Another Month, andI Still Love When a Monster Can Turn Defence into an Attack

One ability I find interesting in Splinterlands is Retaliate. I like the idea that a monster does not always have to wait for its own turn to contribute damage. Sometimes, defending against an attack can create an opportunity to strike back.

Retaliate gives a monster a chance to attack an enemy melee monster when it is hit by a melee attack. This makes it particularly interesting when facing opponents who rely heavily on physical attackers.

When selecting my frontline, I usually consider how much damage a monster can absorb. However, with Retaliate, I also have to think about what happens after the monster gets attacked. Instead of simply receiving damage, it may get an opportunity to respond immediately.

I find this useful because it introduces another layer to defensive team building. A monster with good health and Retaliate can potentially do more than protect the rest of my lineup. It can also punish opponents for repeatedly attacking it.

Imagine facing an opponent with several melee attackers. Every successful melee hit against my Retaliate monster creates a chance for it to strike back. If the ability activates several times, the extra damage can become meaningful over the course of the battle.

However, I have to remember that Retaliate is not guaranteed to activate. It gives the monster a chance to counterattack, but it does not mean every incoming melee attack will result in a response. I would rather treat it as an additional advantage than build my entire strategy around it.

I also think about the monster carrying the ability. Since it needs to be hit by melee attacks to trigger Retaliate, its position matters. A monster placed in a position where it rarely receives melee attacks might not get many opportunities to use the ability. This is why I consider the opposing team’s likely attack pattern before choosing my lineup.

Another interesting point is that Retaliate does not provide the same advantage against every type of attacker. It responds to melee attacks, so a team relying heavily on magic or ranged damage may not give it many opportunities to activate. This reminds me that understanding the opponent is just as important as understanding my own cards.

I also like considering how Retaliate can work alongside other defensive abilities. A monster with Shield, for example, can reduce incoming melee damage, while Retaliate gives it a chance to respond. That combination can make a frontline monster more difficult to deal with, especially against a team that depends on physical attacks.

Mana management still matters. I cannot include every defensive monster I like, so I have to decide whether Retaliate is worth the space in my lineup. Sometimes, an additional attacker may provide more immediate value. In other situations, having a monster that can defend and counterattack might be exactly what the team needs.

What I appreciate most about this ability is how it changes my understanding of defence. Protecting a monster does not always mean helping it survive without doing anything else. Some monsters can turn the opponent’s attacks into opportunities of their own.

As I continue playing Splinterlands, I want to experiment with more combinations that make use of defensive abilities. Retaliate reminds me that every attack from an opponent can create an opportunity, and sometimes the best response is to make them pay for attacking in the first place.