When I saw Up Close and Personal with 41 mana, I already knew this was going to be messy in a good way. It's a very simple modifier but you can be tricky if you know how to do it. With just pure melee and whoever survives the longest wins, having a few tricks help. I actually like battles like this because they feel straightforward. Even if this is a simple modifier, you still need to be aware and do not be overconfident of what your lineup can do.
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_ffa290043b0b69153f28166a46d8c41a
This battle has Up Close & Personal modifier with 41 mana. Since units will be melee units, I decided to use an archon that adds armor. The extra armor should be able to help with the melee damage against my units.
I used mostly Foundation units in this battle so my units are naturally weaker than my enemy units. I do have the advantage though that allows my units to attack from the back while a lot of their units can't because of the wrong position. This has high impact on the result of the battle.
Modifier 1: Up Close and Personal: Only Units with Melee attack may be used in battles.
Since all units will be melee units, I thought it would be best to have an archon that gives armor. My choices are very limited and my Life element has the best melee so that works better for me. I also added multiple Sneak units to bypass any strong tanks they may use since I am battling in Modern Ranked for this one.
Incessant Sage: I picked Incessant Sage purely for the +1 armor. In a melee-only match, that bonus feels so much more valuable than it normally would. Since everyone would be melee, they would hit armor before hitting health. I’d rather survive longer than hit slightly harder in this kind of fight.
Twice Yester Knight: I like Twice Yester Knight here because he’s simple and solid. Unfortunately, there's no abilities, just decent damage and good armor to stand in front and take hits. With the extra armor from my archon, he becomes even harder to get through. Even without abilities, the tank's role is to buy time and absorb damage.
New Beluroc Aegis: New Beluroc Aegis has 5 health, 3 armor and Taunt. He has 1 melee damage but cannot attack since he isn't in the frontmost position and doesn't have Sneak or Opportunity ability that allows him to attack from the back. I added New Beluroc Aegis for units with Opportunity and Sneak. This is to make him absorb damage instead of targetting my back line.
Vengeful Monk: Vengeful Monk is one of my favorites in the Foundation units. It has Opportunity with 2 melee damage which feels stronger especially when everything is clashing at the front. Once a unit gets to low health, he immediately goes for it. I like that he helps speed up the deaths instead of just trading blows with tanks or other units. Killing low health units are important because it reduces damage done to my team.
Phlegmor: Phlegmor might not look impressive on paper but I added him because Sneak gives more variety in my attacks. In a battle where only the front units can attack, I like having something unexpected that threatens the back. He’s cheap, he fits the mana and he adds the extra thing I just needed. That alone makes him worth it to me despite the low stats.
Sherringham Logger: I picked Sherringham Logger because I wanted another Sneak attacker to pair with Phlegmor. If one Sneak is annoying, two is annoyingly dangerous. I like stacking that kind of strategies on my games so the enemy can’t feel comfortable hiding support units in the back. Plus, his damage is strong enough to actually matter.
Up Close and Personal really turns the match into a straight-up endurance fight. Extra armor and little tricks like using melee Sneak units made the difference for me. Sometimes surviving just one more hit is all it takes to win.
