Kai: Empires and Puzzles Covenant Monster Hunter
Kai is a new Sniper from the Empires and Puzzles Covenant Portal. And looking at his Special Skills, it’s clear to me that Kai is a relentless Sniper who utilises a box of Fiend-based tricks to dispose of his victims.
This post may contain speculation, personal opinion, and adult comedy. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.
Kai’s Stats and Special Skills (Empires and Puzzles)
Key Facts: Nature (Green), Very Fast, Rogue, Monster Plains Hunter Family
Special Skills (Mantis Strike): 1. Deals 435% damage to the target. 2. Summons a Bone Trap Fiend for the target. The Fiend damages the enemy with 45% attack every turn. The damage increases by 8% each turn, up to a max of 93%. 3. The Fiend absorbs healing and disappears when it has absorbed health equal to 35% of its owner’s max health. 4. The target gets -50% decrease for any healing received for 3 turns. 5. Dispels Buffs from the target at the end of each turn for 3 turns.
Passives: 1. DAMAGE OVER TIME – When this character casts their Special Skills, they give a Hunter’s Mark to a random enemy. The target receives 150 damage over 3 turns. If they already have this effect, the duration is reset and the damage is increased by 150, up to a total of 1500 damage. 2. SPECIAL SKILL DAMAGE – The character has a 10% chance to drop direct damage from Special Skills to 1.
Family Bonus: 2/3/4/5 Heroes: +5/+10/+15%/20% attack.
Talent: EVADE ~ +20% chance to dodge direct damage from offensive Special skills.
Is Kai Worth Levelling? (Empires and Puzzles)
I definitely would level Kai. He’s a wonderful Sniper who causes so many problems for his victim… Rapid HP loss being one of them.
In fact, when I first read the Card, I was left wondering how I’d play him on Defense. There’s a key part of his Special which we’ll come onto later*, that’s a proper nuisance to remedy. And with his Speed, it might have been worthwhile.
But it’s on Offense where Kai will comfortably assume the role of Assassin.
I did my 3 pulls today and got Kvasir, Balthazar, and Kvasir (😒), but I was hoping for Kai.
I really need a new hero but, SG don’t agree!
[Readers disclosure: I’m currently levelling C. Francine to play alongside Lady of the Lake and Kai would’ve been a nice fit.]
Kai’s Fiends Vs. Empires and Puzzles
Here’s a table populated with Fiend Summoners:
| Hero | Mana Speed | Damage/Other | Max # of Fiends | Fiend Damage | Healing Absorbed by Fiend |
| Kai | Very Fast (6.5) | 435% damage to the target + target gets -50% healing & Buffs Dispelled for 3 turns | 1 | 45%-93% | 35% |
| Hohenwerf | Fast (8 tiles) | 450% damage to the target (Fiend causes Mindless Attack and explodes for 150 damage) | 1 | – | 30% |
| Cleaver | Fast (8 tiles) | 100% damage to all enemies + all enemies get -32% attack and further -5% each time they are hit for 4 turns | 5 | 45%-93% | 35% |
| Hannah | Fast (8 tiles) | 215% to target & NB + Fiend gives -20% attack for life of Fiend | 3 | 43% | 20% |
| Khepri | Average (10 tiles) | 275% damage to target & NB + possibility of up to 3600 explosion damage | 3 | 38% | 30% |
| Matilda | Average (10 tiles) | 390 Poison damage to all enemies over 3 turns + target takes +50% increased damage and 50% chance to reset on last turn. | 5 | 38% | 35% |
| Liz | Average (10 tiles) | 175% to all enemies + Fiend gives -24% mana generation for life of Fiend | 5 | 43% | 28% |
| Zhuge Liang | Slow (12 tiles) | Zero damage to all enemies + Summons counterattack Minions | 5 | 75% | 50% |
| Motega Tier-2 | Slow (12.5 tiles) | Zero damage to all enemies + Fiend gives -50% accuracy for life of Fiend | 5 | 43% | 50% |
| Senan | Slow (12 tiles) | 275% to all enemies | 5 | 45% | 30% |
The Fiend Summoners are Rising… maybe
I’ve had to simmer down this list coz there are so many Fiend Summoners now.
I love the idea of utilising Fiends on Defense and Cleaver’s an easy win for that. A 35% BMI on Fast for every enemy, is definitely good going.
The problem for Fiend Summoners is that there’s already an inbuilt solution for their Fiends; healing/Minions. And there are also some pretty powerful heroes who can render them somewhat moot.
Arco, Esme, Penolite, and Gaillard, all 💕 Fiends or their Summoners.
But, one of the things I really like about Kai is this:
‘The target gets -50% decrease for any healing received for 3 turns.’
So, along with the Fiend slapped on forehead, he also inflicts a Status Ailment that drastically reduces any healing the target might receive, therefore making one of the most common solutions to Fiend-Infestation, ineffective for 3 turns.
If you do try to ‘heal’ his Fiend off while the Status Ailment is present, it will mean the Fiend will absorb not 35% of its owner’s health, but rather, up to 70%.
💭 If only Esme had a Cleanse.
[There is an assumption made here; that the decrease in healing will also apply to what the Fiend takes… but if it doesn’t, then what’s the point of the Ailment?]
Underestimating Fiends Attached To Face (Empires and Puzzles)
It can be hard to measure the significance of a new Fiend the first time it gets stuck on your head. I mean, they’re a bit like a spider that startles you in the hallway. 🕷
There he is, blocking your path to the living room, and for a moment it seems like you’ll never make it back.
This happened to me only yesterday. I went ahead and called my wife over (who was actually sitting in the living room) so we could deal with it “as a couple”.
She got up and headed towards the ruckus, while I demanded to know if old eight legs was fixing to pay some rent or help out with the chores.
Soon, she’s standing opposite me and I could see in her eyes, just how distraught she was at the separation caused by this monster discovered intruding in our once peaceful home.
But no matter how insurmountable a barrier might seem, love always finds a way.
“We” placed him in a jar and relocated the little fella to heaven the garden.
And up until now, Fiends have had a similar effect on Defense; we don’t want them to touch us, but once properly dealt with, there’s no lingering stress at all.
Kai (Covenant – Monster Plains Hunter)
My final thoughts:
Kai is a dedicated killer. His singular goal is to make his victim’s life a complete and utter misery; overwhelming and smothering them until there are no HPs left.
He attaches a Fiend to a face and makes removal a real hardship. Leaving some victims visibly shaken as they’re left to consider a lifetime living in severe discomfort.
All the while, the Fiend increases its attack (up to 93% -about 107HP I make it, top-end), and all Buffs are Dispelled at the end of each turn for 3 turns.
That means, and according to my tests/maths, that Kai’s hit represents a death sentence if you can’t get the right type of urgent care.
And in truth, if that -50% health was part of the Fiend’s abilities*, rather than a Status Ailment, he would have been completely devastating.
But as it stands, Kai’s threats can be mitigated by a strong healer who operates in the right order (Aino, Prof. Lidenbrock, etc.), or by one of the many anti-Fiend Specialists currently available within the eco-system.
[Also, one of the 2022 HotM Element Links could potentially make all allies immune to Fiends (for 4 turns) when that comes online next year.]
At the end of the day, it’s on Offense where Kai will really shine, where you can pick his victims, and where he can add to your team’s overall versatility.
And at Very Fast, it’s reasonable to expect that with a little luck & some Mana Troops, he’ll fire off once or twice before the midway point.
Kai’s a great little Sniper who would be warmly welcomed onto my roster!
Hero Grade for Kai (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 ⭐★★
[Please always check in-game Hero Cards to confirm details and never chase Heroes]
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Images used by way of review/tutorial – Copyright owned by Empires & Puzzles: Small Giant/Zynga Games
I like this one. I summoned twice.
Oberon and Phileas.
I already have Phileas.
Damn.
Interesting. I always like a very fast hero and this one hits a lot harder than other Very Fast Hero’s that I can think of. Kageburado hits slightly harder but only if the hero is above 50% health and dispels buffs but offers no secondary considerations like fiends etc…. I managed to get both Francine Costume and Kai. I had pretty much overlooked Francine C until I read your review. I am going to have to reconsider which to fully level as currently, I only have enought ascension items for one more green. Decisions, decisions…
Didn’t pull Kai this Summon but got Ebba, Meadow and Edelaide and already had Dawn and Maheegan. I saw this review and looked for others in this family but I guess Kai is all you have had time for since there is no event review for Covenant Quest. Faced Ebba in a raid and was destroyed as she appears to be Congalach on steroids if you have any fiends. She needs to be paired with Elizabeth, Visarco, Hannah and other fiend producers for max effect and have the fiend hero fire first, infect the enemy then Ebba will blast away. Love to hear your thoughts as time permits. Thanks for all the good info and, as always, the wit!
Hi Dave! Yes, I wrote about Kai because he was more distinct from Anne who I had just covered. Also re. the events; I don’t wanna moan because I write by choice and enjoy it, but I also have to accept my limitations -and events are massive to cover (the way I do) and normally involve E&P making a bunch of changes and wasting my jokes!
That said, I do have a monster post in the works which will be out in a few days.
OK, Ebba.
Here’s her Special for any interested parties:
Deals 585% damage to the target.
Deals an additional 260% damage to as many random enemies as there are Fiends owned by enemies. The damage is reduced on each consecutive hit.
All hit targets cannot cast any new status effects or stacks on enemies or allies for 4 turns.
All hit targets get -54% attack for 4 turns.
I actually think we’ve been moving this way for a long time which is why I was glad to pick up Esme. For me, Fiends still haven’t been properly explored because there have been so many other/better options on the table. But as SG pushes out more heroes of this elk, I suspect we’ll see more Fiend-based Defenses.
In the past, we had Liz and Hannah, but the new bunch should be much more interesting, like Kai (the healing block). That said, if you’re gonna go Fiends to pair with Ebba on Offense, then Liz makes a truckload of sense due to the Mana Control and Stacking.
I’ve not faced Ebba yet, but looking at the Skill, she will keep hitting (so heroes can be hit more than once)… Awful. Then the SE block, then the -54% Att.
Pretty debilitating stuff.
The great thing for those of us lacking her presence is that she requires Fiends to shine; so a solid Healer/Fiend Defender will limit Ebba to a high-profile Sniper (this will be my goal when I see her!).
Also, that means the Defense may not be optimised, as they seek to force a Fiend hero in there to support Ebba. -Of course, you’ll likely have to make your own changes because of her!
Anyway, she’s a crazy hitter if she gets you, but maybe when facing her, ignore her and kill the Fiend Summoner. If you’ve got her, smack away! Congrats! 🎉🎊🥳
Just finished leveling Kai, sadly not enough material for a level break(yet) but looks like a really useful and fun hero 🙂
Super Lucky to pull him in three single pulls.
Hoped to pull Ebba to pair with congalash, would have been a great combo to see in action haha!
Happy to see a really fast and strong hero, have pulled to many slow heroes so fast ones are more then welcome!
Great write-up as usual. 😄👍