.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters:
  • Dispellers: For his 1x and 2x charges, any dispeller wipes his buffs.
  • Buff Blockers: If blocked, he does literally nothing except a small cleanse.
• Anti-Synergy:
  • Other HoT Healers: Be careful not to overwrite a strong Heal Over Time from another hero with Quartz's weak 1x charge HoT.

Advice for New Players

If you pull Quartz early, he is excellent. He functions like a super-powered Rigard. Level him, but prioritize his defense in emblems. He will carry you through map stages and early raids because of his versatility.

Advice for Veterans

Quartz is a luxury tool, not a staple. He is worth ascending only if you lack a very fast cleanser or if you are building a specific Ninja family attack team. Do not use Alpha Aethers on him unless you are swimming in them; his base stats are too low to yield a high return on investment compared to a modern hero.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• "He is a 5-star version of C. Rigard... only his 3rd charge is better." — This sentiment haunted his release. Players realized early on that charging 10 tiles for Quartz felt less rewarding than just using the trusty 4-star Rigard.
• "Fastest cleanse possible in the game can’t be meh." — The counter-argument. High-level play is often decided in the first few turns, and cleansing a defense down before the enemy sniper fires is worth more than raw healing numbers.
• "Why does he heal for less than Rigard on 2x?" — A common math complaint. It seems the "Ninja Tax" for flexibility was paid in raw output numbers.

Final Thoughts

Quartz is a relic of a more civilized age, where 5 tiles got you a cleanse and a pat on the back. In today's chaotic battlefield of mega-minions and 3000 HP stat-checks, he feels like bringing a katana to a drone strike.

However, utility is eternal. As long as "Defense Down" is a death sentence, a hero who can wipe it away in 5 tiles will always have a seat on the bench—even if he's too scared to step onto the field without a bodyguard.

Verdict: Keep one for the toolbox, but don't expect him to tank the apocalypse.