Here's the ruleset for this week's battle
In the explosive weaponry ruleset speed is king. I generally like to use Conqueror Jacek if there's a high mana cap or Kelya Frendul if the mana is a little lower. Byzantine Kitty could be even better than Jacek for high mana situations, but that's still out of my price range. I also like other summoners that incorporate speed like Ilthain and Quix the Devious.
In the Equalizer ruleset I think it's important to fill every position possible. It's also valuable to have a high damage to health ratio like Pelacor Arbalest and I think that tank healers have a lot of value.
For this battle I'm expecting to see Kelya from my opponent. Kelya is wildly popular to begin with and when you get into explosive weaponry, the speed is that much more important.
Here's the starting frame
Think about how this might play out before watching
https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_eaa1e9a294730aa4387143e7bdeef96c&ref=jingo-submo
My opponent didn't choose Kelya, but you can see that they made speed a priority with Quix and Quix gives access to Oshuur. A level 2 Oshuur with reflection shield right behind Agor Longtail is a great strategy for the explosive weaponry ruleset. It would have been even better if they had enough mana available to tank heal, and/or repair their tank from the back line.
Let's talk about my lineup
Summoner: Kelya Frendul
Kelya boosts the speed of my whole team which is great for the explosive weaponry ruleset. Kelya also gives my monsters +1 armor which means they can soak up an extra hit from anything but magic.
Tank: Serpent of Eld
This sea serpent is fast which is great for explosive weaponry. Having a third damage instead of 2 at level 1 means that the Serpent of Eld can be expected to deal 5 damage each turn: 3 to my opponent's tank and 2 to their next monster. Something dealing 2 damage normally will only deal 1 blast damage to the next monster in line. The dodge ability is also amplified in importance thanks to the blast damage that's prevented to my next monster whenever my opponent fails to connect.
1st position: Venari Marksrat
My Marksrat is here to die. The martyr ability is great when you can expect a specific monster to be the first one going down. I love to use the Venari Marksrat in the equal opportunity ruleset and the target practice ruleset. Turns out it works great with explosive weaponry too.
2nd position: Venator Kinjo
Venator Kinjo is here for the reflection shield. I want my opponent to get through the Marksrat and then loose the benefit of their blast damage after it's gone. I was hoping that my opponent would take their attacks straight at my tank and it worked out beautifully.
3rd position: Creeping Ooze
The slow ability is valuable in the explosive weaponry ruleset and filling a slot on my team for 1 mana is huge for the equalizer ruleset. 13 health for just 1 mana.
4th position: River Hellondale
What's better than boosting the stats on my most important monster with the martyr ability? Boosting those stats a second time thanks to the resurrect ability. This ability is so overpowered. If you don't have a copy of River Hellondale yet, you're missing out.
5th position (rear tank): Crustacean King
Tank Healers are so good in the equalizer ruleset. That's true if your monsters have 3 or 4 health. It's even more true when your monsters all have 13 health to start the battle.
Did we win?
Yes. There were some really cool strategies going on from both sides of the battlefield and I was lucky to pull this one off.
What will I try differently next time?
I said that I was lucky to pull this one off. My strategy worked because my opponent took things straight at my tank. This might have gone differently if my opponent had decided to attack my back line with a fire or life splinter lineup. Those lineups may have been very effective in the equalizer ruleset.
Thanks for reading and thanks for all the upvotes, reblogs, comments and follows. I'll see you in the game. I hope the updated format that I'm using is helpful. Feel free to share any specific feedback in the comments.