With the modern format inching closer, I thought it would be a perfect time to write out a set of guides for the modern format for the Splinterlands community! The first one I'm going to start off with is one of the stronger decks and judging from the title you already know that it's the water deck! I'm going to go over a few of the main cards and why I believe they should be included in almost every battle.
First off we're going to start with the Diemonshark. At 1 BCX He has a cost of 8 mana, 2 attack, 4 speed, 6 shield, and 7 health. He also comes packed with the trample ability. (If dealing the killing blow to an enemy it gets to also attack the enemies beside it) Activating the trample ability is very rewarding and can sometimes lead to killing bot the front 2 creatures. Diemonshark excels in a lot of different rulesets and is the top pick for the first slot in any battle where you're not facing a magic heavy setup.
The first slot creature that absolutely crushes a magic opposition is Torhilo The Frozen. At level 1 he has a beastly 4 attack, 1 speed, 4 armor, as well as 8 hp. He is paired with the void ability. (Reduce all magic damage by 1) If you play the summoner Bortus who's ability is the take 1 magic damage away from enemies you can at times be taking 0 damage from the enemies incoming magic attacks.
A great monster for the second slot is flying squid. A 7 mana, 2 attack, 3 speed, and 8 hp creature. He is paired with the reach ability, making his optimal slot number 2. He can consistently put out damage as well as serve as a backup tank. In a high mana match he is almost always used due to his dexterity as well as the reach ability.
Another great creature in the water deck is the Deeplurker. He is a 6 mana, 3 attack, 2 speed, and 6 hp monster. He has the opportunity ability making him an absolutely lethal assasin. His main focus is taking out the creatures that are either supporting the frontline or doing damage from the backline. A common occurring theme for these creatures is that they all provide almost insane stats for the mana that they cost.
Another absolute assasin that the water deck has in it's arsenal is the pelacor bandit. He is a 3 cost, 1 attack, 3 speed, 2 health power house. His real power lies in the fact you can put him in the back position and get some lucky dodges versus some slower creatures like sandworm. His flying and sneak ability make him very evasive as well as a backline burster.
A very good card that will help all of the above as they are melee monsters is the demented shark. He costs 6 mana, 1 attack, 2 speed, 1 armor, and 6 hp. He comes equipped with the inspire ability that gives all friendly melee units +1 attack. The theme of the modern water deck is definitely melee and this guy will play huge in high mana battles, sneak rulesets, opportunity rulesets, and many other situations.
The first non melee monster I want to talk about is the venari wavesmith. He is a 5 cost, 1 magic damage, 2 speed, and 3 health unit. He comes with the protect ability that gives all friendly units 2 armor. If you're expecting to face a heavy meele/ranged lineup this card can single handedly win you the game with the defense that it brings to the table. This is also the card I will be giving away today!
Another great monster to talk about is the Merdaali Guardian. She is a 3 cost, 2 speed, 3 health monster. She comes packed with the tank heal ability. This heal ability helps keep the many beefy creatures that the water deck uses alive. When in a lower mana match you can almost always squeeze her in to ensure a few extra hits with your tanks, this can really turn the tides of the fight!
Probably the best ranged unit the water deck has to offer is the axemaster. He is a 7 cost, 2 ranged damage, 4 speed, 5 health demon. He comes with the double strike ability meaning that he can attack twice each turn. He can really chop down the opposition as long as you position him to live long in the fight. For his cost, the ranged damage is unmatched.
This is the conclusion of my modern water guide! Thank you very much for reading and I hoped I gave you a couple ideas of some water compositions to use with the monsters I provided above. If you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comment section! I am also giving away a venari wavesmith with this post and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment and I'll enter you in the raffle!
Next up I will be writing up a guide on the death deck and will also be doing a giveaway for that as well! Depending on the reception this post gets I may do a better giveaway next time!
