Hi all,
This is my entry for the SHARE YOUR BATTLE Weekly Challenge by 
The star monster of this week is an Epic Dragon Monster, the Manticore. And did you know that the Manticore is a Genetically Modified Product between a Dragon, a Lion, and a Scorpion? Well, now you do (source).
The Manticore is a 4-Mana monster with many, many virtues. At maximum level its Melee attack is 3, same with its speed, a health of 9, and Flying, Reach and Thorns abilities.
I use it very often in Earthquake (Non-Flying Monsters take 2 Melee damage at the end of each round), and Little League (Only Monsters & Summoners that cost 4 Mana or less may be used in battles) rulesets; i tend to overlook it in higher Mana battles.
My best battle recently using the Manticore was a 42-Mana battle with the following rules:
1.Earthquake; i.e. Non-Flying Monsters take 2 Melee damage at the end of each round,
2.Up Close & Personal; i.e. Only Monsters with Melee attack may be used in battles.
Whenever i have an Earthquake rule, i think of the Dragon Splinter. If there is such an option, i will take it. On the other hand, whenever i get the Up Close & Personal rule, i think of the Death Splinter, because of the Lord of Darkness. So, in this battle, choosing was easy; i picked the Dragon Splinter as main, with the Death Splinter as a side dish.
The monsters i chose for this battle were:
1.Lord of Darkness,
2.Manticore,
3.Haunted Spirit,
4.Red Dragon,
5.Hydra
6.Cocatrice.
The Lord of Darkness was my tank; this Monster is a beast. Is ruthless when it stuns, or when it retaliates.
The Manticore in the second position was there to aid the Lord of Darkness. With its Reach ability, it actually proved very, very helpful. And of course i wouldn't have to worry about the Earthquake rule, as the Manticore has Flying ability..
I chose the Haunted Spirit next because it heals itself, so the Earthquake rule wouldn't harm it in any way. It wasn't doing much in the third or second position, but it performed well when it came in the first.
The Red Dragon i picked because it has Flying ability, and because it has a Magic attack too; so it wasn't just standing there, waiting for its turn. It was actually doing something.
The Hydra and the Cocatrice i chose to put last of course. The Cocatrice with its Flying and Dodge abilities is ideal for last position, and even if it failed, the enemy monsters with Sneak ability would come face to face with my Hydra; something not to look forward to.
My strategy did work, and the funny thing is ....
THE MANTICORE TOOK OUT THE LORD OF DARKNESS!!!!! REALLY!!!!!!!!
https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=5be1c969702a3e0b292d36826b8e4bf7bc00b09f
Now that i look at this battle again, i think that i could have used a Monster with a Sneak ability like the Elven Cutthroat, or a Monster with Opportunity ability like the Fiendish Harpy instead of the Cocatrice, and put the Hydra last, but the other Monsters i am happy with.
I do use the Manticore sometimes, especially when i pick the Dragon Splinter and i have Little League, or Earthquake rules. I prefer though normally to use the Spineback Wolf, because it is faster.
And that's the end of this post.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Bye!
Useful links
https://splinterlands.com/
https://www.splinterlore.com/
https://peakmonsters.com/
https://kiokizz.github.io/Splinterlands/rewardCards.html
https://splinterfilter.com/filter
https://steemweb.pl/statistics/steem-monsters