Viscaro Review – Empires and Puzzles HotM January 22
Viscaro is the January 2022 Empires and Puzzles Hero Of The Month (HotM), and as the first of a new class (2022) there’s bound to be a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
Let’s see if he can handle it.
Before we start, please consider sharing a link to this post with your alliance or on social media. It really does help.
This post may contain speculation, personal opinion, and adult comedy. It is not advice and is solely for entertainment and informational purposes.
Viscaro is currently in Beta, so all this information is subject to change.
Viscaro’s Stats and Special Skills (Cursed Garden)
Element: Dark (Purple)
Class: Druid
Mana Speed: Slow
Special Skills (Cursed Garden): 1. Hits all enemies for 190%. 2. This damage will bypass any target Minions. 3. Will summons a Fiend for all enemies which causes 60% damage per turn. 4. The Fiend will disappear once it has absorbed health equal to 45% of its owner’s max health. 5. Attacks from the Fiend will deal extra damage if the target has Minions. 6. [Element Link] All Dark allies get +10% attack for 4 turns. This effect can’t be dispelled.
Passive: 1. Cursed Sapling Summoner ~ Will Summon a Fiend for an enemy if they Summon Minions by Special Skill. 2. Resist Negative Minion Effects ~ This Hero has an innate resistance against incoming Minion effects and damage.
Talent: COMPANION ~ +15% chance to summon a Thorn Minion after receiving any 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.
Is Viscaro worth Levelling? (Empires and Puzzles)
On the surface, Viscaro isn’t a top-end Hero by any stretch of the imagination, but he could still worm his way into a few starting lineups.
He’s actually got a lot in common with Senan, the 5-Star Hero from the Slayers Of Fell Shadows.
But the world’s changed since the Slayers; now we have Ruby, Mr. Pengi, Xnolphod, and Ludwig.
Sure, back in the day Senan was mightily impressive with his thunderous Haymaker, ugly Fiends, and stylish use of belts, but he’s slipped since then.
So if Senan’s lost his shine, where does that leave Viscaro?
Viscaro Compared to Senan and some other Fiend Summoners
| Hero | Mana Speed | Damage/Other | Fiend Damage | Healing Absorbed by Fiend |
| Viscaro | Slow (12 tiles) | 190% to all enemies | 60% | 45% |
| Elizabeth | Average (10 tiles) | 175% to all enemies + Fiend gives -24% mana generation for life of Fiend | 43% | 28% |
| Motega Tier-2 | Slow (12 tiles) | 0 damage to all enemies + Fiend gives -50% accuracy for life of Fiend | 43% | 50% |
| Senan | Slow (12 tiles) | 275% to all enemies | 45% | 30% |
| Hannah | Fast (8 tiles) | 215% to Target & nearby + Fiend gives -20% attack for life of Fiend | 43% | 20% |
Looking at the table, it’s clear that Viscaro doesn’t carry much weight in his hands. But the real story here is the 45% of healing required to get rid of his Fiends*.
But what if,… and go with me on this… what if, you just let them stay?
They only need feeding twice a day, -One little mouse?
Because, these Fiends won’t impede your ability to function in any way whatsoever, and they’ll only take up a little space on your screen.
Remember, a Fiend isn’t just for Christmas, it’s a serious long-term commitment, -a little like a Tamagotchi.
Anyway, back to the table and we see Motega hits for nothing. That’s because he spends his days stroking the wings of his little butterflies. -And it’s his butterflies that cause all the chaos, inflicting -50% accuracy on their hosts.
Viscaro doesn’t fare too well in this company, but he may still have a surprise or two, up his sleeve…
Viscaro and his awesome Fiend Passive
For me, one of the most interesting things about Viscaro is his Passive Skill:
- Will Summon a Fiend for an enemy if they Summon Minions by Special Skill
So, every time Bera Summons her Minions, she’ll get a Fiend slapped on her face. Same goes for Freya and Motega, and the Christmas lot.
And the best part? It’s the same Fiend from his Special (all 45% of it).
The * Technicality
Another plus point is the weight of his Fiends.
At 45% healing absorbed, a top-notch Healer might not be able to remove his Fiend from an ally’s face. -So, the Fiend will just sit on its host, slapping their heads, presumably with a floppy (and gooey) fin-type thingy?
And when teamed with another Fiend Summoner, Fiends might run amok, overwhelming their hosts and causing what is scientifically known as, Saturation of the Mucus Glands.
Anyway, that’s it. It might be difficult to remove these Fiends… lots of meat clinging to faces.
Viscaro – Empires and Puzzles HotM January 2022
My final thoughts (Updated 31/12/21):
I initially rated Viscaro before Christmas (a Warrior), and since then I’ve been pondering on his Passive Skill (Summon a Fiend for an enemy if they Summon Minions by Special Skill).
On the whole, Viscaro’s just too slow to be considered a real threat (for what he does), but that Passive is ridiculous, and it’s automatic.
And yes, it’s situational, but there are quite a few Minion Summoners out there, -with the recent Christmas lot adding to the mix.
The point is, I suspect most players will continue to utilise Minion Summoners, and this Hero, Viscaro, is a real problem for them.
Most Minion Summoners charge at V.Fast, Fast, or Average, so it’s conceivable that they’ll rack up a bunch of these Fiends, super-quick.
And these fat Fiends are gonna be a real challenge to manage, and for those reasons, I’ve upgraded him.
His actual hit (190% to all) isn’t game-changing:
- Ruby will give you 370% on Ninja 3 (15 tiles),
- Milena hands out 390% (12 tiles),
- and Bobo wallops for 320% on the same Slow charge.
But the weight of his Fiends, and his incredible Passive skill, must be respected.
Hero Grade for Viscaro (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? Yes.
Old Cynic’s Hero Grade: Archangel
What are your thoughts? Did I get it wrong or miss something? Let me know in the comments below.
[Please always check in-game Hero Cards to confirm details and never chase Heroes]
Enjoyed the post? Then please help me, -share it with your alliance!
Want more Empires and Puzzles? Click here.
Don’t forget to check out my Hero Ranking Page!
Looking for a new mobile game (iOS or Android)? Check out my new review section.
Follow me on Facebook: Visit Old Cynic’s page
Copyright: oldcynic.com (including initial images)
Images used by way of review/tutorial – Copyright owned by Empires & Puzzles: Small Giant Games
Hi Oldcynic I think you missed something for the this one. His damage bypasses targets minions even if the 190% of damage is no big deal the target takes it all ! Viscaro has the most powerful fiends of the game !! Extra damag if the targets has minions plus an automatic fiends for every minion summon from the enemy. That is absolutely not situational because the game il full of minion summoner in the top defense you often have bera, freya or frosth. And viscaro has an innate resistance of minion’s enemy that makes him a great counter of them so good hero for offense. The winter family is often in defense too and they make a lots of minions. In defense viscaro is also a good hero for the same reason he is good in offense the meta is full of minion. Facing viscaro with minions summoner is taking the risk of a big punishment because you don’t need to fire his special to summon and automatic fiends ; it’s a passive and that is a big point. I’m really surprised that small giant provides a so good hero of the months even he is slow he is for me better than Senan. Senan is no longer a top 10 hero but he is still a top hero. First i disagree with your rating Viscaro is a top end archangel and very very close to deity.
NB: sorry for my english i’m french and we all know that french don’t speak very weel english 🙂
Hello Darkronin, no your English is great and you manage to make very good points.
I do highlight a lot of his strengths, but for me it’s not going to be enough. The Minion bypass might catch a hero once in a while, and the heavy Fiends may create quite the problem if he’s sat next to Magic boy, but most players don’t have either of the Magic boys (Ludwig/Xnolphod).
I actually think Viscaro’s major strength is going to be the Fiend he puts on Minion Summoners, -because he doesn’t charge to Summon it. If you rely on Summoners and can’t swap them out, he could be a real handful.
I guess it’s all going to boil down to the damage they do (off the top of my head, around 60-90HP?), and your ability to remove them (Esme’s value increases every time they release a new hero it seems).
Anyway, thank you for reading and commenting!
Hey Darkronin, you were right fyi. I upgraded him a few days ago and just re-read this so wanted to let you know.
Thanks for your contribution!
Hey Oldcinyc thank you for the return and now I agree with your review archangel is a fair rating for this one. I have summon during the clash of knights and he could a real threat. In offense with Uraeus it’s really efficient. Thanks for your return again!
Thank you for your review. But I think he has all the credentials to be very annoying. Perhaps better in attack. In defense I would only put it in tournaments and wars with very fast mana. It inspires me a lot and having fished Xnolphod recently, I would like a slow that can move like speedy gonzales alongside him. Viscaro I think it could be for me.
Hi Andrea! Yes, put him next to Xnolphod (congrats btw) and Viscaro is a meat-making machine. I was just saying in another comment, I like his Passive a lot and think that might be quite powerful.
As a Slow hero (without Xnolphod as a best buddy), he’s not a Superstar to me. But it’s that Passive which keeps me up at night.
Thank you for commenting, -you’re not wrong and your opinion is welcomed!
By seeing this Old Treevil, I just want my Tarbards for Senan back.
Hey Wotan! I think Viscaro’s Passive is the scariest thing about him, sorry Senan didn’t work out.
Happy New Year!
His passive will be a huge problem for the Xmas bunch. Since you can only have 3 minion s and fiends he will be constantly kicking out or killing minions. He should help tremendously against Penni’s 16 hit attack by keeping minions down to never more than 5.
Very good point Sage, the Passive is a Summoner killer, and a Minion killer.
Thanks for commenting.
Question – will the skulls in minion wars count as “summoned” and will he pop a fiend on each & every time???
Based on what I’ve seen, it shouldn’t -It’s only Minion Summoners who Summons via their Special Skill.
Thanks for stopping by, Sleek!
Dammit… my very-surprise-xmas-gift Pengi has fallen into the trap!!
/cry /wail /teeth-gnash
🙂 Haha, it was bound to happen! There’s a lot going against a Minion Summoner at the mo, and Pengi will have to calm down his craziness for a bit!
Thanks for sharing.
Hello, so let me ask you this: I have 2 Viscaro’s. Would it be worth it levelling them up to be on a defensive team with a premier healer, dodger, and resurrector?
It depends on what else you have on the side. I like Viscaro’s Passive but for me, one would be enough. That said, with so many Minion Summoners in the game, 2 Viscaros would really crush them.
It sounds good on paper, but players would/should swap out Summoners to deal with such a Defense team. Also, variety is the spice of life…
So what’s my answer? For me personally, no -but I get your thinking.
Thanks for visiting!
I wouldn’t put 2 in defense as they can be fairly easily worked around. That said I am currently running 2 in offense and they are really, REALLY good vs teams with multiple minion summoners and healers. At the moment they are around 4/20 and 3/60 but once I max and emblem #1 they should be a real threat to all minion teams including Xnol/Xmas defenses (I have taken out one or two, but my Viscaros still die a bit too easily).
Giving 2 fiends for every summon is basically a delayed death sentence to any minion summoner, so you just have to outlast them (I have Guilli and Luigi for that, with C Sabina usually along to counter Krampus/C Krampus)
Hello old cynic, hate to ask a question about which hero to level, alas, here it goes. Viscaro is fun. Good for the current meta it would appear.
Guardian panther is an excellent debuffer. Great for titans and raids.
Hel is old school. Used to see her a ton, but not so much anymore.
The trend has certainly been leaning towards minions. For how long though? What’s viscaro’s utility outside of the meta?
Which hero would you level?
Hey Nurgles, no worries!
I can see your problem – all three are interesting and useful heroes. It’s a tough call, and lord knows I’m not gonna tell you which way to go, but…
Minions are here to stay, just check out my War of the Three Kingdoms guide. So, Viscaro (‘s passive) will defo appreciate over time.
But man, Guardian Panther is amazing and seriously useful against all these buffs… it’s not just taunts as you know, it’s defense, healing, shared damage, etc.
And Hel.. It’s full-on slap city when she fires off… let the tiles fly!
Anyway, I’d take ’em off your hands if you’d like? -And maybe that’s a good way to look at it:
Who would you hate to lose the most, and why?
Well, upon ruminating over your points and rereading the article you mentioned, I’m leaning towards ascending Viscaro.
Why?
Well, I have Domitia and Sergei. As nice as guardian panther would be since she coMbines both of their talents, I can get by with the others.
Hel, though I’ve lusted for her mana manipulating skills, I can continue to use proteus’ wily water magic. Plus, he can be used in both 4* and 5* events.
Viscaro on the other hand is unique to my team. With this in mind and your insights into the minion heavy environment, Viscaro will look good with tabards concealing his tainted bark.
Also, he will add to my ever burgeoning supply of slow heroes!
Thanks again!
I have just levelled this Viscaro up and slapped tokens on him to level 10. I then used him in the current battle against a team about 200 points stronger than mine. Maybe using him as an experiment in an actual team war wasn’t such a great idea but I wanted to see what he brought to the party and the answer is, really quite a lot. I paired him with Toxicandra so she was giving him extra mana so he charged up a bit quicker.
By the time the battle finished some of the enemy had received three fiends and those enemies never recovered.
He may not be a total top draw hero but he is my first demon summoner and I will be using him a lot. He is worth developing, particularly if like me you don’t have many of total top draw heroes.
He is a nice hero with a useful purpose. Thanks for the feedback Steve.
I’ve got Gaillard and he laugh at the face of all minions summoners.
I have Viscaro and i don’t know which path of emblems should i go? Can You help me? You’re doing great work!
Looking at his Special, there appears to be some benefit in taking an Attacking path…. But I never go that way regardless. I always go Health/Defense (and Mana). Here’s a post where I explain my thinking.
The Fiends 60% damage looks to come from Viscaro, so an attack path should increase that damage. With Paths, it’s worth taking in lots of views and coming to your own conclusion.
Hope I helped and thanks for reading!