It's tragic for magic but hayday for Melee...

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Here's another one of those Splinterlands Rulesets that limits your selection of monsters. I really enjoy this type of Ruleset because it knocks my guard down and requires me to cope with the complete loss of monsters upon whom I have come to rely.

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Lost Magic

There are not a lot of complex nuances to Lost Magic; Magic attackers simply aren't available. If you have a collection that is heavy on them you'll have to think outside the box just a little bit to win consistently in this Ruleset.

General Advice

This is not financial advice. This is battling advice, so as you know, the stakes are even higher. Don't waste too much time looking for the perfect team. No matter how long you look through your monsters, the ones you really want are never going to be there in a Ruleset like this, so move on.

I can't say how many times I have totally run out of time making a team for a restrictive Ruleset. What at a glance seems simpler (with fewer cards in play) becomes a nightmare of fitting the right cards in the right order. That brings me to my second piece of general advice, which is Relax: Your enemy faces the same turmoil. That's the great equalizer of Splinterlands. If you feel like you're screwed by the Ruleset, your opponent (facing the same rules) probably feels just as screwed.

Calm down. The magic isn't really lost

Your Focus: Armor

You may assume that when Magic is out of the picture, Ranged attacks become the most important factor toward victory. While the selection of attackers is always important, Armor is much more of a priority in these battles. Think about it: With no Magic attacks, every single attack will be stopped by Armor.

If you can make sure (by using the Protect ability) that every monster on your side has Armor, then you have bought yourself five or six extra defensive hits. There are plenty of great monsters and summoners that buff Armor. Chanseus the Great even performs the Repair ability himself!

If your Lost Magic team has 1 Protector and 2 Repairers, then there is little possibility that you will lose. When playing outside the Life Splinter it is usually tricky to place 2 monsters with Repair on your team. If only 1 is around, make sure to use a monster with Tank Healing and consider using one with Triage (back row) Healing.

Armor Pro-Tip - By using Repair excessively, you can cheapen some of your opponent's attacks. Let me explain. If your tank only has 1 Armor remaining and it is attacked for 5 Melee damage, as long as the attacker doesn't have Piercing, only a single Armor damage will be done. Despite the powerful Melee attack, you can reduce the damage to 1 inconsequential point that will most likely be repaired momentarily by one of your support team.

Don't get Stuck with Range in Front

I know the attacks of those strong Range monsters are super tempting, but just don't do it. Almost every single time a Range attack monster ends up in front, you will lose the battle. When that happens, it means you have suffered 2 crucial blows from which there is little chance of recovery. First, you lost your last line of Melee defense just before the range attacker was thrust into the front line. Then to make matters worse, your most powerful Range attack is now lost and must wait to die in a heroic but pitiful last stand.

Lately to my surprise I have seen opponents trying trendy new combinations that use Healing Range attackers as the tank. I have beaten them every time. Unless the Ruleset is Close Range, keep your Range attacks safely in the back and well defended.

Speed Matters

In all attacks except Magic, Speed is the attribute that determines how likely it is that a monster will be hit. When there is no magic, you want your monsters to be missed as often as possible. Abilities that tamper with either team's Speed (like Swiftness and Slow) are extra effective in this Ruleset. One powerful tactic is to place an extremely fast monster with Dodge right on front, hoping that most of the blows won't land.

Guard Your Backside

Seriously, without their Magic attackers, your enemy will use all the tricky Sneakers, Snipers and Opportunists that they can muster. Expecting you to have a strong front defense (which I heavily advise), they will think they can go straight in through the back and hollow you out from the core. Prove them wrong by using an ability like Shield or Thorns in the back. It'll be worth the Mana expense.

Some Cards I Like to Play

Here are a few cards that I like to play in the Lost Magic Ruleset. Remember: There are hundreds of Splinterlands cards to choose from and these are just a few examples of my favorites (generally speaking) for this Ruleset. If you have cards of your own that you'd like to suggest, please let me know in the comments so that everyone can benefit from your experience.

Serpentine Spy

The Serpentine Spy is one of my favorite Opportunity monsters. It doesn't cost much Mana but it packs a pretty strong attack, especially considering it goes after the weaklings first. It is important to place the Spy deep enough in your team to keep it protected. It only comes with a few Health points after all.

Serpent of Eld

I'm guessing most of you haven't yet gotten to know the Serpent of Eld. Do yourself a favor: Use Lost Magic as an opportunity to see its true value. From the very beginning the Serpent has Dodge, and with a couple well placed Speed buffs, it can be missed almost every time in the front. And it's not a weak and puny little thing like the Cocatrice; it will also be attacking hard, and if you're lucky enough to have the Serpent at max level, it will also be poisoning.

Biceratops

The Biceratops is like a step back in time, not because it's a dinosaur, but because it reminds me of the simple monsters from the earliest version of Steem Monsters. The good ol' days when monsters only had one ability because they only needed one. The Biceratops only has Thorns, but he knows how to use it. With a Mana cost of only 4, Biceratops is great on a Repair-heavy team either in the front or the back.

Lone Boatman

The Boatman is easily my favorite monster with Repair. Don't tell the Armorsmith. Honestly I like to use them both together, and most of the time you'll see them both on one of my Lost Magic teams. The Boatman has an incredible Range attack. My favorite things about him aren't even the Repair ability. He is also a Sniper with Shatter at max level, which means he destroys the Armor of anyone he hits. This is an amazing combo of abilities in Lost Magic.

Octopider

I love the Octopider. What's not to love about one of the most powerful Range attackers in the game? It is absolutely perfect for the Lost Magic Ruleset, especially once all its abilities are active at level 7. Both the Demoralize ability (which lowers the enemy team's Melee) and Blind (which reduces hit percentage) are ideal for Lost Magic.

Gloridax Guardian

The Guardian is a extraordinary protector of Dragons. If using Camilla or Daria to summon the Life Splinter, you'll have a unique opportunity to use double (or even triple) Protect, making you virtually indestructible in Lost Magic. The Guardian also hits pretty hard himself, and has excellent Armor, which is nice.

Highland Archer

Sometimes you just need to keep it simple with a solid Range attacker than doesn't cost much Mana and doesn't bring any surprises. If you haven't gotten acquainted with the Highland Archer, I'd highly recommend it, especially in the Lost Magic Rulset.