Zengar: The "If... Then..." Barbarian

Overview

Zengar is a 5-star Ice hero from the Super Elemental family, released back in early 2023. He's a Barbarian who really, really hates Fire heroes. If you're fighting red tanks, he's your best friend. If you're fighting literally anyone else, he's... well, he's trying his best. This review focuses on his base form, which suffers significantly from age compared to his flashy new Farmer costume.

max

lb2

Hero Art & Visuals

Zengar sports a glowing blue aesthetic with rune-etched armor and a massive, futuristic axe. He has that "crazed berserker" look in his eyes, like he just drank five energy drinks before battle. It's a stark contrast to his costume, where he trades the axe for a hoe and looks like he's about to harvest some prize-winning turnips. The base art screams "Warrior," while the costume screams "Agriculture is my passion."

General Info

Hero Stats

Let's be blunt: Zengar's base stats are outdated. With around 900 Power and sub-1800 Health, he falls far behind modern behemoths that push 1300 Power and 2500+ Health. His Attack stat is decent for his era, but without Limit Breaks and emblems, he is incredibly fragile by today's standards. He relies heavily on his specific niche to be relevant because he can't stat-check modern defenders.

Special Skill: Great Frost Axe

This skill is the definition of "conditional."

• Base Effect: 200% damage to one target. That is practically a tickle in the current meta. A 3-star sniper hits harder relative to their tier.
• The Condition: If the target is Fire, he deals 450% damage to nearby enemies.
• The DoT: He applies Frost damage. If the target is Fire, the DoT spreads to nearby enemies too.

Analysis: You cannot bring Zengar to a fight unless there is a Red hero involved. Period. If you hit a non-Red hero, you are wasting a slot. If you hit a Red hero (like a tank), he becomes a tactical nuke against the flanks. The problem is consistency. If the Red hero dies before Zengar fires, or if you're facing a defense with no Reds, he is useless.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Fast.
• Base Damage (Non-Fire): 200% x 879 Attack ≈ 1,758 damage (Raw). This is pitiable.
• Target Damage (vs Fire): Still 200% to the target, but 450% to neighbors.
• Neighbor Damage (vs Fire): 450% x 879 Attack ≈ 3,955 damage (Raw). This is where the money is.
• DoT: 447 over 3 turns (approx 149 per turn).

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

The Super Elemental family is designed to mess with the board and elemental matchups.

Family Bonus

The Power Gem generation is a nice bonus. Getting free 20 damage pops every turn adds up, but it's rarely game-changing on its own. It's more annoying for the enemy than lethal.

Passives

Troop Mastery: This is his saving grace.

• Offense: +100% extra damage from troops against weaker elements (Fire). This makes his tile damage against Red Titans or Red Tanks absolutely monstrous.
• Defense: -10% damage received from Stronger elements (Nature). It helps his survivability slightly, but not enough to save his low defense stat.

Aether Power

Rage: At the start of battle, gain mana. This helps him fire faster, potentially securing that critical hit on a Red tank before the board dries up.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: When released, Zengar was seen as a "niche" hero. People either loved him for destroying Red heavy teams or hated him for being useless everywhere else.
• Power Creep Analysis: Power creep has not been kind. His 200% primary hit is laughable today. Heroes like Gestalt or Chang'e do massive damage without needing a specific element to target.
• Modern Viability: Low. He is strictly a counter-pick for War attacks against Red Tanks or for Mythic Titans/Events where you need blue tile damage. He has no place in defense or general raiding.

Costume & Costume Bonus

The Farmer Costume (C1) completely reinvents him.

• Base: 200% snipe, conditional AoE.
• Costume: 450% snipe (unconditional!), plus the conditional AoE on top.
• Stat Boost: The costume brings him up to modern stats (approx 1200+ Power).
• Comparison: The costume is superior in every single way. It fixes his biggest flaw (low base damage) and turns him into a reliable sniper who also explodes if he hits a Red hero. If you have the costume, never look back at the base version.

Emblem Path Analysis

Since you are only using him to kill things (specifically Red things), you need Attack.

The Red-Slayer (Attack Path)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes his tile damage (which is doubled by his passive against Red) and his special skill damage.
• Cons: He remains squishy.

Final Recommendation

Go Full Attack. Zengar's job is to kill the Red tank with tiles or a special skill. If he fails to do that, his survival doesn't matter.

Strengths

• Anti-Fire Specialist: Devastating against Red Tanks.
• Tile Damage: Troop Mastery makes his blue tiles hit like trucks against Red enemies.
• Chain Reaction: Can wipe out flanks if he hits a central Red target.

Weaknesses

• Useless vs Non-Fire: His damage drops to 3-star levels against non-Red targets.
• Outdated Stats: Extremely fragile without the costume stats.
• Conditional Logic: Requires a Red enemy to be alive and targetable to function properly.

Best Game Modes

• War Attack: Specifically against Red Tanks.
• Titans: His passive increases tile damage against Red Titans significantly.
• Contest of Elements (Ice): Ironically bad here, as there are no Red enemies to trigger his bonus effects.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Sample Team Ideas

• The Red Eraser: Frida - King Arthur - Zengar. Frida provides Elemental Defense Down, Arthur provides regular Defense Down, and Zengar utilizes the defense drops to nuke the Red tank and the neighbors.
• The Tile Team: Miki - Zengar - Bobo. Focuses purely on tile damage. Zengar's passive makes the tiles hurt, Miki boosts them further.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Taunt Heroes (Non-Red): If a Green Taunt hero (like Shacklebolt) protects the team, Zengar is forced to hit them for his pitiful 200% damage.
• Dodge: If the Red target dodges, the secondary effects (hitting neighbors) do not trigger.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled him early, he is a decent sniper against Red bosses in the map stages. Do not prioritize him over versatile heroes like Magni or Richard unless you are specifically struggling with Red enemies.

Advice for Veterans

Bench him unless you have the costume. The base version simply doesn't do enough damage to justify the roster slot in modern wars. The only exception is if you desperately need a tile-damage booster for Red Titans and lack other options.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• "Zengar is a joke compared to Jequn." - Many players felt the Blue Super Elementals were the "duds" of the family.
• "I'd rather bring a hero that can confirm a kill." - The community correctly identified that 200% damage often leaves enemies alive to heal.
• "He looks like he creates crystal of something that is definitely not ice." - A nod to his wild, unhinged artwork.

Final Thoughts

Base Zengar is a relic of a time when "niche" meant "bad in 80% of situations." He attacks with the enthusiasm of a berserker but hits with the force of a wet noodle unless his target is made of fire. If you have his Farmer costume, he becomes a god of the harvest. If you only have the base version... well, at least he looks cool holding that axe.

Verdict: Bench (unless fighting Red Titans or you have the Costume).