Every seasoned commander knows the weather can be decisive in any siege or battle, turning the tide of war. Consider Washington's Continental Army, encircled by the British on Brooklyn Heights in 1776. The thick fog (perhaps the very origin of the Fog of War idiom?) allowed the Yankees to slip away to Manhattan, avoiding casualties in what seemed like a lost cause. Speaking of the Fog of War, this Splinterlands ruleset significantly alters the gameplay. It renders most melee monsters ineffective, except those suited for tanking. Here’s a battle that points out the importance of choosing the right tank and proves that sheer numbers don’t always guarantee victory, much like the Battle of Long Island.
Anticipating my opponent’s likely reliance on a magic-based pack suitable for this ruleset, I debated between drafting a magic-resistant tank or opting for one with high HP and a supporting healer, just in case ranged monsters were also in play. Ultimately, I settled on the Earth Splinter set led by Obsidian.
Terraceous Grunt is a specific tank, that relies more on evasion than brute defense. However, 10 HP for only 6 mana points makes it a valuable monster in battles with low to mid mana caps.
In expectation of heavy buffing of my opponent's cards, summoning Venari Spellmith was a must. This monster can play a keen role in most defensive strategies by debuffing the foes.
As the third and last monster, I opted for Goblin Psychic despite its relative weakness. I needed its healing ability, as preserving my tank was the key to success.
My opponent stuck to the expected strategy but erred in the card order, ultimately costing them victory even though my strategy wasn’t superior this time. Focusing all available mana points on magic strikers to maximize HP and magic attack points would have yielded better results. Nevertheless, swapping Chaos Agent with Thane Newsong proved pivotal in securing my triumph. Had my opponent deployed them in reverse order, victory would have been unattainable.
In this manner, I carved through my opponent’s ranks and ultimately emerged victorious, with my final monster surviving the battle with just a single HP remaining, befor it self-healed for the last time. That’s how close it was this time.
