First Impressions

To start off, it is quite a meaty adversary. With 7 health and 8 mana at level 1 this card is very survivable. And despite having high health it has a speed of 3, much higher than similar strength ranged cards in other splinters (Ettin Spearman at 1 speed at level 1 for example). 8 mana is a steep cost to pay, but the raw stats are worth the mana if you can afford it.

Positioning and Strategy

As a tanky ranged creature Octopider makes great damage absorption for the sneak and sniper abilities, he can soak damage defensively and deliver decisive blows from the backline. At higher levels Octopider receives demoralize, this also allows for excellent value against melee teams. As far as positioning is concerned, where you place the Octopider depends on what you expect your enemy team to play and what else you have on your team. Regardless of what attack you are expecting, as a ranged creature Octopider usually works well in the back 3 positions. In my battle located here I placed Octopider towards the back with Cursed Slimeball to absorb the first hit from sneak.

Despite sneak not being present in this battle both me and the opponent put spacers at the very back expecting at least some sneak to assault the backline. Even though sneak was hardly used upon the team reveal, Octopider in the backline works well to deal out massive damage at the second fastest speed on the field. As seen here

Later in the battle the high ranged damage from Octopider at high speed dealt enough damage to Unicorn mustang to kill it before being healed by wood nymph at 1 speed. The speed at which Octopider attacks makes it useful for finisher damage before: regen, heal, or a rather heavy slow first position attack etc. The majority of healing abilities are possessed by creatures with a speed of 2 or less, making Octopider's 3 damage at 3 speed very lethal against many forms of sustain.

Even though Octopider is a very strong card on it's own it cannot reach it's maximum potential without a survivable frontline. Octopider deals a lot of damage quicker than many heavies, but still needs to survive without reaching position 1 and losing 100 percent of it's damage. To prevent that you need to place harder to kill units towards the front (in my case Haunted Spirit and Lord Arianthus) buying time for Octopider and your other backliners to rain death upon your foes.

Takeaway & Conclusion

Overall, Octopider brings value for 8 mana to the Death Splinter. As one would expect, close range and aim true synergize well with Octopider. This card is a great addition to any backline, absorbing damage and dishing it right back as quickly as it can take it. Not very useful for the typical low mana encounters compared to smaller cards, but deserving of thought for any high mana engagement at any tier.

Tidbits Lore and More

Did you know it is capable of walking and surviving on both water and land and produces a venomous cloud of ink? Escape chances are minimal when encountering Golordon's beast. Two 8 legged creatures coming together to be a terrifying amphibious sea beast. Currently the only sea creature in the death splinter (excluding Cthulu). Will they add other terrifying sea creatures like our friend the Octopider? Only time will tell.

Keep Summoning and See You In The Splinterlands