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Card Highlights #30: Albatross

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Birds soar through the sky, free and unrestrained. Why should we humans, with our cumbersome legs, try to tether them?
by Li Bai
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Meet Albatross, the low-mana wonder! With a just 1 mana, he can be a game-changer in low-mana battles.

But beware because his weak health leaves him very vulnerable. Don't worry, there are plenty of Taunt units in Water element to keep this little birdie safe and protected. Albatross is a must-have for your team especially if you like using Taunt in your team like me.

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Lore

Albatross have recently migrated from the other side of the world. They have a mejestic beauty that stuns onlookers who see them fly by. In battle, they use their long beaks as sabres and their razor-sharp wing feathers to slice at their enemies.
The Pirates of Azmaré hold strong superstition that anyone who kills an Albatross will be doomed to a lifetime of bad luck, but still sometimes a fight must be made, for the Pirates' own defense.

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^{For full lore of this card, visit this website:
https://next.splinterlands.com/card-detail/169/regular/4/?tab=lore}

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Buy and Rental Costs

Even though you don't see a lot of players using Albatross, he's still on the expensive side due to how useful he is. At max level, you can purchase one for $25.

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The rental price doesn't reflect it though. While his price is still on the expensive side, around 6.77 DEC per day, you can be sure that he can be helpful at a lot of battles still.

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Card Stats

Really strong. Albatross is not strong in the sense that he can win any battles like The Kraken but he's strong in a sense that he only costs 1 mana and yet you get a free Tank Heal ability. It adds up heals especially on low mana battles where you cannot add your Merdaali Guardian because you lack mana. You will have no reason not to add Albatross in your games.

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Card Effects

Flying

Has an increased chance of evading Melee or Ranged attacks from Units who do not have the Flying ability

Flying ability is just a bonus to increase the evasion of Albatross although it's not really as helpful since you would put him in the most protected position possible.

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Tank Heal

Restores a portion of the Unit in the first position's health each round

A 1 mana unit with Tank Heal is really amazing. You can heal your tank with almost no mana needed. This is a strong ability especially if you have a tank that has Taunt to protect this little guy.

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Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths
Albatross strength is his low mana. You virtually need no mana to use him. 1 mana is not a big deal and you can use him in low mana battles where you think you do not have the ability to do so.

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Weaknesses
The main weakness of Albatross is his low health. Since he would have the lowest health, probably, in every battle, he would always be in danger for Opportunity. Fortunately, there are a lot of Taunt units that you can use with the Water element so you will never had any reason not to keep this little guy protected.

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When To Use

Little League

Only Units & Summoners that cost 4 Mana or less may be used in battles.

Since Albatross only needs 1 mana, it fits the requirement for Little League rule set that only allows units with 4 or less mana. You can add him along with Merdaali Guardian and Crustacean King to have three Tank Heal units in your team.

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Odd Ones Out

Only Units with odd Mana costs may be used in battles.

Since Albatross costs 1 mana, he can be a good unit to be used in Odd Ones Out. He can fit in any battles whether it would be high or low mana fights.

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Earthquake

Non-flying Units take 2 Melee damage at the end of each round.

Due to the Flying ability of Albatross, he is unaffected by the damage given by Earthquake rule set. This makes him a good unit in this rule set as long as you can protect him from possible Snipe and Opportunity attacks.

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When Not To Use

Healed Out

All healing abilities are removed from Units and Summoners.

Albatross's only use is his Tank Heal and in Healed Out rule set, that would be unusable since any heals are not allowed in that battle.

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Equal Opportunity

All Units have the Opportunity ability.

Since Albatross has one of the lowest health in the game even at max level, Equal Opportunity will only just make him a target by every unit on the board. Prepare your Taunt units or else don't use Albatross at all.

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Back to Basics

Units lose all abilities.

Without an ability, Albatross is just a unit with no attack and low health. Unless you are using him as a bonus unit, then don't use him at all.

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Battle Sample

^{https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_78c47844368687d06e38c2edf038dcf8&ref=kpgamingch}

The battle is a typical The Kraken fight. I, of course, win but it just made my life a lot easier since I can have Albatross as a substitute of one of my other Tank Heal units.

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Final Thoughts

So there you have it, a quick review of Albatross, the One Mana Wonder! He may only be 1 mana but he can make all the difference in low mana battles.

While his vulnerability is a problem, there are multiple ways to protect him and keep him alive.

Albatross is a great addition to any team, especially if you're a fan of Taunt like me. So what are you waiting for? Add him to your team and start winning!

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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