Hydra Synergy Spotlight: Inquisitor Shamael

When it comes to finding all the pieces of the puzzle for creating a great hydra team, exploring synergies between champions is just as important as finding someone that checks multiple boxes. Sometimes, those boxes are only checked when paired with the right champion(s). Let’s explore options for one of the most unique epics in the game for hydra: Inquisitor Shamael.

He’s got a unique kit that allows you to completely lock-out the Head of Torment. With him on your team, you don’t need to worry about having your champions under Perfect Veil while attacking the head and you can’t get debuffed by its A1. You can build him in full damage or give him more utility. A toxic set is a great option for this given this head can be poisoned. The taunting set is also a great option to give him extra utility to help provoke the Head of Decay as well as rack up hits and damage against the Head of Torment. He also attacks with his A1 every time an enemy places a debuff on an ally, so helps with the other heads around too (though not as much damage output). Because his Passive actually boosts the turn meter of just whoever is the leader, picking the right pairing is important. Let’s talk about some of those synergies now. 

Shamael + Nekmo Thaar

Nekmo Thaar is a champion who already goes quite frequently based on his own kit. He’s got extra turns, turn meter boosting, Increase SPD buffs, and Decrease SPD debuffs as part of his kit. With his AoE A1 with Decrease ATK debuffs, putting him with Warmaster Mastery plus boosting him with Shamael is a great combo to pump out extra damage. It also makes him a great candidate for a Taunting set. He would likely go 2-3 times to each turn of the Head of Decay if built well, allowing him to be a main Provoker or pair well with other, less reliable Provokers to lock out. His aura is also SPD in all battles by 19%, making him a great leader even without the boosting.

Shamael + Mighty Ukko

For similar reasons as Nekmo mentioned above, Mighy Ukko is also a strong candidate to put in the lead spot when Shamael is on the team. He also has a SPD in all battles Aura plus an AoE A1 that does Decrease ATK. On the same note, Taunting is the perfect set to put on Ukko. He also has decreased ACC and Block Buffs debuffs; coming back to those skills often due to Shamael’s boosting is helpful! Even more helpful to note is coming back to Ukko’s A3. He places Increase SPD on all allies plus Revives any dead allies with a Block Damage buff. He’s incredible for hydra and Shamael only makes him better.

Shamael + Kantra

Kantra the Cyclone is another top-tier pair for Shamael. She brings nice utility on her A1, being able to steal buffs. Her A2 throws out a TON of debuffs on the enemies. She can be great “insurance” with these 2 skills in case things get messy or debuffs drop off the heads. Her Passive allows her to place Provoke at the start of each turn. This skill also requires the Head of Decay to have 5 or more debuffs in order to get that Provoke. Typically, she’s not enough to be the only Provoker as it only has a 75% chance to land and is conditional. However, if she’s getting her Turn Meter boosted by Shamael frequently, she should have no trouble keeping up enough of her random Debuffs plus the Provoke on the Head of Decay.

Shamael + Geomancer

Geomancer is often a good candidate for the lead spot, especially if Inquisitor Shamael is on the team. He provides a HP% in All Battles Aura for your team.. Besides providing great damage via his HP burn & Passive, he can also be good “insurance” if buffs start popping up on the heads. He can remove or steal buffs on his A2; very helpful if block buffs fall off a head. His HP burn is a great backup for dealing with Poison Cloud from the Head of Blight if that goes up due to missing a Block Buffs debuff. Like the others mentioned, he has an AoE A1 so frequent turns equal frequent Warmaster procs on all heads and even more damage than usual. You’ll have no trouble keeping all the heads burning with his single target burn if Shamael is on the team!

Final Thoughts

Please keep in mind the value of Shamael falls off for some Nightmare Hydra as the heads rarely pop up the same and his strong suit is for dealing with the Head of Torment specifically. Your damage will vary greatly depending on how often, or not, the Head of Torment is part of the run. However, if you pair him well with who he’s boosting as the leader (his Passive will frequently increase the turn meter of whoever is in the leader spot), he is certainly still viable; even in the Nightmare level of hydra.