Hey Splinterlands Fam!š¾
Happy weekday guys. I'm super hyped to share my newest drawing and card review and this time, it's the mysterious and underrated Dark Astronomer from the Death splinter!
What makes Dark Astronomer so cool?
First off, letās talk vibe. This card has serious creepy-cosmic energy, a skeletal stargazer peering into the void, bending the stars with its eerie gaze. When I saw it, I knew I had to draw it(though I add my style). Thereās something about its calm but dangerous aura that makes it feel like itās always watchingā¦ waiting. šļø
And then in battle? It may not look like much at first, but donāt let the 4 mana fool you... this card has some serious tactical value.
Gameplay & Strategy
Dark Astronomer is a Rare Ranged Monster from the Death team. It shines best in low-mana battles where every card has to do more with less. And thatās exactly what Dark Astronomer does ā damage AND utility in one package.
At level 1, it brings:
2 Ranged Attack
2 Speed
3 Health
4 Mana Cost
Weaken ability: Reduces the health of all enemy monsters by 1
That weaken effect can change the entire flow of a battle. Just imagine your opponentās backline support cards suddenly dying to a single strike because their health dropped just enough. Yep. That's the Astronomer at work.
Mid to High-Level Play
As it levels up, Dark Astronomer gains Blind, which causes enemy monsters to miss more often. That makes it even more useful in team comps that are defense-heavy or rely on survivability.
So youāre not just weakening the enemy, you're also messing with their accuracy.
I like to pair it with tanks like Cursed Windeku or Harklaw, especially when I know the enemy might go heavy on melee or sneak damage. Astronomer stays safe in the backline, chipping away, while still offering team-wide utility.
Weaknesses
As cool as it is, Dark Astronomer does have a few downsides:
Ā° Itās a Ranged attacker, so it canāt attack from the front line.
Ā° Its Health is low, making it vulnerable to Sneak and Opportunity monsters.
Ā° It can backfire in Return Fire battles (where ranged attacks reflect).
Ā° In Fog of War or Aimless rulesets, it loses some strategic punch.
BUT if you build your team right, especially with distractions, taunts, or armor buffers, you can protect your Astronomer long enough to let it do its job.
For the drawing, I wanted to give this card a real otherworldly vibe. I started off with a pencil sketch to get the bone structure and cloak flow just right. Then I inked the outlines with pen, added deep shading with color pencils, and layered purple and black marker tones for that "cosmic night" effect. (I don't know if that worked out, but I love how it turned out)
Materials I used: Pencil, pen, color pencils, markers, and a whole lot of layering.
Final Thoughts
Dark Astronomer might not be a brute-force damage dealer, but it's a key support card, the kind that makes your whole team stronger by weakening your enemies and dodging hits later on.
For new players, itās an amazing card to pick up because:
It plays well in low-mana matchups...
Itās affordable to rent or buy....(Like players like myself)
It introduces you to the concept of team synergy, not every card needs to be the strongest if it makes others better
In short: if you love slow, controlling, smart gameplayā¦ Dark Astronomer is a star. š