Hydra Synergy Spotlight: Soulless

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 best epics in the game for hydra: Soulless.

Soulless is one of the best champions in the game for Provoking the Head of Decay. He has to Provoke on the A2 & A3 plus those skills are not just a Provoke, but also add extra utility in the form of removing buffs & extending debuffs. You’ll find a high value for debuff extenders the deeper you get into hydra and he is solid for the job.

He also has great multipliers and can do nice damage and can even be built as a Mischief target. On top of that, he’s Defense based for damage so building him is easy for the sake of survivability.

For this combination, the main strength is in Soulless’ A3 paired with the debuffs placed by Uugo’s A1 & A2. These two champions together cover many of the bases needed in a successful hydra comp. Uugo brings healing + Leech, cleansing, Decrease DEF, and Block Buffs. Soulless brings overall damage, Provoke to deal with the Head of Decay, a buff strip on A2 and Debuff Extension. He can also be a Mischief target if you don’t bring anyone else in with Shields and avoid Bloodshield Accessories on everyone else but him. Both Soulless and Uugo work very well in Relentless or Reflex gear + Refresh accessories. A great combo is Relentless artifacts + Refresh Accessories on Uugo and Reflex on Soulless. 

Let’s talk about this aspect of debuff extension. Extending Uugo’s Block Buffs is an easy way to keep that debuff up 100% of the time and not have to worry about having a Mischief Target. Block Buffs on the Head of Mischief means it can’t steal your buffs. Block Buffs on the other heads mean buffs can’t be spread if he was to steal something. Keeping Block Buffs up the whole time also helps you prevent the buffs from Head of Blight, Suffering, and Wrath.

Other champions that have great kits with Block Buffs that Soulless can help extend include Mighty Ukko, Tuhanarak, and Deliana. 

Kantra the Cyclone brings nice utility on her A1, being able to steal buffs. Her A2 throws out a TON of debuffs on the enemies (but it’s pretty random). Her Passive allows her to place Provoke at the start of each turn. This, however, is only 75% chance to land so consider having a back-up provoke option. This skill also requires the Head of Decay to have 5 or more debuffs in order to get that Provoke. Kantra puts up a lot but it’s a bit random. When paired with Soulless, he can help extend her random debuff placements and help keep all of them up consistently, helping Kantra to cover the job of many champions all in one kit. Plus, between the 2 champions, you should easily be able to keep Provoke on the Head of Decay the whole time, even if you don’t have things to control speed to allow Soulless to go more often – like Increase SPD, Decrease SPD or Increase Turn Meter.

Siphi the Lost Bride is an ideal pair for Soulless in all parts of the game. This duo you might think of for Arena defense, but it’s great for hydra too! This comes down to one simple thing, Increase DEF. While Siphi doesn’t have any debuffs to extend, she does bring an Increase DEF buff, which helps Soulless do more damage. Overall, Siphi is top tier for hydra with heals, a chance to remove Fear debuffs, and her buffs of Increase SPD, Block Debuffs, and Increase DEF as noted. Plus she brings a Turn Meter boost and a great Aura of 80 Resistance.

Ursala the Mourner could be considered the “budget option” compared to the above pairing. Although, she brings a little bit more value paired with Soulless specifically. She brings a Revive plus an Increase DEF buff and Strengthen, great help for survivability plus to pair with Soulless. She also brings an Increase ATK buff and Decrease ATK debuff. Soulless can help extend the debuff to help keep it up the whole time. Plus, you can add in a proper Damage Dealer like Royal Guard that will benefit from extra Attack to pair with her buff.