Greetings, Splinterlands warriors. Sometimes victory doesn’t come because we bring the most expensive, rarest, or flashiest monsters—like a wedding car bumper polished to a shine. Sometimes it comes from something simple: reading the ruleset correctly. And in today’s Battle of the Day, I felt like the arena gave me a small lesson on how monsters usually considered “fragile” can turn into champions when the Equalizer ruleset steps in.
This battle used the Equalizer, Blood Moon, and Broken Arrows rulesets with a 73 mana cap. As soon as I saw Equalizer, I smiled a little—the kind of smile you get when your favorite food stall is still open late at night. Because Equalizer is where low-HP monsters regain their dignity.
I used Archon Nomos and brought a lineup that, at first glance, might look like a group of starving poets: Conjurer's Hubris as the front tank, followed by Withered Old Sage, Mindless Thrall, Chaos Evoker, Ballista Deadshot, and Emberguard.
Why this formation? Because Equalizer sets all monsters’ HP based on the highest HP on the field. That means monsters that usually crumble like crackers in soup suddenly become durable. And that’s where I saw a big opportunity to maximize brutal magic and ranged damage.
On the opponent’s side, it was no joke. Sheng Xiao showed up with Commander Slade, Wailsworn Specter, Nalara Geinek, Torrent Sniper, Songale, and Calamity—a lineup that looked like it was heading into a serious board meeting: composed, structured, and intimidating.
Once the round started, all monsters’ HP became 10, following Commander Slade. Suddenly, Conjurer's Hubris felt like a nobody who just inherited a royal fortune. Normally just passing through the arena, now it became a real tank.
I decided to reduce the magic damage of Calamity and Torrent Sniper since they posed the biggest threat to my backline. Nalara Geinek also reduced my team’s magic, so from the start, this fight felt like a heated argument between two Facebook commenters—each weakening the other.
Then the first clash happened.
Songale, with its taunt ability, absorbed all attacks. Chaos erupted. Magic attacks flew everywhere like sandals during a heated neighborhood meeting. Conjurer's Hubris fell in the first round—but that’s exactly when my secret weapon began to shine:
Ballista Deadshot.
This monster is like a parking attendant who used to be a boxer. Looks ordinary, but when it moves, it hits hard. Because its attacks are random, it ignores taunt. And with every shot, enemy monsters started falling apart.
When Songale finally went down, Blood Moon began to show its fangs. Bloodlust activated, but poison also started spreading through my team. The arena turned into something like a hospital waiting room during flu season—two of my monsters began coughing under the poison effect.
But this is where Equalizer proved its value again.
If my monsters had their normal low HP, round two would’ve been the end. But with boosted HP, they survived for a few extra rounds—and in Splinterlands, a few extra rounds can be more valuable than a long motivational speech.
Round three fully belonged to Ballista Deadshot. It triggered Bloodlust again after taking down Torrent Sniper. Its damage grew even more savage. I even thought, “If this monster could talk, it’d probably be yelling for more opponents.”
Meanwhile, Emberguard also went wild. My team’s magic attacks started to feel like a rain of stones from the sky—not elegant, but effective.
Round four became a dramatic turning point. Mindless Thrall managed to eliminate Commander Slade. Bloodlust triggered again. Poison kept eating away at everyone. But at that point, it was 3 versus 2.
And honestly, that’s when I started to feel confident about the win.
Nalara Geinek kept holding on. That monster was like an old utility pole—battered by storms but still standing. But the total magic damage from my team was just too much. One by one, the enemies fell, until victory was finally mine.
Full battle can be seen here:
What’s most interesting about this battle is how Equalizer changes the logic of the game. Monsters that are usually ignored suddenly become major threats. Conjurer's Hubris, typically fragile, can act as a temporary tank. Ballista Deadshot, with its low HP, gets enough time to stack Bloodlust. And my magic monsters can perform at full capacity before poison wipes them out.
I also learned that in rulesets like this, consistent damage matters far more than flashy defense. Because in the end, poison consumes everyone. So whoever eliminates the enemy faster is the one who survives.
For new players, understanding rulesets like Equalizer is extremely important. Many players focus too much on expensive cards, when sometimes victory comes from reading the situation correctly. A simple strategy can completely change how we see certain cards.
And in this battle, Ballista Deadshot truly proved that ranged monsters can become a nightmare if given enough time to live.
If I have one takeaway from this battle, it’s simple: don’t underestimate low-HP monsters. In Splinterlands, rulesets can feel like fate. Today they’re cheap, forgettable units—tomorrow, they might be the heroes of the arena.
And if Equalizer shows up again, I might just call on Ballista Deadshot once more. Some monsters, after all, are born for chaos.
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