Ragna, known as "Dragon Guy" within the UTD community, represents the apex of burst engineering in Universal Tower Defense. Based on the protagonist of the dark fantasy series Ragna Crimson, this Secret-rarity unit operates on a unique rhythm of dormancy, accumulation, and cataclysmic release. Unlike standard mythic units providing consistent linear damage, Ragna is a temporal event—a burst window that must be carefully timed for maximum impact.

His design philosophy translates the source material's "Silver Aura" into gameplay mechanics. The Frost Born passive freezes enemies with every attack, mirroring the anti-magic properties of silverine weaponry. The transformation into the "Silverine Battle Trance" references Ragna's fusion with the Silver Comet and his ability to exceed human limits—represented by the self-sell mechanic that removes him from the field after expending his power.

The Ragna guide must address why this unit occupies S-Tier despite his self-destructive mechanics. His position stems from the "Silverine Battle Trance" transformation that converts him from a standard unit into a map-controlling phenomenon. The +120% damage boost combined with Hybrid targeting (Air/Ground) and periodic freeze pulses creates a 120-second window where Ragna dominates the battlefield absolutely.

The Frost Born Engine

Most DPS units provide damage and nothing else. Ragna provides lane security through his Frost Born passive. Every attack applies a freeze status that completely halts enemy progression. In high-density waves, this buys critical seconds for other towers to cycle their attacks. More importantly, once enemies thaw, they're afflicted with a permanent 30% slow.

This permanent slow is hidden value. Ragna effectively compresses the role of a "Slower" support unit into his DPS slot, freeing a team slot for an extra buffer or money maker. It's arguably one of the strongest utility passives in the game, providing both immediate control (freeze) and lasting debilitation (slow).

The Fury System

Ragna doesn't start at full power—he must cultivate his rage. The Fury meter accumulates through the "Resolve" ability, which stuns Ragna for 30 seconds while generating 0.5 Fury per second. This trade-off (0 DPS during charging) is intentional: Ragna is a long-term investment. You place him early to charge so he's ready for boss waves.

Transformation Mechanics

When Fury reaches 120, Ragna transcends his limits. The transformation grants: Hybrid status (can hit Air units), +120% damage multiplier, passive freeze pulse every 20 seconds (even without attacking), and increased attack cooldown (15s) designed for boss-killing rather than trash-clearing.

The most controversial aspect is the "Self-Sell" mechanic. After 120 seconds, Ragna stops attacking and removes himself from the board. You cannot "set and forget" him. If transformation timing is wrong (during wave lulls), you waste the window and $50k investment. The transformation must be manually triggered only when a Boss or massive wave is imminent.

Economic Sustainability

The cost profile is deceptive. A $50k maxed unit seems standard for Mythics, but Ragna's investment disappears every time he self-sells. In a long Infinite Mode run, you might deploy Ragna 10 times—that's $500,000 cumulative cost. This requires a robust economy engine (Speedwagon or equivalent) to sustain repeated deployment. Ragna is not for players who struggle to generate cash.

The Ruler Trait Strategy

Ragna has a placement limit of 1 by default. The Ruler trait allows 2 placements, enabling a revolutionary strategy: staggered transformations. Transform Ragna A. When he has 60 seconds left, start charging Ragna B. When Ragna A self-sells, Ragna B is ready to transform. This allows 100% uptime of the Silverine Battle Trance—continuous burst damage without vulnerability windows.

Etherealization Benefits

Etherealization upgrades specifically target Ragna's weaknesses:

• E2 (Temporal Extension): +20 seconds duration. With 15s cooldown, this grants 1-2 additional attacks in ultimate form—massive total damage increase.
• E4 (Shatter Amplification): +60% Shatter damage (total 285%). Incentivizes keeping enemies frozen to maximize burst.
• E6 (Infinite Scaling): +0.1% damage per Fury stack. At 120 Fury, this is +12% multiplicative damage. If Fury can stack beyond 120, Ragna has infinite scaling potential.

Support Unit Synergies

Ragna is a Carry unit—he should be the focal point of your buffs:

• Ace (Spade): The Fire & Ice combo. Ace applies Burn that bypasses armor. Ragna's freeze holds enemies in place for full burn duration—effectively doubling DoT damage.
• Law (Rule): Provides +10% Cooldown Reduction aura. Ragna's 15s transformed cooldown drops to 13.5s, granting roughly 1 extra attack cycle over 120 seconds.
• Miku (Virtual Idol): Percentage-based damage buffs stack multiplicatively with Ragna's +120% transformation. Pushes damage into millions in high-wave content.