Court Wizard

*"Legalize nuclear bombs."*

a court wizard ready to fire. rumors say he's part of a "shadow wizard money gang" and "loves casting spells."

## Stats

### Strength

30

**Court Wizards** are a leader unit in the **Lizimorr** faction.

## Overview

With a multitude of magical spells and a gun, the Court Wizard is not to be trifled with. He can blast opponents into oblivion or encase them in ice, set nearby enemies alight, and help his allies recover from their wounds, all while supporting his team through the declaration of crusades. However, his magical abilities require great concentration, leaving him vulnerable to melee attacks that he can struggle to deal with.

## Abilities

### Code of Chivalry

This unit cannot retreat. If an enemy unit adjacent to this unit retreats, this unit becomes enraged for a turn. All actions performed by enraged units are free.

### Declare Crusade

If this unit is your leader then at the start of your turn a random enemy unit will be declared as your crusade target. Crusade targets cannot be missed with melee attacks, and killing them gives you +2 energy.

## Gear

### Weapon

WIZARD STAFF

Ability: For every hit this weapon makes the target unit takes 15 true damage in addition to the normal attack.

UZI

NOTE: the Court Wizard does not have any alternate gear, and will always have a Wizard Staff and Uzi.

## Magic

Blast

Deals true damage to a single enemy.

Purifying Light

Heals self and nearby allies.

Burning Realm

Damages nearby enemies.

Ice Blast

Deals stuns to a single enemy.

## Strategy

The unfortunate truth about the Court Wizard is that most of his spells just aren’t the strongest. Unlike the Lich or Goblin Wizard, he doesn’t have Nova to control space or force enemies out of cover, and not having the Paladin’s Magic Barrier means he can’t set his team up for a push. Because of this, we have to make the most out of the spells that he does have, starting with Blast. Out of his spell options, this is one of the; a high amount of guaranteed true damage is quite strong, unsurprisingly. To make the most out of the spell though, you need to ensure that the 90 damage it deals is worth taking up the Wizard’s entire turn; some enemies, especially those with true damage resistance, will be able to survive it, often putting the Wizard in an awkward position.

The next spell to talk about is also a contender for the strongest in the Court Wizard’s arsenal: Ice Blast. One problem that the Wizard can often run into with his damaging spells is that they may not be able to deal enough damage outright to take down a target, and using such a spell means being in a vulnerable position. With Ice Blast, the guaranteed stuns basically lock your opponent out of doing anything, including closing in further on the Court Wizard himself, and allow you to move your units into position to deal major damage without fear of response. This spell is also useful in an offensive context, letting you stunlock an enemy to let other units like Knights and Knight Exemplars close in safely for the kill. However, there are a couple things to bear in mind when using this spell. The first is that it requires other units to be effective. It’s a powerful support tool, but it can’t kill on its own. The second thing to bear in mind is that some units, specifically leaders in the Dwarf faction, can still use one action after being hit with this spell due to their stun resistance. While this still makes them much weaker, it’s very important to bear in mind that they won’t be fully stunned. Just be aware.

Next up is Purifying Light. Honestly, just play this in the same way you’d play a Paladin; keep the Wizard in positions where fellas like Knight Gravens can retreat to for health. This also combos kind of well with the Wizard’s other spell, Burning Realm. This one is really just there for dealing with big hordes of squishy units like Skeletons or Goblins, letting you take them all out without wasting too much energy. By keeping the Wizard behind cover, Burning Realm can be used reflexively and defensively against hordes of enemies. However, to be fully honest, this spell isn’t great unless specifically dealing with a bunch of low health enemies. A lot of your foes will survive it, and, again, the Wizard will be put in a very awkward situation with no actions left.

There are two last things to mention about the Wizard: health and weapons. Health-wise, this guy is SUPER squishy. Keep him out of the line of fire of enemies like Church Assassins and keep your distance from units like the Warrior Drone and Weavers who can run up from far away. As for weapons, there’s a simple rule of thumb: forget about the uzi, but remember the staff. While the ranged option does little damage with poor accuracy, the staff’s guaranteed true damage on hit makes it surprisingly powerful against targets marked by crusade. It’s strong enough to take down a Vampire in two attacks, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Don’t risk it against enemies without crusade, though; the chance to hit isn’t great and this very squishy leader will be ripe for the killing in melee range.

## Lore

We ain't got much, but here it is:

*"Court wizards serve their lord directly as advisors, though their true alliegance still lies with the Wizard's Guild. Their armor has transmuted to ultra-light goldsteel from continuous exposure to magic energy, and their masterwork firearms are built with the secrets of the Guild."*

Not gonna lie, this Wizard's Guild sounds a bit like a shadow government.