Different battle rules keep Splinterlands interesting, and increases its replay value.
The rules in this battle was that all non-flying monsters take 2 damage per round. Naturally, one would aim to choose a team with flying monsters, and hope to outlast their opponent.
However, another strategy for these battles is to choose monsters with lots of health, and this is what my opponent did.
My opponent chose monsters in this order:
The Mycelic Infantry has the Shield ability, which reduces damage from melee and ranged attacks.
The Mycelic Subspawn has the Taunt ability, which goads all enemy monsters to target it. I thought this was an interesting choice, as it won't be able to attack from the 2nd position, but the genius behind this move is allow the tank to survive multiple rounds.
My opponent has to have a flying character somewhere, and the Regal Peryton was a fantastic choice, as it has 5 speed, allowing it to dodge attacks easily, and it has flight, so it won't take damage every round.
I thought my Riftwing would outlast everything, but alas, in the end, it cannot outlast another monster with flight ability that can also attack.
See for yourself: https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_d12785c6b142edfb575a45ecc48cc404&ref=nine-minute