Greetings, Splinterlands friends
Splinterlands is a fascinating game; it’s true that it’s changed a lot, and even though they’re in the process of changing mine, I’m making my way here. I’ve invested in this game because I believe in what they’re building, but mostly because, despite everything that’s happened, they’re still working on it. That’s why I want to do my part for this community, and it all starts with explaining those little things I wish I’d known when I first got here.
I haven't been working on my art lately, but I'll get back to it very soon; I haven’t had much time lately, but to make up for lost time, I’ll be analyzing some cards for you—not in any specific order, but rather because I like the look of their artwork. That said, I don’t just pick any card; I focus on the ones I think are the strongest. So this time, I’ll be analyzing the card called “Bren Palesworn” from the “Arcane Conclave” set.
Bren Palesworn: Versatility and Power in a Single Card
When you first look at Bren Palesworn’s card, it’s not really that surprising; the design isn’t particularly impressive, but it is very well done, especially since it does justice to the “Splinter” it represents—the “Neutral.” In fact, just by looking at it, the colors make it clear without a doubt: that light gray contrasting with the dark gray, his thieving appearance, and the weapons he uses—right from the first impression, we can see that he’s quite agile, which equates to “Versatile.”
And we all know that "versatility" is highly valued in Splinterlands, since a card that works in the vast majority of situations is worth its weight in gold. On the other hand, and continuing with its design, it’s simple yet quite fitting for what this character truly represents. But as I explain everything it does, you’ll realize that the versatility I mentioned, combined with its immense power, isn’t just empty talk. There’s a solid reason behind it, and that’s what I’ll show you throughout this post.
Statistics and Strategy
Before we begin analyzing the card, the first thing we always need to look at is its stats. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, a card’s stats refer to its natural attributes—aside from its specific abilities—since its attack, defense, speed, and stamina are just as important as the card’s abilities themselves. Of course, I like to conduct these analyses by considering the card’s maximum level, since that shows its full potential—it’s something you should keep in mind.
With that in mind, the statistics for this card are:
Mana cost: It has 6 mana points and a medium range, which allows us to play it in a wide variety of battles—hence its versatility.
Hybrid Attack: This card has what I call a hybrid attack, as it has a 3-point melee attack and a 2-point ranged attack.
Quick note: In the game, cards that typically attack in close combat are usually played in the front row and generally have high defense, but Bren breaks this rule—or rather, the way he’s used—because he also attacks from a distance, since he has a ranged attack. This is where his versatility comes from.
Speed: Its 3-point speed is, I think, fairly balanced—it’s certainly not the fastest, but it’s not the slowest either. The important thing is that it can gain an offensive advantage over slower cards, typically tanks.
Life Points: As for its health, it has 5 points, but the truth is that for its mana cost, I think it’s pretty good—it’s not too low either. It has average durability, and if we can place it in a position where it’s reasonably protected, we’ll be able to make much better use of it.
How to play:
This card isn't really a "Tank," and we can tell because its health isn't very high; rather, it's an offensive powerhouse that we need to protect in the backline, not up front. Furthermore, its job is purely to deal damage to opponents by leveraging its dual attack. Of course, to complement it, we could perhaps pair it with a good "Support" card, but that's a whole other topic.
It also depends a lot on the league you're playing in. Maybe in "Bronze and Silver" you could play her a bit more aggressively, but from "Gold" onward, I think her role is more about utility and offensive support, so playing her aggressively would be pretty risky—we'd lose her very easily, and we'd miss out on the versatility she can provide.
Abilities and Synergies
In my opinion, every card reaches its full potential when it uses its abilities; basically, this is what makes cards most useful in the game—in fact, it’s what determines their cost. In fact, if we take a closer look at how it works, the tools this card possesses create a combination and power that’s almost unfair to anyone. Although practically everyone has the same opportunities and ways to counter it, so we can do so, but to show you what I mean, let’s look at what these abilities are:
Abilities
True Strike: Let's start with True Strike, an ability that guarantees your attacks will never miss. To me, this is an ability that gives any player an incredible advantage. Plus, the fact that this card has two types of attacks and you can't miss either one means it can destroy anyone who knows how to position this card. This ability ignores any other ability that helps evade these attacks, and that’s what makes it so powerful.
Sneak: His Sneak ability allows him to attack the enemy unit in the back row from any position we place him in. Of course, the front row isn't taken into account, but the rest are—and for those "Support" cards or cards that aim to take the offensive from the back row, this card ruins those plans without missing a single attack.
Shapeshift: The Shapeshift ability is one of the strongest and the one most capable of creating a powerful combo. This is because "Bren" should be treated as if it belonged to all "Blood" lines, so we can combine it with any of them—not to mention that we can already combine this card with any "Splinter."
Weapons Training: This is the last ability, and although I consider it the least useful, the truth is that it can actually work quite well, because we can create unusual combinations that we can use to outwit our opponent. What this ability does is that when you place units without attack power next to this card, "Bren" can train them to gain some of their attack points.
Synergies
To ensure this card performs at its best and to maximize its impact, we should consider combining it with these other abilities or scenarios:
Inspire: It's the perfect skill to use, as it boosts allies' melee attack power and "Bren's" own attack power.
Protect: It would be great to protect these cards; they already have offensive capabilities, so we need at least one source of defense to protect them.
Melee Mayhem: That would definitely be one of the best strategies for playing it, since we can attack from any position with Bren.
Super Sneak: Another one of those incredible rules, since the offense would extend to the entire backfield, indirectly boosting "Bren's" power.
End
All in all, the idea is for you to master this card perfectly; I know it’s a bit “random,” but the truth is that we can do a lot with it. I’m really excited to share more cards; it takes me a while to really understand how they work, but I keep my mind fresh and engaged with this kind of work. So I love it. I hope you liked it; see you in another guide or art piece—I’m not sure yet, hehe.