Arnim Zola is a Tech Champion. Being a Tech Champion, he has a Class Bonus against Mutant Champions, but is weak to Cosmic Champions.
Bio[]
A brilliant Swiss scientist and the world’s foremost authority in biochemistry and genetic engineering, during World War II Arnim Zola strove to create an army of super-soldiers and helped with the very founding of Hydra. When his own body failed, Zola discovered a way to digitize his consciousness, transferring his mind into a robotic body. In this immortal mechanical form, Zola has worked to ensure the dominance of both Hydra and his own genius throughout the decades.
Mechanics[]
With a myriad of technical tricks and an aptitude for planning, Arnim Zola can swing fights in his favor before they’ve even begun. By targeting specific Special Attacks, Zola can block out his Opponent’s threats before Disintegrating them to dust. And as a very powerful Defender, Zola is sure to make things difficult for Champions that are overly aggressive, or make the critical error of expecting to deal damage with Special Attacks.
Stats[]
| Tier | Max Rating | Max Health | Max Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
581 | 2327 | 171 |
 |
- | - | - |
|
1542 | 6184 | 454 |
|
- | - | - |
|
3881 | 15508 | 1137 |
|
4855 | - | - |
|
7832 | 31093 | 2279 |
|
10670 | - | - |
|
13360 | 53055 | 3888 |
|
18200 | - | - |
|
33940 | 134761 | 9875 |
|
- | - | - |
Abilities[]
Always Active
- Advanced robotics provides Immunity to Bleed and Poison, and Zola’s Ability Accuracy and Combat Power Rate can only be modified by his own effects.
- The Critical Penetration of the Opponent’s Basic Attacks is reduced by -80% flat, and Zola cannot lose more than 10% of his Max Health from a single damage source, other than a Special Attack 3.
- Zola’s first Medium and first Light Attacks are kinetic pulses that do not make contact.
Dev Notes: Despite being a metallic robot, Zola isn’t much bothered by effects like Magnetism or Organic Magnetism, and even Armor Shattered won’t do much to shut him down.
By default, Champions have 80% Critical Penetration, so Zola’s -80% completely prevents the Opponent’s Critical Hits from bypassing his substantial Armor Rating.
Systems of Control
- Zola can activate a Pre-Fight Ability to select either a Special 1 Lock or a Special 2 Lock. When Zola finishes a Special Attack, he inflicts the selected effect as a Passive for 20 seconds.
- If neither Pre-Fight is selected, during the Opponent’s Special Attacks they are inflicted with a 30% Cowardice Debuff. As a Defender, this becomes a 90% Cowardice Passive.
Dev Notes: By selecting a specific Special Attack to lock out long-term, Zola can completely prevent some very potent threats. A keen understanding of Special Attacks across the Contest is essential for getting the most out of Zola.
If you’re fighting a Champion whose Special Attack 2 isn’t particularly noteworthy, the Special 1 Lock has the additional benefit of increasing Zola’s runway to safely chain Heavy Attacks before the Opponent can respond.
ESP box - Sleep
- When Zola is struck by anything other than a Heavy Attack, he gains an indefinite ESP Charge. When Zola Blocks any hit, he gains 3 Charges. Max stacks: 30.
- 20+ Charges: Before being hit by a Basic Attack, Zola has a 10% chance to consume all ESP Charges and inflict a Sleep Passive for 3 seconds. For each Charge over 20, the chance is increased by +5% flat. During a Well-Timed Block, the chance is increased to 100%.
- If Zola is knocked down by a Heavy Attack, he loses 10 ESP Charges.
Dev Notes: By overcharging his patented ESP Box, Zola can temporarily disrupt his Opponent’s very thoughts and inflict Sleep. As a Defender this is a potent threat that demands caution– try to find opportunities to regularly Heavy Attack Zola, especially if he crosses the “danger zone” threshold of 20 Charges.
As an Attacker, this Sleep can provide a clear opening for a Heavy Attack, even in matchups where Stun Immunity is present. Zola is quite durable (especially if you’ve opted to wield his Cowardice), so don’t be too adverse to holding Block through Special Attacks to build Charges quickly.
Disintegration Gauntlets – Heavy Attacks
- The first hit of Zola’s Heavy Attack inflicts a 0.5% Disintegration Debuff dealing X Direct Damage over 0.5 seconds. If the Opponent was not Stunned, inflict 5 additional Debuffs.
| Tier | Direct Damage |
|---|---|
|
5.13 |
|
13.62 |
|
34.11 |
|
68.37 |
|
116.64 |
|
296.25 |
- While the Opponent is suffering from any of these Disintegration Debuffs, all of Zola’s hits inflict another Disintegration Debuff.
- These Disintegration Debuffs are paused while Zola is charging or performing a Heavy or Special Attack, and the final hit of Zola’s Special Attacks removes them.
Dev Notes: Heavy Attacks are Zola’s offensive bread-and-butter. Once he’s got his Disintegration chain started, try to keep it going as long as possible with more Heavy Attacks to maximize damage. Throwing Heavy Attacks at the wall while the Opponent doesn’t have a Special ready is a good way to chain them together, and activating a Special Attack before your Heavy ends ensures that you can carry these Disintegrations through the whole Special.
Note that these Disintegrations are only inflicted by Zola’s hits and are only paused during his Heavy and Special Attacks, so he can’t utilize Strikers to extend these chains.
Signature Ability[]
Grasp of Hydra - Always Active
- Upgrades to his intricate neural network grant Zola the #Psychic Shielding tag while in a fight.
- Striking a Sleeping Opponent grants Zola an Unblockable Passive for X seconds.
| Tier | Time |
|---|---|
|
3 - 10 |
|
3 - 10 |
|
3 - 10 |
|
3 - 12 |
|
3 - 12 |
|
3 - 12 |
- When Zola’s Special Attacks remove his Disintegration Debuffs, each Debuff deals a final burst of X Direct Damage.
| Tier | Direct Damage |
|---|---|
|
8.55 - 13.68 |
|
22.7 - 36.32 |
|
56.85 - 90.96 |
|
113.95 - 227.9 |
|
194.4 - 388.8 |
|
493.75 - 987.5 |
Dev Notes: Awakening Zola allows him to benefit from the #Psychic Shielding tag while in a fight. This won’t change his existing tags so he still won’t show up in #Psychic Shielding search filters, but while in a fight he won’t have to worry about Emma’s Reversed Controls or Stryfe’s Invisibility. The Unblockable helps ensure Zola can get his loops going with maximum comfort, even if the Opponent is running pesky defensive Masteries like Stand Your Ground.
Special Attacks[]
Special 1 - Living Technical Wonder
Zola supercharges his weapons system and starts blasting.
- On activation, gain a 10% Energize Passive for 60 seconds. Max stacks: 5.
- The first hit grants a +X Fury Buff for 4 seconds, paused until the start of Zola’s next Special Attack.
| Tier | Attack Rating |
|---|---|
|
51.3 |
|
136.2 |
|
341.1 |
|
683.7 |
|
1166.4 |
|
2962.5 |
Dev Notes: This Fury provides a long-term boost to Zola’s damage (and can also help with a certain powerful Mutant boss in 6.2.2). If you’re trying to keep Zola’s Special Lock constantly active, this Special Attack is the cheapest, easiest-access option.
Special 2 - Aggressive Dissection
Venting ambient power, Zola unleashes a whirlwind of robotic destruction.
- On activation, inflict a 40% Disintegration Passive dealing X Direct Damage over 10 seconds.
| Tier | Direct Damage |
|---|---|
|
85.5 |
|
227 |
|
568.5 |
|
1139.5 |
|
1944 |
|
4937.5 |
- Each buzzsaw hit consumes 1 of Zola’s personal Energizes to inflict a 10% Disintegration Passive dealing X Direct Damage over 10 seconds.
| Tier | Direct Damage |
|---|---|
|
205.2 |
|
544.8 |
|
1364.4 |
|
2734.8 |
|
4665.6 |
|
11850 |
Dev Notes: Disintegrations have the secondary effect of reducing Combat Power Rate, and the initial one inflicted by this Special is quite potent in this regard, especially if combined with the cash-out of built up Energizes. As an ender to Zola’s Heavy chains, this attack has more hits and lasts slightly longer than his Special 1, so serves as the ideal apex of that loop.
Special 3 - I’ve Got a Shiny New Body
Zola self-destructs and uploads his digital consciousness into a new robot form. His Opponent, unfortunately, is not so imperishable.
- Inflict an Armor Break Debuff, reducing Armor Rating by X for 20 seconds. Max stacks: 5.
| Tier | Armor Rating |
|---|---|
|
728.57 |
|
792.86 |
|
857.14 |
|
900 |
|
964.29 |
|
1178.57 |
- Gain a Self-Repair Passive healing 100% of Zola’s missing Health over 20 seconds. This Self-Repair is lost if Zola is Stunned.
- For each time this Special Attack has been used previously in the Quest, these effects’ base durations are tripled. Zola’s anti-exponential algorithms won’t let this increase more than 3 times.
Dev Notes: Zola’s consciousness is digital, and he’s not confined to the fragile limitations of a single body. Each use of this triples the durations of its effects, meaning they’ll last 20, 60, 180, then 540 seconds, with the Self-Repair healing 100% of missing Health over this new extended duration. This means on repeated uses the Armor Break becomes more effective, while the Self-Repair becomes less effective.
Synergy Bonuses[]
| Synergy | Partner(s) | Effect(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Two More Shall Take Its Place |     
|
#Hydra Champions: Start each fight with an indefinite +10% Lying In Hate Passive. Captain America: While in a fight, Captain America counts as #Hydra and a #Villain instead of a #Hero. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Zema & Zolo | 
|
Arnim Zola: When an Opponent is Immune to a Stun effect, gain 10 ESP Charges. Baron Zemo: If Zemo runs out of Cleanses during an Opponent’s Special Attack, his Root is inflicted once the Special Attack ends. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Super Specimen | 
|
Arnim Zola: Start each fight with an indefinite +500 Armor Up Buff. Captain America (Infinity War): Signature Ability Debuffs have a 100% chance to be inflicted an additional time, reduced by -25% flat for each instance of this Debuff already present. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Glued to the Tube | 
|
Arnim Zola: The first time in each fight Zola is struck by a Heavy Attack, he gains a Brace Buff until the end of the attack. Mojo: For every million Followers, Passively Regenerate 10% of damage taken from Blocked hits. Max: 50%. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Geneticists | 
|
Arnim Zola: Personal Disintegration Debuffs deal 20% more damage. Mister Sinister: Personal Degeneration Debuffs deal 20% less damage but gain 50% increased duration. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
| Incoming Synergy | Partner(s) | Effect(s) |
| Hydra Rebel | 
|
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew): Against Mystic Champions, gaining a Buff inflicts a 50% Concussion Passive for 0.5 seconds which cannot affect Nodes. While in a fight, count as #Hydra and a #Villain instead of a #Hero. Arnim Zola: The final hit of Special Attack 1 inflicts a Root Debuff for 3 seconds. Unique Synergy: Does not stack with duplicate synergies. |
Strengths and Weaknesses[]
Strengths[]
- Specific Special Locks
- Zola can choose specific Special Attacks that he can lock down for extended periods. Whether a Special Attack has dangerous effects or is just difficult to avoid, Zola can plan ahead to prevent its threat.
- Hyper Durability
- With a very high base Armor and no means for the Opponent to bypass it with Critical Hits, Zola is extremely tanky. His Special 3 also allows for full Health resets for some exceptional longevity in Quests.
- Disintegrations
- The bulk of Zola’s damage comes from overloading his Opponent with Disintegrations. Disintegrations deal Direct Damage and don’t (currently) have any Immunities, so Zola can cut straight through many different situations.
Weaknesses[]
- Heavy Attacks
- Zola’s Sleep is one of his main Defensive threats that can only be played around by Heavy Attacking him. Landing Heavy Attacks against him can be difficult since his non-contact attacks make him difficult to Parry, but Champions like Angela who can Parry Non-Contact Attacks, or Gladiator who can Heavy right out of a combo will be very successful at keeping his Sleep threat in check.
- True Damage
- Zola has a very high Armor Rating, and he turns off his Opponent’s Critical Penetration making it difficult to bypass, but effects like True Strike or True Damage allows Champions to slice right through Zola’s defenses.
- Big Basics / Damaging Effects
- As a Defender, Zola inflicts an extremely potent Cowardice to effectively negate his Opponent’s Special Damage. Champions who don’t completely rely on their Special Attacks for the bulk of their damage won’t be overly hindered by this.
Recommended Masteries[]
- Collar Tech
- Zola thrives when he can land frequent Heavy Attacks to continually build his Disintegrations. Collar Tech provides more runway to chain Heavy Attacks together before the Opponent gets pushed to a Special Attack.
Recommended Stat Focus[]
Attacker[]
- Block Proficiency
- Zola’s base Block Proficiency is already fairly substantial so he doesn’t get a ton out of the bonus from Stat Focus, but even that little extra bit can be enough to get a Perfect Block.
Defender[]
- Physical / Energy Resistance
- Zola reduces his Opponent’s Critical Penetration, meaning that any additional Resistances on him are difficult to bypass, and it gives him extra staying power against Damaging effects.
Recommended Relics[]
- Green Goblin
- Green Goblin provides some minor boosts to Zola’s Disintegration Debuffs, but the real value of Relics to Zola is in using the Striker to help keep his Opponent pinned against the wall, where he’s able to chain his Heavy Attacks.
References[]
[]
 List of Cabal Champions
|
|---|
Arnim Zola  ● Attuma  ● Corvus Glaive  ● Doctor Doom  ● Emma Frost  ● Enchantress ● Green Goblin ● Hyperion ● Iron Patriot ● Kang the Conqueror ● Kingpin ● Loki ● M.O.D.O.K.  ● Magneto ● Namor ● Proxima Midnight ● Punisher 2099 ● Red Skull ● Taskmaster ● Terrax ● Thanos ● The Hood ● The Leader ● The Maker
|
 List of Hydra Champions
|
|---|
| Arnim Zola ● Baron Zemo ● Crossbones ● Punisher 2099 ● Red Skull ● Taskmaster
|
 List of Robot Champions
|
|---|
| Arnim Zola ● Bastion ● Darkhawk ● Doombot ● Dragon Man ● Guillotine 2099 ● Nebula ● Nimrod ● Omega Sentinel ● Sentinel ● Sentinelbot ● Ultron ● Ultron (Classic) ● Vision ● Vision (Age of Ultron) ● Vision (Deathless) ● Viv Vision ● Warlock
|