Initially, I, too, found this game to be quite difficult. I wondered how I could possibly memorize such a vast array of rulesets, powers, abilities, and their countless combinations. It felt less like a game for passing the time and more like one designed to waste it; consequently—and quite naturally—I played it sparingly at first, as I would frequently suffer defeat even after assembling a team with the best possible cards. However, that challenge persists to this day; as I have mentioned previously, Splinterlands features such an abundance of powers—and so many potential combinations thereof—that you can never truly assume you are the most powerful player, for there will invariably be some ability, synergy, or power lurking somewhere that manages to overwhelm you. That aside, it certainly took time to grasp and memorize all these in-game mechanics; yet, it was a necessary endeavor—and there is absolutely no doubt that I thoroughly enjoyed the journey along the way. Thus, whenever I now observe someone making a very basic error, I find myself wondering: "How could they possibly do that?" After all, we are required to build our teams specifically by understanding and adhering to the established rulesets; therefore, simply ignoring them is not a viable option.
Similarly, during a battle I played this morning, I noticed my opponent make a minor error; this prompted me to create a post about it to highlight its significance to all new players. Rulesets play a pivotal role in the game because they determine the specific conditions of the battlefield; consequently, you simply cannot afford to ignore the environmental factors under which you must fight. In today's battle, there were two specific rulesets in effect. The first was "Fire & Regret," which dictates that 50% of the damage dealt by Ranged attackers is reflected back onto them—meaning you should avoid selecting Ranged units for this particular battle. The second ruleset was "Explosive Weaponry," under which 50% of the damage from every attack is also dealt to the cards adjacent to the primary target. These are two straightforward rulesets; by understanding them, you should have been able to formulate a clear strategy regarding how to build your team for this specific battle.
In a situation like this—as I mentioned earlier—I would avoid using ranged attacks. I would pay close attention to the health of my cards, as they need to survive not only direct attacks aimed at them but also the blast damage from attacks targeting their adjacent cards. Additionally, I would strategize on how to unleash the most massive attacks possible against the enemy—either by striking first at maximum speed or by utilizing "Ambush" to land a few attacks even before the actual game begins, as this offers a significant advantage in such circumstances. And by looking at my team composition, you can see that I did exactly that. Since I lacked any support cards to boost my cards' speed, I built a team around the Dragon-element Akane Archon, whose Ambush ability I bestowed upon my two most powerful cards. Conversely, my opponent paid no heed to the "Fire & Regret" ruleset—given that his team consisted entirely of ranged attackers—nor did he respect the "Explosive Weaponry" ruleset, as all his cards entered the battle with low health. Consequently, my team managed to knock out three of the enemy's cards during the Ambush round, even before the actual game had officially begun.
I would highly recommend that you watch this battle at least once; it certainly won't take up much of your time, as the match concluded right in the very first round. Yes—the opponent's cards were knocked out before they even had a chance to take their turn and execute their attacks. You might feel that the outcome of this battle was obvious from the very start—that your victory was a foregone conclusion. However, let me point out that both sides were fully aware of the rulesets, the Mana cap, the enabled elements, and all other conditions beforehand. Moreover, this wasn't a Bronze League battle; we were competing in Tier 1 of the Silver League. Therefore, while the opponent's cards may not have been top-tier, they must have certainly possessed cards that were above the basic level—otherwise, reaching this stage of the competition would not have been possible. Ultimately, this comes down to your in-game strategy; while a win for one side and a loss for the other is inevitable in any battle, there is absolutely no doubt that by thoroughly understanding the rulesets and other conditions, you can assemble a superior team.
Note:
English is not my first language. So sometimes I use 'Google Translate'. Please don't think that anything I have written in this blog has been copied from somewhere or is AI-generated.
Paragraph Dividers and all the photos are from #Splinterlands.
All the other content images and words are mine unless otherwise stated.
Have a Happy and Blessed day!
