Briar Patch come as one of the simple ruleset among others. This rulest just basically grant Thorns to each and every units. Under this effect, the best strategy is to avoid using melee cards to avoid return damage. Other might got nerve to bring melee cards with Shield ability in hope to offset the dealt damage with the sustained.
But focusing deployment on magic and ranged cards might not be the best strategy. As players easily read this strategy and might counter it using Magic Reflect and Return Fire. In the end a balanced formation between attack types might be the best strategy of all.
Pros & Cons
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1. Magic cards and ranged cards are the best cards to use to avoid unnecessary return damage. So having cast variety of collection of both will be a great advantage. | 1. Most of the strongest Tanker come from melee cards; so this rulest might hinder palyers players form deploying suffient Tanker to hold the front row. |
2. Reflection Shield is the only ability to neutralize return damage. Deploying cards with this ability should be priority, not only on melee cards, but also avoid traps from deploying ranged cards and magic cards. |
Best Cards To Use
As mentioned before, card with Reflection Shield ability should be the best card to use. So there are a handful of them but Corsais Bosun is the easiest of all, since it gained at only Level 1 and its a Rare type card. Venator Kinjo would be second best card to use. The rest like Ash Mirage, Revealer, Runic Skyclaw, etc. will only attained this ability later on Gold League.
WATCH BATTLE
So here we have the battle experience with Armored Up as the ruleset. Click BATTLE LINK to see how the battle run.
The battle has a maximum 33 mana cap, with Briar Patch and Aim True as the rulesets; while all Splinterss are made available except for Earth Splinter.
I pick the classic stratey to trap my opponent with another return damage abilities. I pick Ilthain as my summoner to gain the speed buff and Return Fire. For the front row I deploy a cannon fodder using Pelacor Conjurer. As a backup measure against magic attack, I use Imperial Knight and its Void Armor. Djinn Renova follow up next to support the team with its Strengthen. Then Pelacor Arbalest follow as my main damage dealer. The last row filled with Adelade Brightwing which I expect will help Imperial Knight sustain longer round.
My opponent decided to full force with General Sloan followed by a full rank of ranged cards. The front row is tough as Warrior Of Peace brought 11 health for just 7 mana. But it seemed to lack a secondary Tanker, as their 2nd row filled with Gargoya Devil which barely have 1 armor and 3 health. The last row is Pelacor Conjurer which I understood used as measure to prevent ambush attack. But under Briar Patch, the chances are rare for players to risk their cards by using melee with Sneak.
Djinn Renova make the first strike right into Warrior Of Peace. But it quickly retaliated by Gargoya Devil and Venari Crystalsmith which drew the first blood against Pelacor Conjurer. But it cost them 1 health each. My Pelacor Conjurer and Adelade Brightwing combined dealt 6 damage right into Warrior Of Peace, leaving it to 4 health remaining. Then the tide make a sudden turn when my opponent Pelacor Conjurer tried to sheath blood into Imperial Knight, only to end in demise due to return damage. The rest of the battle end with Imperial Knight armor tore down entirely.
Round 2 open with a remarkable manouver from Gargoya Devil and Venari Crystalsmith, leaving Imperial Knight to 3 health remaining, while Warrior Of Peace recover to 5 health. But it wasn't long before my artillery blast down Warrior Of Peace and send it to limbo. And surprise come at the end when Imperial Knight deal a single blow to put Gargoya Devil deceased. With this Xenith Archer have to step up into the front row, leaving my opponent to use Venari Crystalsmith as it sole damage dealer.
By the start of Round 3, we would already know how the outcome of the round will be. My whole formation deliver a successive blow, which didn't give my opponent any chances to make a retaliation. By the end of the round Pelacor Conjurer is the only card left remaining.
At round 4, the fate of the battle is already decided when Pelacor Arbalest deliver the finishing blow.
CONCLUSION
A prover said "Offense is the best Defense". But this isn't always the case. This battle show how insufficient defense line could lead to catastrophic loss. I always fight under Double Tanker rule, that is to put two Tanker on the first two rows. Its only a rule of thumb. But basically, we need to survive past Round 3. This is the ideal timing to allow the artillery to deal significant damage to opponent and make breaktrough breach.
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