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Card Highlights #23: Kulu Mastermind
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'Oh, the squid,' they said, glancing at me sidelong. 'There's an old game quote that goes: "If it moves, shoot it. If it doesn't move, squid it.
by 'Inkling Waters' by Emily Caldwell
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I was very lucky to get this unit during one of my grinds. Due to how strong Kulu Mastermind is, it's really amazing that they released such a creature. Whenever I have huge mana in battles, I always use thi unit as it's always a sure win for me everytime he is one of the units in my team.
Lore
Kulu masterminds are expert strategists and tacticians. They are found in war rooms drawing up operational plans as well as on the battlefield directing consortiums of kulu against their enemies.
They are also masters of the martial arts, harnessing the power of their bodies—including their tentacles—in both submerged and surface-based combat.
For full lore of this card, visit this website:
https://next.splinterlands.com/card-detail/516/regular/10?tab=lore
Buy and Rental Costs
It is unable to be transferred, rented/delegated, burned, bought or sold until the cards go out of print. It is tied to the account that has earned it through gameplay/chests. Gladiator cards are also Soulbound. |
Card Stats
Card Effects
Weapons Training |
Kulu Mastermind's Weapons Training is probably the weakest among the types as it only gives other units Melee attacks. Melee units can only attack when in the front or have abilities or rule sets that alter the attacks that allow them to attack while at the back.
Opportunity |
With 4 melee attack and Opportunity, he' a scary unit to fight against.
Shield |
This is actually a strange ability for me since Kulu Mastermind's Weapons Training makes him positioned in between two units to maximize the effect. Therefore, you cannot use this unit to be at the very back or at the very front or else you sacrifice one side of the Weapons Training.
Enrage |
Now, this is an ability I can go with. With high speed and melee attacks, both of these complement Enrage increasing these stats by half when Kulu Mastermind get hit.
Strengths & Weaknesses
| The combination of stats and abilities makes Kulu Mastermind a strong asset. Just like why Deeplurker is a scary enemy, a 4 damage unit targetting the lowest health unit in your team is always a scary thing and will kill your team if you are not prepared. |
| All strong units come with a cost. Kulu Mastermind both has high mana to use and very limited combos. Since the Weapons Training gives the same attack to other units, some rule sets make this unit completely unusable. |
When To Use
What Doesn't Kill You |
Even though Kulu Mastermind will have Enrage, units under the effect of Weapons Training normally does not and this rule set is a good support for them.
Up Close and Personal |
Since Kulu Mastermind is a melee unit, the units affected by Weapons Training also get melee attacks. Therefore, none of them are affected by this rule set.
Melee Mayhem |
This rule set allows units with Weapons Training to attack from the back. This gives your Kulu Mastermind a good flexibility on where you want to position him since everyone can still attack regardless of his position.
When Not To Use
Equalizer |
When everyone has the same health, the effect of Opportuntiy disappears and they just target the one in the very front.
Briar Patch |
Since Kulu Mastermind and all the units affected by Weapons Training are melee, the Thorns from Briar patch is very problematic for Kulu Mastermind.
Reverse Speed |
Due to Kulu Mastermind's high speed, this rule set would make him miss a lot of his attacks and flip the benefit of having high speed.
Battle Sample
https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_9cc17d797cda208c30daa3ee7087ed0b&ref=kpgamingch
For this battle, since the mana is kind of low, I decided to use Prophet Rosa's Shield on Kulu Mastermind and placed him at the back to avoid Sneaks. I then had low mana units along with Venari Wavesmith to delay the enemy advances as Kulu Mastermind picks on them one by one.
Final Thoughts
I actually like this unit especially after I wrote this blog. I normally don't use him because I prefer those with magic attacks as it bypass the armor and attacks health directly. I have some idea on how to mimic this and I'll probably do some experiments if the hassle would be worth to do it.
If I have some units with Rust ability, I can dissolve the enemy's armor which gives me access to their health. This idea combined with Possibilus the Wise's Trample ability would probably make a good combination. This is something I realized after making this blog.
If you have Kulu Mastermind, I encourage you to use him as it would give you good advantage in your games especially if you can use them well.
If you have suggested combos or questions, feel free to comment it down below.
If you are planning to play and is inspired by my post, please consider using my referral link: https://splinterlands.com?ref=kpgamingch
I do not own any of the photos in this post. All credits goes to:
- Splinterlands
- Peakmonsters
- Canva
- Giphy