Splinterlands battle mage secrets | Do you need a mirror?

Since my last post, there have been some significant changes in Splinterlands. Staked SPS is now required for rewards, and in the Modern Format, there's a new 'Human only' rule.

These are two very impactful changes. While it was well-known that SPS requirements for rewards were coming, I was somewhat surprised that it happened so quickly. Personally, this change means I'll be receiving fewer loot chests in the Gold League, but with my nearly 15k staked SPS, the reduction in rewards isn't too significant.

On the other hand, the banning of bots from the Modern Format has a much more substantial impact. Since I mainly played in the modern format and, lately, relied on the bot myself, I am now faced with the decision of either manually playing Modern again or letting the bot run in the Wild format.

I've decided to go with a hybrid approach now. When I feel like it, and especially when I have the time, I play a few rounds in the Modern format. The SPS rewards there are already quite good, even in the Silver League. But when I'm short on time, I let the bot run in the Wild format, ensuring that I don't waste any energy.

All in all, I believe the change with the bot ban in Modern was beneficial for the game. It's more enjoyable to play when you know your opponent is not a bot. That's why I felt inspired to participate in the Battle Mage Secrets Challenge once again. Let's get started!

Description:
Only units and summoners with a mana cost of 4 or less may be used.

Little league is a very exciting rule. The mana cost restriction eliminates many strong cards in the choice of cards. Instead, cards are used that would hardly ever see the battlefield without this rule.
I like to play this rule set very much and so I gladly share my match with you!

My match had the following setup:

Little league, close range with 17 mana. Little League is a thankful rule for low mana matches. In this case, there is also the question of whether you should counter ranged cards directly, or bet on them yourself.

Lineup

Summoner

I decide to counter Ranged with Ilthain. The Life Splinter offers many good cards for Little League and the bonus to speed rarely hurts either. Of course, I take the risk of having a Full Meele or a Heavy Magic team as an opponent, but no risk no fun!

Tank

The most common tank in Little League is probably the Xenith Monk. I chose the Reflector here because I want to take Magic Reflect with me and because it costs 1 mana less. It is a rather unimpressive card, but the values are quite okay.

Position 2

As an offtank I use the Conjurer, it also serves as a snipe blocker. If the tank doesn't survive, he can take over his role as a backup and counter some magic damage as well. For only 2 mana an excellent card.

Position 3

To get a speed advantage out of it and as a dmg dealer, the Time Mage now comes third. 4 mana for 2 magic damage is pretty good, its weakness is clearly defense, but in this position it is well protected.

Position 4

So that my tank and offtank last as long as possible, my healer comes on the last position. She is vulnerable to sneak attacks here, but as mentioned, you can't protect yourself against everything.
If I had a Life Fiend, it would be a good choice to be a bit more prepared, but it has to work that way too.

The Battle

Besides Life, of course, Water Splinter is always a good choice for this rule, and my opponent has a strong setup with a full board. He would also be well prepared for a Meele team with Sneak. Unfortunately, he has few ranged fighters and his Triage ruins my Magic Refelct....

However, I have a decisive advantage: healing for the tank. This will probably not last until the end, but my offtank is still there. I also have two good dmg dealers in my backline.

My opponent already has no tank left and now it also shows how important the speed difference can be. In principle, the match is already over. My opponent's fill cards are okay, but they don't really help him. As soon as the Tide Biter doesn't bite waves anymore but dust, it's over.

Speed is king, this is probably one of the most important Splinterlands wisdom. Despite the healing my opponent has, he won't have a chance to turn this match around. His damage is simply too low.

We now see how strong the Time Mage is in Little League, the 2 magic damage is just extremely strong. The cards with less than 4 cost rarely have more than 4 or maybe 5 hit points. That's just 2 or 3 hits....

Like precise clockwork, my backline deals a leisurely 4 damage per round. The counterheal does nothing because of the reflected damage. That means the counter works at least partially.

Go on, card by card...

round 8...

And finally, in round 9, comes the final blow.
GG!

Summary

Little League is a cool rule that I enjoy a lot. In this match I was lucky that I didn't have to deal with a Heavy Meele or a Sneak Attack team. My opponent had chosen a good Splinter, but maybe his damage was a bit too low... Anyway, I'll gladly take the victory and ofc the 2 SPS 😇!