Magic damage is the strongest in the game and with Marlai Singariel improving them further, I wanted to see how I can counter it. As I search for the possible counter, I saw Fithe Bladestone and his Void ability. It's a strong ability that directly counters magic damage by halving their attacks.
With Fithe Bladestone in, I wanted to check other units with Dwarf Bloodline that could benefit from it. I was eyeing on Bera Dallin at first and then I saw Grimbardun Fighter with his Shield. With both Shield and Void, it's not a hard choice to keep this unit in my lineup and make him the focus for this week's challenge.
Battle Breakdown
Modifier in this Battle:
- Earthquake - All nonflying and snared units take 2 physical damage at the end of each round.
My Thoughts on Modifiers
- Earthquake Modifier usually favors Flying units as it negates the Earthquake damage and ones with Shield that halves its damage. In this match, since Earthquake also hits armor like melee attack, armor stacking helped a lot. The Void helped reduce the damage from the enemy's magic-based team. It proves Earthquake Modifier can still be played around even if your units don't have Flying or Shield and are just tanky enough to withstand the constant damage from the modifier.
Team Composition
Archon: Fithe Bladestone (Dwarf)
- He gives +2 armor to all units regardless of Bloodline which already helps a lot against melee and range damage. Bloodline Dominion gives Void to Dwarf Bloodline units and also allows using Dwarf units from other Element like Bera Dallin from the Life Element which adds strong flexibility to the team.
Units Chosen
Unit 1: Grimbardun Fighter (Dwarf)
- Opinion: He has solid 3 melee attack with good 7 health and some armor to start the fight as a tank. Shield and Void from Bloodline Dominion makes him take half damage from almost everything while Corrosive Ward adds more effectiveness against melee units reducing their armor permanently when they attack him.
Unit 2: Bera Dallin (Dwarf)
- She has very high health and armor. Because of Bloodline, I can use her even if my archon is fire and she is from the Life Element. Armored Strike lets her deal damage using armor which can be strong as well. Taunt protects the team early but since she is not in front she cannot attack and will just work as a defense for the team. Being a Dwarf, she also gets Void from Bloodline Dominion.
Unit 3: Molten Elemental (Elemental)
- He has Flying which is very useful in Earthquake Modifier. He also has Void which fits the concept of the lineup I was thinking of. With both melee and range attack he can still attack no matter where he ends up in the lineup.
Unit 4: Ferrous Brewer (Dwarf)
- This low mana unit still brings 2 melee attack and Charge allowing him to attack from any position. Void from Bloodline Dominion helps him survive longer even with lower health against magic damage.
Unit 5: Bellowmancer (Ulund)
- He brings another Taunt with big 8 health and 6 armor which makes him a solid pick. Since there are multiple Taunt units in the lineup, the frontmost one, Bera Dallin takes damage first before Bellowmancer becomes the main target.
Unit 6: Azhar Ibn Sulaim (Djinn)
- Another Taunt unit that adds more protection for the backline. His 2 range attack lets him still deal damage while being the last line of defense.
The Battle
Opening Rounds:
At the early stage, while my team looked like they are in the disadvantage, they actually have the advantage. With Fithe Bladestone, a lot of my units have Void which halves magic attack. This can help a lot with the enemy using a lot of magic attack. As long as I kill Commander Slade quick, I can get the flow of the battle on my side.
Mid-game:
Commander Slade's high speed and Dodge seems to be problematic for my team. My Bera Dallin also died first but I have more Taunt units to protect my team. Fortunately, my team's health is better overall so I can expect that the Earthquake that deals damage to them each round will not be as problematic as it is unlike on the enemy. Grimbardun Smith being a Dwarf is also a good thing. With Shield and Void, he can be a real handful to the enemy.
Final Rounds:
With the third Earthquake damage, this round seems to be the last. 6 damage from just earthquake from the no armor enemies seems a lot and most of their units died or in danger by round 4. My units are much healthier and the +2 armor from Fithe Bladestone helped me block a round of Earthquake damage as well.
š Watch the full battle replay here
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_f50db57ec40b47ce8616c0d0a3e30cda?ref=ashenova
Results & Reflection
What strategy I was aiming for:
I was aiming for total dominance even in a bad Earthquake Modifier situation. This lineup is not really suited for Earthquake since only one unit has Flying and one has Shield but what it is suited on is dealing with intense magic damage coming from magic-heavy teams with Marlai Singariel from Water Element. This worked really good and the result is an overwhelming win.
What surprised me:
I was surprised how well the lineup worked despite the Modifier. Fithe Bladestone is very flexible giving +2 armor for melee and range damage including Earthquake damage and Void for Dwarf units against magic attacks. Being able to use Bera Dallin from Life Element because of her Dwarf Bloodline made the lineup much stronger.
What I learned:
I learned that Bloodline synergy can sometimes be good. The extra flexibility on choosing other units is interesting and can be a new source of strength. I also learned that you don't need to completely use a lineup revolving around the modifier. As long as your archon or units have a few abilities that can help them function in the modifier, it's good enough to win.
Closing Thoughts
This battle showed me that Modifiers are not always a limiter. Even in Earthquake Modifier you can still win even if you don't build your whole team around it. Armor, Shield and Void played a big role in keeping the lineup alive and made this battle easier than it should be.
I enjoyed using this lineup more than expected. It made me want to try more and experiment more about Bloodlines since it's an interesting part of why this lineup succeeded in the first place.