Animal Guide
The largest type, built around cheap early bodies and Last Breath summons.
What Animals do
Animals are the biggest family in the shop, with characters in every tier from 2 to 6. Many of them are plain early bodies or small economy pieces: Gilt Hen sells for 2 Gold, Sly Tabby pays a Gold when it slays, and Champion Hog pays 2 Gold when it survives a brawl. That makes Animals a comfortable first purchase while you wait for a better tier to open.
The type also has the most Last Breath summoners. Omen Cat, Fleeting Sprite, Cub of the Hollow and Bristled Trio each leave bigger bodies behind when they die, so a warband of Animals keeps fighting after its first line falls. The late payoffs reward that style directly: Carrion Roc grows when an Animal dies, Ravenous Hippocamp grows when you buy or summon one, and Stitchfur Beast gives your other Animals +2/+2 and doubles Animals summoned in a brawl.
Because the type is so wide, an Animal board rarely needs every slot to be an Animal. Pick the payoffs that match how your board is dying or growing, and fill the rest with whichever strong character the shop offers.
The shop sells 21 characters of this type, across tiers 2 to 6. 0 have a Support ability, 0 start with Flying and 0 start with Ranged. The tables below come straight from the game’s data.
Animals by tier
Tier 2
| Character | Tier | Attack/Health | Alignment | Rules text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilt Hen | 2 | 2/2 | Neutral | I sell for 2 gold. |
| Grim Kid | 2 | 2/3 | Evil | No rules text; this character is all stats. |
| Mage's Apprentice (also Mage) | 2 | 1/1 | Neutral | When you cast a spell, gain +1/+1 permanently. |
| Omen Cat | 2 | 1/1 | Evil | Last Breath: summon a 1/1 Stray Cat. |
| Sly Tabby | 2 | 1/1 | Evil | Slay: +1 Gold. |
| Squint Mouse | 2 | 2/2 | Neutral | Tripling me gets you a treasure two tiers higher than usual. |
| Stripeling | 2 | 1/5 | Good | Your other Good characters have +1 Health. |
| Tadwiggle | 2 | 1/1 | Neutral | Slay: transform into a random character one tier above your shop. |
Tier 3
| Character | Tier | Attack/Health | Alignment | Rules text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion Hog | 3 | 3/6 | Neutral | When I survive a brawl, +2 Gold. Last Breath: give your opponent +1 Gold. |
| Hollow Donkey | 3 | 1/5 | Good | When I survive damage, summon a random character of my tier or lower. |
| Silverhart Stag | 3 | 3/3 | Good | When I attack, give any characters behind me +3/+3 this brawl. |
Tier 4
| Character | Tier | Attack/Health | Alignment | Rules text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrion Roc | 4 | 3/3 | Evil | When one of your Animals dies, gain +3/+3 this brawl. |
| Fleeting Sprite | 4 | 2/2 | Evil | Last Breath: summon a 5/5 Daddy Sprite. |
| Mimic Hound (also Mage) | 4 | 2/10 | Neutral | After I attack, trigger the Last Breath of the characters behind me. |
| Ravenous Hippocamp | 4 | 10/1 | Good | When you summon or buy an Animal, gain +2 Health permanently. |
| Restless Mayfly | 4 | 2/2 | Neutral | While I'm in your hand, I'm summoned when one of your characters dies. |
Tier 5
| Character | Tier | Attack/Health | Alignment | Rules text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristled Trio | 5 | 9/9 | Evil | Last Breath: summon three 3/3 Piglets. |
| Cloaked Wombat | 5 | 6/6 | Neutral | Last Breath: summon a random character of your level or lower and give my Attack and Health to it. |
| Cub of the Hollow | 5 | 2/2 | Good | Last Breath: summon a 4/4 Father Bruin. |
Tier 6
| Character | Tier | Attack/Health | Alignment | Rules text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyal Hound | 6 | 2/2 | Good | Last Breath: give my Attack and Health to your other Good characters this brawl. |
| Stitchfur Beast (also Mage) | 6 | 7/10 | Good | Your other Animals have +2/+2. When you summon an Animal in a brawl, double its Attack and Health after Treasure bonuses. |
What buffs Animals
No other shop character mentions Animals in its rules text, so Animals are not buffed by name. Alignment buffs for Good and Evil characters still apply, and the character guide lists them.
Positioning
Slots 1 to 4 are the front row and slots 5 to 7 the back row; the rules guide explains how rows decide who gets attacked.
- Put sturdy Animals in the front row, where ordinary attackers have to hit them first, and keep fragile payoffs such as Ravenous Hippocamp (10 Attack, 1 Health) in the back row.
- Last Breath Animals are happy to be hit first, because their ability triggers when they die.
- Mimic Hound triggers the Last Breath of other characters, so it pairs with the summoners above; read its card for which characters it reaches before placing it.
Looking for a full plan? The strategy guide covers turn-by-turn play, and the weekly meta report shows how boards built around each type have placed.