Sable: The Fox Who Plays Dead to Save Your Life

Overview

Sable is a unique entry in the Covenant Summon roster, debuting in early 2025 as part of the Fox Family. As a 5-star Ice hero with Very Fast mana speed, she introduces a high-risk, high-reward playstyle centered around "Ghosting" herself to guarantee a revive later. While most revivers rely on RNG (Alberich, Mother North) or slow mana (Heimdall), Sable takes a different route: she guarantees a resurrection but removes herself from the board for three turns to do it.

She is a Cleric, which allows her to resist mana-affecting ailments—a crucial trait for a hero who needs to fire quickly to set up her safety net.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Sable features some of the most ethereal and captivating artwork in the game. She is depicted as an anthropomorphic white fox with a ghostly, spectral blue aura, fitting her "spirit guide" theme perfectly. The design leans heavily into Eastern mythology, resembling a kitsune or spirit fox. It’s a beautiful departure from the standard "angry warrior shouting at the sky" aesthetic we often see. If you like your heroes to look like they could guide you to the afterlife (and hopefully bring you back), Sable is top-tier eye candy.

General Info

Hero Stats

When Sable was released in early 2025, her stats were considered strong. However, looking at the current landscape (late 2025/early 2026), her 1796 HP is starting to look a bit fragile compared to modern tanks and fighters pushing 2200-2400+ HP. Her 1225 Attack and 1262 Defense are still respectable for a support hero, but she relies heavily on her Ghost form for survival rather than raw bulk. In today's high-damage meta, if she gets caught out of Ghost form, she can be melted down relatively quickly.

Special Skill: I'll Bring You Back

This skill is one of the most mechanically complex in the game. Let’s break down the sequence:

1. Self-Cleanse (Full Removal): First, she wipes everything from herself. Even undispellable ailments like Insanity (mostly) or permanent debuffs are gone. She resets to a blank slate.
2. The Ghost Phase (3 Turns): She vanishes. She cannot be hit, healed, or gain mana. Tiles fly through her. You are effectively playing 4 vs 5.
3. The Return (The Payoff): After 3 turns, she pops back up and:
   • Revives ONE random ally with 40% HP (Guaranteed).
   • Applies a HoT (Heal over Time) of 900 HP over 3 turns to everyone.
   • Applies a Cleanse-over-Time buff for 3 turns.

Analysis: The "guaranteed" nature of the revive is the selling point here. Unlike Mother North who might save you, Sable will save one person—if you can survive the 3 turns she's gone. The "Cleanse at the end of each turn" is also incredibly powerful against ailment-heavy teams (like those using mindless attack or DOTs), as it keeps your team functioning automatically. However, the delay is the killer. In modern fast wars, 3 turns is an eternity.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Very Fast (requires 6.5 tiles). With a modest mana troop (level 11+) or emblem node, she charges in 6 tiles (2 matches).
• Healing Output: 900 HP over 3 turns = 300 HP per turn. This is decent sustain but won't save a critical-health ally from a sniper shot immediately upon her return.
• Revive Value: 40% HP is generous. A tank with 2500 Max HP comes back with 1000 HP, which is often enough to survive a hit or two.
• The "Cost": You lose 20% of your team presence (1 out of 5 heroes) for 3 turns.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Fox Minion is a gimmick but a useful one. With only 2% HP, they die to a stiff breeze. However, the 80% Dodge chance is absurdly high. If they dodge, they steal a buff. This adds a layer of RNG annoyance for the enemy, potentially stealing a Taunt or Defense Up just when they need it.

Passives

Decreased Healing (-50%): This is arguably her strongest feature. Just by existing, she cuts all enemy healing in half. A healer that normally restores 1000 HP now only does 500. This cripples sustain tanks and healers, making Sable a passive threat even when she's ghosting.

Aether Power

Ailment Reflect: For the first 6 turns, she bounces ailments back. Since she is Very Fast and likely to cast (and cleanse herself) quickly anyway, this is just icing on the cake, ensuring she doesn't get silenced before her first ghost.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Sable was viewed as a "high-skill ceiling" hero. Players debated whether the 4v5 disadvantage was worth the revive. She found a niche in Rush Attack and as a Wing defender where she could annoyingly extend battles.
• Power Creep Analysis: Her stats have fallen behind the "Construct" and "Astral" powerhouses of late 2025. Her 900 HoT, while good, isn't the burst healing needed to counter 1500+ damage hits.
• Modern Viability: Sable remains viable but niche. She is a fantastic counter to healer-heavy defenses thanks to her passive. She is also a safety valve in PvE and easy wars. However, in top-tier competitive play, the 3-turn delay is often too slow to swing a losing match.

Emblem Path Analysis

The Survivalist (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: She needs to live long enough to cast. Since she has no damage reduction outside of ghost form, she is vulnerable when she reappears. Boosting Def/HP keeps her alive during those critical "visible" windows.
• Cons: Her Fox Minions (based on Attack) remain weak peashooters.

The Minion Master (Niche)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Fox Minions have 100% Attack. High attack stat = harder hitting minions. If you run a minion-heavy team, this adds up.
• Cons: She becomes squishy and might die before casting her first save.

Final Recommendation

For 90% of players, the Survivalist (Defense/Health) path is the way to go. Sable's job is to survive and reset the board, not to deal tile damage.

Strengths

• Guaranteed Revive: No RNG. If she comes back, someone comes back.
• Anti-Heal Passive: -50% healing to enemies is a hard counter to sustain teams.
• Total Self-Reset: "Full Removal" clears even undispellable dots or stacks, making her slippery.
• Very Fast Cleanse Engine: Once she returns, the turn-based cleanse shuts down ailment teams.

Weaknesses

• The "4v5" Problem: Ghosting leaves your remaining team vulnerable to focus fire. Tiles ghosting through her charge enemy mana faster.
• Delayed Impact: You have to wait 3 turns for the heal and revive. In that time, the rest of your team might die.
• Random Revive: If 3 allies are dead, she might revive the one without a useful skill (like a sniper with no mana) instead of your healer.
• Stat Creep: Her HP is low by modern standards.

Best Game Modes

• War Attack: excellent against heavy healers or slow teams where you can control the pace.
• Bloody Battle: NO. Her healing and revive are useless here.
• Buff Booster: Decent, as her minions steal buffs and she provides HoT/Cleanse buffs.
• PvE / Towers: Great for surviving tough boss waves. Ghost her to save her from a boss nuke, then bring back a fallen ally.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Undying" Defense:
  • Sable (Wing) - Tank - Flank - Flank - Mother North (Wing)
  • Putting Sable on the wing ensures she isn't the primary target. If the tank falls, she ghosts and brings them back. Pairing her with another reviver forces the enemy to kill everyone at once.
• The Minion Horde:
  • Sable - Freya - Bera - etc.
  • Use Sable's Very Fast speed to get a minion out early for protection/meat shield while the slower minion makers charge up.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters:
  • Lunar/Kravekrush: Heroes that block revive make her main gimmick useless.
  • Equalizer War: The "Ghost" buff can be removed by the Equalizer (depending on timing), potentially pulling her out early or cancelling the effect without the revive trigger.
  • Timed Nukers: Enemies that can time their big hits for exactly when she reappears.
• Anti-Synergy:
  • Taunt Heroes: If Sable ghosts, she can't taunt (obviously), but if you rely on her to share damage, she abandons the team.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Sable early, congratulations! She is a game-changer for map stages and mid-tier raids. Her passive alone will help you beat healer teams you normally couldn't out-damage. Max her immediately, but learn to time her skill—don't just press it because it's ready. Wait until someone is dead or you need to dodge a sniper.

Advice for Veterans

Sable is a "luxury" tool. She isn't a universal defense hero anymore due to the ghosting liability. However, she is a keeper for your war depth. Do not prioritize Alpha Aethers (LB2) on her unless you absolutely love her art or use her in your main war defense; her stats don't scale aggressively enough to warrant the precious mats over a modern 2026 stats monster.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community was split on Sable from day one.

• The Skeptics: "You're basically playing with 4 heroes in the hope that she might sneak in a revive." — Forum User
• The Fans: "Super irritating to play against... she guarantees a revive and buffs them up."
• The Art Lovers: Universally praised as one of the best character designs. "Eerily attractive" was a phrase thrown around.
• The "Ghost" Debate: Many players find the 3-turn wait "endless." There was a strong push to reduce it to 2 turns, but she remains at 3.

Final Thoughts

Sable is the definition of a "tricky" hero. She doesn't overpower you with brute force; she outlasts you with evasion and attrition. While her stats are showing their age, her unique combination of Very Fast speed, Heal Reduction, and Guaranteed Revive ensures she will always have a place in the tactical player's roster. Just remember: sometimes the best way to win a fight is to disappear for a while.

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