Vander "Cyborg Captain" Guide: 5 Star 5 Dark Wizard

Hero Review

Vander Review: The Cyborg Captain's Guide to Silence

"Vander brings a fast-paced silencing game to Empires & Puzzles. With a cyborg cowboy aesthetic and a skill that scales with Dark shields, he can be a simple sniper or a team-wrecking silencer. But do his stats hold up in the modern era? Let's find out."

Read Full ReviewIn-Depth Analysis & Strategy

Special Skill

Gloom Grenades

Mana Speed

Fast

Deals 450% damage to the target.
The target gets silenced for 3 turns.
If there are 6 or more Dark shields on the board, the damage and status ailments are dealt to the target and nearby enemies instead.
If there are 12 or more Dark shields on the board, the damage and status ailments are dealt to the all enemies instead.

⚡ Tile Breakpoints Guide

8Base Tiles

15% Bonus

7Tiles

Family Bonus

Super Elemental - Super Elementals

Super Elemental family makes teams of a specific element stronger. This hero enhances <> element.
* One or more shields are enhanced to Power Gems each turn.
* The amount is the same as <> heroes in the team. 5 Power Gems per element can be on the board at the same time.
The Power Gem deals 20/15/10 (5*/4*/3*) damage to a random enemy each turn until it is matched. When Power Gems are matched, they deal 10 damage to all enemies.

Costume Bonus

Bonus Stats

Costume Bonus

attack

+29%

defense

+29%

health

+30%

mana

+5%

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

Passives

Inherent Abilities

Passive Skills

Troop Mastery
Passive Skill as attacking character
This hero's Troops deal extra elemental damage against weaker element.
- Dealt extra elemental damage
+100%
Passive Skill as defending character
This hero receives less elemental damage from Troops of stronger element.
- Received elemental damage
-10%

Aether Power

Ailment Immunity

No Aether Power description available.

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

Talents

Class Talent

Master Jinx

When dealing damage through normal attacks and Special Skills, 25% chance to deal 25% extra damage per each active buff.

Hero Coach Info

Ascension Support

Hero Coach Date

Available After

Aug 7th, 2026

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

🎭

No Costumes Available

This hero does not currently have any costumes in the game. As a result, they do not appear in the Visiting Outfitter events.

Matching Legendary Troops

Eldest Wizard

special_damage_reduction_legendary_troop

Shaman Wizard

status_effect_attack_reduction_legendary_troop

Eternal Hunter

status_effect_defense_addition_legendary_troop

Enlightened Tree Spirit

These troops provide full Class Synergy bonuses when equipped on Wizard 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, Vander has Fast mana speed, requiring 8 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 Wizard, this hero can unlock a +2% 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.

Standard8Tiles

Optimized7Tiles

status_effect_attack_addition_legendary_troop

5★ Mana Troop Set

18 Variants Matching

Default8 Tiles

Optimized

7Tiles

Required Level

LVL N/A

2% Emblem + 5% Costume (7%):

LVL 19

Need Bonus:15%

Combined bonuses:+16%

Breakpoint Achieved!

status_effect_defense_reduction_legendary_troop

5★ Mana Troop Set

2 Variants Matching

Default8 Tiles

Optimized

7Tiles

Required Level

LVL N/A

2% Emblem + 5% Costume (7%):

LVL 20

Need Bonus:15%

Combined bonuses:+16%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Wayward Wizards

Magic Troop

Default8 Tiles

Optimized

7Tiles

Required Level

LVL 23

2% Emblem + 5% Costume (7%):

LVL 5

Need Bonus:15%

Combined bonuses:+15%

Breakpoint Achieved!

Mystic Mages

Mana Troop

Default8 Tiles

Optimized

7Tiles

Required Level

LVL 29

2% Emblem + 5% Costume (7%):

LVL 11

Need Bonus:15%

Combined bonuses:+16%

Breakpoint Achieved!

General Information

Hero Name

Vander "Cyborg Captain"

Rarity
ElementDark
ClassWizard
Mana SpeedFast
Skill Types
AoE Attackers (Hit-3)AoE Attackers (Hit-5)Silencers Snipers
SourceSuper Elementals
FamilySuper Elemental Family
Aether PowerAilment Immunity
CostumeBase
Release DateAug 7, 2024
Availability
Coach:Aug 7, 2026
HA10:Aug 7, 2026

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	1114	1100	1854	1082
4/85lb1	1201	1185	1998	1156
4/90lb2	1374	1356	2286	1305

Strategy

Mana Node

Talent Level

Calculated Bonuses

Attack

+255 & +4%

Defense

+36

Health

+172 & +3%

Mana

+2%

Crit

+2%

Resource Costs

Emblems

1,740

Master

Food

6,041,800

Iron

6,041,800

+15

+18

+15

+36

+3%

+15

+2%

+15

+36

+18

+15

+2%

+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 Vander

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

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

What is Vander's special skill? +

Vander's special skill is called "Gloom Grenades". Deals 450% damage to the target. The target gets silenced for 3 turns. If there are 6 or more Dark shields on the board, the damage and status ailments are dealt to the target and nearby enemies instead. If there are 12 or more Dark shields on the board, the damage and status ailments are dealt to the all enemies instead.

When was Vander released? +

Vander was released on Aug 7, 2024.

Which family does Vander belong to? +

Vander belongs to the Super Elemental Family. Super Elemental family makes teams of a specific element stronger. This hero enhances <<Hero element>> element.. * One or more shields are enhanced to Power Gems each turn.. * The amount is the same as <<Hero element>> heroes in the team. 5 Power Gems per element can be on the board at the same time.. The Power Gem deals 20/15/10 (5*/4*/3*) damage to a random enemy each turn until it is matched. When Power Gems are matched, they deal 10 damage to all enemies.

What are Vander's passive skills? +

Troop Mastery:. Passive Skill as attacking character: This hero's Troops deal extra elemental damage against weaker element.. - Dealt extra elemental damage: +100%. Passive Skill as defending character: This hero receives less elemental damage from Troops of stronger element.. - Received elemental damage: -10%

What is the mana speed of Vander? +

Vander has Fast mana speed.

Hero Review

Vander Review: The Cyborg Captain's Guide to Silence

Special Skill

Gloom Grenades

Family Bonus

Super Elemental - Super Elementals

Costume Bonus

Costume Bonus

Passives

Passive Skills

Aether Power

Ailment Immunity

Talents

Master Jinx

Hero Coach Info

Hero Coach Date

How it works

Visiting Outfitter Info

Visiting Outfitter Date

No Costumes Available

Matching Legendary Troops

Mana Optimization Strategy

How it works

5★ Mana Troop Set

5★ Mana Troop Set

Wayward Wizards

Mystic Mages

General Information

Vander "Cyborg Captain"

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 Vander