Lion warrior

Offensive Melee Special

A special melee unit that has a contradiction within itself: the game leads it as offensive, but it is stronger in defense against close combat (139, defense 4/5), while the declared attack of 117 is rather below average with 3/5 stars. For 180 and a cost of 3/5, you get resilient melee infantry that cannot break through or defend against ranged units (48). I consider it a usable supplement in the attack, not a star of the collection - if you have nothing better at the moment, it will serve, but do not change your strategy because of it.

117Attack

139Melee defense

48Ranged defense

25Speed

4Food upkeep

Quick overview

Type	Offensive, Melee
Source	Special
Game stage	Special
Cost	180
Recommendation	More likely yes

rating

Attack

Defensive

Cost

Speed

The Lion Warrior is a melee infantry unit for close combat, but here’s the catch right from the start: it has an attack of only 117 for its special attack, which is frankly below average. You would expect more offensive power from a unit that you pull from events. The stars confirm this - attack 3/5, defense 4/5, cost 3/5, so its stronger point is paper defense (against melee 139), not attack, which is why the game classifies it as offensive. Against ranged units, it has a poor 48, consumes 4 food, and costs 180.

How to use it

In practice, you deploy it where it belongs according to its role - in close combat during a melee wave. An attack of 117 alone does not break battles, so do not consider it as your main striker, but rather as a supplement to the numbers that can withstand a counterattack from infantry better due to its defense of 139. If you are a new player and receive it from the offer, feel free to add it to your attack - it can withstand more than regular infantry from the barracks and performs decently in melee fights. Experienced players consciously use it contrary to the numbers: despite its offensive focus, it is numerically tougher in defense, so if you have nothing better to replace it, it could serve on the walls against a melee assault. However, this is not its primary job, and offensive units generally belong in the attack.

What to combine it with

Pair it with units that cover its weakness against ranged units - it only has 48 on its own, so it needs anti-ranged defenders or its own archers beside it to silence enemy fire. In the attack, place it in a melee wave together with siege tools, so that it can hold the front line while the more fragile units follow behind. Always protect the back line with anti-ranged units, otherwise enemy archers will shoot it down. Never send it alone against a purely ranged army.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Do not throw it against a ranged army - a defense of 48 against ranged units means that enemy archers will take it down quickly and expensively. Also, do not use it as a cheap sacrifice in the first wave to absorb hits, as it is too valuable at a cost of 180 for that. And do not overestimate its attack: 117 is a weak number for a special unit, so do not position it as the main damage dealer in heavy attacks where you expect it to break through strong defenses. It cannot do that.

Pro player tipIf you have gathered more of it from events, take advantage of the fact that it is more resilient than your regular infantry - send it into attack where you know the opponent mainly defends with melee, not ranged. There, an attack of 117 combined with a defense of 139 will yield a decent exchange of losses. The consumption of 4 food is average for a special unit, nothing you need to monitor daily, so feel free to keep a few hundred units in stock for future attack waves.

Common mistakeA common mistake is to expect a high offensive performance from it due to its focus and then be surprised that it does nothing against strong defenses - an attack of 117 simply isn’t enough for that. The second mistake: sending it against ranged units, where it just falls with a defense of 48. The third mistake is the opposite - players ignore that with a defense of 139 it surpasses its own offensive number, and in an emergency, they do not use it on the walls, where this unit would hold a melee assault better than many others.

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