Fast. Fearsome. Strong. The Coeurl Lurker is a beast yet to be tamed. Strong claw attacks take an enemy down quick. Quick dart like movements ensure the beast evades attacks and its natural agility is a sight to behold.
Ruleset
Lost Magic
Without magic, Speed is key here. Anything to reduce physical damage is also good. Generally I like to direct my opponent toward the target of my choice.
"Don't use Magic Reflect monsters or summoners. Focus on high speed and abilities like Flying, Dodge, Blind. Thorns and Shield are the key in this ruleset." - Splintercards
Fog of War:
Monsters lose the Sneak and Snipe abilities.
A good tank and a balanced line up of Magic and Ranged monsters is the trick to win in this ruleset. Use monsters with Opportunity. Keep your monsters in an ascending order of their HP.
-Splintercards
Splinters Available
Strategy:
My stategy here is to utilise Opportunity attacks with a Taunt ability to draw their attention. No Magic means speed is going to be key and health will need to be good on my Taunt. I think the Coeurl Lurker is the ideal direction and I have a perfect summoner to try too. I'd expect heavy Opportunity from my opponent, or perhaps heavy ranged attack on my Tank. Either way - SPEED is key here.
My Line up:
Kelya Frendul
A solid selection of a summoner almost every time I select it. Kelya Frendul offers speed and armour protection. I aim to make my team fast and well protected whilst my backline wreaks havoc amongst the opposition. This summoner should synergise with my biggest hitters giving me the chance to attack hard and fast.
Coeurl Lurker
The plan here is to hide behind the Coeurl Lurker for as long as possible. By using Kelya Frendul as the summoner, I am taking speed to five and alongside the Dodge ability, I will make this card very difficult to hit.
Diemonshark
I've placed the Diemonshark into the second position ready to take over as a second tank. Ideally I don't use this card much because my Coeurl Lurker has succeeded in its goal. Worst case, this card will get to utilise Trample on a weakened frontline. With good speed, damage and armour, I have good faith in the Diemonshark's ability to succeed where the Coeurl Lurker may not.
Deeplurker
A really strong option in the Water deck at Bronze and Novice level. This card combined with Kelya becomes a living nightmare for the opposing team as it picks off the weakest links and chips away at the backline. Good speed and good damage makes this a solid choice.
Merdaali Guardian
This is a frequently used card for most Water decks. A solid tank healer all around and good health at three to boost. I'll be looking to use this Merdaali Guardian to support the Coeurl Lurker and potentially the Diemonshark, keeping them alive as long as possible. I am hoping to take the pressure off the backline, else the Merdaali Guardian would likely be one of the first to fall.
Kulu Swimhunter
I have great appreciation for the Kulu Swimhunter which is why I have this card in Gold Foil on this account. For four mana you get two damage and four health which is decent alongside Kelya Frendul who will speed it up to three speed and add armour. I am hoping this card stays alive long enough to deal some damage to support the Deeplurker's offensive efforts.
Opposing lineup
Tarsa
Tarsa is a very strong summoner across the leagues and with additional melee damage and health, I am in for a formidable melee battle. Seeing this, I'd be expecting opportunity attacks due to the ruleset. With the ruleset removing sneak and snipe abilities, my Merdaali Guardian will likely be a target if the Coeurl Lurker falls. It is important to keep my main tank alive as long as possible here.
Living Lava
A really solid Tank. Shield reduces incoming damage on this target. I would tend to expect a Disintegrator at this mana range which means my Coeurl Lurker will end up doing around 2 damage per turn until this card is removed. A good choice and one which will hold the key to victory. The opponent's low speed will work to my advantage here. Kelya Frendul is looking like an even better choice right now.
Radiated Brute
I do like this card for the Reach ability which allows the Radiated Brute to attack from behind the Living Lava. Low speed will help me here as the Dodge and high speed of Coeurl Lurker will play to my advantage.
Battering Ram
As expected, the opponent is pushing a strong Opportunity line up all with boosted melee and health due to Tarsa. As far as strategy, the opponent has put together a very good and strong lineup but a real counter to their hard hitting melee press is pure unadulterated speed. I think this card will be the first victim to the jaws of the Deeplurker...
Serpentine Spy
This is one of my favourite cards and one of the very few Untamed cards I own (alongside Living Lava). Three damage and three speed make this a threat to my line up. It's low health of two mean it is a potential target of the Deeplurker. What will allow this card to survive a round will be the position of the Serpentine Spy behind the Battering Ram as the Opportunity ability prioritises the targets closer to the front if all opposing team health is equal. A good card and part of the opponents strong strategy.
Parasitic Growth
A good choice but in my opinion I have always found this card at four mana to be a bit on the expensive side. Opportunity attack and Tarsa lineups are always a great strategy but as long as my tank is alive, I do not predict this card to be too threatening to my team.
Disintegrator
As expected really once I see a Living Lava, I expect to see the Disintegrator. I think the opposing lineup is very strong and this card is definitely a part of that. This card will reduce the melee damage of all my melee monsters due to the Demoralize ability. This is a superb ability when combined with Shield on the Living Lava or even the Antoid Platoon.
Pre Fight Thoughts:
I think this will be a victory for me due to the speed advantage I have. I think the fact my lineup is able to bypass their tank and deal with their backline as a priority is the more effective element of the two tactics.
The Battle
Very happy with the outcome and a little surprised that Diemonshark got to sit around and not do anything. Not complaining for sure!
Post Fight Thoughts:
If the opponent had used the Coeurl Lurker in the front line instead of the Living Lava, then I think the outcome here would have been drastically different. My high speed was the perfect counter to their high damage. Otherwise, it may have been a good idea to switch up the Diemonshark to something else, but this is in hindsight and the Coeurl Lurker did its job better than I had originally planned. Overall though the opponent had a really good strategy here and on another day with a different tank, they may have had the victory.
Coeurl Lurker worth it?
For sure this card is one I have been enjoying more recently. It's high speed, damage and health make it a great option as a Primary tank and the Taunt and Dodge ability mean it is a very capable trapping monster to hold the opponent's attention while you let your other monsters do the work. A good card.
Should you buy it?
If you have the funds, I would consider it yes. Once I have completed my Chaos Legion purchases, I will certainly be getting myself a copy. Would be a wonderful addition to any deck.
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