You don’t always need to follow the battle modifiers if they don’t match the lineup you’re planning to use. That is what I learned from this battle. Sometimes, the rules look strong but when you check your available units, the benefit just isn’t there. It’s important to evaluate whether the modifier truly strengthens your strategy or simply distracts you from what your cards does best. In this battle, I decided not to fully lean into the melee-focused modifier because my units are still low leveled and I have no melee units that can benefit a lot from. Instead of forcing a strategy that wouldn’t maximize the bonus, I stayed with a magic-heavy approach that felt more reliable.
Battle:
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_df3ffa445b593a9a20efb509e85babc4
The modifiers for the battle are Four's a Crowd which only allows up to 4 units and What Doesn't Kill You which gives everyone Enrage ability. Enrage increases melee damage and speed by 50% if the unit is not at full health. Since my units are low leveled, I thought that leaning towards What Doesn't Kill You doesn't give as much benefit as just going with a magic-heavy team with Marlai Singariel. If I have units with 5 or so melee attack, that would increase the damage to 8 so I might prioritize this modifier if I have units with stats like that.
My Lineup:
Since the modifier heavily benefits melee attackers, I decided to ignore that direction completely. Rather than competing in a melee race, I built a double-tank frontline supported by strong magic damage. Magic attacks ignore armor, which makes them reliable regardless of the enemy’s defensive lineup. With only four units allowed, consistency felt more important as much as damage.
Marlai Singariel: She fits perfectly in magic-focused lineups because she increases magic damage across the team. In this battle, she directly strengthened both Mystic Scaleweaver and Saltwater Mage. With only four units allowed, every damage boost matters more than usual. Her simple but effective bonus made my strategy stronger.
Port Guardian: Port Guardian served as my primary tank for the Water Element in Frontier Ranked. While he doesn’t have extra abilities, his decent armor and health give him solid reason to become my tank. In a battle where I have limited slots, units that can take damage is extremely important because losing one unit can mean my whole lineup falls and exposes the backline. His role was simple. Port Guardian is to absorb damage and buy time for my magic dealers to finish the enemies.
New Beluroc Aegis: New Beluroc Aegis has the protection I needed despite him not being to help in the damage department. He has good health, some armor and most importantly, Taunt. Taunt was the main reason I included him because it forces enemies to target him, protecting my backline damage dealers. I want to have Saltwater Mage and Mystic Scaleweaver in a safer position so I added him.
Mystic Scaleweaver: Mystic Scaleweaver was one of my main damage sources with 2 magic attack. Since magic bypasses armor, her damage remains consistent every round. Her Slow ability was also very important, helping my team attack first. I wanted good damage units especially since I only have limited units I can use in this battle thanks to Four's A Crowd modifier.
Saltwater Mage: Saltwater Mage added another 2 magic damage and also brought Sneak into the lineup. I placed her in the last position instead of switching her with Mystic Scaleweaver because New Beluroc Aegis’ Taunt would redirect attacks away from her. This positioning kept her safe while she targeted the enemy’s backline. Combining magic damage with Sneak gave my team multiple angles of attack.
Enemy Lineup:
The enemy chose to fully commit to magic damage. Even their frontline contributed magic attacks, making their damage output much higher than me across the board. However, this type of lineup can have holes in their defenses especially against enemies with Sneak. Without strong backline protection, their main units were vulnerable to my attacks.
Marlai Singariel: This was a strong choice for their team since three of their four units deal magic damage. The extra magic boost significantly increased their damage which is a good strategy that I usually use from time to time.
Asel Alagosdil: Asel Alagosdil had no attack, but she brought good defense for the team. Divine Shield blocks the first instance of damage, giving her extra survivability. She also has Untrainable debilitation, meaning she cannot benefit from Weapons Training. I really want to get this unit since she has good defense for a lower mana unit in Frontier Ranked.
Great Bear Druid: Great Bear Druid has no abilities but he offers balanced damage with both melee and magic attack. Having two attack types makes him flexible in different situations. His 6 health also gives him decent durability. I understand what the enemy is trying to do but it just takes a lot of mana for a little impact in this battle.
Lunaki Howler: Lunaki Howler provides 1 magic damage and moderate health. While simple, she connects well with Marlai Singariel’s increased magic damage. She fits this type of lineup since the focus is magic damage. However, lacking abilities makes her one dimensional and bad if gets attacked from behind.
Saltwater Mage: Their Saltwater Mage mirrored mine in terms of damage and Sneak attacks. With 2 magic damage and 5 health, she is a solid backline threat. Sneak allows her to target weaker units behind tanks which is strong in this battle where you have limited units you can use. However, without Taunt support, she can also be vulnerable against the same strategy when the enemy has Sneak and can attack their team from behind.
This battle reminded me that modifiers aren’t always worth forcing into your strategy. Sometimes, consistency with your strongest units is the smarter choice. Understanding your cards and what each can do matters more than blindly forcing the modfiiers in your strategy.