Back to Basics Modifier removes all abilities from every unit in the battle. That means no Sneak, no Heal, no Shield, no extra effects unless it's coming from the archons. Even with that, the fight still becomes about pure stats and simple damage which makes unit choice very important. Because abilities are gone, many usual strategies do not work here. Players cannot rely on combos or synergy between abilities to win the match. In this Back to Basics Modifier battle, the focus shifts to simple attacks and good positioning.
Modifiers
Back to Basics - Units lose all abilities.
- Inspire normally gives extra melee damage to units but in Back to Basics Modifier regular unit abilities are removed. However Archon effects that gives extra damage still work which creates a strong advantage. Marlai Singariel from Water Element is a good example because she gives +1 magic damage to units even in this Modifier. This means while others lose their abilities your units can still gain bonus damage from the Archon.
5 Combos You Can Do with modifier_name_xxx Modifier
| Modifier | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Inspire | Gives all friendly Units +1 Melee attack |
| - Inspire normally gives extra melee damage to units but in Back to Basics Modifier regular unit abilities are removed. However Archon effects that gives extra damage still work which creates a strong advantage. Marlai Singariel from Water Element is a good example because she gives +1 magic damage to units even in this Modifier. This means while others lose their abilities your units can still gain bonus damage from the Archon. | ||
 | Blast | Does additional damage to Units adjacent to the target Unit |
| - Blast is very strong in normal battles but in Back to Basics Modifier units lose this ability. Still an Archon like Nidhoggr from Dragon Element can give Blast to your units. Splash damage becomes very dangerous because units have no Shield or Heal to protect them. This makes Blast damage more dangerous and harder to deal with to survive in longer rounds. | ||
 | Poison | Attacks have a chance to apply poison, which does automatic damage to the target at the beginning of each round after the poison is applied |
| - Poison can quickly remove health over time but normal unit Poison will not work in Back to Basics Modifier. Underboss Fabino from Death Element can still apply Poison because Archon abilities stay active. This gives you a strong edge by slowly killing key enemy units. Without Cleanse or Heal there is no easy way to stop Poison damage. | ||
 | Bloodline Dominion | Units that share a bloodline with this archon can be summoned from any element and gain the linked ability. |
| - Bloodline Dominion is an Archon only ability which still works in Back to Basics Modifier. This allows you to choose units outside your main Element as long as they share the same Bloodline. Because abilities are removed, flexibility is important. This gives more freedom in building a powerful lineup with the best stat units available from multiple elements as long as it's the same Bloodline as the one included in Bloodline Dominion. | ||
 | Weary | Each round, Weary units have a 10% chance to become Exhausted. This chance increases by 10% every round, up to a maximum of 80%. Exhausted units skip their turn and cannot Retaliate. |
| - Weary is a Debilitation which normally gives negative effects to your unit. Units with Debilitations like Weary often have higher stats to balance the bad ability. In Back to Basics Modifier these Debilitations are removed because they are still considered abilities. This leaves you with a strong unit that has boosted stats and no drawback like Halfling Refugee from Neutral Element or Shock Trooper from Water Element. |
Battle Breakdown
Early Game:
Both the enemy and I have the same units with a few differences. I have Halfling Refugee and Abyssal Elemental while they have Asel Alagosdil and Ujurak Elder. Their Torrent Sniper is also on a higher level with more damage but since my Abyssal Elemental has higher level damage than Ujurak Elder, we have the same magic damage. My one defining advantage is the tank. My Halfling Refugee has 2 melee attack while their Asel Alagosdil doesn't have any attacks. This difference would have high impact as we go in this battle.
Mid Game:
The enemy's lineup has a fatal flaw. Maybe due to a panic or time limitations, Ujurak Elder is at the wrong position. With low health and no abilities, they should've put this unit at the end. There's no archon in Modern Ranked Format that gives Sneak ability to units so there would be no attack coming from behind. This mistake cost them a lot and reduced the damage their lineup could've done over time.
Late Game:
Even without abilities and a lower leveled Torrent Sniper, I still won the battle because of good positioning and better unit choice. Units with Debilitations are really good in Back to Basics because they have increased stats in order to compensate for the negative abilities that they give to the team. These debilitations are also considered abilities so in Back to Basics modifier, these debilitations will also be negated leaving you with just strong stats with no drawback like Halfling Refugee and Shock Trooper.
Full Battle can be found here: https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_c5728400752c055a12215a3aa46df66c?ref=ashenova
Closing Thoughts
This Back to Basics Modifier battle showed that raw stats can win games even without abilities. My Halfling Refugee had attack while the enemy tank had none which created a big difference over the first few rounds during the battles. The wrong placement of Ujurak Elder also reduced their total damage which helped me secure the win. Units with Debilitations become very powerful in this Modifier because they keep their high stats without their negative effects. In the end, Back to Basics Modifier is simple but better unit choice and understanding of the archons and battles can gives you hidden advantage when abilities disappear.