The Time Mage is a card included in 95% of the Life Splinter battles (at least at Bronze and Silver level). Its Slow ability (reduces the speed of all enemy Monsters) is often crucial for the outcome of the match. It is so since Monster Speed is often vital for the way a battle evolves. Especially if the battle is more or less a mirror match - meaning that both players have chosen the same splinter and are playing similar cards. If one of the players has a Time Mage in their line-up, while the other does not, that's a huge advantage for the one who has it on their side.
Before getting into the stats discussion of the Monster, let's have a sneak peak into its lore:
Time Mages are members of the Order of the Silver Shield and close associates of the Wizards' Council. They are trusted to peer through the fabric of time and reality to foretell the future or manipulate the present by slowing the flow of time. They can also speed up the aging process of armor, causing it to rust prematurely.
However, with such power also comes great risk. The future is ever-changing, and the ripples of time can affect everyone. Time Mages must undergo strict training to ensure they don't abuse their power and use it only for the most dire of circumstances.
“It’s your kids, Marten! something’s gotta be done about your kids!”
--Time Mage to Marten Paragon, Father of Dax Paragon, 25 years prior to the Chaos Legion invasion
So, finally we get to discuss a somewhat positive character as far as lore goes at least since we've had some rather gruesome Monsters (specifically the Disintegrator has won the prize for most horrifying lore segment) in the most recent challenges. I guess this should be considered a breath of fresh lore air. 😁 I feel that our fellow mage here is one of the good girls and uses her power specifically to do good. 😎
Okay, now that we have a vague idea of who the Time Mage is, let us have a look at its stats and abilities at the key different levels.
It starts with the Slow ability from level 1, which is actually the main reason to choose the Time Mage over other Monsters to include in your setup. As I've already mentioned in the introduction, Monster Speed reduction could be crucial for the outcome of a battle so this ability cannot be taken lightly, even though it is nothing flashy or exciting at first sight.
At leve 3 it gains an additional magic attack point increasing its attack from 1 to 2, at the expense of 1 Speed. This is a favorable trade-off in my opinion since at 4 Speed (and the fact that it also slows -1 Speed the enemy monsters) it is still a pretty fast Monster, and the additional 1 attack does make a difference
At level 5 it gains the Rust ability (reduces the armor value of enemy Monsters). This ability could be quite useful as well especially against armor heavy line-ups such as a Kelya Water Splinter line-up or rulesets providing additional armor.
At level 8 which is the max level for the Monster (since it's a rare one) it gains another magic attack point which brings the total to 3, which is even better of course. So the final stats are 3 Magic Attack, 5 Speed and 4 Life, that's pretty good for a support Monster which a specific function.
Now that we know what the card does at the different levels of play, let us have a look at the two battles I have chosen to showcase.
So with the mana restriction of 21 , and more importantly the Equalizer ruleset (all Monsters have as much health as the one with the most health points in the battle), I decided to opt for the Pelacor Conjurer as my 1st line Monster. It is a Flying Monster (which means it has a higher chance to be missed by ranged and melee attacks) and in addition to that it has Spell Reflect, which is a great counter against magic attacks.
The 2nd place in the line-up went to the Gargoya Scrapper. The whole point is to keep the enemies attackers busy while my backline does its thing.
The 3rd place in the line-up was decided last and it went to the Soul Fiend. It has great synergy with Equalizer so I expect it to take enough beating to protect my damage dealers.
The Time Mage is in 4th spot. She is placed right before the ranged units as a last obstacle in the way of the enemy if it gets to that. Magic Monsters can attack from the tank spot.
The fifth position is for Venari Crystalsmith. I am banking on her doing a ton of healing this battle.
My favorite ranged powerhouse is in 6th spot this time. I figured I would not need to shield his back with Equalizer in play. It was a gamble I must admit.😃
It is time for a quick round by round analysis:
I have again chosen to go with my favorite Life Splinter Summoner, namely General Sloan, as for the enemy - they have chosen to go with a level 1 Tarsa, so right off the bat I have the advantage of having better monsters on the field. That does not necessary mean I will win, of course. Sometimes upsets do happen.
After 1 round, I have lost my Pelacor Conjurer, however, my Monsters are yet to act so the situation is not dire at all.
At the start of round 3my opponent has lost half of their team and his Monster in the tanking spot is only at half health. I still have 2 more Monsters who can operate at the 1st spot. So it seems the battle is more or less wrapped.
Round 4 is just my team finishing off the remainder of the enemy. They are left with 2 ranged units, one of which is basically dead, while I still have my remaining Monsters intact thanks to the immaculate healing provided by the Venari Crystalsmith - never leave home without it.
Even though the mana restriction is 27, which is not that low of a number and Shieldbearer is also a Monster with even mana cost, I decided to opt for the Chaos Knight as the one and only tank in the setup so I could free up 2 mana, which would allow me to setup the line-up in the exact way I felt it would stand a chance.
The 2nd place in the line-up was decided last actually since the Soul Fiend's position is usually the thing I leave for last to determine. This time I decided I would leave it there to take at least one hit for the team.
The third spot in the line-up was assigned to the Time Mage. I put it in the third spot as it can take a hit or two if it gets to that, and also attack from the main tank position, while its ranged allies are helpless in that spot unless the ruleset allows for the Monsters to attack.
The forth spot in the line-up is for the Venari Crystalsmith who has the ability to Heal its allies, and is also a ranged attacked who benefits from the +1 Ranged attack buff its Summoner kindly grants.
The fifth position is for the potential MVP of the match, namely the Pelacor Arbalest. It is a real beast with its Double Strike (Monster attacks twice each round) paired with the +1 ranged attack buff of General Sloan. A true champion of Life.
Last but not least is the Celestial Harpy. It might not seem much at first sight but it is surprising good at wreaking a bit of havoc in the enemy backline with her or landing the final blow to the enemy's tank Monster thanks to its Opportunity ability (Monsters with the opportunity ability may attack from any position and will target the enemy Monster with the lowest health). I decided to put it in the last spot since it is a flying Monster so its higher chance to doge Melee/Ranged attacks makes a good candidate to protect the aforementioned potential MVP sitting in the spot in front of the Celestial Harpy.
It is time for a quick round by round analysis:
As we can see both my opponent and I have chosen to go with the Light Splinter for this battle. There are slight differences in the Monster team, however, the main difference is that they have chosen to go with a +1 defense Summoner, while I have chosen to go with General Sloan (+1 ranged attack)
After 1 round, I have lost my Fiend to the enemy's splash damage coming from the Prismologist but the Chaos Knight on my side of the board is looking better than that of the opponent.
At the star of round 3my opponent has lost their Chaos Knight while mine is still standing strong. This is a pivotal point in the battle.
Round 4 is just my team finishing off the remainder of the enemy. An almost flawless victory.
The Time Mage is definitely a Monster form the Life line-up which deserves the spotlight, and does play a big role in various rulesets. Especially the lower mana ones. If you have not tried it out yet, I do recommend you do so as soon as possible. 😉
