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Updated on 22 May 2025

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Hybrid Water featuring Qin and Alex (v2.8.3)

In the ever-evolving Infinity Kingdom meta, seasoned players continue to discover unconventional builds that challenge expectations. One such unique composition comes courtesy of player Bunga, brought to our attention by the always insightful Batman. This hybrid Water setup drops the traditional Artemisia/Dido + Bjorn/Attila core and instead incorporates Emperor Qin and Alexander, creating a two-damage-dealer strategy that has shown great promise in Conquest Season.

This build is something player Batman was kind enough to direct my attention to, and I have only ever seen player Bunga running this setup. In this guide we are going to look at Bungas results and build and make some recommendations as to how to improve it even further.

Let’s break down the reasoning, structure, and optimizations behind this build—and explain why it might just be the most efficient and underrated water hybrid team available today.

Overview of the Build

The team lineup:

  • Merlin (Core AoE magic burst)
  • Emperor Qin (Support, wounds debuff, early energy/damage via talents)
  • Ragnar (Debuff tank and essential ToK skill carrier)
  • Alexander (Secondary physical DPS)

This build differs from standard water compositions in two big ways:

  1. Qin replaces Artemisia/Dido as the support backliner. Why? Because Qin is far easier to max in talents giving early access to support buffs at much lower cost. He also brings wounds and attack speed, which synergizes with Alexander’s burst potential.
  2. Alexander joins the water march not for elemental synergy, but to rapidly reduce enemy frontliner troop count. This is especially useful against high-impact single-target damage dealers like Tutankhamun, who rely on surviving long enough to ramp damage.

The classic water core of Merlin + Ragnar remains untouched, as their roles in burst damage and damage mitigation are irreplaceable.

Why This Build Works

  • Qin’s Talents and Utility: Maxing out Emperor Qin is surprisingly cheap, yet he delivers top-tier support buffs from the Immortal Talent Tree. His wounds effect cripples healing-based teams and his unique artifact boosts attack speed for the team, helping Alex reach very high damage outputs right out of the gate without needing any ramp-up.
  • Alexander as Physical Burst DPS: Alex is a top-tier early game physical damage dealer, and thanks to Ragnar’s artifact change (adding a physical damage debuff), Alex’s effectiveness rises even higher. In this hybrid setup, he acts as a flanker and burst tool to eliminate dangerous frontliners.

  • Double Damage Dealer Pressure: Many setups aim to protect and amplify one star damage dealer. This build splits the burden between Merlin and Alex, creating a less predictable march and making enemy targeting and defense harder to manage.
  • Cost-Effective Progression: Artemisia and Bjorn are expensive to max. This setup uses easier-to-access immortals and still achieves impressive performance metrics.

Recommended Tower of Knowledge Skill Setup

Original Bunga Setup:

  • Merlin: Spell Disintegration, Poison Thorn, Annihilation
  • Qin: Berserk, Vitality Touch, Oaken Guard
  • Ragnar: No Escape, Weakening Curse, Weakness
  • Alexander: Cleave, Assist, Combo

Recommended Optimization:

  • Merlin: Annihilation, Spell Disintegration, Fighting Master
    • Why: Annihilation is amazing damage and Spell Disintegration stack magic debuffs. Fighting Master is essential for control immunity, especially when Qin’s talent boost puts Merlin at highest troop count making him get hit 100% of the time by enemy Himiko’s controls.
  • Qin: Berserk, Oaken Guard, Assist
    • Why: Berserk synergizes well with Alexanders attack speed based damage output. Assist protects Merlin and ensures he stays alive to cast multiple ultimates. Oaken Guard gives team durability.
  • Ragnar: No Escape, Weakening Curse, Weakness
    • Why: The classic water-support tank setup. All skills chosen for utility and debuffing.
  • Alexander: Cleave, Death Breath, Combo
    • Why: Death Breath adds AoE support in combination with Cleave while Combo gives him strong single-target output. Control immunity from his unique artifact keeps his DPS consistent.

Check out my other water guides for more details on tower of knowledge skill interactions in water builds:

Season 2 Water Build (v2.8.3) – Wiki & Tools | Infinity Kingdom
Water build for Conquest Season (v2.8.3) – Wiki & Tools | Infinity Kingdom

Strategic Considerations

  • Fighting Master vs. Concentration: If you’re facing shadow teams or other control-heavy marches, Fighting Master is mandatory. Merlin becomes the top troop count due to Qin’s support talents, making him vulnerable.
  • Weakness: Essential for amplifying crit rate, particularly important for Merlin’s burst capabilities. Skipping this weakens the overall build.
  • Malice: Still a strong option if you’re facing high-crit teams, though not needed in every match.
  • Misleading: Can be added if you’re up against hybrid or physical burst teams and can stack enough dodge to make it effective.

Summary

This Emperor Qin + Alexander Water Hybrid build is one of the most refreshing and cost-efficient Conquest meta teams we’ve seen to date. Offering dual-damage output, powerful utility, and strong defensive synergy, it’s an especially appealing build for mid-spenders or players seeking more from their water march without unlocking or maxing expensive immortals like Bjorn or Artemisia.

Thanks again to player Batman for the tip and to Bunga for the innovative strategy. With the right ToK setup and immortal talents, this hybrid water comp can outperform many more “meta” compositions—at a fraction of the cost.

Published: 22-05-2025