Good morning from the Philippines Splinterfam, I hope you are all well and enjoying the changes especially to the ranked battle system as much as I am. Just a few more days and an even bigger change to come. I hope we all ready.
So today for Battlemage Secrets, the topic is Earthquake. This is where non-flying monsters take 2 damage each round which can be devastating in lower mana cap matches. So let us get straight to it, the Earthquake ruleset whenever it comes up springs to mind Life, Death or Dragon in Champion League. Why you may ask? In my humble opinion, these Splinters are the home of the biggest and baddest “Flying” monsters, whether you are going for High DPS, Sustain or Resurrections' Tactics, by using these 3 Splinters, you will have a greater rate of success.
The Chaos Dragon in higher leagues and High Mana Rule Sets is commonly used by the more experienced gamer. Whilst some call “Scatter Shot”, “Scammer Shot” I beg to differ. I say with the newer cards available, you never leave home without one. Whilst it is high in Mana, its DPS is 4 Magical Damage, has blast and because of scattershot does not suffer from the taunt ability. “Blind” as shown to me by my very own Comrade 
Whilst the immediate monster that comes to mind is Chaos Dragon, there has recently been a new addition. The first airdrop of the Rebellion Set, and his name is RAGE. He lives exactly up to his name boasting Flying, Void Shield, Weapons Training, Life Leach and Affliction at Max level. These are some amazing abilities and I would highly recommend owning or renting this card, at least try out some metas, as the game changes, you need every advantage.
Due to the Mana Cap and the want to use my new card, I did not opt for the Chaos Dragon (However you can see from my opponents play, how useful it could have been. I went with a death line up, some great cards that can capitalize from weapons training are Rift Wing (Chaos Legion) and Will-O-Wisp (Soul Bound). The obvious reason is the flying ability however, I am granted minus 1 on both Magical and Ranged as well as my opponents loosing 1 health in the process.
My line up consists of 2 units that are non-flying and vulnerable to receiving 2 damage each turn. I was however confident that due to the triage from Lily, the heal and reflect shield from Oshuur, and the Shield from Gribardun, that I could still come out with a win. Life leach from both Rage and Demise Archon Faust, would prove as a wise decision. If you want to view the battle please click on the link provided -
https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_2a01659e08c700192a222d629d7b8bde&ref=mangomayhem
I managed to take the win and a hefty rating bonus with that, The SPS was tasty as I continue my Champion 1 Journey.
In summary, If I had added the Chaos Dragon, I think that I would have won a lot faster however do not regret my decision in using Rage. This game definitely makes me feel that these newer Cards are going to be a must have and a must grab. Thank you Splinterlands and Community for making this a more fun and enjoyable experience, whilst I feel in other areas, there can be much improvement, the “Player” in me says just “Keep Doing What you are doing”.
This is Mango Mayhem Signing out, Ciao for Now, and I look forward to seeing you on the Battlefield. Should you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate as to comment below.
"Together we Thrive Kapamilya"