Zykan Joins The Fight
The Mantis faction's newest warrior — a position-flexible Finisher with permanent scaling.
A dual-mode Finisher whose entire kit changes based on front-line vs back-line positioning. Front-line snowballs with permanent extra hits on kills. Back-line scales via Mayan Mark.
TL;DR: Zykan is a Mantis Finisher with a dual-mode active skill (Astral Ring) that changes based on positioning. S-tier in Club Smash, Hard Mode, Sewers, Campaign, and PvP. A-tier for Mech. Must-build for Mantis players.
Base Stats
Front-Line vs Back-Line
Front-Line (Aggressive)
- • Astral Ring hits 2 lowest-HP enemies twice
- • Killing Blows: +100% HP heal, +100 Energy, +1 permanent hit
- • Basic attacks hit 2 highest-HP enemies (200% each)
- • 40% chance to apply Poison + Bleed + Curse (200% each)
- • Immune to Poison, Bleed, and Curse
Best for: Club Smash, Hard Mode, Campaign — anywhere kills are available to snowball
Back-Line (Sustained)
- • Astral Ring hits highest Max HP enemy 3 times
- • Applies Mayan Mark at round 1 (+5 Energy, +2% ATK per ally hit)
- • Basic attacks deal 300% to highest-Attack enemy
- • 25% chance to Petrify target for 2 rounds
- • Immune to Petrify
Best for: Mech, PvP, long fights — sustained scaling when kills are hard to get
Skills Breakdown
Astral Ring
Active Skill100 / 150 / 200 / 250 / 300% damage per hit
Front-line: Deal 300% damage twice to the two enemies with the lowest HP. Each Killing Blow heals 100% Max HP, grants 100 Energy, and adds a permanent extra hit. Back-line: Deal 300% damage 3 times to the highest Max HP enemy. At round 1, apply Mayan Mark for the rest of battle. After each skill attack, 100% chance to apply Spinning Blades to a random Finisher ally (and Mantis ally if Ascended) for 2 rounds.
Analysis: Astral Ring is what makes Zykan unique — a dual-mode active skill that changes based on positioning. Front-line Zykan is an aggressive snowball carry: every kill makes him permanently stronger with extra hits, and the 100% Max HP heal + 100 Energy on kill means he can chain skills back-to-back. Back-line Zykan is a sustained damage amplifier via Mayan Mark, generating Energy and Attack every time an ally hits the marked target. Spinning Blades support (+50% Skill Damage + counter-attacks for allies) adds massive team-wide value regardless of positioning.
Spirit Alignment
Passive #115 / 30 / 45 / 60% Attack, 20 / 25 / 30 / 35% Hit Chance, etc.
Attack +60%, Hit Chance +35%, Crit Chance +45%, Speed +80, Armor Break +40%. 1v1 bonus: +10% Attack per round when one enemy remains. 50% counter-attack chance (250% damage) vs Howler enemies. +100 Energy when a Howler dies. Front-line: immune to Poison, Bleed, Curse. Back-line: immune to Petrify.
Analysis: A stacked stat passive that gives Zykan everything a Finisher needs. The 60% Attack and 45% Crit Chance are among the highest passive bonuses in the game. The anti-Howler clause is extremely relevant in the current meta — 50% counter-attack chance shuts down Howler-heavy compositions, and +100 Energy on Howler death means Zykan can chain skills faster in those matchups. Position-dependent immunities add tactical depth.
Glyph Breaker
Passive #2100 / 125 / 150 / 200% basic damage, 50 / 100 / 150 / 200% DoT
Front-line: basic attacks deal 200% damage to the two highest-HP enemies with 40% chance to apply Poison, Bleed, and Curse (200% damage each, 3 rounds). Back-line: basic attacks deal 300% damage to the highest-Attack enemy with 25% chance to Petrify for 2 rounds. Gain 8% Skill Damage per alive ally for 3 rounds. On death: 100% chance to Petrify killer for 3 rounds.
Analysis: Glyph Breaker turns Zykan's basic attacks into meaningful threats instead of dead turns. Front-line triple-debuff (Poison + Bleed + Curse) at 200% each is devastating — that's 600% DoT total if all three land. Back-line Petrify on basic attacks provides crowd control between skills. The Skill Damage scaling (8% per ally = up to 48% with a full team) makes Astral Ring hit even harder. The death Petrify (100% at max, 3 rounds) is a powerful deterrent against focus-fire strategies.
Emerald Convergence
Passive #325 / 50 / 75 / 100% Magic Shield chance, 10 / 20 / 30 / 40% Mayan Shield chance
If outnumbered: 100% chance to gain Magic Shield. If not outnumbered: 50% chance to apply Spinning Blades to self. On attacks vs higher Max HP targets: 50% chance to Steal 20 Energy. On attacks vs lower Max HP targets: 50% chance to ignore Armor. At end of each round: 40% chance for Zykan and all Finisher allies to gain Mayan Shield for 10 rounds (40% Max HP shield + 40 Energy per hit received, once per battle).
Analysis: Emerald Convergence is Zykan's survivability and team-support engine. Magic Shield when outnumbered keeps Zykan alive in clutch situations. Energy Steal against tankier enemies fuels more Astral Ring casts. Armor ignore against squishier targets ensures kills land. The star here is Mayan Shield — a 40% Max HP shield for ALL Finisher allies that also generates 40 Energy when hit. This makes your entire Finisher lineup tankier and faster-charging.
Charm Perk
Sun Blessing
CHARM PERKStarting at round 2, Zykan has a 50% chance to perform an additional attack. Gains 30% Attack per Mantis ally in battle. Starts battle with 60 Energy per Finisher ally. 75% chance to heal 40% Max HP when Magic Shield is broken. If Ascended: Zykan and all Mantis allies gain 100 Speed at battle start.
Analysis: Sun Blessing turns Zykan into a monster in Mantis-heavy compositions. 30% Attack per Mantis ally means +150% Attack in a full Mantis team. Starting Energy per Finisher ally means Zykan can fire Astral Ring on turn 1 with enough Finishers. The Ascended Speed bonus (+100 for all Mantis allies) is one of the strongest team-wide buffs in the game.
Key Mechanics Explained
Mayan Mark
Applied in back-line mode. Each ally hit on the marked target gives Zykan +5 Energy and +2% Attack permanently. In a 6v1 scenario, that's +30 Energy and +12% Attack per round.
Spinning Blades
Applied to Finisher allies (and Mantis allies if Ascended). Grants +50% Skill Damage and counter-attacks on direct damage. Each counter gives +25% Attack for 3 rounds.
Mayan Shield
40% Max HP shield for Zykan and all Finisher allies, lasting 10 rounds. While active, gain 40 Energy each time hit. Once per battle — timing matters.
Magic Shield
Triggered when outnumbered. Absorbs damage. When broken with Sun Blessing, 75% chance to heal 40% Max HP. Creates a self-sustaining defensive loop.
Mode-by-Mode Tier Analysis
Club Smash
Exceptional Mantis finisher for Club Smash. Front-line Astral Ring snowballs through kills — each Killing Blow heals 100% Max HP, grants 100 Energy, and permanently adds a hit. Spinning Blades on Finisher allies creates counter-attack chains across the team. Glyph Breaker's triple-debuff basic attacks soften targets between skills.
Hard Mode
Top-tier Hard Mode fighter. Front-line Astral Ring snowballs through minion waves — each kill permanently adds an extra hit, so Zykan's damage ramps every round. Emerald Convergence's Mayan Shield protects the Finisher lineup for boss phases. The death Petrify punishes enemies who try to focus down Zykan first.
Sewers
Dominant sewer fighter. Position flexibility lets you adapt per floor — front-line for multi-target burst with permanent scaling, back-line for sustained single-target with Mayan Mark. Spirit Alignment's conditional immunities counter sewer hazards perfectly.
Campaign
Excellent campaign carry. Astral Ring's permanent extra-hit scaling makes Zykan stronger every wave — by wave 3 he can be hitting 5-6+ times per skill. Emerald Convergence's Magic Shield when outnumbered keeps Zykan alive in tough stages.
PvP
Top-tier PvP fighter with unmatched flexibility. Front-line Astral Ring snowballs — each kill permanently adds another hit, making Zykan increasingly lethal. Back-line Mayan Mark provides sustained single-target pressure. Death Petrify (100%) punishes focus-fire. Conditional immunities shut down common debuff strategies. Magic Shield when outnumbered and Energy steal add exceptional survivability.
Mech
Strong mech support. Back-line Mayan Mark on the boss means every ally hit grants 5 Energy and 2% Attack — in a full team that stacks extremely fast. Glyph Breaker's 8% Skill Damage per ally (up to 48%) provides massive sustained damage. Mayan Shield protects the entire Finisher lineup. Doesn't quite reach S due to kill-reset mechanics being less relevant against a single boss.
Recommended Team Compositions
Mantis Core (PvP / Club Smash)
Full Mantis faction lineup maximizes Sun Blessing's 30% Attack per Mantis ally (+150% total). Lily transforms on kills, Fenrus provides Executioner chain threat, and Zykan's Spinning Blades amplify all Finishers. Sun Blessing's Ascended bonus gives +100 Speed to the entire team.
Finisher Stack (Hard Mode)
Stacks Finisher allies to maximize Sun Blessing's starting Energy (60 per Finisher = potential turn-1 Astral Ring). Mayan Shield protects all Finishers with 40% Max HP shields. Komodo tanks frontline while Zykan, Fenrus, and Lily chain kills.
Anti-Howler Specialist
Exploits Spirit Alignment's anti-Howler mechanics. 50% counter-attack chance at 250% damage punishes every Howler attack. +100 Energy on Howler death fuels Astral Ring chains. Devastating against Howler-faction opponents.
Key Synergies & Counters
Synergies
- Fenrus: Double Finisher threat. Fenrus gets Spinning Blades (+50% Skill Damage + counter-attacks). Both benefit from Mayan Shield.
- Lily: Transform (+50% ATK per kill) synergizes with kill-focused front-line kit. Receives Spinning Blades as Mantis ally if Ascended.
- Hana: Healing sustain keeps Zykan alive to ramp Astral Ring hits. Buffs amplify the already-high 60% Attack from Spirit Alignment.
- Any Finisher: Spinning Blades + Mayan Shield apply to ALL Finisher allies. More Finishers = more Sun Blessing starting Energy.
Counters
- Stun/Freeze: Front-line Zykan has no CC immunity except Poison/Bleed/Curse. Getting stunned early shuts down the snowball.
- High Block: Blocked attacks can't trigger Killing Blows. Block-heavy tanks stall Astral Ring's scaling.
- Silence: Prevents Astral Ring entirely, wasting scaling potential. No Silence immunity.
- Burst damage: If Zykan dies before getting a kill, his value is minimal. 100% death Petrify helps but doesn't save him.
Build Priority
- 1Astral Ring to 5/5 — Core skill. Max damage per hit + 100% Spinning Blades chance + 100% heal/Energy on kill.
- 2Spirit Alignment to 4/4 — 60% Attack + 45% Crit + 80 Speed is an enormous stat boost.
- 3Glyph Breaker to 4/4 — 200% DoT on basics (front) or Petrify (back) + up to 48% Skill Damage scaling.
- 4Emerald Convergence to 4/4 — Shield mechanics scale with level. Magic Shield goes 25% → 100%, Mayan Shield 10% → 40%.
Final Verdict
Zykan is a must-build for Mantis players and one of the most unique Finishers in the game. The position-dependent kit gives him unmatched flexibility — aggressive front-line snowball or sustained back-line amplifier.
For Club Smash, Hard Mode, and Campaign, run front-line and watch Astral Ring stack up. For PvP, either position works — front-line to snowball or back-line Mayan Mark for sustained scaling. For Mech, back-line Mayan Mark stacks Attack and Energy fast against a single boss.
Sun Blessing's +30% Attack per Mantis ally means Zykan gets exponentially stronger in Mantis-heavy compositions. If you're building a Mantis roster, Zykan is your #1 priority.