Cudgeler — guide

In short

Cudgeler is a Rare Dwarf Attack champion from the Nyresan Union: a double-hitting single-target A1, a self-buff with Counterattack and Increase ATK plus an extra turn, and a passive that randomly drops Decrease DEF. He doesn't hold up anywhere — 1.5/5 overall, with Faction Wars (2.5/5) as his only real home. Build him for FW only, and only from spare gear: Attack and Speed.

Strengths

• His A2 puts Counterattack and Increase ATK 25% on himself for 2 turns and grants an extra turn — a solid self-buff package for a Rare.
• A1 hits twice and gains +30% Critical Rate against targets under Decrease DEF, which pairs with his own passive.
• The passive has a 20% chance to place Decrease DEF 30% for 2 turns when attacking targets with higher DEF — decent against tanks.
• The same passive has a 20% chance to cut incoming damage by 20% when the attacker's ATK is higher — a bit of extra survivability.

Weaknesses

• 1,178 ATK at 6★ is very low for a damage dealer; his hits stay small even in good gear.
• Everything in the passive is a 20% roll, so neither the Decrease DEF nor the damage reduction is reliable.
• 98 SPD and 10 ACC: he's slow and rarely lands debuffs.
• No AoE and no utility — 1/5 in Clan Boss, dungeons, Arena, Hydra and Hard mode.

Where to use

Faction Wars first (2.5/5): as a Dwarf attacker he can plug an empty slot in a starter FW team. Chimera (2/5) only if you genuinely have nobody else to fill the roster. Keep him out of Clan Boss, Hydra, Arena, dungeons, Hard mode and Doom Tower — all 1/5.

Stats and gear

Priority: ATK% → Critical Rate (aim for ~100%) → Critical Damage → Speed. Don't bother with ACC: a base of 10 and a 20% proc chance make the Decrease DEF a bonus, not a plan. Sets: Attack and Speed (2+2, or triple Attack early on); a little HP/DEF from substats so he survives the first AoE. You don't need ACC or RES targets on him.

Masteries and blessings

Main tree: Offense, with Pierce Defenses as the listed key mastery. Fill out Offense for crit rate and crit damage, then put the rest into Defense for survivability. Relic: Malefic Talon. Blessings aren't a priority on a champion at this level — take whatever is cheap if you field him at all.

Tomes

If he's actually in your FW team, book the A2 first: it has three separate -1 cooldown levels, so the Counterattack + Increase ATK + extra turn package comes back much faster. Skip A1 books — they're damage only. Realistically, tomes are worth more than he is, so most players save them.

Verdict

Fodder. Keep one for Faction Wars if your Dwarf roster is empty, and don't invest gear or books in him.