One of my recent moves in Splinterlands was to sell off a collection of gold foils in order to improve my deck. I'm in the middle of that process now and it's been really rather an interesting exercise, as it has given me access to cards which, in gold foil, was unafforable. This is rather good news, as the end-goal of the exercise was to be able to play and make my way into the Diamond league. I only started back RANKED play a couple of days ago, but already, I've made my way into Silver II from a 0 rating starting point. I may not make it to Diamond this season, but I'll definitely be trying to chase down that end-point in the one after.
And in doing so, I'll be playing a host of new cards, like this one: It is the might NAGA FIRE WIZARD, who, I'll be honest, I've rarely come across in the game. I picked this sweet little Level 5 NAGA FIRE WIZARD up for 30 bucks! I know what you're thinking, an absolute bargain!
Usually we have such a focus on our tank/off-tank combination up front, and I know I often leave a weakness at the back of my team. It's an afterthought really, or a 'hope' that my opponent doesn't sneak - but this card solves that dilemma. You see, he is an offensive GEM. He throws +3 magic attack, but he also has the THORNS skill. This means if he is hit, he will do +2 damage to the opponent's card. But, it gets better, as he also has the SHIELD ability (one of my favourites) which will weaken the opponent's attack on the card, giving this guy increased longevity in battle.
The curious thing about this card is, however, that is looks to be pretty 'unloved', there are only 13,243 of this reward card in existence, but he isn't commanding a premium price as a sale or a rental.
From an investment point of view, you can pick up 1 card for around $1.50, that is about what I paid for my Level 5. To take him to Level 8, the cost will be a whole lot more expensive, but in the GOLD LEAGUE where I hope to be, he doesn't gain much for moving to Level 6 (ok, he gains 1 speed). For DIAMOND matches, absolutely you'd want this guy Level 7 to be able to throw +4 magic bolts. What a danger man on the rear!
That said, if you'd prefer to invest in a rental, you could actually pick this guy up reasonably cheaply. Check this out! You can grab a Level 3 for under 1 DEC. BARGAIN! Or a maxed card for only 28 DEC. This says to me this card is an unknown gem! (Probably a lot to do with FIRE having the least awesome summoners). Looking through the list of rentals though, I noticed you could pick this guy up as a Level 5 rental for only 7.5 DEC per day. BARGAIN!
So how does he do in battle? Glad you asked, because I took him for a spin. That said, I didn't get to see his full potential, as while I'm re-buying, I am yet to buy a maxed fire summoner. It just goes to show though, that even at Level 1, this card is boss. Let's check it out.
As Round 1 gets underway, you can see I have a 17 mana ruleset, but no legendary cards can be played, and summoners have been silenced (otherwise, I'd be playing Llama/Kron, let me tell ya!). Already then, as the battle opens, you can see it starts well for me as my Serpentine Spy takes the first hit to knock my opponent's KHMER PRINCESS over. My initial thoughts in this battle is that it will be a NAGA FIRE WIZARD vs the MYCELIC INFANTRY - ultimately, it could well be a very close battle.
As Round 2 gets underway, you'll notice my 1 mana tank has been dislodged, promoting the NAGA FIRE WIZARD to the TANK position, and my CHAOS AGENT fell to my opponent's SNEAK attack. Again in this round my SERPENTINE SPY will take the first hit - but his 2 attack won't be enough to drop the GOBLIN's 3 health.
In Round 2 then, my NAGA FIRE WIZARD lost his 1 armour to the attack of the MYCELIC INFANTRY, but my SERPENTINE SPY dodged the GOBLIN's sneak attack, so it's put me in a very good position. Meanwhile, the magic bolts keep hitting my opponent's TANK. It is becoming clearer and clearer that this looks to be my victory.
And then as we move into Round 4, my SERPENTINE SPY hits the MYCELIC INFANTRY and robs him of some armour, but I've paused the battle right before my NAGA FIRE WIZARD's attack - an attack which will be the death blow. Through this whole battle he's send magic bolts at the MYCELIC, and he's finally going to get his man!
Want to see the battle again? Here's a link, or just click play:
https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_bc5a00c476b0501127731ac65724961a
Evaluation:
OK, as it turns out, I really like this card. He came up against a strong tank in the MYCELIC INFANTRY and he absolutely held his own. The thing is though, the NAGA FIRE WIZARD would usually be in the last position on my team, so for him to be dominating out front makes me realise just how solid he'll be in defense - particularly as I didn't get to show off the full Level 5 stats of the card, which included his THORNS skill. If I played thorns and higher magic attack, this battle would certainly have been a whole lot quicker.
In short - I'm glad I discovered this new card and can't wait to get him into more battles!
Don't forget, you can click here and sign up with my affiliate link.
#splinterlands #spt #play2earn
#oneup #hivegaming #battle #leofinance
#pimp #neoxian
#proofofbrain #thgaming
#leofinance #battle