The Soul Strangler is a ranged Monster, member of the Death Splinter. It is particularly useful in low to mid-range mana battles and I use it very frequently both on my entry-level Gold League main account, and on my pretty well-decked-out with GF CL cards Bronze I alt account. So, now that I'm giving a bit more thought to it, it turns out that it is actually one of the CL cards which definitely make it on to my "favorite list".
Now before we get into the stats discussion of the Soul Strangler, let's have a sneak peek into its LORE
Despite the obvious fact that the Soul Strangler is a vampire, I have just learned, after reading the lore section, that it actually does possess the ability to attack on a spiritual level. Just when you think that vampires have enough weapons in the form of fangs and claws in their arsenal, it turns out they are probably nearly impossible to defeat.
Alright, we've got some idea of what the Soul Strangler is, after glancing at its lore. Let us now have a look at its stats and abilities at different key levels.
At level 1 it has 2 ranged attack, 2 speed and 2 health. It does not start off with any special ability. But its 2/2/0/2 stats for 3 mana compensate for that.
At level 3, it gains an additional ranged attack point for a total of 3 (max for Silver League).
At level 6 it gains an additional point in attack for a total of 4.
Finally, maxed out at level 8 it has 4 ranged attack, 3 speed and 4 health. It also gains its first and final ability - Poison. This definitely makes the Soul Strangler an even better choice for its low mana cost.
Now that we know what the card does (or doesn't do) at the different levels of play, let us have a look at the battle I have chosen to showcase.
The rule sets for this battle are Reverse Speed (Monsters with the lowest Speed attack first and have the highest chance of evading attacks) and Holy Protection (all Monsters have the Divine Shield ability). The mana budget is 27, which is relatively low and the only two available splinters are the Death and Dragon ones. I don't have an adequate Dragon summoner for Gold so this leaves me with only one option - to choose the Death Splinter. The main tank for this battle will be my favorite Death tank - the Cursed Windeku. It has a perfect stat balance for the 6 mana it costs, pair that with the Thorns ability it has right from the start and the Heal ability it gains at level 5, and you have a truly potent tanking Monster, especially when facing low-mana, low-health melee opponents.
Following immediately after the Cursed Windeku is the Silent Sha-Vi. It was a recent weekly challenge participant and you can read more about it in my post. I can safely say that it is one of the best sneak Monsters currently residing in the Modern format so its inclusion is a no-brainer despite its higher speed which does not really suit the current ruleset.
The 3rd place in the line-up goes to our protagonist Soul Strangler. I have placed it right in the middle of the targetable Monsters so it can be protected in the best possible way.
The 4th spot in the line-up is for Uraeus. Uraeus is another great sneak Monster, and what makes it really great is the fact that it is a Neutral Monster, meaning that it can be played with any splinter. It also has a relatively low speed (3) for its level so it's appropriate to be played in this particular battle.
5th in the line-up is the Corpse Fiend. It's in this spot to take a potential hit from enemy sneak Monsters.
Last but definitely not least is the Magi Necrosi. It's a powerful caster with 3 magic attack, pair with the snipe ability. It also has Camouflage which means that it will be the last Monster on my side of the board which will be attacked so this gives it a lot of time to attack without any interruption.
It is time for a quick round by round analysis:
The Summoner I have chosen to go with in this battle is my very own level 5 Thaddius (I don't have any other level 5 Death Summoners) which is kind of expected. The enemy's summoner is a level 6 Thaddius, however their Monsters are not at the max level which their summoner allows which is great for me, of course.
After 1 round, I have managed to take down the enemy's Corpse Fiend, while mine is still alive and kicking. My Cursed Wendiku has taken a bit of a beating while the opponent's Harclaw has only lost its armor.
Start of Round 3 - the enemy has taken down my Corpse fiend, however, their Dhampir Stalker is almost dead, which is actually their most potent damage dealer. My Cursed Wendiku and the enemy's Harclaw will probably not survive this round.
Beginning of Round 4, it is my level 6 Silent Sha-Vi versus the enemy's level 3 one in the tanking spots but I am better supported by our friend the Soul Strangler who is still alive and my Magi Necrosi. There's a lonely level 5 Uraeus on the enemy's side of the board.
Round 5 - I have managed to swiftly take down the enemy's Sha-Vi and the Uraeus is the only Monster remaining for my opponent. It will definitely not survive to tell the tale of this battle.
The Soul Strangler is a great ranged attacker for the Death Splinter. It is specifically great for low-mana battles where you need to play more budget Monsters. The Soul Strangler is currently valued at $0.12 per BCX, so there is literally no reason not to pick up as many copies as you need to get it leveled up to the appropriate level of the league you compete in.
