Tremor: The Baboon Swordmaster Who Loves Getting Dispelled

Overview

Tremor is a 5-star Legendary Ice (Blue) hero from the Jungle Hunter family, introduced during the Kalevala event in July 2023. Visually, he's a heavily armored baboon wielding a jagged sword, looking like he jumped straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon about space monkeys.

He falls into a very specific archetype: the "Delayed Gratification" hero. Unlike standard snipers who hit instantly, Tremor places a buff on his team and himself that triggers a massive effect after 3 turns—or immediately if someone tries to remove it. This unique mechanic makes him one of the most niche, yet arguably the most specialized, heroes in the game. He isn't a jack-of-all-trades; he is a master of exactly one domain.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Tremor sports a vibrant, comic-book style aesthetic. He’s a baboon in blue plate armor, screaming at the sky with a weapon that looks like it was carved from a giant bone. The art is dynamic and colorful, fitting the Jungle Hunter theme perfectly. It’s a refreshing break from the edgy, dark fantasy knights we often get. You can practically hear the screeching just by looking at the card.

General Info

Hero Stats

When we look at Tremor's stats in the context of the 2026 meta, he is showing his age.

• Attack (896): This is significantly lower than modern attackers who frequently push 1300+.
• Defense (953) & Health (1738): These bulk stats are respectable for a 2023 hero but fall short of the 1300+ Defense and 2200+ Health seen in the latest Construct and Astral heroes.

However, because his special skill damage is fixed (more on that below), his low Attack stat is less of a liability than it would be for a standard hitter. His survival is paramount, so his Defense and Health are the only stats that truly matter.

Special Skill: Protective Stance

Analysis: This skill is a "Damned if you do, Damned if you don't" trap for the enemy, but it requires patience.

1. The Wait: On paper, waiting 3 turns for 500 healing and 500 damage is terrible. In modern fast-paced raids, 3 turns is an eternity.
2. The Trigger: The magic happens when the effect is removed. If an enemy dispels Tremor, or if a War Rule (Equalizer) cleanses him, the effect upgrades to 800 Health and 800 Damage instantly.
3. The Suicide Bomber: If Tremor dies while the buff is active, the game counts this as the effect being "removed" from him. He will deal the 800 damage from the grave, often taking an enemy with him. Note that the healing component is a separate buff on his allies; if they die, they don't get healed, but if he dies, the damage still goes off.

By the Numbers

Let's break down why this Baboon is a math problem for your opponents.

• Mana Speed: Fast. This is his saving grace. He can charge in 7 tiles (with mana troops), allowing him to cast his "trap" early in the match.
• Damage Calculation: The damage is FIXED. It deals 500 or 800 damage regardless of Tremor's Attack stat or the enemy's Defense stat.
  • Pros: Hits high-defense tanks just as hard as squishy flanks. Bypasses defense buffs.
  • Cons: Does not scale with Attack buffs, Defense Down ailments, or Critical hits. 800 damage is roughly 30-40% of a modern hero's HP—significant, but not a one-shot kill.
• Healing Calculation: 800 Health is a solid chunk (roughly 30-40% heal for older heroes, 25% for modern tanks), but remember it's not "Overheal" (Boosted Health), so it stops at max HP.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

The Jungle Hunter family bonus provides extra Health (+2% to +10%) if you run multiple heroes. While nice, you are unlikely to run multiple Jungle Hunters in a competitive team today unless you are using a specific theme team. The Monster Island bonus is irrelevant for PvP.

Passives

• Damage over Time: Dealing 150 damage over 3 turns to a random enemy is negligible in today's game. It's mostly useful for pinging off "Stoneskin" or "Dodge" layers.
• Hunter's Vigor: Gaining +20% Attack on special cast is unfortunately wasted on Tremor, as his main damage source (Protective Stance) is fixed and does not benefit from this buff. It only helps his tile damage.

Aether Power

Defense Up is the perfect Aether Power for him. Since his primary goal is to stay alive long enough to keep reapplying his buff (or to survive until the 3-turn timer pops), any extra bulk is welcome.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Tremor was immediately identified as a niche specialist. Players realized that standard raiding with him was clunky, but he broke the Equalizer War meta. In Equalizer, effects are removed every 3 turns. This guarantees that Tremor's "punishment" version (800 damage/heal) triggers like clockwork.
• Power Creep Analysis: His stats have fallen behind, but his mechanic remains unique. Fixed damage has actually aged somewhat well against heroes with insane Defense stats (since it ignores defense), but poorly against heroes with massive HP pools (since 800 is a smaller percentage of 3000 HP than it was of 1500 HP).
• Modern Viability Verdict:
  • Equalizer Wars: Viable / Niche Top-Tier. He is still a premier pick here.
  • Standard Raids: Bench. There are simply too many faster, more reliable heroes who don't ask you to wait 3 turns to do their job.
  • Events: Useful for bypassing high-defense bosses due to fixed damage.

Costume & Costume Bonus

Currently, Tremor does not have a costume.

Emblem Path Analysis

This is the most critical part of building Tremor. Do NOT follow the standard attacker path.

The "Iron Monkey" Build (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes survivability. Tremor's special skill damage is fixed (500/800) and does not increase with his Attack stat. Therefore, Attack nodes are almost entirely wasted on him (except for tile damage).
• Cons: Low tile damage.

The "Glass Baboon" Build (Not Recommended)

• Path: Attack > Health > Defense
• Pros: Slightly higher tile damage against Red Titans.
• Cons: He dies faster, and his special skill hits for exactly the same amount as the defensive build.

Final Recommendation

For virtually all players, the Defense/Health path is the only logical choice. You want him to survive to cast his special multiple times.

Strengths

• Equalizer War King: The mechanics of this war type trigger his maximum potential automatically.
• Fixed Damage: Ignores the absurdly high Defense stats of modern tanks. 800 damage is 800 damage, whether it's hitting a 3-star hero or a 2LB tank.
• Anti-Dispel: Punishes enemies (like Sobek or c.Kadilen) who rely on dispelling buffs.
• Fast Speed: Can fire quickly, putting pressure on the enemy team early.

Weaknesses

• Fixed Damage Cap: 800 damage doesn't scale. As heroes get more HP (2500-3000+), 800 damage becomes less threatening.
• No Overheal: His healing is capped at max HP, making him inferior to modern healers like Hathor or c.Ariel.
• Passive Synergy Fail: His Attack-boosting passive does not boost his main damage source.
• The "Wait": In standard modes, waiting 3 turns allows the enemy ample time to kill him or set up defenses that mitigate the damage.

Best Game Modes

• Equalizer Wars: This is his home. Put him on defense or offense, and watch him work.
• Bloody Battle: Interestingly, while his heal is blocked, his damage is still significant and fast.
• Events/Map Stages: Good against bosses with "High Defense" buffs since he ignores them.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Synergies

• The "Cleanse" Trap: Pair him with heroes that cleanse ailments? No, that doesn't trigger him. You need heroes that remove buffs.
• Ludwig/Xnolphod: Since Tremor is Fast, pairing him with mana boosters can allow him to overwrite his own buff. If he casts while the buff is active, the game replaces the effect, which counts as "removing" the old one, triggering the 800 damage instantly before applying the fresh 3-turn timer. This allows you to "machine gun" his skill if you have infinite mana.
• Guardian Gazelle: Gazelle removes all status effects when she fires. If Gazelle casts her dance, she wipes Tremor's buff, instantly triggering the 800 heal/damage bomb. This is a potent combo.

Sample Team Ideas

1. The "Equalizer" Defense:
   • Formation: Double or Reverse Double.
   • Heroes: Tremor - Erlang Shen - Tank - Support - Sniper.
   • Why: Erlang Shen and Tremor both love Equalizer. They punish the enemy simply for the war rule existing.
2. The "Dance of Death" (Offense):
   • Heroes: Tremor - Guardian Gazelle - Elemental Debuffer - Healer - Sniper.
   • Why: Fire Tremor first. Then fire Gazelle. Gazelle strips Tremor's buff -> BOOM (800 dmg to all + 800 heal). Now your team has Gazelle's attack buff for tile damage clean up.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Buff Blockers: Heroes like Hippo or Kageburado (who dispel before hit) are tricky. If they block buffs, Tremor does nothing.
• Silence/Mana Control: If he can't cast, he's just a monkey in a suit.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Tremor early, he is a solid Fast speed "healer/hitter" hybrid. The 500 damage/heal is huge at lower levels. Level him up, but prioritize Defense emblems. He will carry you through map stages.

Advice for Veterans

Tremor is a luxury tool. If you take War seriously and struggle with Equalizer, he is worth maxing (but maybe not 2LB). If you already have a deep roster, he might just collect dust 28 days a month. Do not waste Alpha Aethers on him unless you absolutely love his art or have excess resources.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The community's reaction to Tremor was a rollercoaster.

• The Beta Shift: Originally Average speed in Beta, he was buffed to Fast for release. One player noted, "Also seems no one noticed - he became FAST on release... He looks absolutely fine to me as a FAST hero."
• The Confusion: Many players initially thought he was broken or useless. "I think this hero is borderline unusable on regular modes outside of equaliser. Even Gullinbursti is more threatening."
• The "Broken" Claim: On the flip side, some called him OP in specific setups: "Those Erlang + Tremor defs are just stupid during equalize wars... wonder if those departed people will ever realize if they put 2 tremor & 2 erlang on defense they create their own nerf situations."

Final Thoughts

Tremor is the definition of a "niche pick." In 90% of the game's content, he is a B-tier hero who feels a bit awkward to use. But in that remaining 10%—specifically Equalizer Wars—he is an S-tier monster who punishes the enemy for simply existing. He is a puzzle piece that fits perfectly in one specific spot and nowhere else.

Verdict: Keep him for War depth, but don't expect him to replace your primary raid team.