Critical strikes are the most annoying thing in Axie Infinity currently. There are lots of lost matches from astonishing critical strikes from Aqua Axies. But you know what, this is normal(?) according to the devs. Even though Aqua Axies have low morale, they make critical attacks all the time. This made me think. What if, I get a Reptile Axie that can deal tons of critical strikes? Maybe I can annoy Aquas like they have made me cringe to frustration.

Is it possible to make critical strikes with a Reptile a lot of times? Based on stats alone, Reptiles have 40+ morale making them more likely to make critical strikes than Aqua Axies. On paper that is. So what other cards can make me make critical strikes a lot? Well there is a card “Self Rally” from Confident mouth part. It boosts an Axie’s Morale by 20%. But this card is more useful for Axies with High morale themselves such Beast and Bird Axies. At the same time, it reduces the amount of damage that I can deal.
 

Then there is the tried and tested “Single Combat” card from Ronin back part. But this card will make me vulnerable from Aqua Axie’s 4 combo cards due to its 0 shields. Then I remember a very risky to use card, “Death Mark” from Axie Kiss mouth part. The card “Death Mark” is as literal as its name suggest. When the Axie has less than 30% HP, the card inflicts “Lethal” debuff which will allow the next attack to deal a critical strike! Now that is deadly(pun included)! At the same time, this card has 100 damage and a modest 30 shield.
 

So I searched for a Reptile Axie that have the card “Death Mark”. Then I found it! A reptile with “Death Mark” as well as cards that can slow and deal tons of damage. Aha! Now this is time to have some little fun. Some LETHAL FUN!

Axies with backdoor cards or cards that can target backline or midline Axies can be very dangerous. But the problem with this skill set occurs when they are incapable of finishing the opponent in a single round. The solution? The current meta! POISON! The top build of Season 18 had a lot of backdoor capability as well as poisons. This is especially true with the team of Gabz who was the TOP 1 last season. But you know what? I defeated a team setup like this!

Here is another gameplay against a team with “Spike Throw” card from Tri Spikes back part. The opponent was able to dish out a lot of damage to my backline. BUT! The opponent was unable to cleanly finish of my Axie! Furthermore, the opponent did not have poison to deal with my backline at all! This led to the decisive moment where I can inflict a critical strike 100%!

This is my theoretical strategy:

1. Aqua Axie will deal tons of damage leaving my Axie with 30% or less.
2. I deal a combo of cards which inflicts slow 2x using “Mystic Rush” and “Nile Strike” cards followed up by an “Deadly Mark” to inflict “Lethal” Debuff.
3. Slows will allow my Axie to attack first. Furthermore, “Deadly Mark” will be used first to deal critical strike PLUS another round of “LETHAL” so that the last attack is another critical strike!
    

The result? Though it did sound powerful on paper, I was matched with Aqua Axie players who knew that “Speed Up” counters “Slows”. This means that I was unable to attack first at the last round. Moreover, I already have an Axie at 30% or lower HP further reducing my chance to win! It’s a bust! Though this might be unfortunate, I was able to record a few wins using this strategy! Here are two gameplay videos against Aqua Axie Teams team! Enjoy!

The skill Axie Kiss can be very deadly since it can deal consistent damage as well as cause Lethal Debuff. However this skill is quite risky to use specially for a backline Axie. This skill is also best paired with the skill Sinister Strike since it allows the Axie to deal 250% damage on critical strikes! At the same time, Axie Kiss is best used on Beast Axies since this can change the swing of the battle during last stand.

At the same time, I was able to imagine a build that can reduce the risk of this skill. The problem with Axie Kiss is that it leaves the Axie vulnerable at 30% HP. So the risk can be mitigated by using Heals. But since most healing reduces the damage potential of the Axie, why not use Double Anemone on the Axie to constantly top of the HP at the same time allow the Axie to deal massive damage. But this is not the end! Imagine the Axie having a All-Out Shot card for it’s tail! The card is 0 energy and reduces the HP by 30%. This allows the Axie to inflict “Lethal” on demand and survive using HP heals!

As a sidenote, I searched for the OP build in marketplace. There are only 10 of them available and they are not for sale! This means the the players see great potential of this Axie as well! This Axie must be really expensive!