This is the battle breakdown of the battle in the contest I entered before. You can check the post here: @aiko2ne1/a-rare-battle-contest-entry-jjk . The challenge for that contest was to use only Rare units including the archon. Because of that I needed a lineup that can still win even with limited choices. The Back to Basics Modifier also removed all abilities from units. This made stats and attack types more important than usual. Magic damage becomes stronger in this kind of battle because it ignores armor. With this in mind, I focused on stacking magic damage units.
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_3e3e4a6680002c499f6c9317117c3a4d
This battle has Back to Basics modifier which negates the abilities of all units. This is a good modifier to use magic damage due to their lower health. Even without abilities, they can attack from any position while bypassing all enemy armor. It's a huge advantage over the enemy where their melee units can only attack if they get to the first position.
Modifier 1: Back to Basics: Units lose all abilities.
This lineup has all Rare units only which is the main challenge for the contest entry. The whole lineup including the archon should be Rare only and still able to win. Because of Back to Basics Modifier abilities do not matter so I focused on stats. I prioritized magic damage units since they work better without abilities. The front units were placed to absorb damage while magic units attack from behind. This setup lets me deal steady damage while surviving long enough.
Marlai Singariel: Only units have their abilities removed so Marlai Singariel's ability still works. She gives extra bonus damage to all of my magic damage units. This is very strong in Back to Basics Modifier where magic damage is already good. The extra damage helps kill enemy units faster. Since my lineup has many magic attackers, the buff becomes really strong. Marlai Singariel supports my overall strategy perfectly.
Surgehammer: Normally, he is placed at the back because of Opportunity. Without abilities he loses that role and becomes a simple melee unit. Since he is the best available Rare melee unit in my collection, I used him as my tank. He has decent stats that can absorb early damage. This allows my magic units to stay safe behind him. Surgehammer acts as a temporary frontline wall.
Archer Koi: He normally has Repair ability but not for this battle. Without abilities he becomes just a ranged unit with armor. Even if he has ranged attack, I placed him in the second position to block attacks. This helps protect my magic damage units behind him. His armor gives a bit more survivability compared to others. Archer Koi works as a secondary damage sponge.
Torrent Sniper: Has 2 magic damage, 2 armor and 8 health which is very solid. Even without abilities, these stats are strong for only 7 mana. Magic damage allows him to attack from any position. This makes him reliable even if pushed forward. The decent health and armor also help him survive longer. Torrent Sniper is one of the main damage dealers.
Warborn Shaman: Normally, she is my secondary tank because of the decent armor and Void Armor ability to block magic damage using armor. Without abilities, I want to maximize the 3 magic damage so I placed her somewhere in the middle.
Anasth Soothsayer: Placed her at the fifth position because she does not have armor. Putting her more in front would make her die quickly. Even without abilities, she still provides magic damage. Keeping her near the back increases her survival time. She supports the main magic damage lineup. Anasth Soothsayer helps maintain pressure.
Water-Logged Wizard: Low magic damage and low health but still useful. A Foundation unit with no abilities but has magic damage. Since this is Back to Basics Modifier, abilities do not matter anyway. I placed him at the last position to keep him safe. Even small magic damage helps in this battle. Water-Logged Wizard fills the last slot for extra damage.
Back to Basics Modifier made magic damage stronger than usual in this battle. Using all Rare units was challenging but the lineup still worked well. The consistent magic damage helped me secure the overwhelming win in this battle.
