Judas Pressures Enemies with Stigma and HP Conversion
Judas, who recently joined Seven Knights Re:BIRTH, is a Universal-type hero equipped with both offensive power and survivability. He deals additional damage to key enemy damage dealers and pressures high-HP targets with HP conversion. As he builds Physical Attack stacks and gains shields by continuously attacking, he excels in Defense Decks that protect allies and sustain long battles.
At the core of his offensive kit is "Dark Stigma". Applied to the 3 enemy heroes with the highest Attack, Judas deals bonus damage when attacking targets afflicted with Dark Stigma. His basic attack and Awakening Skill prioritize targets marked by Dark Stigma. Furthermore, his active skills—which strike all enemies—also deal bonus damage to marked targets, allowing him to heavily pressure opposing damage dealers.
Skill 1, "Vortex of Ruin," attacks all enemies twice and reduces turn-based buffs by 2 turns. If it kills an enemy, the skill triggers once more at 100% power. Scoring a kill with the initial hit allows him to overwhelm remaining foes with a follow-up AoE attack.
Skill 2, "Final Throne," converts the HP of the enemy with the highest Max HP to 18% and inflicts Unhealable for 3 turns. It then attacks all enemies 3 times, ignoring 40% Defense. Separate bonus damage is also dealt to the target with the highest Max HP. Although the HP conversion applies to only one target, it drastically lowers the health of sturdy foes before follow-up strikes, making it highly effective against tanks.
His Awakening Skill, "Day of Judgment," prioritizes targets marked by Dark Stigma to attack 4 enemies twice while ignoring 40% Defense. It deals bonus damage to marked targets, and when enhanced, adds a 2-buff removal effect. It can be used to chip down enemy health with AoE damage and finish off high-priority targets.
Let's examine his survivability as well. Thanks to Blessing, damage taken in a single hit cannot exceed 25% of his Max HP, and he gains a shield equal to 160% of his Physical Attack at the start of battle. Every time he attacks twice, he gains a Physical Attack stack and a shield equal to 110% of his Physical Attack. His basic attack also grants Mitigate, making continuous attacks beneficial for his own survival. His passive effect reduces all enemies' damage dealt by 13% and Critical Damage by 34%, lightening the defensive load on his allies, while also reducing his skill cooldowns by 17 seconds whenever an ally dies.
Defense Deck Setup for Sustaining and Attacking Alongside Giyu
Judas is primarily used in Arena and Total War. The strategy involves establishing a defensive foundation around Giyu, then dismantling opponents with Judas's AoE attacks and Dark Stigma bonus damage. He fits perfectly into compositions designed to withstand enemy assault while securing offensive opportunities.
A representative lineup consists of Awakened Giyu, Awakened Hayeon, Awakened Aris, Gelidus, and Awakened Judas. You can deploy Giyu and Hayeon in the front row, with Aris, Gelidus, and Judas in the back row. Alternatively, placing Giyu solo in the front row while positioning the other four in the back row is also viable. Lou is used as the pet.
Giyu's back-row protection and healing support buy Judas time to sustain his attacks. Hayeon and Aris also aid team survival, while Gelidus restricts enemy actions with Freeze. Built upon this defensive foundation, Judas pressures both marked enemies and high-HP targets simultaneously. With Aris and Gelidus adding extra firepower, it is a composition where multiple heroes coordinate to overwhelm the enemy.
This same lineup is also preferred in Total War. Radgrid, who was a longtime staple in Defense Decks, has fallen out of favor following the consecutive additions of Giyu and Judas. While she can still be used if your hero roster is underbuilt, she has drifted away from top-tier status. Notably, in Arena, Eileene is sometimes slotted into the Defense Deck in place of Judas depending on rating tier or frequent enemy match-ups. While Judas has his clear strengths, feedback suggests Eileene yields slightly higher efficiency against Magic Decks.
Choose Between Assassin and Chaser Sets Based on Needed Stats
For equipment, you can utilize either 4-piece Assassin or 4-piece Chaser sets. The Assassin set should be considered first, as its Defense Ignore enhancement maximizes the power of Final Throne and the Awakening Skill; however, a Chaser set with ideal secondary substats is also a solid choice. Rather than choosing blindly based on set effects, Judas benefits more from securing necessary stats such as Critical Rate, Weakness Attack Rate, and Defense.
When running the Assassin set, many players opt for weapons combining Defense % and Weakness Attack Rate to balance survivability and offense. Since the Assassin set bonus provides 30% Critical Rate, players add Weakness Attack Rate on the main weapon options and cap off remaining Critical Rate and Weakness Attack Rate via substats. However, if you lack optimized gear, choosing a Defense % main weapon might make it difficult to cap both Weakness Attack Rate and Critical Rate, requiring careful consideration based on your account's gear state.
If Critical Rate is lacking, you can forgo Defense % on weapons in favor of Critical Rate main stats, though you must accept the increased risk from lower Defense. Alternatively, if running the Chaser set, which supplies Weakness Attack Rate from its set effect, you can consider pairing Defense % with Critical Rate. For armor, Damage Taken Reduction is used on both pieces. Unusually for a Defense Deck component, building Block Rate is generally omitted.
In substats, prioritize bringing Critical Rate and Weakness Attack Rate as close to 100% as possible while building Defense. Judas relies on continuous attacking to accumulate Attack stacks and shields. If early survivability is compromised by focusing solely on Critical Damage, he cannot capitalize on his strengths. It is safer to build a survival-focused foundation first, then increase Critical Damage as stats permit. Because his build demands both survival and firepower, Judas is considered a fairly high-difficulty hero to gear properly.
Aim for 6-Star Transcendence If He Is Your Main Defense Deck Dealer
Judas undergoes distinct performance spikes at 2-Star and 6-Star Transcendence. At 2-Star Transcendence, he gains 1 instance of Will, and triggering Will adds a Physical Attack stack along with HP recovery equal to 165% of his Physical Attack. With Will and healing added on top of Blessing and shields, this tier significantly reinforces his defensive foundation.
At 6-Star Transcendence, Pierce is added to both active skills and his Awakening Skill. This is a crucial upgrade for bypassing enemy Damage Immunity. If you plan to run Judas as the main dealer of your Defense Deck in Arena and Total War, aiming for 6-Star Transcendence is recommended, though securing at least 2-Star Transcendence for Will is highly advised.
Decide whether to pull on his pickup banner based on your current Defense Deck strength. If supporting heroes such as Giyu, Hayeon, Aris, and Gelidus are ready and you want to boost your Defense Deck's offensive output, he is worth the investment. On the other hand, if you primarily main Physical Attack or Magic Decks and lack Defense Deck development, there is no need to overcommit to the pickup. Rather than looking solely at Judas's standalone performance, it is better to first evaluate whether you plan to build around a Defense Deck. As Judas expands tactical options for Defense Decks, approach his banner based on your hero pool and available resources.
