Rana: The Queen Who Needs a Renovation

Overview

Rana is a 5-star Holy (Yellow) hero from the Sand Empire seasonal event. Originally released as a potent threat with her ability to block healing and dish out damage over time, she now stands as a relic of a simpler time. This review focuses on her base version (no costume), a Monk class hero who struggles to keep up with the breakneck pace of modern Empires & Puzzles. While her costume offers a lifeline, the base form is essentially a museum piece—pretty to look at, but you probably shouldn't take it into battle.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Rana's design screams "desert royalty." Adorned in golden robes with a towering headdress and a staff that looks like it could double as a scepter, she commands authority. The background features a serene moonlit desert palace, contrasting with the harsh sandstorm she unleashes. It's a classic, high-fantasy look that fits the theme perfectly, even if her pose suggests she's patiently waiting for a stat buff that may never come.

General Info

Hero Stats

To put it bluntly: Rana's stats are archaic. In the current meta (early 2026), where new heroes routinely debut with 1300+ Attack and Defense and 2200+ Health before limit breaking, Rana's base power of 772 is drastically low.

• Attack (735): This is now lower than many modern 4-star heroes. It means her direct damage will barely scratch newer tanks.
• Defense (710) & Health (1367): She is extremely fragile. A single sniper shot from a modern hero like Turundh or Devyani will likely one-shot her.

Even with full Limit Break 2 (LB2), her power only reaches 923, which is still hundreds of points behind the current standard. She is statistically obsolete.

Special Skill: Sand Storm

Analysis: The Sand Storm skill was once a triple threat, but age has dulled its edges:

1. Direct Damage (185%): This multiplier is incredibly low for Average speed. Against modern defenses with 1300+ defense, this will do negligible damage, likely in the double digits.
2. DoT (423 over 3 turns): Damage over time (DoT) ignores defense, which is usually a plus. However, 141 damage per turn is easily countered by the massive boosted healing available today.
3. Healing Reduction (-75%): This is the crown jewel of her kit. A 75% reduction is crippling and uncleansable. It stops enemies from recovering, which is vital against heavy healers.
4. Self-Cleanse: This is the skill's fatal flaw compared to her costume. She cleanses only herself. Her costume cleanses herself and nearby allies, making the base version significantly more selfish and less useful for team survival.

Comparison to Costume: The costume is superior in every way. It changes the DoT to Water damage (higher total), increases the duration (locking down healing for longer), and crucially upgrades the cleanse to cover nearby allies. There is almost no strategic reason to use the base version if you have the costume.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Average (10 tiles). With a Level 23 mana troop (or smaller with Monk talent mana nodes), she can charge in 9 tiles.
• Damage Potential:
  • Direct: 185% of 735 attack is ~1360 raw damage value. Against a 1200 defense enemy, this results in minimal impact.
  • DoT: Fixed 423 damage. This is reliable but slow.
• Healing Block: Reducing a 1000 HP heal to 250 HP is significant, effectively negating the turn for the enemy healer.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Sand Empire bonus offers a Defense boost (+10%/+20%) or Healing Bonus depending on the number of heroes. While extra defense helps her fragility, it requires running other Sand Empire heroes, most of whom are similarly outdated.

Passives

Base Rana has no innate passives, a stark contrast to modern heroes who often come with three or four passive effects (mana boost on start, ailment resistance, etc.).

Aether Power

Counterattack: When Limit Broken, she gains a chance to counterattack. For a squishy hero who likely dies in one hit, this is not ideal. Defensive buffs or damage reduction would have been far better to keep her alive long enough to cast.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Rana was a solid B+ tier hero. Her healing cut was unique and powerful for wars. She was a staple in yellow stacks for dealing with Kunchen or Telluria tanks back in the day.
• Power Creep Analysis: The game has moved on. "Average" speed for a Hit-3 hero with sub-200% damage is unacceptable today. Modern heroes do 400-500% damage to all enemies at similar speeds, often with better secondary effects.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Bench. Base Rana is not viable in competitive play (Diamond Arena, Top 100 Wars). She may find niche use in very deep rosters for Rush Attack wars purely for the healing block, or in mid-tier War Cleanups where enemies are already damaged.

Costume & Costume Bonus

This review focuses on the base hero, but the costume is the elephant in the room.

• The Upgrade: The Costume (Surfer Queen) turns her into a Cleric (Manashield is great), boosts her stats significantly, and upgrades her cleanse to a team-support skill.
• Costume Bonus: owning the costume gives the base hero a stat boost (Attack +17%, Defense +17%, Health +30%, Mana +5%).
• Verdict: Always use the Costume. The only reason to use the base version is if you specifically need the Monk class to withstand status ailments, but even then, the Cleric's Manashield is often comparable, and the Costume's skill is strictly better.

Emblem Path Analysis

If you are forced to use Base Rana (perhaps for a class quest), survival is your only priority.

The "Glass Cannon" (Not Recommended)

• Path: Attack > Health > Defense
• Pros: Increases DoT slightly (DoT scales with attack).
• Cons: She dies to a stiff breeze.

The "Sand Fort" (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes her low defense and health pool, giving her a slightly better chance of firing her special once.
• Cons: Her direct damage becomes non-existent.

Final Recommendation

Go full Defense/Health. Her value is the Healing Block. She needs to live long enough to apply it.

Strengths

• Uncleansable Healing Debuff: -75% healing is massive and forces opponents to wait it out.
• DoT Ignores Defense: Useful against high-defense enemies if she can stay alive.
• Self-Cleanse: Ensures she isn't blinded or silenced before firing (if she has mana).

Weaknesses

• Abysmal Stats: Simply too weak for modern combat.
• Low Damage Multiplier: 185% is negligible.
• Selfish Skill: Cleanses only herself, leaving teammates vulnerable.
• Average Speed: Too slow for the impact she provides.

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack Tournaments (3-star/4-star restrictions? No, she's 5-star): In 5-star Rush, she is outclassed.
• War Cleanups: Use her to stop a healer left standing in the corner.
• PvE/Map Stages: The DoT can help whittle down bosses with high HP.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Anti-Heal" Stack: Pair her with Gafar or other Sand heroes to layer DoT and ensure no healing happens.
• Yellow Stack Support: Use her alongside Costumed Joon or Drake Fong. Let them deal the damage; Rana is there just to stop the enemy Vivica from undoing your work.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Garnet, Vanda, or any Ailment Blocker renders her useless. Costumed Rigard or any cleanser (if they fire before the debuff lands) ruins her day. Note: Her debuff is uncleansable once applied, but can be blocked.
• Anti-Synergy: Don't pair her with other "Self-Cleanse" heroes if your team lacks a general cleanser. You will die to DoT.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Rana early in your game journey, congrats! A 5-star is a 5-star. She will carry you through Map Seasons 1 and 2 easily. Her DoT is great against map bosses. Ascend her to 3/70, but think twice before using precious Darts to max her unless you have no other options.

Advice for Veterans

She is food for the Soul Exchange. Unless you are a collector or have the costume and play in a very specific tiered tournament, she offers no value to a developed roster.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

Back in the day, the community had mixed feelings that have only soured with time:

• "I think the normal Rana needs buff, do you agree? Even the Costumed Rana needs a buff... Sand Empire is a joke compared to other seasonal events."
• "Rana is underwhelming right now. She falls short compared to recent heroes."
• One optimistic player noted: "Rana makes a great finisher... her heal block and DoT are invaluable for me." (But that was years ago).

Final Thoughts

Rana, in her base form, is a queen without a kingdom. The shifting sands of the meta have buried her stats and skills deep beneath the dunes. While her healing block remains a unique and potent mechanic, the delivery system (the hero itself) is too fragile to be reliable. If you have her, cross your fingers for the costume—or a very generous buff from the developers.

Final Verdict: D-Tier. Only usable if you have literally no other 5-star Holy heroes.