Sleeper Picks for Hard Mode Faction Wars in RAID

As Hard Mode Faction Wars rolls out in RAID: Shadow Legends, a surprising roster of underused and overlooked champions is rising to the top. While meta favorites still dominate in many compositions, new data and testing from community contributors have revealed a slate of unexpected MVPs who are outperforming expectations in some of the game’s toughest conditions.

Here’s a faction-by-faction breakdown of the top sleeper picks making headlines across the battlefield.

Minaya has become a fan-favorite for her versatility, particularly in stages that require killing enemies under a leech debuff. She brings both leech and heal reduction, which not only prevent passive healing but also help meet strict stage mechanics. Beyond her debuff utility, Minaya offers strong healing and block debuffs, making her an ideal partner for other support champions—especially in fights involving buff strips or extended sustain. Even her aura proved useful across multiple stages, reinforcing her role as a reliable and flexible support option. Right alongside her, Timit the Fool stood out as an undeniable staple. His overall utility, when combined with champions like Kaja the Wry, created a powerful synergy that covered everything from control to sustain. For players with access to both, the support coverage was so comprehensive it often removed the need for additional backup.

Skeuramis has emerged as a highly effective wave controller in Hard Mode Faction Wars—especially when paired with Frostbite gear. His AoE provoke on a three-turn cooldown forces enemies to attack him, triggering Frostbite’s freeze effect and providing reliable control. In a faction lacking strong freeze options, Skeuramis offers a practical alternative that works well against both waves and bosses. Ethlen, a frequently overlooked Epic, also proved valuable—particularly in Epic-only stages. His AoE Block Active Skills, combined with a self-turn boost, allow him to maintain high control uptime while dealing solid damage. He can bypass resistances from champions like Jingwon and stage 15+ mythicals, making him a standout pick for crowd control where other options fall short.

Bivald of the Thorn is a reliable pick for control-heavy stages thanks to his AoE provoke, which lands even on weak hits—a major advantage in affinity matchups. He also brings healing and moderate damage, making him a well-rounded option for sustained fights where control and survivability are both needed. Deacon Armstrong continues to shine, especially when built in a stun set. His turn meter control and speed lead make wave management significantly easier, and his consistent performance cements him as one of the best utility champions for Faction Wars. Inquisitor Shamael finds his niche in stages with champions like Rotos, CI, or UDK, where his burst damage allows for quick eliminations. While situational, he’s a valuable tool for dealing with some of the more frustrating enemy comps.

Alika has gained traction not just for her solid DPS, but for her ability to manipulate skill cooldowns—an area where many factions lack options. In stages requiring cooldown control, she stood out as a dual-purpose pick, offering both reliable damage and essential support utility.

Guurda turned out to be a sleeper hit for poison-based compositions. Often overlooked, she pairs especially well with champions like Stokk the Broken, thanks to a passive that generates turn meter and a kit that applies frequent poisons. Her contribution to sustain and damage over time makes her surprisingly effective, and she became a regular part of several successful runs despite low expectations. Galkut, while rarely seen in most team comps, became essential for bomb-related stage requirements. With War Mother being the go-to choice for most bomb strategies—and not available to all players—Galkut serves as a reliable alternative. Though limited in general use, his ability to meet a very specific objective makes him a champion worth building for those stuck on bomb-conditional stages.

Venomage stands out as one of the few bright spots in an otherwise underwhelming faction. Particularly useful in stages that require poison application or stacking 10+ debuffs, she delivers strong AoE poison damage while also being durable enough to handle longer fights. Her ability to fill both damage and condition-based roles makes her a solid pick for tougher encounters, especially when options are limited. Ba Satha saw occasional use thanks to his AoE stun, bringing crowd control value where few others in the faction could. While not a standout in most comps, his utility in locking down waves earned him a place in several runs. Even among those hesitant to praise him, his effectiveness in specific situations couldn’t be denied.

Bambus emerged as a surprisingly strong utility champion in Hard Mode Faction Wars, primarily for his Infeeble debuffand buff duration reduction. He proved especially useful against mythical enemies that were otherwise difficult to manage, effectively shutting down their impact by limiting their buffs and output. With flexible builds—including stun and provoke sets—Bambus offered consistent AoE control and filled multiple roles depending on the encounter, making him a standout support-pick for many players. Teumesia, while not an obvious choice at first, became a quiet staple in several runs. Her combination of stuns and burn damage made her an excellent crowd controller, especially when built with high speed. Originally tuned for dungeon events, her existing build translated well into Faction Wars, where she frequently outpaced enemy waves and maintained control through constant burn pressure and disruption. A great example of a champion whose versatility across content pays off.

King Garog turned out to be a surprisingly valuable pick in the Orcs faction, used in 80–90% of stage clears. His standout utility lies in his cooldown reduction mechanics, which became crucial in stages requiring frequent ability cycling. While Warlord is often the go-to for this role, Garog provided a highly effective alternative—especially for those without access to top-tier legendaries. Paired with Goremask or other damage dealers, his ability to reset cooldowns and deliver strong hits made him a core part of several successful runs. Packmaster also earned a spot thanks to his reliability in providing turn meter boosts and general support utility. While not as flashy, he offered consistent value in filling gaps and helping teams meet stat thresholds needed for tougher stages. Together, these two champions helped form a stable and efficient backbone for Orc compositions in Hard Mode.

Countess Lix proved to be a sneaky MVP in Hard Mode Faction Wars, particularly in stages requiring turn meter control and cooldown manipulation. Her Block Active Skills debuff was especially effective, offering a less common but highly impactful form of crowd control. This made her invaluable for completing high-turn-count rooms that required precise ability locking—something many players underestimate in comparison to stuns or provokes. She consistently carried runs that demanded tight control mechanics. Sicia Flametongue also played a key role in stages that required defeating enemies before they could act. Her ability to apply both Decrease Defense and Weaken helped break through heavily fortified enemies quickly. Without her debuffs, these burst-clear conditions were much harder to meet. She brought both strong damage amplification and utility, making her a go-to option in tanky, time-sensitive fights.

Catacomb Councilor became an unexpectedly essential pick in stages that require ally attack or counterattack kills—a rare condition with very few viable solutions. With no true counterattack champions available in the Undead Hordes faction, Counselor’s ally attack ability makes him practically mandatory for meeting the stage requirements. While not commonly used elsewhere, his unique utility in these niche conditions made him one of the few answers to a frustrating challenge. Zelotah, though typically overlooked, also found a role in stages that call for sleep debuffs. Without access to more specialized gear like a Daze set, Zelotah became a go-to for fulfilling the condition thanks to his kit’s built-in sleep. While not required in most cases, his inclusion helped complete awkward objectives where other options were unavailable—earning him a rare moment of relevance in Hard Mode Faction Wars.

Noct the Paralyzer proved to be a key pick for Dark Elves, offering a rare combination of poisons, healing, and protection. His sustain and utility made him especially effective against bosses and longer encounters. Luria stood out as one of the only reliable answers to freeze-based stage requirements, thanks to her four-turn cooldown and 75% freeze chance. In a faction lacking strong freeze options, she delivered consistency where others couldn’t. Psylar returned to relevance with her turn meter pushback and control potential, especially when equipped with a stun set. She offered essential crowd control in a faction otherwise focused on damage.

Tomb Lord stands out in Knights Revenant for his ability to stack multiple debuffs, making him ideal for stages requiring 10 debuffs on a target before killing them. He brings Turn Meter reduction, Decrease Defense, and poisons, though the latter can be flipped by some bosses. Despite that, his overall debuff output makes him a strong pick for both wave and boss control. Doompriest remains a sneaky strong support, thanks to her passive cleansing—particularly helpful against bosses that stack disruptive debuffs. Her consistency and simplicity make her a great stabilizer in challenging fights. Embrys quietly shines in extra turn-based stages, with both forms offering frequent turn cycling. In some cases, he can nearly solo the first wave, making him a great option for objective-driven encounters tied to turn-based requirements.

Keeyra the Watcher is one of the few sleeper picks in an otherwise well-rounded Dwarves faction. She brings a valuable mix of debuff duration reduction, Decrease Accuracy, Ally Protection, Increase Defense, and Decrease Attack—a toolkit that offers strong utility against buff-heavy enemy waves. While often overshadowed by dominant meta picks, Keeyra offers solid control and survivability, especially in long-form content. Mauli Tankard also stands out for her AoE provoke on a 3-turn cooldown, which can drop to 2 turns with proper builds. Paired with Turn Meter boosts, she becomes a strong option for crowd control and tempo management, making her surprisingly impactful in tougher wave stages.

Oella proved surprisingly valuable in healing-focused stages, which can be particularly frustrating due to the volume required. Her massive single-target heal, combined with Turn Meter boosts and buff extension, made her a practical choice for sustain-heavy team compositions. She also opens up options for resistance-based strategies, adding flexibility to encounter planning. Duedan the Runic became an important pick for stages that require taunt effects. With few champions fulfilling this specific role, Duedan’s reliable taunt makes him worth investing in, especially for meeting stage-specific conditions. While not broadly used, he filled a critical gap where needed.

Lady Kimi remains a top-tier utility pick in Shadowkin, especially in stages that require turn meter manipulation. She offers both offensive and defensive TM control, applying Block Buffs, Increase Speed, Decrease Accuracy, and Decrease Speed all in one kit. In TM-heavy conditions, she often completes the requirement in just a couple of turns, making her one of the most efficient enablers for this faction. Arashi the Riptide is an essential pick for stages requiring Perfect Veil, a condition that very few champions fulfill effectively. Arashi stands out by combining self-applied Perfect Veil with AoE damage, offering both condition coverage and wave-clearing potential. His presence makes an otherwise frustrating objective far more manageable. Riho Bonespear continues to prove her worth as one of the best champions for high-debuff requirements. In stages where you must land 10 or more debuffs before killing an enemy, Riho’s ability to stack multiple debuffs in one rotation makes her an almost mandatory inclusion. Ishiyama the Immovable is gaining traction for his two-turn AoE Fear, a rare form of control that helps shut down entire waves. He’s also tankier than expected and scales with HP, giving him strong survivability alongside decent damage. A solid pick for wave control in difficult encounters.

Hard Mode Faction Wars is rapidly evolving, and the landscape of viable champions is shifting. These sleeper picks are proving that success doesn’t always require the flashiest legendaries—often, it’s the underdog epics and synergistic builds that are turning heads. As players look to earn all 945 stars and navigate brutal faction-specific mechanics, these standout champions may become staples in the weeks to come.