Karnov "Champion Bruiser" Guide: 5 Star 5 Dark Monk

Hero Review

Karnov Review: The Forgotten Titan King Who Lost His Shoes

"He hits like a wet noodle in raids, but on Titans, he's a god. We break down why Karnov is the most confusingly designed Villain in the game and if he's worth your tabbards today."

Read Full ReviewIn-Depth Analysis & Strategy

Special Skill

Total Beatdown

Mana Speed

Slow

Deals 290% damage to all enemies.
Alters the power of all Dark shields on the board. When an attacking hero casts the special, the shields become enhanced with +64% attack. When a defending hero casts the special, the shields become weakened with -57% attack.

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

12Base Tiles

10% Bonus

11Tiles

Family Bonus

Challenge Festival II - Villains

Bonus for 1/2/3 Heroes:
+10%/+30%/+50% chance to heal 15%/35%/70% of dealt damage when attacking an enemy.
+40%/+80%/+120% more damage dealt against Minions and Mega Minions.
The members of this family have additional perks in the Challenge Festival events.

Costume Bonus

Bonus Stats

Costume Bonus

attack

+57%

defense

+57%

health

+62%

mana

+5%

Reach the maximum level for this costume to unlock these bonus stats for the base hero and all their costumes.

Passives

No passives found

Aether Power

Counterattack

At the start of each battle, this Hero counterattacks with 60% of the damage received for 6 turns.

In battles with multiple waves, the effect is refreshed at the beginning of each wave.

Talents

Class Talent

Master Withstand

30% chance to resist status ailments. If status ailments were resisted, the following effects are also activated:

Cleanses the newest status ailment from this character.

Hero Coach Info

Ascension Support

Hero Coach Date

Available Since

Feb 11th, 2023

How it works

By utilizing the Hero Coach, you can reach the Maximum Ascension of a Legendary hero instantly. This bypasses the requirement for rare 4★ Materials (like Alpha Aethers and Damaskus Blades) and ignores the traditional leveling time.

Explore Full Coach Roster

Visiting Outfitter Info

Get this costume

Visiting Outfitter Date

Available After

Dec 16th, 2026

How it works

The Visiting Outfitter is a recurring event that allows you to use Gems to buy the Oldest Missing Costume for a specific hero. This is a guaranteed way to unlock powerful Stat Bonuses and alternate skills for heroes already in your roster.

Explore Costume Catalog

Matching Legendary Troops

Mighty Monk

Furious Monk

special_damage_reduction_legendary_troop

Royal Sorcerer

Serene Brute

These troops provide full Class Synergy bonuses when equipped on Monk heroes of the Purple element.

Click here to view the full guide on how to obtain and best utilize these powerful troops!

Mana Optimization Strategy

How it works

By default, Karnov has Slow mana speed, requiring 12 tiles to charge. Equipping troops with a Mana Bonus can reach specific Breakpoints — the exact percentages where your tile count drops — allowing your hero to fire their special skill faster, with less tiles. Additionally, as a Monk, this hero can unlock a +4% Mana Bonus through Emblems (Talent Tree). Also, with the Costume Bonus active, they gain an extra +5% Mana Bonus. These bonuses can significantly lower the troop level required to reach these breakpoints.

Standard12Tiles

Optimized10Tiles

status_effect_attack_addition_legendary_troop

5★ Mana Troop Set

8 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 28

4% Emblem + 5% Costume (9%):

LVL 1

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+14%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

10Tiles

Required Level

LVL N/A

4% Emblem + 5% Costume (9%):

LVL 28

Need Bonus:20%

Combined bonuses:+20%

Breakpoint Achieved!

5★ Mana Troop Set

12 Variants Matching

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

4% Emblem + 5% Costume (9%):

LVL 1

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+14%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

10Tiles

Required Level

LVL N/A

4% Emblem + 5% Costume (9%):

LVL 29

Need Bonus:20%

Combined bonuses:+20%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Wayward Wizards

Magic Troop

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 11

4% Emblem + 5% Costume (9%):

LVL 1

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+14%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

10Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

4% Emblem + 5% Costume (9%):

LVL 11

Need Bonus:20%

Combined bonuses:+20%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Mystic Mages

Mana Troop

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

11Tiles

Required Level

LVL 17

4% Emblem + 5% Costume (9%):

LVL 1

Need Bonus:10%

Combined bonuses:+14%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Default12 Tiles

Optimized

10Tiles

Required Level

LVL N/A

4% Emblem + 5% Costume (9%):

LVL 17

Need Bonus:20%

Combined bonuses:+20%

Breakpoint Achieved!

General Information

Hero Name

Karnov "Champion Bruiser"

Rarity
ElementDark
ClassMonk
Mana SpeedSlow
Skill Types
AoE Attackers (Hit-5)Board Alterers Debuffers (ATK)Buffers (ATK)
SourceChallenge Festival II
FamilyVillain Family
Aether PowerCounterattack
CostumeBase
Release DateFeb 11, 2021
Availability
Coach:Feb 11, 2023
HA10:Feb 11, 2023
Costume
Available

Ascension Requirements

Tier

Food

Materials

Tier 2Ascension Cost

273K

★★★

★★★

★★

Tier 3Ascension Cost

442K

★★★

★★★

★★★

Tier 4Ascension Cost

708K

★★★★

★★★★

★★★★

★★★

Limit Break Requirements

Tier

Materials

Limit Break 1Unlock Cost

★★★★★

★★★★

★★★

LB 1 LevelsTotal Cost

★★★

Limit Break 2Unlock Cost

★★★★★

★★★★

★★★

LB 2 LevelsTotal Cost

★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★

★★★

Stats & Emblems

Simulation: 0 Emblems

Level				💪
4/80	766	745	1444	803
4/85lb1	825	803	1556	856
4/90lb2	944	919	1780	961

Strategy

Mana Node

Talent Level

Calculated Bonuses

Attack

+225 & +3%

Defense

+90

Health

+136 & +3%

Mana

+4%

Crit

+2%

Resource Costs

Emblems

1,740

Master

Food

6,041,800

Iron

6,041,800

+18

+15

+18

+3%

+15

+2%

+18

+15

+18

+15

+18

+36

+3%

+4%

+50

Community Feedback

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Overall Grade

Overall performance in the current meta

0v0%

Strong

0v0%

Average

0v0%

Weak

0v0%

Terrible

0v0%

Summon Value

Is this hero worth your gems and tokens?

Yes, Absolutely

0v0%

Only if you’re Pay-to-Win

0v0%

Yes, but only when featured

0v0%

Not Really

0v0%

Not at all

0v0%

Copies to Keep

How many copies are worth keeping and leveling?

None

0v0%

1 Copy

0v0%

2 Copies

0v0%

3+ Copies

0v0%

Limit Break Priority

Priority for applying Limit Breaks

LB2 (Alpha)

0v0%

LB1

0v0%

None

0v0%

Emblem Path

General emblem path preference

Sword path (Attack when possible)

0v0%

Shield path (HP and Def when possible)

0v0%

Node Strategy

Specific node priority strategy

Atk > Def > HP

0v0%

Atk > HP > Def

0v0%

Def > Atk > HP

0v0%

Def > HP > Atk

0v0%

HP > Atk > Def

0v0%

HP > Def > Atk

0v0%

Best Def Position

Best placement in a defense formation

Tank

0v0%

Flank

0v0%

Wing

0v0%

None

0v0%

Primary Use (Max 3)

Top scenarios where this hero excels

Raids/War

0v0%

Defense

0v0%

Titans

0v0%

Tournaments

0v0%

Events

0v0%

Farming

0v0%

Visual Design

What do you think of the visual design?

Amazing

0v0%

Refreshingly new

0v0%

It’s ok

0v0%

It could be better

0v0%

Very bad

0v0%

Discussion

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Karnov

What element and rarity is Karnov in Empires & Puzzles? +

Karnov is a 5 star Dark hero (Purple) with legendary rarity.

What is Karnov's special skill? +

Karnov's special skill is called "Total Beatdown". Deals 290% damage to all enemies. Alters the power of all Dark shields on the board. When an attacking hero casts the special, the shields become enhanced with +64% attack. When a defending hero casts the special, the shields become weakened with -57% attack.

When was Karnov released? +

Karnov was released on Feb 11, 2021.

Which family does Karnov belong to? +

Karnov belongs to the Villain Family. Bonus for 1/2/3 Heroes:. +10%/+30%/+50% chance to heal 15%/35%/70% of dealt damage when attacking an enemy.. +40%/+80%/+120% more damage dealt against Minions and Mega Minions.. The members of this family have additional perks in the Challenge Festival events.

What is the mana speed of Karnov? +

Karnov has Slow mana speed.

Hero Review

Karnov Review: The Forgotten Titan King Who Lost His Shoes

Special Skill

Total Beatdown

Family Bonus

Challenge Festival II - Villains

Costume Bonus

Costume Bonus

Passives

Aether Power

Counterattack

Talents

Master Withstand

Hero Coach Info

Hero Coach Date

How it works

Visiting Outfitter Info

Visiting Outfitter Date

How it works

Matching Legendary Troops

Mana Optimization Strategy

How it works

5★ Mana Troop Set

5★ Mana Troop Set

Wayward Wizards

Mystic Mages

General Information

Karnov "Champion Bruiser"

Ascension Requirements

Limit Break Requirements

Stats & Emblems

Simulation: 0 Emblems

Community Feedback

Overall Grade

Summon Value

Copies to Keep

Limit Break Priority

Emblem Path

Node Strategy

Best Def Position

Primary Use (Max 3)

Visual Design

Discussion

Join the Hero Discussion

Council Login Required

❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Karnov