Born Again:
In this intense Splinterlands battle using the "Born Again" ruleset, every move counts as knocked-out monsters bounce back with just 1 hit point. Up against an opponent keen on magic attacks, I tweak my lineup with abilities like Affliction, Tank Heal, Silence, and Triage, trying to outsmart their revival game.
Join me as I break down the strategies used in each round, navigating a tricky battlefield where thinking on your feet is key, especially when dealing with magical abilities.
The Battle Ruleset:
Keep Your Distance:
With this ruleset, there are some abilities that will be very useful; Shield, Void Void Armour, Magic Reflect, and Return Fire. Each of these abilities is quite strong when Melee is taken out of the ruleset. It is important to build a lineup that takes account of these possible abilities. Finally, it would be useful to note that accuracy in damage will be important here, so my personal preference based on the ruleset would be Magic, as it is accurate unless the opponent utilizes Phase, which is possible but unlikely.
Born Again:
Born Again is typically a really good Gladius card ruleset. Cards such as Quora Towershead are incredibly strong in this ruleset. But looking through my opponent's recent battles, I can see a strong Magic push, so I'd like to try something a little different from my usual tactics.
With monsters coming back to life with 1 hit point after they are reduced to zero, abilities such as Martyr, Scavenger, or Redemption are incredibly strong, especially when combined with a Resurrect ability.
My Strategy:
My plan is to nerf the opponent's damage while sustaining a strong tank. Ideally, I will be focusing damage on a single target in their lineup to overwhelm their healers should they use them. The key here is damage due to the Reborn ruleset. I'd expect to see a Martyr card here, but I think I should have just enough within the Wild Earth options available to me.
My Lineup:
Obsidian:
Through the use of the increased magic damage on offer by Obsidian, I hope that I can synergise my lineup to overwhelm the opposition and achieve victory.
Mycelic Slipspawn:
My intention for this card is to protect it at all costs. The eleven health is pretty good and whilst slow it does have the Taunt ability which will enable all damage to target this card. It will not stop a Blast or any Scattershot ability from hurtin my backline.
Goblin Psychic:
Selected for this position due to its higher health than all other backline monsters in my lineup. With Obsidian, the damage output will become three, making this a great damage dealer with a support ability. Absolutely worth the upgrade to the fourth level at Silver. The Affliction ability will prevent opponents from healing when hit - at a 50% chance of impacting the target. To be honest, this ability is great when it works and awful the rest of the time, so hopefully luck is with us on this one.
Mushroom Seer:
What I hope to be the star of the show. With the Silence ability this card is critical to a magic duel. The best thing about this card is the rare first level Silence which will reduce enemy magic damage. This effect can be removed with a Cleanse or by taking the Mushroom Seer out, so I will be looking to protect this card by placing it in a less vulnerable position. The two base magic damage will be enhanced to three damage and whilst slow and not the healthiest, this card can cause the opposition an issue.
Spirit Hoarder:
In order to protect my lineup from Blast damage, I find that a Spirit Hoarder with Triage is a good idea to use. In my previous match ups I have missed having a Triage to support my second position and I often find my damage starts to tail off particularly in a sustain set up like the one I have begun to create. With Obsidian, the Hoarder will offer two magic damage which will be very helpful going forward into battle.
Goblin Sorcerer:
This is such a fun card to play and well worth the extra levels for the additional base damage. I am hoping by keeping my opponent busy on the front line, I can use this monster to assault their backline and take them apart where they will likely be weakest. This is my best guess as the opponent has relied heavily on magic in their previous battles. With three damage this card is going to hurt them and I am just hopiung there is no Triage on the opposing lineup so the damage can truly pile up!
Wood Nymph:
As a secondary healer with the Tank Heal ability, I really like Wood Nymph as the low mana cost allows it to be used very regularly. With its low damage, health and speed this is certainly not the strongest card but I hope that this card will help to sustain my main tank to enable my team to become victorious. Being slow is quite helpful as it allows the Nymph to heal all damage done prior to it - which could be quite a significant amount!
Opposing Lineup
Kelya Frendul:
In a ruleset such as this, it can be quite useful to be faster than your opponent and this could mark a key difference in strategy here. Kelya, being a water summoner could provide a stern challenge as there are plenty of monsters with the Void ability which will take some beating to triumph over.
Venari Marksrat:
The opponent has used the obvious Martyr card in the first position and will utilise the Born Again strategy to double the buff provided by the Venari Marksrat. A great strategy and one I have used previously.
Djinn Oshannus:
This is an expected choice and next to the Venari Marksrat makes it an even better placement. Not only will Djinn Oshannus receive the double buff but it will now be more of a threat. I am rather glad that Mushroom Seer was selected and this could be about to pay off! With high speed and Void this could be a real threat. I hope I have enough firepower to overcome this challenge.
Riverboat Captain:
The Riverboat Captain is a tough opponent for a sustain lineup like my own. The second placed monster in my lineup is now at threat from Blast damage. Hopefully my Mushroom Seer and Spirit Hoarder will have enough between them to keep the Captain at bay.
River Nymph:
I see the River Nymph and I see Cleanse. This could spell trouble as the first placed monster on the opposing lineup will no longer be impacted by the Mushroom Seer's Silence ability. Has my plan unravelled already? With one damage, three speed and health this is a decent card for the mana cost. At fourth level it gains Amplify which is certainly worth taking the monster to. A good choice and one that may hurt me especially as I am trying to use Affliction to prevent healing.
Merdaali Guardian:
This is not a surprise addition to the lineup. Merdaali Guardian is a wonderful healer and for three mana is awesome. The Tank Heal ability will make Djinn Oshannus a nuisance but I am very hopeful that the Affliction ability of Goblin Psychic may be able to nullify this card's healing. This is certainly one of the best Chaos Rare cards due to its use in Silver and Bronze. A great choice and I hope Goblin Sorcerer can take this out as quickly as possible.
River Hellondale:
Now the plan is clear. The opponent will utilise the Resurrect ability to triple buff the Djinn Oshannus by bringing back the Venari Marksrat... Ouch. Seeing these lineups I am quite concerned that I may not have enough in the lineup to overcome this. Hopefully, the Goblin Sorcerer can get to this card quickly enough to take it out of the game.
The Battle:
Round 1:
The impact of the Martyr and Resurrect ability combined is clear in the very first round of the battle. When this is combined with the resurrect from River Hellondale, the Venari Marksrat powers up the Djinn Oshannus making it a real serious threat with 5 damage. It is at this moment that Mushroom Seer was important as the silence ability is now keeping the battle from going out of control. Except, you may notice right at the end, a River Nymph uses the Cleanse ability which takes the Mushroom Seer's debuff away. Oshannus needs to go and quick if I am to survive this!
Round 2 & 3:
A massive Affliction here on Djinn Oshannus by the Goblin Psychic, which prevents the Merdaali Guardian from healing their main damage dealer and tank. While River Nymph is able to clear this each round, the Goblin Psychic needs to continue hitting the ability which at a 50% chance of doing so, is not guaranteed. The Spirit Hoarder is doing a good job of sustaining the second-placed Psychic, and the goblin Sorcerer is having its own fun assaulting the backline with Sneak damage.
Round 4 & 5:
Finally taking down Djinn Oshannus was hugely important in ensuring victory. The Silence ability of Mushroom Seer was incredibly strong throught the battle as it kept the damage of Riverboat Captain's Blast Ability to a minimum and this meant the Spirit Hoarder could easily sustain my second monster and continue to provide a barrage of magic damage.
Final Thoughts:
My strategy was highly effective. The sustain with multiple healers is excellent especially when used alongside the Taunt ability. Born Again is a fun ruleset that allows some very exciting combinations such as the Resurrect and and Martyr abilities. The battles can often be quite tense as this one showed. Overall I am happy with my strategy and in the Wild format I will likely continue to use something like this sustain lineup in the future.
Join Splinterlands:
https://splinterlands.com?ref=holdeck
Join Splex
...and rent out your cards for some juicy DEC rental fees. Save yourself the hassle of listing and relisting and let the Rental Golem take over for you:
https://splex.gg/?ref=3s5haoqkjteadpf8
How to invest without FIAT in a bear market? : @holdeck/how-i-am-investing-for-after-the-bear-market
Setting and redefining goals in a bear market: @holdeck/setting-and-redefining-goals-in-a-bear-market
Splinterlands Fire divider by freeztag
Splinterlands Icon Divider made by holdeck and available here
All card, icons, Splinter images and stats courtesy of Splinterlands
Ability and Ruleset blurbs taken from Splintercards
Splinter Element Icons taken from Splinterlands
I have reformatted them into PNG files which you are welcome to use here
Disclaimer: ChatGPT assisted with suggestions to enhance the overall writing style and crafted the introduction for this Battle Secrets blog, utilizing the provided content to set the tone for the upcoming battle.