Ruadh, The Abyssal Huntsman: Priority Dispel and Punishing Power

Overview

Ruadh is a 5-star Fire hero from the Plains Hunter family (originally Monster Island), released back in mid-2024. He fits the classic archetype of a "Slow but Deadly" powerhouse. While the game has sped up significantly since his debut, his kit offers something incredibly rare and valuable: a priority dispel attached to a massive hit-all nuke. He’s essentially the Red answer to a heavy cleaner, clearing the path before laying down the law.

max

lb2

Hero Art & Visuals

Ruadh sports a rugged, tribal aesthetic befitting a "Plains Hunter." He looks like a seasoned warrior who has seen countless battles, wielding a massive axe-like staff. The color palette is dominated by warm earth tones and reds. Notably, eagle-eyed players have pointed out what looks suspiciously like an "emergency octopus" hanging from his belt—a crucial tactical advantage in any land-based skirmish, surely.

General Info

Hero Stats

Stat Analysis: As of early 2026, Ruadh's base stats (Power 1128) are starting to show their age compared to the latest releases which are pushing 1260+ Power.

• Attack (1089): Significantly lower than modern attackers who frequently breach 1300. This means his 400% damage multiplier doesn't hit quite as hard as it used to relative to modern defense stats.
• Health (2214): This is where he still shines. His HP pool is surprisingly robust and comparable to many modern heroes, ensuring he can survive long enough to fire his slow skill.
• Defense (1114): Respectable, but not tank-level by today's elite standards.

Special Skill: Scourge of the Strong

Skill Analysis: "Scourge of the Strong" is a sequence of events that is designed to swing a losing battle back in your favor:

1. Priority Dispel: This is the crown jewel. He removes all buffs from enemies before dealing damage. This ignores Defense Up, Counterattack, and even Taunt (though he only strips the Taunter first, he then hits everyone).
2. The Nuke: 400% to all enemies is a hefty multiplier. While his attack stat is aging, the percentage is high enough to dent even modern teams. The scaling damage (+10% per removed effect) is a nice cherry on top, punishing teams that rely on heavy buffering.
3. The Swing: He doesn't just hurt them; he buffs you. The Attack and Defense buffs (+40% to +60%) are substantial, and the 1500 boosted health regeneration makes him incredibly hard to kill if the match drags on.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Slow (12 tiles). With a Level 29 Magic/Styx troop or a Level 23 Mana troop + Bard bonus/Talent, you can shave this down, but he will rarely keep pace with Very Fast heroes.
• Damage Potential: 400% x 1089 Attack = ~4356 raw damage output per target (before defense). A full board hit deals ~21,780 raw damage total.
• Healing: 1500 Boosted Health over 6 turns = 250 HP per turn. This is massive for self-sustainability, effectively neutralizing most DoT effects.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Plains Hunter family and his passives add layers of survivability that a Slow hero desperately needs.

Family Bonus

The family bonus provides Attack, Defense, and Healing Power. While nice, you are unlikely to run multiple old Plains Hunters together in the current meta, so treat this as a minor bonus rather than a build-around feature.

Passives

• Special Skill Damage Reduction: A 10% chance to reduce incoming special damage to 1. It's unreliable (RNG dependent), but when it procs on a sniper hit, it wins games.
• Hunter's Mark: Adds a bit of DoT pressure. It’s not game-breaking (150 damage over 3 turns), but it prevents enemy rogues from dodging cleanly without consequence and adds chip damage.

Aether Power

Regen: A standard but effective power. Combined with his special skill's regen, he becomes a self-healing fortress once Limit Broken.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Ruadh was hailed as a "Snow White on steroids" but without the drawback of cleansing your own team. He was a Rush War god.
• Power Creep Analysis: The speed of the game has increased drastically. Slow heroes are harder to justify outside of Rush formats. His damage, while high in percentage, is hampered by his 2024-era Attack stat.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Niche but Powerful. He is no longer a universal answer for raids. However, in Rush Wars and Buff Booster Tournaments, he remains a top-tier threat. His priority dispel is a mechanic that never truly goes out of style.

Emblem Path Analysis

Ruadh needs to survive to fire, but his main purpose is to wipe the enemy team.

The Juggernaut (Defense/Health)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes his chance to cast "Scourge of the Strong". Makes him a viable tank in Rush Wars.
• Cons: Sacrifices the impact of his 400% hit.

The Executioner (Attack/Defense)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Ensures that when he finally fires, it leaves a crater. The 400% multiplier scales well with added Attack nodes.
• Cons: Might die before charging in standard speed matches.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Defense/Health path is safer. If he fires, you likely win or stabilize massively due to the buffs and dispel. Ensuring he lives to that point is priority number one.

Strengths

• Priority Dispel: Removes defensive buffs before damage calculation.
• Massive Swing: Simultaneously dispels enemies, damages them, and buffs/heals himself/allies.
• High Sustainability: Self-boosted health regen and high base HP.
• Rush War King: Absolutely dominates in Very Fast mana modes.

Weaknesses

• Slow Speed: agonizingly slow in standard formats without heavy mana support.
• Aging Attack Stat: Needs emblems and limit breaks to threaten modern overhealed teams.
• Self-Only Heal: The massive regen is only for the caster, not the team (though the team gets buffs).

Best Game Modes

• Rush Attack/Defense: His best home. 6 tiles to dispel and nuke is devastating.
• Buff Booster Tournaments: Punishes enemies for stacking buffs and gives your team massive buffs.
• PvE / Map Stages: Great for boss waves where you need to clear buffs and sustain through long fights.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Ruadh works best when his slowness is mitigated or when his dispel paves the way for faster heroes.

Sample Team Ideas

• The Rush Wrecking Ball: Ludwig (Tank) flanked by Ruadh. Ludwig's mana boost forces Ruadh to fire repeatedly, keeping the enemy team permanently stripped of buffs.
• The Red Wall (Rush Defense): Ruadh as Tank. His passive damage reduction and high HP make him annoying to kill with tiles, and if he fires, the attacker loses all momentum.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Mana Controllers: Hel, Proteus, or any silence/mana stop hero ruins him completely due to his slow speed.
• Lord Loki: Loves to copy Ruadh's skill to use against your own team.
• Anti-Synergy: Don't pair him with other slow heroes in standard raids; you'll be dead before anyone charges.

Advice for New Players

If you pull Ruadh early, he is a game-changer. His stats will carry you through the entire map and lower-tier raids. Prioritize leveling him, as he acts as a tank, damage dealer, and utility support all in one.

Advice for Veterans

He is a luxury tool for your Rush War depth chart. Unless you lack a reliable dispeller, he probably won't make your main war defense anymore. He is worth taking to 4/80, but think twice before spending Alpha Aethers unless you are serious about competing in Rush formats.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community's reaction to Ruadh was a mix of awe and skepticism regarding his speed.

• "Snow White on roids. Except he doesn’t cleanse, but whatever... Perfect for Buff Booster tourneys." - A common sentiment highlighting his offensive upgrade over the classic hero.
• "Reading his card is like reading a novel. Let’s just make all new heroes do everything." - A player lamenting the complexity creep.
• "Love that he appears to be carrying an emergency octopus on his belt." - The most important visual analysis from the forum.

Final Thoughts

Ruadh is the heavy artillery of Empires & Puzzles. He takes a long time to set up, but when he fires, he changes the landscape of the battlefield. While newer heroes zip around at Magic speed, Ruadh reminds us that sometimes, a slow, methodical, and overwhelming force is the best solution. If you need a dispel that hits like a truck, the Abyssal Huntsman is your man.

Note: No costume exists for Ruadh at this time, so this review focuses solely on his base form.