The last will be first, and the first last. Does it sound familiar? Then you’ve experienced the Reversed Speed ruleset – where else could you hear that? Anyway, I perceive it as one of the trickiest rulesets in the game. It favors the weaker player since cards at higher levels generally get faster. You cannot opt for a downgraded version of your monster, or at least I haven’t found the option anywhere. On the bright side, battles under the Reversed Speed ruleset are challenging and usually require players to adjust their strategy. Just like I did in this battle.
Many people avoid Gladiators when drafting monsters for a Reversed Speed battle. Mine are too good to be left behind. So I started by summoning Pembrook Nymph. The one extra HP she grants always comes in handy.
Daigendard Surveyor is an outstanding anti-magic front monster and an extremely affordable one. If you manage to get it weapon-trained, it’s wise to spend two mana points on her.
Kulu Mastermind does not fit this ruleset; it’s too fast. However, I needed its Weapons Training and high HP stats, as it was intended to stand in the tank role after the decoy tank perishes.
I needed to keep my two front monsters alive as much as possible, and
Merdaali Guardian was just the one that could arrange it. Besides, she’s another cost-effective choice of mine if you count on the weapons training she got.
And now for my real power monsters. Riverboat Captain may have never made it to the sheer ocean, but he can still cause some buzz in your opponent’s rows thanks to his blast. Affliction is then just a pleasant bonus.
Second to last comes Flagulon Reine, the Gladiator. Also, the keen monster in my set. I knew, or hoped, she would get slower and slower over the battle, but her magic blasts would become more and more lethal.
If there is a rear tank born for the ruleset, it’s Dumacke Ork. A slow yet powerful monster with Retaliate ability that attracts both sneaking monsters and opportunists and often makes them regret their deeds.
Even though Reversed Speed requires a very different strategy than other rulesets, it does not favor any specific set or approach – you can rely on melee or magic decks. Or, like my opponent did, on archers. Their set was reasonably slow, giving them an advantage over my average-speed monsters. However, the set did not boast high HP stats, allowing my two magic blasters, who ignore armor, to cut through. Let me point out a common mistake my opponent made, though.
They were hunting too many rabbits at once, dividing their offensive ability among multiple targets. One of the monsters, Disintegrator, had to wait and missed one chance to attack. And the last four monsters aimed at three targets, which is too much if you’re not facing a low-HP set. If they had all focused on my front monster, they would have had higher odds to win – not against my set, which was superior, but against a worse assembled one.
Thanks to the strategic mistake, I only lost two monsters throughout the battle, even though the speed advantage was on my opponent’s side. As I planned, Flagulon Reine became the decisive monster, boosting her attack stats so high that she became unstoppable. This time, it was a combination of better cards and superior strategy what secured my clear victory.
