Sune: The Malachite Hunter Who Really, Really Hates Ice

Overview

Sune is a 5-star Nature hero from the Plains Hunter family, introduced during the Monster Island portal... even when Monster Island itself decided to take a vacation. He's a Fast speed Paladin who functions primarily as a sniper with a grudge. His kit is built around punishing Ice enemies and stripping buffs, making him a tactical scalpel rather than a blunt instrument. While he might look like he got dressed in the dark with leftovers from a dragon carcass, his utility is undeniable when the stars (and enemy elements) align.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Let's address the elephant—or perhaps the oversized lizard—in the room. Sune's armor is... a lot. He sports what appear to be massive, organic-looking shoulder pads that curve upward like horns, giving him a silhouette that's half-man, half-trophy rack. The color palette is a vibrant mix of emerald greens and fiery oranges, fitting his "Malachite Hunter" moniker. It's definitely a "refreshingly new" look, if by refreshing you mean "confusingly over-designed." Some might say he looks like he's wearing the boss monster he just defeated.

General Info

Hero Stats

Sune arrives with stats that are quite competitive for his release era. With an attack stat pushing past 1100 and a defense over 1000, he is well-balanced. His 2179 HP is particularly chunky for a Fast sniper, ensuring he can take a hit or two. Compared to the absolute latest power-creep monsters, he holds his own, sitting comfortably in the upper echelon of stat distributions, though not quite at the "god-tier" level of the very newest releases.

Special Skill: Primeval Glaive

Sune's special skill is a multi-layered cocktail of effects. At its core, it's a 550% snipe at Fast speed. That alone is respectable. However, the real spice comes from the conditions.

1. The Ice Kicker: If the target is Ice, he splashes 300% damage to neighbors. This transforms him from a sniper into a pseudo-AoE hitter.
2. The Buff Eater: He dispels buffs from the target and nearby.
3. The Mana Drain: He cuts mana based on the number of buffs removed. This is the sleeper hit of his skill. If he strips a fully buffed team, he can significantly set them back.

By the Numbers

Let's crunch the data to see what Sune really brings to the table.

• Mana Speed Analysis:
  • Base: Fast.
  • Effective Speed: Requires 8 tiles. With a standard level 23 mana troop (or lower with emblem bonuses), he charges in 7 tiles, which is the gold standard for offensive play.
• Damage Calculation:
  • Primary Hit: 550% of 1143 Attack = ~6286 value (raw damage potential).
  • Conditional Splash: 300% to neighbors. If triggered, that's an additional ~3429 value per neighbor.
  • Total Potential: Against an Ice target with two neighbors, his total damage output percentage skyrockets to 1150% distributed across three bodies. That is massive for Fast speed.
• Mana Cut Potential:
  • Base cut is implicit in the description structure (often starts at a baseline or scales). The text says "-5% per each removed status effect, up to -20% in total." Correction based on community notes: Some sources mention a baseline cut (e.g., 15%) plus the scaling. The in-game text provided says "Reduces the mana... by -5% per each removed status effect, up to -20%." This implies it's purely scaling. If he strips 4 buffs, that's a 20% cut. It's not a complete mana wipe, but enough to ruin a timing push.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Plains Hunter family bonus is a straight Attack boost for fielding multiple family members. It ranges from +5% for 2 heroes up to +20% for 5. While simple, extra attack is never wasted on a sniper. It makes his 550% hit sting just a little bit more.

Passives

Sune comes with two passives:

1. Special Skill Damage Reduction: A 10% chance to reduce incoming special damage to 1. It's unreliable but hilarious when it saves his life.
2. Hunter's Mark: Applies a DoT (150 damage over 3 turns) when he casts. It stacks if refreshed. 50 damage a turn isn't winning wars, but it can finish off a hero hanging on by a thread.

Aether Power

Attack Up is his Limit Break power. This is perfect. For a hero whose primary job is to delete an enemy, getting a raw attack boost at the start of the battle (for 6 turns) ensures his first firing is as lethal as possible.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Released when "Monster Island" was more of a myth than an event, Sune entered a meta dominated by heavy buffs and powerful tanks.
• Power Creep Analysis: 550% snipe at Fast speed is the new "standard" for snipers, replacing the old 450-500% benchmarks. His stats keep him relevant. His mechanic of punishing specific elements (Ice) is a timeless counter-pick strategy.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Viable. He isn't a "must-have" that breaks the game like some Goblins or Slimes, but he is a high-quality offensive tool. In an era of heavy buffing tanks (looking at you, Construct family), a Fast dispeller with kill pressure is always welcome.

Costume & Costume Bonus

Note: Sune does not currently have a costume. This review focuses on his base form.

Emblem Path Analysis

Sune is a Paladin, which means he has access to the strong defensive talent "Protect." However, his role is to kill things.

The Punisher (Attack Path)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes his 550% damage multiplier and the splash damage. Ensures he can one-shot threats.
• Cons: Paladins are naturally tanky; ignoring health nodes might make him slightly squishier, but his base stats are high enough to compensate.

The Defender (Shield Path)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Makes him incredibly hard to kill, leveraging the Paladin class talent to boost defense further.
• Cons: Wastes his high damage potential. A sniper that doesn't snipe is just a meat shield.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Attack Path is recommended. You bring Sune to remove a threat, not to stand there and look pretty in his weird armor.

Strengths

• Situational Nuke: Against Ice targets, his damage output is immense for Fast speed.
• Utility: Dispel on 3 targets at Fast speed is premium utility.
• Speed: Fast mana allows him to keep pace with the fastest defenses.
• Survivability: High base defense/HP plus Paladin class makes him sturdy.

Weaknesses

• Conditional Damage: If there are no Ice enemies (or the AI doesn't target them on defense), he is "just" a single-target sniper with dispel.
• Conditional Mana Cut: If the enemy has no buffs, he does little to no mana control (depending on interpretation of the mechanic, usually it's tied to removal).
• Defense AI: On defense, the AI won't prioritize Ice targets to trigger his splash, making him significantly weaker when controlled by the computer.

Best Game Modes

• PvP Offense (Raids/War): This is his home. You can manually target Ice heroes (often tanks or flanks) to trigger his full potential.
• Buff Booster Tournaments: He is a king here. Enemies will have buffs, meaning his mana cut and dispel will always find value.
• Blue Titans: High attack stat and elemental advantage make him a solid tile-damage dealer.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sune shines in a "Green Stack" designed to dismantle Blue-heavy defenses.

Sample Team Ideas

1. The Anti-Blue Wrecking Ball:
   • Composition: Almur (EDD) - Evelyn/Fogg (EDD) - Sune
   • Why: Elemental Defense Down ensures that Sune's hit is essentially a death sentence for any Blue hero, triggering his splash damage reliably.
2. The Mana Control choke:
   • Composition: Sune - Leadria - Waddles
   • Why: Sune strips the buffs, Leadria creates minions/heals, and Waddles blocks mana gen. It's a frustrating, fast-paced control team for 4-star/5-star mix tournaments.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Counters: Dodge heroes (Costume Kadilen) can cause him to miss his dispel. Taunt heroes (Krampus, Ludwig) prevent him from targeting the specific Ice hero he needs to hit to trigger his splash (unless the Taunter is Ice, then it's actually good for him).
• Anti-Synergy: Other dispellers that fire before him. If you strip the buffs with someone else first, Sune loses his mana reduction potential.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Sune early, celebrate. He is a sturdy, hard-hitting hero who will carry you through map stages and raids. Focus on leveling him immediately. His Paladin class will help keep your team alive with its defense boost chance.

Advice for Veterans

Sune is a "tool" hero. He isn't your everyday defense team anchor. He is the card you pull out specifically when you see a Miriam & Midnight, a Waterpipe, or a classic bulky Blue tank. Don't prioritize his LB2 (Alpha Aether) unless you use him in every war. He works perfectly fine at 4/80 +20 emblems.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community reception to Sune was... mixed.

• The Art Critic: One player asked, "wt heck is he wearing on his shoulders? That’s not part of the armour piece isn’t it?" The consensus? It's "over designed."
• The Power Gamer: Many noted he is "weak" compared to heroes hitting 400% to all, calling him out for being a single target hitter in a multi-target meta.
• The Realist: Others appreciated the utility: "My mana denial team needs a dispeller and he provides exactly that... He isn't a gamechanger like Lemonwood or Nautica but he fills a niche."

Final Thoughts

Sune is the definition of a "solid" hero. He won't single-handedly win the game on turn one, but he solves specific problems—namely, Blue heroes hiding behind buffs. If you respect his conditions and play him manually, he's a beast. If you put him on defense and hope for the best, you're likely to be disappointed.

And seriously, someone get this man a tailor. Those shoulder pads are a workplace hazard.

Final Verdict: A strong A-tier offensive hero, best used as a surgical counter-pick rather than a generalist.