I didn’t think much of it at first because it looks simple and I would say I just take it for granted in my builds. Once I read the topic for the current week's Community Engagement Challenge, I suddenly thought of Dark Arborist because of that reason. Sometimes, we neglect and take units for granted just because they are convenient but once we dive deeper, that's when we realize how strong and underappreciated these units were.
Another thing that makes Dark Arborist fun is how it brings value in ways the enemy doesn’t expect. It doesn’t hit hard or move fast but its abilities are very useful in a lot of unexpected ways. In a game where one small mistake can tilt a fight, this card can definitely show you how little things can snowball into a big advantage.
To me, Dark Arborist stands out mainly because of its strong health for a low mana card. With 8 health at max level, it can stay on the field longer than other 4 mana units even without armor. Its consistent magic damage also helps even if bit by bit and small things can stack and make big impact if left alone.
Its best ability is easily Demoralize, which reduces all enemy melee damage by 1. This single effect can weaken an entire enemy lineup especially if the enemy focuses on melee or the modifiers encourages the use of melee units like Super Sneak. Demoralize's best characteristics is that it can stack. Unlike Amplify, when you have two Demoralize, you can have -2 melee to the enemy team and it doesn't have any limit so you can have a team full of Demoralize giving your enemy melee team a huge problem.
Super Sneak fits this category because Demoralize reduces melee damage and Super Sneak encourages the use of melee units. You can use modifiers like this as sort of to bait the enemy units into using melee units just to counter it.
With this modifier, everyone gets Amplify ability that can increase Dark Arborist's Magic Reflect damage by 1. The downside is that Amplify does not stack so even if you have 6 units with Amplify, you only get +1 on that Magic Reflect damage.
Since enemies can only use units with magic damage, this is a good modifier. While Dark Arborist's Demoralize doesn't work, don't forget its Magic Reflect and Void abilities. Not only you get halved magic damage but whenever the enemy attacks you, they get some part of damage back to them.
Early
On the early game, I have a huge disadvantage in this since my tanks aren't that strong. I mean, in just 5 turns, Halfling Refugee already died. I hope the next few rounds turn on my favor.
Mid Game
I got momentum on the mid game when the enemy tank died. Arachne Weaver's Corrupted Healing on Graveyard Warlock saved him for 2 turns against Saltwater Mage's sneak magic attacks until that unit died. Enemy Shock Trooper's Electrified also helped me since they don't have units with that high of a health so that -1 per round would hurt their team for sure.
Late Game
Since my tank and healer is still alive, I will surely win this game. While Tank Arborist didn't really help as much during this battle since the enemy didn't have that much melee units and Dark Arborist doesn't have high level to unlock Void and Magic Reflect, it's still good for it to be in there as my backup tank in case everything goes bad.
Dark Arborist is worth trying because it works well with many different units and abilities making it easy to fit into a lot of team ideas. It has low mana cost that lets you place it in builds that normally wouldn’t have room for extra units. Even though it only has basic stats, it brings useful abilities that help your whole lineup.
Dark Arborist can even act as a mini tank thanks to Void and Magic Reflect, letting it survive magic damage while punishing attackers at the same time. Dark Arborist's small magic damage is simple but reliable and it never misses which makes it a steady source of damage every round even for just a little. With a lot of compatible abilities and monsters, Dark Arborist can fit in many lineup and teams without disturbing the balance.
Even if Dark Arborist isn’t the most exciting card, it consistently proven its worth by being useful to the rest of the team. Its abilities affects a lot of units and make others stronger. It's one of those cards you start adding “just because it works” until it becomes a regular part of your strategy. If you’re looking for a low-mana unit that can be consistent and reliable and can tilt fights in your favor, this one is absolutely worth keeping in your arsenal.
