The Insight On 3 Mana Cards

Previously in one of my post (you can find it here), I mentioned about the leverage and diminishing return in card. Mana cost is the primary value which distinguish one card from another. We will delve deeper to see the true value of particular cards from the perspective of certain mana values. As the starting point, this post will list all the Modern Cards costing 3 mana value.

List of Cards

In total there are 31 cards of 3 mana value, with most of them melee and ranged type. Meanwhile there are only handful cards having magic attack and non-attack. I've listed each cards with their rarity, attack type, status parameter, and abilities.

Each parameter consist of 2 values, the first value represent the starting parameter, while the value in the round bracket represent the value gained on maximum level. And then there is abilities column which show the name of current abilities possessed, and the name of abilities within round bracket which will be gained in the future level. The several last columns detailing the growth gained on each levels, which represented by certain symbol:

• Health, armor, speed, melee, ranged, and magic symbol represent the gain of respective parameter. This symbol with light gold color represent drawback or reduction in those parameter.
• Splinterland symbol represent new abilities gained in order to the abilities listed in previous column.

I will group these cards according to their attack type and give my thought on each of the cards, and finally a verdict which cards give the best benefit.

Magic Card

Magic cards commonly cost medium to high mana, so there are only few number with 3 mana value. All started with equally at 1 magic damage and 2 to 3 health. Djinn Bjilka is the only to able to reach 3 magic damage. Speed looks various, with Death Elemental and Musa Saline gained the best speed growth, and other cards remain constant. My verdict on this groups:

• Musa Saline would be the best 3 mana magic card for starting level, especially with the Scavenger, you will expect its health to surge possibly around 9 point.

• Death Elemental as normal type card gained the most growth. Once its reached max level, its parameter and abilities would almost in par with Musa Saline.

• Death Elemental and Djinn Bjilka possessed Weaken ability which is very useful and cost effective ability considering it cost only 3.

• Djinn Bjilka might looks frail with low parameter on starting level and only few growth. But considering its very rare for a 3 mana card to reach 3 magic damage (more the damage growth is expedited once reaching level 2) and coupled with Camouflage, this card could turn into powerful damage dealer.

Melee Card

Melee cards have various specialization, either a Tanker, a Striker, a Ninja, or even an all-rounder. Melee cards are the most basic cards in any battle, therefore most melee cards are normal type card. There are only 2 epic type coming from 3 mana cards. There are several armored card even for a card costing 3 mana. My verdict on this groups:

• Some of the strongest starting Tanker would be Hill Giant which have the highest health, Marrow's Ghost which have the highest armor, and Cruel Sethropod which in between both. All of them consistent with their growth toward max level. In addition Crypt Beetle which started low quickly catch up with its health and armor growth.

• Serpentine Spy and Pelacor Bandit are the only true Ninja type card, starting with 3 speed and later grow to 6 speed.

• All melee cards gained 2 damage growth equally, whether they started from 1 or 2 damage, except for Pelacor Bandit which thrust from 1 damage to 4 damage.

• More than half of the melee card have drawbacks / reduction on their growth. The worst one would be Stitch Leech which have 3 health loss in the whole progression. Other cards would loss only growth which seemed quite fair for a 3 mana card. While Tide Biter able to gain dual growth on both Ability and Health, Uraeus would be the most remarkable to gain two dual growth on both Health and Speed. And note must be taken that Uraeus is Neutral Splinter card.

• In overall, Kobold Bruiser and Pelacor Bandit have the best overall progression, having no drawbacks at all, and reached a strong combination of health, speed, and damage. And more to it, Pelacor Bandit possessed Flying ability which surely boost its evasion even more.

Non-Attack Card

There are only 3 cards in the category of Non-Attack. In here we will see the most clear discrepancies between cards growth and diminishing return. Compare Scavo Hireling and Dragon Spirit, one started with only 1 health and 2 speed, while the other started with a massive 6 health and 5 speed. Even if we take account on the abilities, I would prefer to use Dragon Spirit than Scavo Hireling.

But this is not always the case if we add Venari Heatsmith into calculation. Venari Heathsmith started with 2 health, 2 armor, and 3 speed. It stand somewhere between Scavo Hireling and Dragon Spirit. Even if its a normal type just like Scavo Hireling, we still see a sum of discrepancies between them.

The growth give different pictures on each card. Scavo Hireling catch up better with no drawbacks on the entire level, Venari Wavesmith have a single health drawback at level 6, and Dragon Spirit seemed to be gifted with dual growth on level 6.
My verdict on this group:

• There's a clear starting discrepancies between lower and higher rarity card, as we have seen Scavo Hireling are far behind compared to Dragon Spirit (I don't think Repair ability have much importance to offset the parameter discrepancies). But remember the diminishing return concept where starting parameter always have inverse relations with marginal gains (see here to understand the concept). Consider having 1 damage card against 3 health card; you would need at least 3 round to score a kill. But with 2 damage, the card will deal 6 damage within 3 round. This would mean your opponent would need to attain 3 extra health just to cover the same running round. Its also why Buff and Debuff are practically precious in low mana cap battle.

• Scavo Hireling gained more number of growth than Dragon Spirit. Although its still fall behind than from Dragon Spirit, the Slow ability gained on max level is a very cost effective ability and could offset the difference in parameter between them.

Ranged Card

I see ranged card not as powerful as melee card. But they more number and variant of abilities. Although these abilities more of Striker related rather Support. The cards started on an average 2 health, with some exception to card like Angelic Mandarin and Dark Ferryman which started at 5 health.

Almost all cards started with 1 ranged damage, except Soul Strangler and Grenadier which started with 2 damage, but at a heavy cost of reduced health. The doesn't show an average focus on damage, since only 4 ranged card gained two damage growth. In term of speed, only Child of the Forest started with high-end 5 speed.

My previous notion about epic type would be in much stronger parameter than normal type, seemed to apply to this group. Take Thunderbird which surpass most of the ranged cards, having 4 health, 3 speed, and Flying ability. Although this not entirely true with Grenadier seemed indifference compared to Soul Strangler, one having 1 extra health, while the other started with ansingle ability.

My verdict for this group:

• Most of the cards gained 2 (two) abilities in their entire level, which means there's less slot for parameter growth. The drawbacks also isn't few, having 5 cards with single drawback, with Lava Spider have the most drawbacks. Also there are no dual growth on any cards.

• Fungus Flinger had the best marginal gains. Having started with only 2 health and 1 speed, but quickly catch up with the bundle of growth. Venari Marksrat is in the same case as Fungus Flinger. They both started with the same parameter and ability. And then grow in the same path, first health, followed by speed, and finally damage. But its clear from my perspective that Fungus Flinger with the Blind ability would have a much greater impact to the overall battle. But this notion care must be taken, that Venari Marksrat is a Neutral Splinter, which is common to be weaker than the regular one.

• Child of the Forest and Dark Ferryman would be your conservative Strikercard, considering their higher amount of health and speed, and they gained most from damage growth which available at only level 2.

• Grenadier seemed to fallen behind so much. Starting with low parameter and gained only few growth opportunity. but I would give high credit to the Blast ability as boosting a massive damage dealer.

Final Words

I believe theres a lot more we can inspect more about the 3 mana cards far beyond what I have written in this post. The most difficult one is in the micro view, the quantumphysics (as Einsten said), which in this case to see how the card combined with other cards creating ramification of possibility.

As far as I've written this, any advice and input would be galdly received for my future writings.