Holy Protection is one of those modifiers that annoys me because it can make units delay and negate attacks. Giving Divine Shield to everyone means every unit can ignore the first hit, so the more units you bring, the more value you get. I don't like this kind of modifier because it helps the enemies as much as it helps me and unlike modifiers like Equal Opportunity or Target Practice, there is no trick in utilizing this modifier. You just have to suck it up and deal with it.
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_7009d03edb55a56a65d778a1e69351c4
Holy Protection modifier is strong if you know how to use it. It gives Divine Shield to everyone so the more units you have, the more your can take advantage of this.
I had second thoughts of adding another unit behind Silverleaf Ranger because it would mean I would have one less tank in the front. It went well when the enemy unexpectedly added a Sneak unit, Husk of the Hunter.
Kaylia Silverleaf: Kaylia Silverleaf feels very strong but was a little weak in this battle. The -1 magic damage to enemies makes their magic users less scary right away but the enemies don't have units with magic damage so that part didn't help me. On the other hand, Bloodline Dominion allowed me to focus on Elf units and give them Execute which is my main idea for this team. Execute is good since it gives extra attacks to my units where they would've survived for another round.
Silverblade Fighter: Silverblade Fighter is one of my main tank here with 6 armor and 6 health. With Void Armor, magic damage hits his armor first, which makes him very durable. Divine Shield makes him even stronger because the first big hit just disappears. Since he is an Elf, he also gains Execute, but I don't trust it too much because Silverblade Fighter only has 1 damage so it wouldn't help as much.
Endless Ape: Endless Ape does not get Execute because he has Mundane Beast Bloodline so he does not benefit from Kaylia’s Bloodline Dominion. Even so, he is still useful. Thanks to Flank from Silverblade Fighter, he can attack from second position. Scavenger also makes him grow stronger as units die, which fits well in fights that takes a long time.
Lady Amara: Lady Amara looks weak at first since she has no abilities and only 1 magic damage but because she is an Elf, she gains Execute. This makes her more important and slightly more useful. Even small magic damage can help bring enemies into Execute range. The 6 health also helps a lot in times of problem as another tank for Silverleaf Ranger.
Silverleaf Ranger: Silverleaf Ranger is my main damage dealer. With 3 range damage and Double Strike, she already attacks twice every round. If Execute activates, she can attack again which makes her very dangerous. She is the main reason I wanted to build this Elf lineup in the first place.
Kicking Roc: Kicking Roc has 3 range damage and good amount of health. He adds more damage from the backline as well. I mainly added him to protect Silverleaf Ranger from Sneak units since Blackmoor Wild Elf cannot protect Silverleaf Ranger because of Camouflage. Divine Shield makes Kicking Roc more durable since he can ignore the first hit. When Husk of the Hunter attacked, Kicking Roc was there to block it delaying the potential damage that Silverleaf Ranger should've taken instead.
Blackmoor Wild Elf: Blackmoor Wild Elf has low health so she looks like a bad pick but Camouflage protects her from being targeted directly which keeps her safe. Amplify was not useful in this battle since I had no Thorns or Magic Reflect. Blackmoor Wild Elf still has an Elf Bloodline though so she gains Execute which is very useful.
Their lineup is balanced and full of strong attackers. The Husk of the Hunter was unexpected but got blocked by my Kicking Roc. If they placed Husk of the Hunter in the last position instead, they might have won this battle.
Aurelia: Aurelia gives +1 health to the whole enemy team which makes every unit slightly harder to kill. In any battles, extra health matters because the goal of the game is to kill the units and make their health 0. It makes Execute slightly harder to trigger as well. It is a simple but effective buff.
Dread Tafarian: Dread Tafarian only has 1 melee damage but has 8 health and 1 armor. The Heal ability makes him harder to kill. In longer fights, tanks that can heal can be very annoying. Even with low damage, his role is to survive and tank for the team.
Mad Gearhead: Mad Gearhead has 2 melee attack and Reach so he can attack from second position. With 6 health, he is not too fragile either. Units with Reach ability are always good because they can keep adding damage while the main tank is alive. Then, when the main tank dies, he can be the substitute to protect the team from further damage.
Husk of the Hunter: Husk of the Hunter was the biggest threat to my backline. With 3 range damage and Sneak, he can kill weak units quickly. I did not expect him at first. If he was placed better, he might have changed the result to their win.
Vengeful Monk: Vengeful Monk has 2 melee damage and Opportunity. That means he targets the lowest health unit which is dangerous for my weaker Elves. Opportunity can quickly target my units like Silverleaf Ranger while avoiding my tanks like Endless Ape.
Kicking Roc: Their Kicking Roc has 3 range attack and 5 health. Even without abilities, that is still strong damage from the backline. In Holy Protection modifier, every extra attacker matters because everyone gets a free Divine Shield which makes him still an effective unit.
New Beluroc Aegis: New Beluroc Aegis has 1 melee attack, 4 armor and 6 health. From the backline, he cannot attack without proper abilities but he still provides Taunt which was useful for their defense. Taunt can redirect attacks and change target to New Beluroc Aegis. Even without dealing damage, he can still be useful even if he cannot attack.
This battle made me appreciate Holy Protection more despite my hesitation against it. Having more units really does give more value when everyone gets Divine Shield. I am starting to see how small details can help my lineup and the things like adding units at the back can sometimes change the outcome of the battle.
