How to Get Spartan in Command An Army — Best Defense Unit & Counters

The Command An Army Spartan is a 4-star special shield unit, and it’s still the best defender in the game. It took two rounds of nerfs, so it doesn’t hold forever anymore. It now buys time on a capture point instead of walling it off.

If you own one, put it on defense, keep it in formation and don’t chase.

What does the Spartan do?

The Spartan is a shield unit. Its squad moves and fights as one tight block, and that block soaks arrows. Creator Tuki’s Spartan guide (September 23, 2026) shows the formation blocking arrows as long as the squad stays together.

That’s why it sits at the top of every tier list. Ranged fire kills most units on the way in. The Spartan walks through it and holds the point.

The takeaway: it’s a top unit, but the formation is the whole point. Once it breaks, the Spartan is much weaker.

Is the Spartan still good after the nerfs?

Yes, but it plays differently now. The 1.5 patch made Spartans break formation when they get hit. Tuki says they “just got hit by two patches of nerf” and are “not the wall that they used to be”.

His summary: Spartans are now a delay. They keep the capture timer down until your team wins the point. He still calls them “the best unit that you can bring, especially for defense.”

So don’t expect one Spartan to win a fight alone anymore. Expect it to hold the line long enough for your other units to do the killing.

How do I use the Spartan?

These tips come from Tuki’s guide and our strategy guide:

1. Play defense with it. Tuki says it’s “built for defense” and shouldn’t lead your attacks.
2. Use the tight turtle formation. In his guide that’s the third formation option. He says the first two spread the squad out and leave it open.
3. Never chase. Hold the point, face the way enemies come in and keep your own character close.
4. Don’t expose the back. Lancers and arrows punish a Spartan hit from behind.
5. Break out only when it’s safe. If no enemy reinforcements are coming, let the Spartans loose to clean up. Then go straight back into formation.
6. Stack with allied Spartans. Two Spartan squads on one point are much harder to move.

On attack, keep them in formation and charge only to break an enemy line. Then re-form.

What should I pair with a Spartan?

The Spartan is weak against Lancers. Tuki says Spartans “are not effective against lancers”, so you need something that is.

The takeaway: the Spartan holds, and something else has to kill. Watch your star limit, because a 4-star Spartan plus another 4-star eats most of an early budget.

What counters a Spartan?

Spartans are strong, but they have real counters now. Tuki lists these “anti-Spartan” units:

• Mace. The best counter right now. A recent buff gave it knockback, which pushes Spartans and breaks the turtle. One on one, though, a Spartan still beats a Mace. See the Mace page.
• Halberdier. It reaches almost the whole Spartan block on defense.
• Javeliner. One of the few ranged units that can break shields.
• Swarms. Anything that can surround a Spartan squad, including big waves of NPCs, wears it down.

If you’re fighting an enemy Spartan, bring a Mace or Halberdier and hit it from more than one side. The unit counters guide has the full chart.

How do I get a Spartan?

Summons only. The Spartan comes from the unit summon pool, paid for with Gems. There’s no quest, shop or milestone route.

1. Redeem every active code first. The codes page lists the current ones and what they pay.
2. Summon in a big batch rather than single rolls.
3. Keep duplicates. Ascension merges two copies of the same unit into a stronger version.

The beginner guide walks through your first hour, including what to roll for.

Spartan vs Myrmidon

The Mongol update (early October 2026) added the Myrmidon, a 4-star shield and damage hybrid. Testers call it “a Spartan, but faster and with more damage”, with 24 units per squad to the Spartan’s 20.

The Spartan is still the better-tested defender. If you own both, use the Spartan to hold the point and the Myrmidon on flanks.

Did the Naval update change the Spartan?

Yes, it got a buff. Two creators, Tuki and Chrisu, said on November 7, 2026 that the Naval update strengthened the Spartan. Tuki’s video also names Knight, Spear Vanguard and Gladiator as buffed.

We don’t have a second source for the exact numbers yet, so we’re not printing them. The “delay, not a wall” advice above is from September and may be too harsh now. We’ll update this page once the numbers are confirmed. For how every unit ranks, see the best units tier list. For the whole unit system, see all units.