Legends in the Splinterlands don’t always need to be proven. Sometimes, the stories are enough. Captain Fellblade is one of those names that carries weight the moment you see her in a lineup. They say she raised the Jolly Roger higher than any pirate before her. They say she survived the blight that consumed Praetoria, crushed Queen Mycelia’s brood and stood fearless even against the Undying. Whether every tale is true, all of that is irrelevant. What matters to me is that when she enters the battle, she can carry her weight as much as her lore.
At level 1, I already think she’s good. For 8 mana, getting 2 magic damage and 1 melee attack feels different from most units I usually play. I like that split because it makes her less predictable. She has 6 health and 4 speed, which to me feels strong.
Her Sneak ability is what really makes me notice her. I always enjoy using Sneak units because she has the similar concept with Saltwater Mage and her Sneak with magic damage. With Captain Fellblade, instead of slowly breaking through the tank, she just goes straight for the weaker units hiding in the back. Even at low levels, I feel like she forces the opponent to think twice about their positioning.
When I look at her at level 6, that’s when I start thinking she’s actually scary. Her melee goes up to 3 while her magic stays at 2, so she can deal 5 total damage in one round. That’s not small. On top of that, she becomes faster with 6 speed and slightly tankier with 8 health. The high health is good since you don't want her being targeted by enemy Opportunity.
What I really like though is that she gains Strengthen at level 3. I used to underestimate Strengthen because +1 health doesn’t look exciting. But after playing more matches, I realized that surviving with 1 HP actually happens a lot. That one extra health can mean one more attack and sometimes that one health wins the game.
I think hybrid damage is her biggest strength. Magic attacks ignores armor which is already strong but then Captain Fellblade also has melee attacks, which means she’s not fully countered by things like Void. That combination makes her annoying to defend against.
If someone stacks armor, her magic doesn’t care. If they try to prepare for magic-heavy teams, her melee still hits normally. I like units that don’t get shut down by one defensive strategy. At max level, 5 total damage per round feels very real. I feel like she’s one of those units that slowly becomes overwhelming if left alive too long.
Another good thing about the hybrid attack is that both are affected by Sneak. Both the magic damage and melee damage has Sneak property so Captain Fellblade is like two units with Sneak in one body. That makes him very efficient as a unit.
I’ve always believed that controlling the backline is underrated. A lot of my battles aren’t decided by who has the strongest tank but by who loses their back line units first. That’s why I personally enjoy using her Sneak along with Saltwater Mage.
When she starts hitting the lower health units and attackers hiding at the back, it disrupts everything. The enemy can’t just ignore her. They have to either protect their backline better or accept that they’re losing units from behind. I think that strategy is what makes her feel good to use even though she isn’t a frontline unit.
Strengthen doesn’t look useful at first and I think that’s why people sometimes overlook it. But from my experience, small stat boosts over multiple units add up quickly the more units you use in that battle. Giving every ally +1 health might not look like much but in battles, that extra health might be what you need to win.
I’ve had matches where my unit survived with exactly 1 HP, attacked once more and turned the fight around. That’s when I started appreciating Strengthen more. With Captain Fellblade, you’re not just getting damage, you’re also making your entire team slightly harder to kill. For me, that balance between offense and buff is what makes her feel different than others.
The battle may be limited but I focused on magic damage. With Saltwater Mage and Captain Fellblade, I have multiple units attacking the back of the enemy line. Mystic Scaleweaver is a given since she is one of my strongest magic damage unit. Then, I had a 4 mana excess so I added the one with the most health among my collection, which is a 3 mana unit, Stampeding Calf.
The enemy lineup is slightly focused on magic damage as well but it does feel like their focus is a bit all over the place. Torrent Sniper has Snipe, Saltwater Mage has Sneak and Aimee Whisperwind has Opportunity and all of them are just supported by Spellmonger that only has 1 health and 1 armor. Spellmonger's Thorns doesn't really help here in my opinion. I just don't see unity in my enemy's lineup.
The battle started and with an overwhelming force, their units fell one by one with only the Stampeding Calf as the injured unit in my lineup.
