There is a strategy I use in my games that always works. I mostly use this strategy in Frontier Mode because the choice of monsters there are limited and you can somewhat predict what your opponents would use but you can still use this in other modes.
For this Splinterlands Community Engagement Challenge, we'll talk about one of the modifier I mastered and how I deal with it. I'll introduce you the use of "bait" monsters and how it can help you win your games.
To give a simple idea, bait monsters are like mini tanks you use to protect your key monsters. These are special tanks that you use on certain battles that help you keep certain monsters alive. Once you have these bait monsters in play, you would save your key monster's health which would allow it to be health until you eliminate every single one of your enemies and claim the win.
In the modifier, Equal Opportunity, every monster gets Opportunity ability that changes their targetting mechanics to the lowest health monsters first. With this, you can expect which one to be targetted first and you can "bait" them to attack other monsters first.
Asel Alagosdil is one of the best bait monsters in the game because not only it has just enough health to be tanky but also have just enough health to protect the monsters you want to be saved. Asel Alagosdil also can be used bait monsters with Snipe since Asel Alagosdil have no attack. This means Asel Alagosdil can bait two types of attacks at the same time which is good since both Snipe and Opportunity can target Saltwater Mage, which is my key monster most of the time.
I actually don't have a go-to lineup on each modifiers unless I have a certain combo in mind. However, I do have "cores" that I use. Cores are mini-lineups, maybe 2-4 monsters that I have a combo with that can apply to matches.
In Equal Opportunity modifier, my core lineup is usually a Taunt and a healer. A healer is more situational but would be strong if you have them.
My second core monster is Asel Alagosdil in front of the person I want to protect with. In this case, she protects both Lunari Howler and Saltwater Mage. Asel Alagosdil has Divine Shield which gives her one free damage reduction. Her 4 health also means any 5 health or above is protected by two abilities, Opportunity and Snipe, both use to take out highest damage monsters.
This is one way I can keep my Saltwater Mage safe from potential threats.
This strategy works actually based on a different battle but same concept. When you started playing Frontier Mode, the strongest element is actually the Death Element because of Sorrow Harvester. She has 3 health and is usually the target of Vengeful Monk who has Opportunity. To counter this, you need monsters lower than 3 health to "bait" the enemy from attacking it instead of Sorrow Harvester.
This is where Arcane Curator (and other similar monsters like Spellmonger) becomes useful. In this battle:
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_4bdae659493bcc88c27227d27f365cc6?ref=konaqua122
I have Arcane Curator in front of Sorrow Harvester and she becomes the more priority target of the enemy Vengeful Monk. This delays her death but that also means you need to take down Vengeful Monk before he breaks your bait monsters.
After you get more cards and get stronger, you can now switch to what I am doing with Asel Alagosdil. This concept can still work in Modern Ranked Format but can be a bit tricky to pull off since there's more cards to expect and if your opponents doesn't have any monsters with Snipe or Opportunity abilities, you just get a dead weight on your team.
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_332ff328cfdb16a637aaa906197773df?ref=konaqua122
Now, let's get back to the original battle I want to show.
My key monsters are Mystic Scaleweaver and Saltwater Mage. Their 2 magic attack increased to 3 with the help of Marlai Singariel is the key here. Needless to say, I want to protect them as much as possible. Since Saltwater Mage has 5 health, to get to Saltwater Mage, the opponents need to go past three monsters, New Beluroc Aegis and his Taunt ability, Asel Alagosdil and her 4 health and Lunaki Howler with her 4 health.
New Beluroc Aegis is my main tank while Asel Alagosdil and Lunaki Howler are my bait monsters which the opponents will forcefully attack because they are the lowest health monsters after New Beluroc Aegis with Taunt dies.
With this strategy, I would win this battle without even having a dent on Saltwater Mage's health.
This article shows the strategic importance of bait monsters in Equal Opportunity modifier. I don't believe in having a specific lineup in each modifier because that is hard to remember. There are more than 50+ modifiers at the moment and having a certain team to use at each is harder to track than remembering the periodic table.
I have a few general lineup which can be used in most modifiers and one of them is what you can see above. However, it doesn't mean I come to battles unprepared. What I use in battles are concepts and that's what I modify and change each battle. A few concepts at a time, like bait units, will be merged together depending on the elements available, mana cap and modifiers for that battle and the combination of that concept becomes my strategy. Based on that strategy for that battle, I will then choose monsters and archon to fulfill those certain requirements and this is how I make my lineup.
It's a little bit complicated to explain in words but easy to do in practice. As long as I get the concept of the battle and play along what works with what I have, my win rate increases just like how I achieved Gold 1 Top 8 in the leaderboards in Frontier Mode after just one season.
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