Sun Quan: The Warlord of Wu Who Just Wants To Grill

Overview

Sun Quan, the "Warlord of Wu," is a classic 5-star Fire (Red) hero from the War of the Three Kingdoms event. Released back in 2022, he was designed as a hybrid damage dealer and minion summoner. He operates at Average speed and hits three targets while deploying a squad of "Wu Soldier" minions to all allies. Unlike typical meat-shield minions, his soldiers are armed with flamethrowers—well, figuratively—as they inflict burn damage on every hit.

While he lacks the fancy "Unstoppable Minions" passive of his costume or newer family members, he still holds a nostalgic place for players who love minion synergy or just want to watch the world burn (slowly, over three turns).

max

lb2

Hero Art & Visuals

Sun Quan’s design screams "classic general." He’s decked out in ornate red and gold armor with a confident, almost smug expression that says, "I have an army, and you don't." The fiery background and the commanding pose fit his "Command to Advance" skill perfectly. It’s a grounded, historical fantasy look compared to the neon-soaked designs of newer events.

General Info

Hero Stats

Sun Quan's stats are, frankly, showing their age. With a base power of 838, he sits significantly behind modern heroes who regularly push past 1250 power.

• Attack (791): Decent for his era but low by today's standards where hitters often exceed 1300.
• Defense (797) & Health (1528): Respectable bulk for a 2022 hero, but flimsy compared to the 2200+ HP behemoths released recently.
• Modern Benchmark: He is considered outdated. Without Limit Breaks or his costume bonus, he will struggle to survive against modern snipers who can one-shot him.

Special Skill: Command to Advance

Skill Analysis:

• The Hit: 340% damage to three targets is a solid chunk of damage. In the past, this was a finisher. Today, it's more of a "soften them up" move.
• The Minions: This is his signature. He summons a minion for every ally.
  • The Good: They provide a meat shield and consistent passive damage.
  • The Bad: With only 10% HP, these minions are incredibly fragile. A stiff breeze or a stray slash from any modern AoE hero will wipe them out instantly.
• The Burn: The minions inflict a Burn DoT (Damage over Time). Originally 258 over 3 turns, this adds up if you can keep the minions alive. However, since the minions die so easily, relying on this burn is risky.

Note: A January 2025 Balance Update significantly buffed his Costume's minion stats, but the base hero only saw minor adjustments over his lifespan.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Average (10 tiles).
  • With a Level 23 Mana Troop, he drops to 9 tiles (Functional Fast).
  • Kingdom Family bonus gives 2-6% Mana per minion summoned, which can help him recharge faster in a minion-heavy team.
• Damage Potential: 340% x 3 targets = 1020% total output.
• Minion HP: ~150 HP (Base) vs Modern Minions doing 500+ HP.
• Effective Speed: Often feels slow because his impact relies on minions surviving a turn to attack.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Kingdom Family bonus is excellent for minion wars. Gaining Mana and Health whenever a minion is summoned can create a snowball effect if you pair him with fast minion summoners (like Hulda or Sparklight). This is his saving grace.

Passives

• None. Unlike his costumed version, the base Sun Quan does not have the "Unstoppable Minions" passive. This means his minions can be prevented by Bera or removed by Grimble/Gobbler/Goretooth easily.

Aether Power

• Defense Up: At the start of battle, he gets a defense buff for 6 turns. This is actually quite useful for him, as it helps patch up his outdated defense stat and ensures he survives long enough to fire at least once.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: When released, Sun Quan was a solid A-tier hero. A hit-3 Ranger who spawned minions for everyone was a great utility package.
• Power Creep Analysis: Power creep has been unkind. His damage numbers are low, but the real killer is the low HP of his minions. Modern "Mega Minions" have more HP than Sun Quan himself had in 2022.
• Verdict: He has been relegated to War Depth and Faction Quests. He is no longer viable in top-tier Diamond Arena raids or competitive wars unless heavily supported.

Costume & Costume Bonus

Base vs. Costume Comparison: The costume (released later) is a straight upgrade in every way.

• Stats: The costume boosts his stats to modern levels.
• Passive: The costume grants Unstoppable Minions, meaning they cannot be removed or prevented. The base hero lacks this critical protection.
• Effect: The costume's minions have significantly higher HP (22% vs 10%) and deal massive burn damage (543 vs 258).

Recommendation: If you have the costume, never use the base version. The costume does the exact same job but strictly better. The base hero is only relevant if you pulled him before the costume existed or haven't leveled the costume yet.

Emblem Path Analysis

Since you rely on him surviving to cast his minions (which then heal him via family bonus), bulk is better.

The Survivor (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Keeps him alive to utilize his Aether Defense buff and cast his skill.
• Cons: Lowers his direct damage output.

The Aggressor

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes the 340% hit and the minion attack stat (since minion stats inherit from the caster).
• Cons: He might die before firing.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Survivor (Defense/Health) path is recommended. His value is in the minions and the family bonus synergy, not his raw hit damage.

Strengths

• Minion Swarm: Instantly protects the whole team with a meat shield.
• Synergy: Excellent mana/heal generation when paired with other Kingdom heroes.
• Ranger Class: Can bypass defensive buffs (like Counterattack) on his initial hit.

Weaknesses

• Paper Minions: 10% HP minions vanish instantly in the current meta.
• No Minion Protection: Susceptible to Grimble, Bera, and minion removal.
• Outdated Stats: Low survivability compared to 2025/2026 heroes.
• Average Speed: Too slow for the impact he provides.

Best Game Modes

• Bloody Battle: The minions provide "fake healing" via HP buffers, and the family bonus works well here.
• Map/PvE: Minions are great for keeping your team healthy through long map stages.
• Minion War: Obviously.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Minion Engine": Sun Quan + Liu Bei + Diaochan.
  • Why: Triple Kingdom bonus means every minion summon generates massive mana and health.
• The "Burn Ward": Sun Quan + Emilio + Russell.
  • Why: Sun Quan's minions apply burn, which can trigger passive effects for other heroes who benefit from burning enemies.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Grimble eats his minions for breakfast. Bera stops him from summoning entirely. Eloise steals them.
• Anti-Synergy: Don't pair him with other average/slow minion summoners without a mana booster, or you'll be dead before you get the engine running.

Advice for New Players

If you are a new player and pulled him (lucky you!), he is a great asset. Even with outdated stats, a full team minion summoner will carry you through Season 2, 3, and 4 map stages easily. Level him up!

Advice for Veterans

If you have him sitting at 3/70, leave him there unless you get his costume. He is not worth the Rings or Alpha Aethers in his base form. There are plenty of 4-star heroes today that outperform base Sun Quan.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• Historical: "Sun Quan is basically a dream for a player who wish to work his game around minions… Overall, you can achieve similar or better results otherwise."
• Reception: Upon release, players were whelmed. "I don’t know why but his card looks goofy as heck," said one forum user.
• The "Buff" Debate: Players constantly complained about his low minion HP compared to Liu Bei and Cao Cao. "Right now, the health is too low for the minion. If he was fast... he would be better."

Final Thoughts

Base Sun Quan is a relic of a different time. He’s a Warlord who forgot to upgrade his army's armor. While his kit is fundamentally sound—hit three, summon minions—the numbers just don't add up anymore. He serves as a decent mid-game carry, but without his stylish costume, this Warlord belongs in the history books, not the battlefield.

Verdict: Bench (unless Costumed).