Sometimes, I kind of like when nothing fancy is happening. There's no strange modifiers, no rule-defying twist and just pure team building and may the better strategy wins. It feels like a fair test of decisions rather than adapting to the chaos we call modifiers. At the same time, Standard battles can be deceptive because there’s nowhere to hide mistakes. If I lose, it’s completely because the enemy player is better than me, nothing else.

Battle:

https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_958399bbd91b5956ff090e7f6cb7230c

Since this was a Standard modifier match, there were no rule changes affecting unit abilities or stats. That meant I didn’t need to overthink counters to strange modifier mechanics and I could focus entirely on my own play and lineup. They also have a balanced team but there is a difference in level. Their units are much stronger than mine but with strategy, I was able to overcome that difference.

My Lineup:

With 37 mana, there was enough room to build a balanced lineup without sacrificing anything. I am using a lot of Foundation units though so even if. normally, 37 mana is good enough to produce a good lineup, there's a few hiccups in mine.

Marlai Singariel: I chose Marlai Singariel because I committed fully to magic damage this match for 3 of my units. The +1 magic boost damage for my units with magic damage. I like how simple and direct that buff is. If I’m going to lean into magic, I might as well do it properly.

Great Bear Druid: Great Bear Druid feels like a good enough tank if I don't want Port Guardian. He has both magic and melee damage that gives him flexibility and more firepower than the other tanks. I like that he has enough health to hold position without immediately collapsing.

Spellmonger: I added Spellmonger because of Thorns. I expect the enemy to use Vengeful Monk based on their previous battles so his low health would be very appealing to Opportunity and everytime he attacks, Thorns function. The Untrainable drawback is annoying, but I wasn’t building around Weapons Training anyway, so that part is okay.

Saltwater Mage: Saltwater Mage is one of my favorite picks here because Sneak with magic damage is really strong and hard to counter normally. If I can break their back line quickly, the rest of the fight becomes much easier.

Mystic Scaleweaver: Mystic Scaleweaver's damage is my reason of choosing her. I placed her at the back because I expected some Sneak attackers and I wanted something sturdy enough to protect Saltwater Mage. She’s not just for the damage damage but she also helps my whole team keep their roles on the back.

Enemy Lineup:

Their Team has max level archon and maxed out units so stat-wise, their units should be better than mine.

Thalgrimore: Thalgrimore was a real problem for me. The -1 health already hurts but combined with Weaken from Sorrow Harvester, my entire team effectively lost 2 health each. That kind of team wide abilities can have huge effects. It made my already low-health units feel even easier to kill.

Nim Guard Captain: Nim Guard Captain looked like a wall. The high armor and health make him annoying to get through especially early. Void also directly reduces my magic damage, which felt like a targeted counter to my strategy. Even if his melee damage isn’t high, his durability alone buys their team time.

Spellmonger: Their Spellmonger was just a stronger version of mine, and that bothered me a little. More armor and health means it’s harder to kill and Thorns still punishes melee attackers. The good thing is my lineup relies on magic damage so I am not too affected by this unit.

Sorrow Harvester: Sorrow Harvester made the health reduction even worse. Weaken stacking with their archon’s ability meant my team started the fight already chipped down. On top of that, it still deals solid magic damage.

Vengeful Monk: Vengeful Monk worried me the most but something I am most comfortable with. Opportunity means he goes straight for my weakest unit, and that’s almost always Spellmonger. This is the easiest way to deal with him.

Kanaaq Miner: Kanaaq Miner added even more back line problems with Sneak. I didn’t like seeing both Opportunity and Sneak on their side because it meant they would have multiple target points in my team which is hard to deal with if you don't have Taunt.

This one felt tough from the start because of the stat gap due to the major difference in level. I leaned into magic and hoped consistency would carry me through. Their lineup and idea is good but I guess my damage is still better even on lower health.