Morax Empires and Puzzles HotM November 22
Morax is Empires and Puzzles’ November 2022 Hero Of The Month (HotM), and with a little luck and strategy, he has the potential to cause a whole heap of damage.
This post may contain speculation, personal opinion, and adult comedy. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.
Morax‘s Stats and Special Skills (Hero Of The Month)
Key Facts: Dark (Purple), Average, Sorcerer, Legends 2022
Special Skills (Scythe of Sorceries): 1. Deals 400% damage to the target and minor damage to nearby enemies. 2. The target gets -24% Mana generation for 4 turns. 3. Reduces max health of the target’s nearby enemies by 400. Max health can’t be lower than 30% of the original max health. 4. [Element Link] All Dark allies are immune to new Fiends for 4 turns (can not be dispelled).
Passive: 1. MANA ON HEALTH BOOSTING SPECIAL SKILL ~ This character gains 5% Mana each time an enemy casts a Special Skill that Boosts health. 2. RESIST MANA GENERATION AILMENTS ~ Innate resistance against Status Ailments and Negative Stacks that affect Mana Generation. Doesn’t apply to Status Ailments that stop Mana Generation or steal Mana.
Talent: DELAY ~ +15% chance to drop the mana generation of the enemy by -50% for 2 turns after dealing damage. The effect is applied at the end of the turn.
Legends 2022 Family Bonus: 1/2/3 Heroes: +10%/+15%/+20% attack. Bonus for 2+ Heroes: Element Link affects all allies.
Morax Vs. Empires & Puzzles
You’ve got to be careful with a Modern Hero of the Month, because with all these words flying at you, it’s easy to mistake volume for content.
Of course, that little piece of logic doesn’t apply to my blog.
But it’s true. Sometimes, when I’m trying to figure out a new HotM, I feel like I’m decrypting some kind of ancient language. Like I just bumped into a wall of Small Print as I’m about to install a new App; -But am I on to a winner or not?
Is this Hero a badass or not?
I mean, Morax has more Back-and-Forths than a geezer trying to flog me a watch at the market;
“Mate, this has got 3 different time zones, 1 alarm, it’s semi-vibrating, and it’s water resistant to .5 meters. Cost me thirty quid to get in, but it’s yours for £15… Can’t say fairer than that. £10? … £5?”
Morax might have more words than The Modern Encyclopedia, but he also might have the depth of an Election Manifesto 😁.
Question is:
Is Morax a viable option to aid your other Heroes in their brave quest to see off the mighty High-Deities?
How Good is Morax? (Empires and Puzzles)
Let’s try and break him down, starting with his Attack:
- 400% to target and Minor to nearby (Minor = Half, so 200%)
That looks like old-school (Season 1) Average damage:
- Richard – 415% to target and Minor to NB (Ave)
- Thorne – 490% to target and Minor to NB (Ave)
But new Heroes have far superior Form and Execution:
- Master Lepus – 410% to target and Minor to NB (Fast)
- Faline – 330% to target and NB (Fast)
- Topaz – 350% to target and NB (Ave, Ninja)
- Adalinda – 395% to target and NB (Ave)
But there’s still more to it. Because Morax will have greater Stats than those Season 1 Heroes:
| ATT | DEF | HP | |
| Morax | 764 | 766 | 1431 |
| Thorne | 638 | 793 | 1339 |
| Richard | 644 | 817 | 1260 |
| Adalinda | 753 | 828 | 1555 |
| Topaz | 821 | 704 | 1491 |
| Zagrog | 772 | 751 | 1394 |
Morax is quite similar to Zagrog, who hits the target for 430% and nearby enemies for Minor Damage, also on Average. However, Zagrog will bypass defensive Buffs and gains Mana as he slips them.
But…
Morax Reduces Max Health
For me, Morax’s value is predicated on the usefulness of this part of his Special.
And on first take, it doesn’t seem that useful at all. I mean, reducing Max Health? What’s that worth?
Well, this reduction of Max Health thing changes Morax from a pretender into the real thing (for one small moment in time).
But to get an idea of what we can expect from Morax, I went and tested Alfrike, who also reduces Max Health as part of her Special. And the results were quite interesting.
Here’s what Morax’s Hero Card says:
‘Reduces max health of the target’s nearby enemies by 400. Max health can’t be lower than 30% of the original max health.’
This is an image of a Raid team before Alfrike fires off: Note Margaret on full health:
And here’s what happens after the cubes smack em in the lips:
From my research, current Heroes who have Max Health Reduction as part of their Special Skills, deal more straight Damage than Health Reduction. Excluding Eiora & Fluffy, who will reduce health on enemies who own Minions without causing Damage first (Horus staggers reduced health over 3 turns).
In the case of Morax, his Max Health Reduction to nearby enemies will be greater than the Minor Damage dealt (assuming the targets have full health).
In rough testing, 200% damage equates to about 200-250 HP; so the 400 HP reduction would be almost double that!
And at Average speed, there’s a reasonable chance of Morax firing off with at least a few enemies with near full health (based on my Devana doing the same).
Again, in rough testing, 400% Damage equates to around 450-500 HP.
In simple terms, I believe that this Hero of the Month has the potential of causing as much damage as an elite Hero.
-Let’s say you hit the Tank just after they’ve healed and all enemies now have Max Health, the 200% Minor Damage would be overridden and we’d see something like this:
| FLANK | TANK | FLANK |
| 400 HP | 450 HP | 400 HP |
This means the equivalent Damage caused to the Flanks would end up equating closer to 360% Damage, rather than Marax’s standard 200% damage to nearby enemies.
Of course, if they’ve already been hit, the 400 HP could equate to nothing but thin air!
[If I were trying to get the most out of Morax later in a battle, it might be worth retargeting the same nearby enemies to reduce their Max Health further.]
Morax’s Element Link and Passives
The only thing we haven’t covered yet is the -24% Mana Generation for the Target. But then, we all have a good idea about how that works and what it’s worth.
As for the Element Link, it’s the same as we’ve seen with the last few HotMs that offers Immunity against Fiends. -It’s a useful and powerful Element Link, but there’s no need to go on about it.
Morax’s Passive Skills
Morax has a couple of OK Passives. The first gives him a 5% Mana Boost when an enemy implements a Health Boost via their Special Skills.
But I suspect this will likely have limited impact, still, every little helps.
His second Passive is pretty much on par, offering protection against Status Ailments that affect Mana Generation.
Overall, Morax has a few bells and whistles which contribute to the large volume of words that populate his Hero Card.
Morax Empires and Puzzles – Hero of the Month November 2022
My final thoughts:
Behind the riddles and equations, Morax actually offers a shining beacon of hope; That when the stars align, and you get in there early enough, he’s gonna be able to flex like a real somebody.
Just like getting to the buffet first, to choose from the unsullied foods, Morax will make your budget all-you-can-eat buffet feel like a 5 Star banquet.
But once that window closes, you’ll be lumped with a Hero who feels like Superman, after he gave up his powers for love. 💖
Even then, Morax offers you a strategic option for utilizing his Max Health Reduction and a -24% Mana Generation that could be used to slow down a menacing target.
I can’t see any reason to prioritize Morax if you’ve already got better hitters. But for a large portion of players, I suspect he’ll represent a very respectable offensive alternative.
Because, if you strip it all back, you’re left with a Hero who offers Skills which could be folded into a decent Team. -He can be Stacked and he is useable.
In a time when Premium Heroes are breaking the scales, HotMs are still following the baseline. However, I hold out hope for Morax chiefly because his Max Health Reduction could stifle standard Healers.
What are your thoughts on Morax?
Hero Grade for Morax (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? No.
If not, do they still bring enough to the party to help defeat the deities? Just.
Old Cynic’s Hero Grade: Archangel
[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 Games
When it first leaked I went banana. I stopped summoning, saved all my coins, keys and gems for November. (Well, until that damn costumed Heimdall showed-up).
However, all reviews tell this is not as awesome as I thought at first. I will try to get Morax, but my hype has decreased since then,
As usual, a great article, please do not skimp on words, in your case the more the better.
Hey Mig-El, thank you! No, it feels like with Morax, if you gave him what he’s likely meant to be, he’d be a Deity: Tier-3.
* Hits target for 500% and NB for Minor
* all 3 get -24% Mana Gen
* reduces all 3 Max H by 400 HP
I’m sure that hero’s in the works, but they’re not gonna be a HotM. Thanks for visiting!
As I told you, I saved all my summon coins, but Valhalla’s (Damn you, Heimdall) in order to obtain this guy. And I got him with the keys on November 1. Now I have saved coins I think I can keep saving. I have not decided to use my gems on Black Friday yet though.
Anyways, I was lucky for once and that needs to mean something, I guess.
What are your thoughts on the costume summons? I spent my 30 keys and pulled costume Elkanen thoughts? As always love the posts keep up the great work.
Congrats Mitchell, he looks great. 230% damage to all on 805 Attack at Fast is gonna hurt. C.G.Panther does 280% at Fast also.
The -50% decreased healing for all enemies for 3 turns, which is uncleansable, could form part of a devastating team.
Plus all the Costume bonuses. Looks strong to me. What are your thoughts?
Thanks for stopping by!
I am waiting until tomorrow to do my costume pulls. Alas, if I were to luck into Morax, he still might end up being soul exchange food. I’m slow leveling Hel, while keeping fingers crossed for a top season 5 hero.
Kara has by far been my favorite HoTM. That brings up a question. Have you ever posted an article on the top 10 HoTM’s?
Hey Nurgles, completely understand. I do try to write the HotM with newer players in mind. I think this guy’s ‘OK to Good’, but that can be part of the frustration for those with more experience/deeper rosters, and yet having to face all the new Monsters out there. But for newer players, or f2p/some c2p, they might welcome this kind of firepower on the roster.
Re. a Top 10 HotM: Last Christmas I included it in my Christmas Post which was a lot of fun for me to create. I hope to write something similar this year, so will at least round up the best of the year. I am a fan of the Festive period so don’t be surprised to see Xmas images up on this site a little early!
Thanks for reading!
Oh for sure! I’m fortunate to have a few of the more recent powerful crop of heroes…such as Milena, Penolite, Elizabeth and Octros. Otherwise, my roster is reliant upon HOTM and those from Season 1. Leveled plenty of the slow, season 1 lot….
I love The HOtM and classic hero family bonuses. Though feels like I’m not getting the ROI to unlock the final node to fully realize their potential?
Anyhow, thanks for doing what you do!
Are you going to review the 2x costume season 1 heroes?
Yeah, that would be really spiffy, but then again i wouldnt want to put too much pressure on Mr.Cynic because he already doing a superduper job on his page and also taking the time to talk to us gamerdrudges 😉
😄 Disclosure; on the morning of the day I published this post, I managed to injure my left arm (elbow area) and it was too uncomfortable to type 😟. And that’s why (I feel) this post isn’t as funny as I’d like it to be. I literally injured my funny bone! Anyway, it’s getting better (“Old” Cynic), but now I’m saving it for the Pets, coz… there’s simply no respectable way outta this sentence for me.
Anyway, I do think the X2s are crazy and I’m thinking I’ll cover them with a countdown or something when this grouping is done. Of course, C2. Quintus is gonna be awesome when he arrives!
Thank you for reading and taking the time to talk to me. I always appreciate it.
Prayers up for the elbow… and World Peace, too.
I’m a bit confused about what you said about hitting the buffet first and the only way I can rationalize what you wrote is if maybe you had missed the waiters scuttling about filling the trays as the patrons take their fill.
Why is Morax’s max health reduction that much better at the start of the fight than later on? Max health is unaffected by how much the target has sustained damage by the time you hit your spoon in it. If they had 1500/1500 or 800/1500 health at the time of the hit, they would be left with 1100 max health in either case. Granted, only the former affects the current health, and if you had sniped the healer by then, then the reduction would not help you, but in many raids the fight drags on and the perps not getting their health back up smells to me like the waiters just brought in a fresh new cake.
And yeah, I saved my summons from last month’s luke-warm HOTM and landed Morax. Unfortunately he’s third in line after 2x C.Obakan and Hel but I for one am excited to dig in. Best HOTM in a while. Grace? Ugh. Silvaria? Nuh-huh.
Hey Callous, you’re right in that there is a general area of health where Morax will simply reduce the Max Health to -400 HP as you illustrate. And that’s the early window I refer to.
Plus, it allows me to try and reference just how much damage it will amount to (should you hit the NB when they have full health).
At Average, I do think he can get to the buffet early enough; in that sweet spot.
As with any HotM, there are some who will love Morax and some who won’t. I try (try being the operative) to break down what the hero does and what value there is compared to an elite superstar, knowing there will often be disparity.
You sound positive on Morax, which is great because as I cover, I do believe there’s a fantastic early hit(s) to be had and strategy to get more by potentially targeting the same NBs. Albeit, one might lose the main-target and so might lose 1/3 of the hit due to now targeting a Wing (in an ideal world).
Anyway, thanks for visiting and reading as always!
I took Morax for a test spin in S1. When I got to the final round, he fired twice and reduced the max health of the mini bosses by 2/3. So he’s more useful now don’t you think? Or maybe their hp is so low it doesnt count.
Oh sure, comparing HOTMs to the Deities will always mean they fall short. Ever since the Telluria Nerf, at least. But when comparing them among themselves I find Morax to be on the better side. You need multiple lines of heroes for wars, towers and such, and you will only have top-tier monsters in few lines, unless you dump unhealthy sums in the game. Morax will fit in my second purple line nicely. Our alliance war effort will be thankful for him.
One thing to note as well about the max health reduction is that it applies even if the target doesn’t lose any health from the attack. For example if they have minion health to absorb the hit, they still lose the max health. Other scenarios I could think of where this would be useful is against gargoyles with stoneskin up, or anything else that reduces from a hit to 1 (Black Knight, Covenant). Of course this still only really matters if they are a full or near full health, but with minions like those of Hulda or Miriam & Midnight, that is a real possibility.
Cheers Maraj, great points. Thanks for sharing with us.
Hey OC, in current meta when Zurivor Cleopetra heals like 65 %, max health reduction reduce their efficacy very well , by reducing absolute healing, like 1800health 65% will be now 1400*65%, also their element is oppose of miracles, so it will help in stacking,
You’re right Wolf, it’s something to work with in the current meta. Thanks for sharing.
Hey old cynic, I hope, your elbow (and teeth of which I Read in a nother post) are feeling better now. Nice, review, I’m finally starting to understand how the healthred thingy is working now😊I’ve had the luck to pull him together with dawn this week. Once I finish lb on Ana-Belle there’s time for a 5star. I am doubting between him and arfanias but no idea who to choose. In 5stars purple I only have cjabberwock, sartana and malicna levelled. Oh yes Víctor and his costume are also an option. Any thoughts that I might discard later in? 😉😁
Hey Duende, my arm is doing better and my jaw is slowly healing! Elbow is age and Wisdom Tooth is sheer bad luck. Re. Purples, if it were me I’d go Morax for the big slap. Good luck in whatever you decide!
good to read. and thanks for your opinion!
I find he’s better at targeting a flank with the main hit who you don’t want to go off. Like maybe a healer or nasty hitter. Let that flank take the mans debuff and put the health reduction on the tank. Of course like you said, the earlier you get this hit in the better. But he’s surprisingly better than I thought he would be.
Morax’ 3rd special skill effect reads: “the target’s nearby enemies”. This is of course a mistake, because those enemies would be your team. It should be ‘the target’s nearby allies’.
Thank you! I’ll get it sorted when next on. Thanks again!
Hey Cynic, evening buddy, just read your article 9 months behind everyone else… wanted to say thanks, I do not have Alfrike and always hate going up against her, so for you to say Morax’s Max health down is better (I think thats waht you said) is a big shock. I only researched back as I have 1400 sorcerer emblems and no idea what to do with them. (Incidentally I have options in virtually all classes but none in Sorcerer – Is that class under-represented or is it just me). Morax is my only unlevelled Sorcerer which is why I looked at your article… I overlooked him only because he was average, as I tend to favour fast, and very fast, and slow…heroes! I am going to max him next now, after reading your article, he can have the emblems and I will definitely use him on offence. Thanks Cynic 🙂
Hey John, for the max health reduction. I think you’ll like him. I have him with elements (not LB) and he’s a good option for War or Tourney. He hasn’t made it onto or near my main Raid Squad though. Enjoy!