The theme for the current "Battle Mage Secret" challenge is Equal Opportunity ruleset this time! This means all units gain the Opportunity ability which allows them to attack the unit with the lowest health on the enemy team. It's not always easy to get the specific ruleset, but if you play hard enough, you definitely can find one! Well that's what I thought - but I played the entire weekend and I couldn't find a decent Equal Opportunity ruleset battle to write about.
So I decided to share an interesting battle that I encountered.
Anyway, I thought it would be still be interesting to introduce some useful cards and show how their strengths can be maximised especially with a particular ruleset. In this post, the featured card is a Legendary Soulbound Reward card, Ferexian Hero!
As you probably would be aware, it comes with Weapons Training and Reach! This actually means its only position in the lineup would be the 2nd one, paired with a card with no attack as the tank. The Melee damage is very decent, especially when there is Tarsa as one of the popular Fire summoners.
As usual, here's the lore for Ferexian Hero for your reading interest:
Vadiax Flamehorn, the redhair minotaur, was born in the slave pens of the Ferexian Empire. He never knew his mother. She died giving birth to him, and his father passed away not long after during a deadly scuffle with the slavers' guards.
Vadiax grew up among the gladiatorial warriors that once practiced the old arena sports. When he wasn't laboring in the quarries or working the fields, he learned all he could from the old fighters. It soon became clear that he was a natural warrior, and he quickly mastered the various weapons that his fellows instructed him on, weapons left over from their gladiatorial days that they kept hidden from the slave masters. And as Vadiax grew, his body became tempered from the daily labors and he became obsessed with dreams of escape.
When the Ferexian Empire settled the Great Lowlands of Praetoria, they brought many of their slaves with them to construct castles and fortifications and work the mines and fields. Vadiax and his companions were relocated to the slave pens of Victory Pointe. Plans of escape continued, and Vadiax consorted with many of his compatriots and teachers. However, when the day of reckoning finally came, they were betrayed by a young minotaur seeking the favor of their masters. Vadiax fled with sixty of his brethren, and they were attacked outside the walls of their prison. The battle was brief but savage, with many guards and slaves dying, but the slaves won through and fled into the countryside.
The slave masters sent more guards and mercenaries after them. Vadiax and his comrades defeated them all. To this day, they continue to help those in plight and deal with any wrongdoers as they see fit. They spend much of their time wandering the wilds but occasionally visit Boulderfist Fort in Diagonloft Pass, where they take shelter and rest between various undertakings.
Over the years, the name Vadiax has become renowned throughout the Great Lowlands. It sparks fear in the hearts of the persecutors and gives hope to all those bound by the will of another. The oppressed, who see Vadiax as a paragon of virtue, call him the Ferexian Hero.
Battle Type & Team Lineup
| Position | Card/Level | Mana |
|---|---|---|
| Summoner | Tarsa | 4 |
At 33 mana, I opted for Tarsa over the Soulbound summoners because I wanted to save the mana for better cards. Tarsa has good boosts and the main job is to outlast my opponent.
| Position | Card/Level | Mana |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iidri Fyre | 6 |
Iidri Fyre makes a good tank with Taunt ability. especially in a battle with Scattershot, and she will take on Weapons Training from the adjacent card.
| Position | Card/Level | Mana |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ferexian Hero | 8 |
Ferexian Hero is the strongest card in this lineup and its Weapons Training will be very beneficial.
| Position | Card/Level | Mana |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Scavo Chemist | 2 |
Scavo Chemist is one of the cheapest mana cards with Cleanse and he is definitely a must-have card in the lineup for Poison battles.
| Position | Card/Level | Mana |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Forgotten One | 9 |
Forgotten One is an extremely big card but with it is one of the rare cards with Immunity at Level 1. Definitely one of the important cards for Poison battles too.
| Position | Card/Level | Mana |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Venari Marksrat | 3 |
While we are running out of mana, it's always an interesting gamble to slot in a card with Martyr ability to take advantage of the Poison ruleset. Hopefully this gives a stronger boost to Forgotten One.
| Position | Card/Level | Mana |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Creeping Ooze | 1 |
For the final 1 mana, I chose Creeping Ooze as a filler card. If they are any Sneak attacks, this card acts as a buffer.
- Pre Battle: My opponent put out a max Silver level lineup with Level 4 Summoners and 5/4/3/2 cards. In comparison, my entire lineup is Level 1 due to the cap by my Tarsa's level. Do you think my team will stand a chance?
- Round 1: Luck wasn't on my side as the Scattershot hits went to my Scavo Chemist and it went down before any cleansing could happen. My team is disadvantaged by 1 card.
- Round 2: With Poison knocking 2 HP off every card except Forgotten One, things moved very fast. My Forgotten One gained the Martyr as planned and it was down to 3 cards vs 4 cards. All eyes on Forgotten One to see if it can outlast my opponent.
- Round 3: Poison came and both Iidri Fyre and Ferexian Hero wiped out my opponent easily. And I won the battle in 3 rounds, without even the need for Forgotten One to step up!
If you are interested to watch the battle, you can find it here.
Post Battle
Did my strategy work? Iidri Fyre and Ferexian Hero make a good pair for sure and even at Level 1, they can do wonders against an extremely strong team. Makes you wonder what happens when they are at higher levels - Iidri Fyre has Redemption at Level 2 by the way!
What's the Battle Mage Secret? Novice level teams (Level 1) can beat max Silver teams, with the right cards, right rulesets and some luck. Of course, try to have higher level cards, but if you have a budget to purchasing or renting of cards, you can still climb the leagues. :)
So that's all I have! What are your takeaways from this battle? Feel free to comment below, as I am always keen to learn and improve!
As always, thanks for reading and have a pleasant day ahead!
If you are interested to sign up to play Splinterlands, my referral link is here.