The battle in this blog was interesting for me because my opponent actually had the right counter to my lineup. My team relied heavily on magic damage so facing an opponent with Void was already a disadvantage. However having the right abilities does not always guarantee a victory. Despite their defensive setup my opponent still lost the battle. Find out what happened and why my lineup managed to overcome what should have been a difficult matchup.

Battle:

https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_2e0557084faedeca822b520b26c3eb74

The battle was fairly quick because my opponent's main defender was defeated during the first round. Swiftbeard Stout was supposed to be the centerpiece of their defensive strategy using Taunt and Void to absorb and reduce my team's magic damage. However once it was defeated the rest of their monsters started falling one by one. My lineup had higher overall damage and more consistent attacks allowing me to win the damage trades throughout the battle. Some of my monsters eventually fell as well but they managed to do their jobs before being defeated.

My Lineup:

My lineup is fairly simple and can be easily countered by teams that focus on magic defense. Since most of my monsters deal magic damage facing multiple monsters with Void can significantly reduce my overall damage output. However magic attacks cannot miss which makes my damage very consistent throughout the battle. This can become a problem for opponents who lack healing or cannot eliminate my monsters quickly enough.

Marlai Singariel: Marlai Singariel is a straightforward Archon that provides +1 magic damage to all my monsters. While the ability might seem simple it is actually very powerful when used with a team that focuses entirely on magic damage. Since I only have one monster that does not deal magic damage this bonus gives my team a total of +5 additional magic damage. That is a significant increase in damage and allows my lineup to put constant pressure on the opponent.

Daigendark Surveyor: Daigendark Surveyor is a decent choice for a tank considering its low 2 mana cost. It has 5 health which gives it enough durability to absorb a few attacks despite being an inexpensive monster. What makes it more interesting is its Magic Reflect ability which returns half of the magic damage it receives back to the attacker. This makes it useful against magic-focused teams while also giving me an affordable frontline monster.

Abyssal Elemental: Abyssal Elemental is one of the more interesting monsters in this lineup because of its Resurgence ability. When it dies it revives with full health and armor while inflicting 1 damage to all monsters on the board. This essentially gives me another chance to keep it in the battle while also dealing additional damage to the opponent's team. Having Magic damage on top of that makes it even more useful because it can contribute offensively before and after its revival.

Captain Fellblade: Captain Fellblade is another important damage dealer in this lineup. It has 2 magic damage and 1 melee attack which both work with its Sneak ability. This allows it to pressure the opponent's backline instead of focusing only on the frontline. I like having monsters that can attack from different angles because it makes it harder for the opponent to protect every position.

Saltwater Mage: Saltwater Mage provides another source of 2 magic damage and also has Sneak. It works particularly well alongside Captain Fellblade because both monsters can pressure the opponent's backline at the same time. This creates additional problems for opponents who focus most of their defensive resources on protecting their tank. With Marlai Singariel's magic damage bonus Saltwater Mage becomes an even more consistent source of damage.

Torrent Sniper: Torrent Sniper is another strong magic damage dealer with 2 magic damage, 2 armor and 8 health. Its Snipe ability allows it to prioritize non-melee attackers which can be useful when trying to eliminate important support monsters. I also like placing it at the back of my lineup because its armor and high health make it more difficult for Sneak attackers to take down quickly. This gives me some additional protection while allowing it to continue dealing damage.

Ujurak Elder: I had some extra mana available so I decided to use Ujurak Elder as a filler monster. Despite its low 3 mana cost it is a good addition because it provides another source of magic damage that benefits from my Archon's ability. It also has Camouflage which prevents it from being targeted by attacks while it is not in the first position. This makes it a useful final addition to my lineup without requiring much mana.

Enemy Lineup:

At first I thought my opponent's lineup was not particularly balanced because their tank was not a Dwarf. This meant that their Archon's Void ability would not benefit that particular monster. However the rest of their lineup was actually quite strong because most of their monsters had Dwarf Bloodline. This made their team a legitimate counter to my magic-focused strategy. The biggest weakness I noticed was the lack of healing especially considering how important their Taunt tank was to their defensive setup.

Fithe Bladestone: Fithe Bladestone is a strong Archon and arguably a direct counter to my entire lineup. Its Void ability halves incoming magic damage for monsters with Dwarf Bloodline which can significantly reduce my team's offensive potential. It also provides +2 armor to every monster regardless of Bloodline making the entire lineup more durable against physical attacks. If my opponent had been able to keep their defensive formation intact dealing enough damage to break through their team would have been much harder.

Scales of Justice: Scales of Justice is a Saurian monster with Untrainable and Dodge. Untrainable prevents it from benefiting from Weapons Training while Dodge gives it a 25% chance to evade melee and ranged attacks. I found its placement interesting because it does not benefit from Fithe Bladestone's Void ability due to not having Dwarf Bloodline. However its Dodge ability still gives it some defensive value against physical attacks.

Gobalano Soldier: Gobalano Soldier is a low mana Goblin monster with 1 melee damage and Sneak. This makes it a decent offensive option when trying to attack vulnerable monsters in the opponent's backline. It is especially useful against teams that do not have enough protection in their rear positions. However its damage is fairly limited so it needs support from the rest of the lineup to become more threatening.

Conclave Tracker: Conclave Tracker is a defensive Human monster that provides magic damage and Repair. Its Repair ability works particularly well with Fithe Bladestone because the additional +2 armor gives it more armor to restore. This makes it a useful support monster that can help keep the team's defensive formation intact. It also contributes magic damage which gives the opponent another way to pressure my lineup.

Ashen Cindergrin: Ashen Cindergrin is a 4 mana cost Dwarf monster with 2 magic damage and Opportunity. Its Opportunity ability allows it to target monsters with the lowest health which can make it dangerous against weaker members of my lineup. The 2 magic damage is also a respectable amount especially when considering the additional protection provided by its Archon. This makes it both an offensive threat and another monster that benefits from the team's magic defense.

Swiftbeard Stout: Swiftbeard Stout is arguably the most important monster in my opponent's lineup. It has 2 ranged attack and 7 health along with Taunt which redirects attacks toward itself instead of allowing the rest of the team to be targeted normally. Its Bloodline Tribute ability also provides additional stats to other Dwarf monsters making it even more valuable as part of this formation. Since it has Dwarf Bloodline it also benefits from Fithe Bladestone's Void ability making it a strong defensive wall against my magic-focused team.

This battle was a good reminder that having the right counter does not automatically mean you will win. My opponent had a solid defensive setup but their lack of healing made it difficult to keep their main defender alive long enough to protect the rest of the team.