Splinterlands is a blockchain-based trading card game that requires players to think strategically to be successful. One of the most important aspects of the game is deciding what order to place your units in. In today's post, I'll share a rule of thumb that can help new players know what order to place their units in, but I'll also share an important exception.
Within the game of Splinterlands there are three attack types. Unless there is a special ruleset, Melee units can only attack from the first position. Ranged units can attack from any position except the first position, and Magic units can attack from any position.
As every aspiring battle mage learns during the new player campaign at Waur Medge Academy, Melee units should generally be placed in the first position, and ranged monsters should be placed at the rear of the lineup. The logic behind strategy is sound. Since ranged monsters can't attack from the first position, we want to place them at the end of the formation so that they can keep hurling damage at the opponent from afar for as long as possible. Thus, the general rule for ordering units is as follows: Melee up front, Magic in the middle, Ranged at the back.
While the training that new players receive at the Waur Medge Academy is a great start that teaches the fundamentals, advanced mages understand that there are always exceptions to the general rule and that success on the battlefield occasionally demands thinking outside the box. In some cases it can be beneficial to place your ranged monsters toward the front of the formation to allow them to absorb damage and protect your more valuable monsters. Let's examine a recent battle to demonstrate the point.
My most valuable unit in this match is Sorrow Harvester. For seven mana, this creature deals two magic damage and has the Weaken ability which reduces the health of all my opponents units by one. Because Sorrow Harvester is so crucial for success, I want to protect it for as long as possible.
Notice that my opponent and I each used many of the same units, but that we chose different strategies. My opponent emphasized creating the highest sustained damage output. What I mean by that is that every single unit on their team (with the exception of Spellmonger) was able to attack from the first position. Once Nim Guard Captain was eliminated, Lunakai Howler moved into the first position and continued the fight.
By contrast, I chose a different strategy and used ranged my units to protect Sorrow Harvester. Notice that I put Spellmonger in the second position and Grand Consul Minion in the third position. At first glance, it might seem like a mistake to put a Ranged unit ahead of a Magic unit. If Nim Guard Captain and Spellmonger were knocked ouf of the fight, then Grand Consul Minion would have moved to the first position where it would have been unable to attack. However, let's look at the reasoning behing my decision.
As you can see from this screenshot, my opponent's Vengeful Monk has the opportunity ability, which means that it can attack the opponent's monster with the lowest overall health. However, order also matters. Notice that it attacked my Spellmonger because Spellmonger was in the second position. If I would have put Sorrow Harvester in the second position instead, then Vengeful Monk would have attacked Sorrow Harvester and taken it out of the fight in the first round.
Of course we don't always know what units or strategy our opponent will use so it's important to design our lineup to give ourselves the best chance of success regardless of what we encounter. Even though my particular lineup worked against the Opportunity ability, it would have done equally well against the Snipe ability. According to the official Splinterands documentation, Snipe allows "Magic and ranged attacks [to] target the first non-melee enemy unit behind the first position."
If you suspect that your opponent might be playing a unit with Snipe, then it could be a good idea to put a less valuable Ranged unit in front of your Magic monster. This would ensure that the opponent's unit with Snipe targets the Ranged unit instead of your more valuable Magic unit. The key point I'm trying to make is that sometimes success isn't always about doing the most damage ouptut. Sometimes success is all about preserving your most valuable monsters for as long as possible. Sometimes it can be a good idea protect your most valuable units by putting a less valuable unit into a vulnerable position and "sacrificing" to draw your opponent's attacks away from your most valuable unit.
Of course, sometimes pure luck matters also. Putting Sorrow Harvester at the rear of my lineup was actually a tactical blunder. If my opponent would have played Kanaaq Miner, they would have easily been able to use the Sneak ability to get a one-hit KO on Sorrow Harvester. If my goal was to protect Sorrow Harvester for as long as possible it would have been a much better option to place it between. Black Widow and Grand Consul Minion. Doing so would have provided protection from the Opportunity and Snipe abilities as well as the Sneak ability since Black Widow would be the last unit on the team.
Although I could have done better by moving Sorrow Harvester more towards the middle of my lineup there are definitely times when good enough is good enough. Despite this blunder, I was able to defeat my opponent, secure the win, and make some progress towards earning my daily reward.
Speaking of earning daily rewards, one of my favorite aspects of Splinterlands is that it allows players to earn rewards for winning matches. If you enjoy trading card games that require strategy to be successful and you're entertained by the prospect of earning rewards for winning matches then Splinterlands might be the game for you. If you're interested, I'd like to invite you to join me in the game using my referral link.
As a US resident, I am required to disclose that I might receive a benefit, such as reward or incentive, if you join using my affiliate link. All image credits belong to Splinterlands. Nothing is financial advice.
