Ratgrub, The Rodent Royal: Unleashing the Princess of Pain

Overview

Ratgrub is a Legendary Holy hero from the notorious Goblin family, released in September 2025. When he first scurried onto the scene, the community reaction was colder than a dead rat, with many dismissing him as a slower, weaker version of Guardian Hippo. However, following a much-needed balance update that bulked up his furry companion, Ratgrub has found his niche. He operates as a unique hybrid of support and damage dealer, relying on his "Rat Princess" Mega Minion to unleash devastating chain attacks. He is currently a top-tier choice for players who love synergy-heavy teams and seeing enemy health bars melt away in a cascade of special skills.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Ratgrub’s design is quintessentially Goblin: a mix of the grotesque and the oddly charming. He stands there with a mischievous, toothy grin, affectionately feeding a piece of cheese to a massive white rat perched on his shoulder—the "Rat Princess" herself. The color palette is dominated by the sickly greens of the goblin skin and the rich purples of his courtier attire, contrasting with the bright yellow Holy element icon. It’s a fun departure from the serious, armored warriors we usually see; this is a guy who brings his pet to the battlefield and expects you to deal with it.

General Info

Hero Stats

Ratgrub boasts a modern stat line that keeps him competitive in the current meta.

With a base power of 1237 (rising significantly with Limit Breaks), Ratgrub is well-positioned among late-2025 heroes. His stat distribution is fairly balanced, with a slight lean towards survivability (Defense and Health), which is ideal for a Cleric whose main job is to keep his Mega Minion alive. Compared to the absolute latest heroes like the Titan Hunters or Astral Demons, his attack stat isn't the highest, but his massive health pool allows his Mega Minion to inherit a substantial amount of HP, which is the key to his effectiveness.

Special Skill: Princess Unleashed

Analysis: This skill is the centerpiece of Ratgrub's kit. It summons a "Rat Princess" Mega Minion for himself. While the minion provides a meat shield, its real purpose is offensive. As long as the Rat Princess is alive, every time another ally casts a special skill, Ratgrub (via the minion) deals massive damage to all enemies.

This mechanic is very similar to Guardian Hippo, but with a key difference: the effect is tied to the physical presence of the Mega Minion rather than a buff. This makes it "undispellable" in the traditional sense—you can't just use a dispeller to stop the damage; you have to kill the minion. The balance update improved the Mega Minion's survivability (up to 40% HP in live versions compared to early beta), making it much harder to remove casually. The damage output is capped at once per ally per turn, preventing infinite loops, but in a standard turn where you fire 3 or 4 heroes, the cumulative damage is catastrophic.

By the Numbers

Let’s break down the damage potential, assuming a Limit Broken Ratgrub with roughly 1600 Attack:

• Mana Speed: Average (10 tiles). With a Level 29 Magic/Styx troop or a Level 23+ Mana troop and the Cleric mana node, he can shave this down, though hitting the 9-tile breakpoint requires significant investment.
• Mega Minion Stats:
  • HP: ~35-40% of caster's max HP. If Ratgrub has 3000 HP, the minion has ~1050-1200 HP. That is a substantial shield.
  • Attack: 160% of caster's attack.
• The Chain Reaction:
  • If you have 4 other allies charged and fire them after Ratgrub:
  • 4 triggers x 240% (or 250% post-buff) damage to all enemies.
  • Total Damage: ~960% - 1000% damage to every single enemy.
  • This is roughly equivalent to firing a dedicated AOE nuker almost three times over.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Goblin family brings a distinct flavor of chaos to the board, primarily focused on messing with the enemy's accuracy and health.

Family Bonus

This passive is what makes Goblins so annoying to fight. If Ratgrub gets hit by a special skill, there is a chance he just casually strips away the enemy's boosted health. In the current meta where Boosted Health is prevalent (thanks to heroes like Hathor, Cleopatra, and the toon healers), this is a potent, albeit reactive, counter.

Passives

When Ratgrub fires, he has a coin-flip chance (50%) to either deal extra damage or blind the entire enemy team (-25% accuracy). While the damage is nice chip damage, the accuracy debuff is the real prize here. A global blind can cause key enemy dispellers or snipers to miss, protecting your Mega Minion for another turn.

Aether Power

Special Armor is fantastic for Ratgrub. Since his entire value proposition rests on keeping his Mega Minion alive, taking significantly less damage from special skills ensures he stays healthy enough to keep the minion protected. It forces enemies to rely on tile damage or specific minion-removal heroes to deal with him.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Ratgrub was overshadowed by the memory of Guardian Hippo and the perception that 35% HP for a Mega Minion was too fragile. The initial community verdict was "pass."
• Power Creep Analysis: With the adjustments to his Minion's durability and the damage multiplier, Ratgrub has vaulted into relevance. While he lacks the Fast speed of Hippo, the sheer durability of the Mega Minion in the era of 3000+ HP heroes means the "Rat Princess" sticks around much longer than a 3-turn buff.
• Modern Viability Verdict: High. He is a top-tier threat in Rush Wars and a devastating offensive tool in raids. In PvE events (like Challenge Events or Towers), he is arguably S-tier, as you can use mana potions on your other heroes to trigger his AOE repeatedly, clearing waves in seconds.

Emblem Path Analysis

As a Cleric, Ratgrub has access to the Manashield, which gives him a chance to resist mana-stopping ailments. This is excellent for ensuring he fires his skill.

The Princess Protector (Recommended)

• Path: Health > Defense > Attack
• Pros: The Mega Minion's HP is a percentage of Ratgrub's Max HP. By maximizing his health, you maximize the minion's health, making it harder to destroy and keeping the passive damage effect active longer.
• Cons: His tile damage and the inherited attack of the minion will be slightly lower.

The Glass Cannon Courtier

• Path: Attack > Health > Defense
• Pros: Increases the damage of the 240% wave clear and the minion's hits.
• Cons: The minion is more fragile and easier to pop.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Princess Protector (Health/Defense) path is recommended. The 240% damage is already high enough to be lethal; the priority is ensuring the source of that damage (the minion) survives.

Strengths

• Massive AOE Potential: Can deal more total damage in a single turn than almost any other hero if paired with fast allies.
• Undispellable Source: The damage effect cannot be removed by standard dispellers; the enemy must destroy the minion.
• PvE God: Absolutely trivializes map stages and event waves when combined with mana potions.
• Stats: High base health creates a very beefy Mega Minion.

Weaknesses

• Minion Counters: Heroes who destroy minions (e.g., Grimsteel, Ogima, Lunar) or specifically counter Mega Minions shut him down completely.
• Dependency: He does very little on his own. If he is the last hero alive, he is effectively useless.
• Average Speed: He needs time to charge, unlike the Fast Guardian Hippo.
• Silence/Mana Control: If he can't cast, he's just a goblin with a pet rat.

Best Game Modes

• PvE / Events: Use him with mana potions to spam AOE damage.
• Raid Offense: devastating in stacks (e.g., 3-2 or mono Yellow) where you can fire multiple heroes in succession.
• Rush Attack: At Very Fast speed, he becomes a nightmare to deal with.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Ratgrub craves allies who are Fast or Very Fast to trigger his passive as often as possible.

Sample Team Ideas

1. The Yellow Blitz:
   • Ratgrub + 4 Fast Yellows (e.g., c.Joon, Anne, Constance, Zora)
   • Fire Ratgrub first, then unleash the other four. The result is an immediate team wipe for the enemy.
2. The Mana Battery:
   • Ratgrub + Ludwig/Xnolphod + Fast Snipers
   • Ludwig charges the team, Ratgrub summons the princess, and the neighbors fire repeatedly, triggering the AOE.
3. The Double Hippo:
   • Ratgrub + Guardian Hippo
   • If you manage to fire both, every ally cast triggers TWO massive AOE hits. This is generally overkill but incredibly fun.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Grimsteel & Ogima: Instantly destroy the Mega Minion, removing Ratgrub's utility.
• Moth Family: Can replace the Mega Minion or deal extra damage to it.
• Minion Stealers: Heroes like Madhammer or the new Mimics who might steal or manipulate minions can turn the Princess against you.

Advice for New Players

If you pull Ratgrub early, focus on keeping him alive. He pairs well even with 3-star and 4-star heroes who have fast mana (like Bane or Poppy). Fire him first, then everyone else. He will carry you through the map stages easily.

Advice for Veterans

Ratgrub is a luxury toy that hits like a truck. He is worth the darts if you lack a Guardian Hippo or want a second option for War teams. In the current "Big Minion" meta, he fits right in. Don't sleep on his defense team potential in the corner—if he fires late when the attacker is out of specials, he can punish them severely.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The initial reception to Ratgrub was skeptical. Beta testers remarked, "The Mega Minion’s HP is lower than W3K minion’s HP. It doesn’t look very logical." and "People are worried about the MM health? This guy gets G.Hippo as their MM... Id like to know if it would also stack."

However, post-buff, the sentiment shifted. As YouTuber Cabo noted in his review, "He is a lot of fun to use. honestly might be my new favorite hero... the damage from the mega minion... hits all of them." The community went from calling him "Ratatouille's reject" to a respected damage dealer, proving that a little health buff goes a long way.

Final Thoughts

Ratgrub is a classic "Zero to Hero" story. Initially dismissed for his fragility, he has chewed his way through the meta to become a formidable force. While he requires a specific team setup to shine, when the stars align and the specials fly, there is nothing quite as satisfying as watching a rodent orchestrate the complete destruction of the enemy team. He is a must-have for players who enjoy big numbers and flashy combos.

Verdict: A cheese-loving champion who is definitely worth the trap.