Analyzing Ferant – Empires and Puzzles (Review)
Ferant is an Empires and Puzzles hero who’s really made a name for himself. This 4-Star counterattacker was first introduced with the Clash Of Knights, but quickly got lost in the muddle, as we all tried to secure the services of Ludwig, Wolfgang, and Quenell.
But in recent months, Ferant’s stepped out of the shadows and into the light.
And in today’s post, I want to dig a little deeper in hope of discovering how Ferant is being used on Defense, and also spend some time exploring his raiding capabilities.
I seek to answer:
- How is Ferant being used on Defense?
- Does he work better with certain heroes, or can he fit into any squad?
- Finally, can he Raid?
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This post may contain speculation, personal opinion, and adult comedy. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.
Ferant’s Stats and Special Skills (Feral Revenge)
Element: Fire (Red)
Class: Druid
Mana Speed: Average
Family Bonus (WOLF): 2/3 Wolf heroes in the same team will gain: 35% / 50% chance to make a cast buff undispellable.
Special Skills (Feral Revenge): 1. The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 115% of the damage received for 5 turns. 2. The caster and nearby allies decrease -10% mana from the attacker on each counterattack for 5 turns. The effect gets diminished for consecutive activations during the same turn.
Talent: COMPANION ~ +15% chance to summon a Thorn Minion after receiving any damage. The effect is applied at the end of the turn.
Is Ferant the Best Counterattack Hero?
Before we go any further, let’s get to a table.
| Hero | Mana Speed | Counterattack | Additional |
| Ferant | Average (10 tiles) | The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 115% (was 135% pre-nerf) of the damage received for 5 turns. | The caster and nearby allies decrease -10% mana from the attacker on each counterattack for 5 turns. The effect gets diminished for consecutive activations during the same turn. |
| Sif | Average (10 tiles) | The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 100% of the damage received for 4 turns. | The caster and nearby allies reduce all received damage by 50% and get +24% mana generation for 4 turns. |
| Isrod | Average (10 tiles) | The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 110% of the damage received for 3 turns. | Deals 260% damage to the target and nearby enemies. The caster and nearby allies regenerate a medium amount of mana for each counterattack. The effect gets diminished for consecutive activations during the same turn. |
| Elena | Slow (12 tiles) | The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 125% of the damage received for 5 turns. | Deals 202% damage to all enemies. |
| Boss Wolf | Very Slow | The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 115% of the damage received for 4 turns. | The caster and nearby allies get +24% mana generation (can’t be dispelled) for 4 turns. All enemies get -24% mana generation for 4 turns. |
| Boril | Average (10 tiles) | The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 125% of the damage received for 5 turns. | Zero. |
| Cyprian | Average (10 tiles) | The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 125% of the damage received for 5 turns. | Zero. |
| Mack | Average (10 tiles) | The caster and nearby allies counterattack with 125% of the damage received for 5 turns. | The caster and nearby allies get +25% attack for 4 turns. |
I’ve omitted Costumed Boril and Cyprian, and the individual counterattackers, as they’re too far removed to make any kind of worthy yardstick.
This table does help confirm what we already know; a lot of Ferant’s value rests with his:
- -10% mana from the attacker on each counterattack
How is Ferant used in Defense? (Empires and Puzzles)
This morning, I scoured through a selection of E&P Defenses in hope finding Ferant, and learning how players were constructing Defense teams around him.
Here’s what I found:
The first team (Global Rank: 44) is playing the Double Formation and Ferant is protected by the front line (C.Krampus and Xnolphod).
The second team (Global Rank: 87) is playing the Standard Formation, meaning Ferant is fully exposed. (Note the brand new Magic Troops).
The third team (Global Rank: 43130) is also playing the Standard Formation and again, Ferant is fully exposed.
As we can see, the top 2 teams were stuffed with elite heroes (including Xnolphod), which is to be expected, as they were both top 100, globally.
The next step in my investigation involved facing a few of these teams. I wanted to know how well they synergized.
Ferant as a Defense Hero (Old Cynic Review)
I raided three teams, all fielding Ferant.
For the record, I normally play the same Raid team, no matter the Defense I’m facing. Here’s my current Raid squad:
C.Rigard | Freya | Devana | Hanitra | Malosi
And here’s what happened, and what I learned…
Ferant’s Defense Team 1 (Empires and Puzzles)
This was an elite team, ranked 214 in the world, fielding C.Mother North, Bera, Ferant, Krampus, and Odin.
However, the tile gods were with me and it was an easy win.
Malosi (an absolutely amazing hero for this stuff), slapped Krampus and Ferant before they even touched the ball. Devana caught the rest and yeah, don’t wanna floss, but we got to all kinds of slapping.
While I liked this team’s setup, they could have done with a decent hitter or a Defense-down hero.
That said, I can see how it might have frustrated me, without the fortunate early tiles.
Ferant’s Defense Team 2 (Empires & Puzzles)
This team was also elite, ranked 67138, fielding Quenell, Krampus, Ferant, Ludwig, and Zekena.
Ferant as Tank against Malosi is a no-brainer. This was another easy win for me.
Ferant’s Defense Team 3 (Empires and Puzzles review)
The last team was ranked 46431, fielding Bera, Mr. Pengi, Wolfgang, Ferant, and Quenell.
There was a great balance here which caused me problems.
Due to the position of the heroes, I was forced to pay immediate attention to Quenell, while also keeping an eye on Ferant, Mr. Pengi, and Wolfgang.
Quenell, in this position, was make or break. And without the tiles on my side, she fired off, -in devastating fashion (killing Malosi early). 😭
While I did go back to seek revenge, in a TRUE story, I was pulled away from the game to deal with something in the real world.
However, I have good reason to believe I would’ve won the rematch:
So, What did I learn from Ferant On Defense?
I thought Ferant was best positioned on the Flank, where he could see enough action to fire off, but not enough to be killed early.
He did well with healers and Mana boosters around him, -as they kept him alive long enough to fire off, or boosted his speed. Because once he actually fires off, things get hairy, real quick.
Krampus was also a great hero to pair him with, especially useful for stopping Malosi. (Plus, he’s double the work for poor old Malosi, as he tries to tap them both, before they get to flexing).
Another hero to consider is, Lady Of The Lake. Her Minions strip Mana, and could prove a frustrating combo when paired with Ferant.
Finally, Ferent also stands to benefit from playing with his Clash Of Knights family; Quenell, Wolfgang, and Ludwig.
Meaning, they all could benefit from the Wolf family bonus, possibly making their buffs undispellable.
Is Ferant a good Raiding Hero? (Empires and Puzzles)
Next, I wanted to see him in some raids.
I don’t have Ferant, but my wife does. Here’s the team she played in three Raids:
Bera | Ferant | C.Rigard | Lady Of The Lake | Jean Francois
The idea here was, Mana theft and attrition; Smothering the opposition into defeat.
Ferant’s Raid Team 1 (Empires and Puzzles)
This Raid team actually had great chemistry, with Ferant and Jean Francois firing off at the same time (as Ferant had mana troops assigned to him).
Bera was defensively minded and limited opposing Minions, while C.Rigard cleansed, and Lady Of the Lake was her usual awesome self.
Once Ferant fired off, the value of the Counterattack (which is easily forgotten when focusing on Mana) was evident.
Good old fashion Counterattack saw off a number of big hitters over the three Raids, but it was Mana control which helped to neuter Mother North, Krampus, and the rest of the elite heroes.
Also, when Ferant is paired with Lady Of The Lake and they both go off together…well…
🤣
And that was really the story of these three Raids…
Ferant’s Raid Team 2 (Empires & Puzzles review)
This was another easy win, with a lot of help from Ferant.
Related: Ferant also appears in my Top 10, 4-Star Heroes List
Ferant’s Raid Team 3 (Empires and Puzzles review)
The Defense team here was: Mother North, Ludwig, Mr. Pengi, C.Krampus, and Ruby.
So, What did I learn from Ferant On Offense?
In all honestly, I wasn’t expecting him to be this good. The Mana control was top-drawer stuff.
The Counterattack also… I mean, I don’t play a Counterattack hero anymore, but he really brings that skill back into focus.
Finally, it’s noteworthy that we didn’t have another Wolf Family hero, but Ferant was happy to go it alone.
In summary, I’d say he’s a fantastic raiding hero.
Ferant Review – Empires and Puzzles
My final thoughts:
Ferant’s gradually been ascending my countdown of the Top Defense Heroes in E&P, and I really wanted to dig deeper into his usage.
His skills are unique and powerful, –so good in fact, that he’s in some of the best Defense Teams in the game…
…just imagine who he’s keeping on the bench.
He’s undoubtedly a superb hero and a great addition to any roster.
Hero Grade for Ferant (Empires and Puzzles)
So for my grading, the question is:
Is this hero’s Special capable of/likely to change the outcome of a battle? Yes.
If not, do they still bring enough to the party to help defeat the deities? N/a.
Old Cynic’s Hero Grade: Deity ⭐★★
This Hero was subsequently Buffed or Nerfed by the developers. Details have been updated to reflect the changes.
(I haven’t had time to evaluate the nerf, and so the grade remains the same)
[Please always check in-game Hero Cards to confirm details and never chase Heroes]
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Isrod is another counter attacker that does damage as well. Can you compare him with Ferant? I have both and just finished leveling isrod and am not sure if he is better or not. I like that he does 260 damage but don’t really understand the mana thing compared to Ferant mana. Anyway, i enjoy reading your page. Keep up the good work.
Hey Steven, I’ve added him to the list. Isrod is an awesome hero as well. I like the hit he has and the Mana regen for counterattacks.
That said, Ferant is a hit and leave it hero -for a long 5 turns. I wonder how the 3 turns feels when you’re testing Isrod?
In time I’d level both. But if I had to pick…
I would say go with your play style: If you’re offensive then Isrod. Defensive, then Ferant.
I’m a defensive player, so it’s Ferant for me -Mainly due to the length of Special, higher rate of Counterattack, and subduing enemy Special skills (because I can’t match them with my roster).
Hope that helps, and thanks for reading.
Costume Elena has 155% counter attack. She’s still slow and has low defense, but it can be a bit of a tight rope walk when she goes off.
Also a Costume Elena userhere. She isn’t on my A squad (that would be Costume Marjana), but in fast wars and tourneys, she’s a devestator.
And ol’ Malosi is one of her favorite whipping boys.I’m in the process of leveling Ferant now, and am looking forward to a few comparison fights.Not even a mention to poor Costume Obakan at fast speed with decent damage and decent counter for whole team?
Hey Jimmy, once I have a good handful I don’t tend to look for more. Sorry, but thanks for highlighting him.
I got him early on when CoK was released and though: ey, theres something, I carelessly pawned Mack when i got him because i didnt believe in his skillset, wich i got to regret already the next 4* tournament because it was mack-mack-mack-mack in almost every team i faced..
-So i thought: Ferant must be my shot at revenge…
I made him my top prio to lvl and i also gave him top talents..and while rubbing my hands in a sinister way while setting up the next 4* team i was dreaming of success and glory..
imagine my unfathomable grief when i later on the following thursday at 4* tournament read the defense log and it said:
Defeat!
Defeat!
Defeat!
Win..
Defeat!
Defeat!
Defeat!..
Ive never been handed so much **** in any tournament.. and as a quick response i robbed ferant of every emblem i invested in him sending him back into the showers..
Ok i see the novelty value in him making a technically interesting match in raids and difficult PVE when youre locked into having only 4*, but i am not a big fan of making novelty matches at 4*, i just want that bracket to be over as fast as possible, and on that subject Ferant fails to deliver.
Seeing him paired with Meta-legendaries just makes me go: -Aaah, funny, just like ketchup on a Kobe-steak.. thats humour!
I am greatly disappointed in Ferant, and if any 4* from CoK should be invited in a proper engame team it should be Frans.
And as a bonus:
Ferants mana steal is applied when the tile hits, before the manarush comes, so you can still top your sniper or dispeller up and blast his butt into ash.
Also, if you fling a special on him your manabar will be empty so there wont be anything to drainl.
Also, there is a diminishing effect on the draining, som after you have rained tiles in a color you arent using before the correct ones hit the manadrain will be limited.
Im done with counterattackers, and im done with exciting drama-matches in anything less than 5*
Hey Cougar, I’m sorry that was your experience and I can’t justify his bad performance.
But, I think these new 4 stars are like the old 5 stars, -and when they have an odd looking ‘might be useful’ Special, people are gonna experiment.
We’ve all seen Ferant paired with the best heroes in the game, and he of course does better when surrounded by them.
Anyway, Ferant’s not for everybody and he may not climb any higher. This may have been his short time in the sun. But it was fun reading your story!
I’ve never had Kobe steak, but just so I know… what condiment should I put on it?
Hey Cougar, I wanted you to know you inspired this post (my most disappointing 5-Star heroes). I also shout you out at the bottom. Thanks for sharing 😊.
😀
I have the 4 wolves. (Ludwig, Quen, Wolfgang and Fe(a)rant.
I have found their team chemistry together is vicious when it hits. If you have Ludwig or wolfgang at tank and they go off AND you get the no dispell buff applied, its game over. If Ferant goes off and you get it, its over.
The only one I CAN deal with is Quen, because though she brings a big can o hurt….Its ONLY a can o hurt…she doesnt slow or stop or prevent or weaken your team in any other way until she gets a 2nd shot 5 turns later. And that gives you 5 turns to stop her. Which is usually doable (Or at least hit her with a dispel to keep her at normal damage). Ferant is tied to the enemy having fast(er) dispel (Or Malosi and his pre-dispel). If they have it, he can be managed. If they do not…he will kill them if allowed to shoot and charge the buff of doom up. He is unique in this regard. I bring Malosi and Onyx Ninja (Another pre-dispel also operating very fast, and whats better is he also post dispels, though it sometimes costs him his life against Fear-ant). Its the Wolves that create issue. IF hes on a team with 3 wolves (Seems to usually be Wolfgang and Quen) then you just hope he doesnt nab the undispellable buff bonus. If he does, its usually over. because all you can do to deal with him is avoid hitting 3 players (60% of the board!) for 5 long turns, or watch your troops die faster than theirs.
The weakness of the wolfpack, is they have only 1 hitter…Lady Quen. Who hits like this dude from a TV show…they called him THE MOUNTAIN…Oh, think you can kill ME with poison…lemme hit you again,…so hard you and everyone around you dies! That weakness is based on time. Since only quen can hurt you directly, until Ferant ripostes up. You have 3-4 turns, plus 5 more after before she shoots the deathblow. That is the window of weakness for the wolfpack…especially larger if the enemy brings malosi or onyx.
Hey TLK, sorry this comment was sent to spam for some reason! Thanks for the breakdown on how you use him!
You forgot C-Obakan, who and his neighbors counterattack with 85% at fast speed. Additionally he deals quite an amount of damage when emblemed to maximum attack (900+).
Hey Old Cynic,
Just saw the “devastating” news that they nerfed Ferant and now my defense team just took a blow again cos strike one was when they nerfed C Krampus (although this I agree to some extent cos he was really too strong)
Anyway, is he still considered a deity in your opinion after the nerf cos that part is a little unclear from your article. I played him on the flanks after reading your article previously and it has helped me to gain some wins instead of losing most of the time.
Also something irrelevant to the above, I do wish that they will stop nerfing heroes like that. I rem the developers saying that nerfing heroes is not something that they desire to do and yet they went to do it twice in a row. Sigh I worry that this will be like a habit to them.
Ps: Haha forgive me for the rant
Hey Jonah, you’re welcome to rant all you want, don’t worry about it!
As for Ferant, you know I feel like they’re reading my stuff or I’m jinxing it, cause no sooner do I review/highlight something, then does this happen!
Re. his grade, I’ve been so busy working on this blog (Buffs & Nerfs included), that it was all I could do to update these posts with new stats and provide the new notice of Buff/Nerfs at the bottom.
It’s the mana drop that’s not completely clear to me atm. They say, ‘mana removal effect now diminishes faster…’
For me, that was Ferant’s strength, and it’s not clear how much of that was taken away.
Hopefully, I get a chance to look at all these Buffs and Nerfs in time! Thank you for reading my stuff!
Buenos días amigo,escribo para desahogarme…..muy feliz me he levantado hoy,pero poco me ha durado,cuando abro mi correo del juego y ……sorpresa,han decidido volver a dejar el juego obsoleto quitando poder a Ferrant,los creadores no dejan tener más opciones que las que ellos dictan,por lo tanto,todos los mejores jugadores tienen los mismos héroes,un aburrimiento,no nos dejan divertirnos,no lo entiendo,por mi parte,dejaré de ser un jugador activo y pasaré a jugar en pequeños ratos,ya te vas cansando de estos cambios tan absurdos,gracias y solo quería compartir mi de epcion y mi frustración…un abrazo amigo
Translated: Good morning friend, I am writing to vent… I woke up very happy today, but it didn’t last long, when I open my game mail and… surprise, they have decided to make the game obsolete again by removing power from Ferrant, the creators didn’t they let you have more options than they dictate, therefore, all the best players have the same heroes, a bore, they don’t let us have fun, I don’t understand it, for my part, I will stop being an active player and start playing in small moments, you are getting tired of these absurd changes, thank you and I just wanted to share my hope and my frustration… a hug friend
¡Hola Dergoden, no te preocupes!
Hay muchas otras personas que sienten lo mismo.
No tengo buenas palabras para ti. Como dices, se trata de divertirte y eso es lo que debes perseguir. ¡Ojalá te sientas mejor mañana! Tómatelo con calma, amigo.
Translated: Hey Dergoden, no worries!
There are lots of other people feeling the same way.
I have no good words for you. As you say, this is about having fun and that’s what you should pursue. Hopefully you feel better tomorrow! Take it easy, friend.
Check this out …I Saw this and looks good .. setup 2 front 3 back ..from left to right treevil, azmia , guulinbursti, ferant, Franz all komplete with Emblems ,Mana troops all lvl 30,..
Cups 2816, globel rank 521 …
Not Bad..look at treevil He does massive pain to other..
I would trage gullinbursti out for Lady of the lake …
Whats your thoughts . ?
And all are Limit broken too..
That’s a great team. Are you saying you’ve put this team on Defense, or seen it? My fear would be the speed of Treevil, Gulli, and Franz. I mean, one of them, OK, but all 3? I think it’s too much, but if it works, it works!
I love the idea of the two counterattacks as Tanks and maybe a Fast healer in the center, then play with the Wings.
Have my def setup and its running pretty good..iam surprised at how good treevil is doing..iam leveling ferant to put him in this def Team. My setup now is 3 back 2 front
Treevil,Brunhilde,Azmia,Jean François,guulinbursti thats keeping me at around 2700 cups..hey Cynic do you have an alliance iam looking for a new one ??
Many greetings.
Sounds impressive that it’s keeping you in that 2700 range. It must be seriously frustrating for some players with better rosters! Congrats. No alliance, sorry. I’m a drifter, just jump from alliance to alliance. The forum is good for for finding somewhere new and fb. Thanks for sharing!
Ja its so funny ..I bet they dont believe it ..thats why I get Attacked 3 times and the most loose all 3 times ..I have to Laugh when I look at teams that attack me I xant believe myself …
Dear Old Cynic, I have a question:
Do Azmia counterstance and Ferant Feral Revenge overwrite each other?
In this case (treevil, azmia , gullinbursti, ferant, Franz), do the counterattack from Azmia and Ferant exist together in Gullinbursti, or the newest will overwrite the latter?
It’s my understanding that they just overwrite each other. Gullinbursti is separate and will have a different icon (his is a different Skill/gold sword).
In honesty, testing is always the best bet, but I think I’m right.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ja I Saw this team you can look at it in the Allianzen..Rocky Mountain’s..I would personally replace Gulli with Lady of the lake or Brynhild..since I dont have Franz replace him with fast big damage dealer..