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Card Highlights #31: Silent Sha-Vi

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The man who has once been bitten by the snake fears every piece of rope.
by Oxford University Press.
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For this week, we'll take a look at one of my most favorite Death unit, the Silent Sha-vi. While he may not be flashy unlike others, he would surely take you to victory if you can use him properly.

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Lore

Tommy huddled beneath the covers in his bed, his room all the darker for lack of moonlight this night. The child knew there was a monster that crept within the house. He knew it. But his parents wouldn't listen. And tonight, just like the night before, he heard a sound underneath the bed.
Tommy remembered what his parents told him. To just look under his bed. Then he would realize he was safe.

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^{For full lore of this card, visit this website:
https://next.splinterlands.com/card-detail/357/regular/7/?tab=lore}

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Buy and Rental Costs

Silent Sha-Vi's price is a bit on the high. A max level costs you around $3 but that gives you a very solid unit that can be used as a secondary tank or even a carry if you decided to protect him.

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Rental price is very different. You can rent him for a cheap 2.94 DEC per day for a max level. I tend to rent Silent Sha-vi regularly if I am to use Death element as one of my main elements for that week.

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Card Stats

Stat-wise, Silent Sha-VI is very strong. Even at the start, he already have 2 melee attacks with Sneak. At max level is where he shines when he finally gets Piercing that lets him destroy the enemy despite their armor.

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Card Effects

Sneak

Targets the last Unit on the enemy Team instead of the first Unit

Sneak is a strong ability if the unit has high damage. Thankfully, Silent Sha-Vi passes that bar quite easily for having 4 damage at high level.

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Cripple

Each time an enemy is hit by a Unit with Cripple it loses one max health

I only found this useful when enemy is using Taunt. Other than that, I think this is simply a lore ability, meaning this ability was put here in order to adapt to the unit's lore.

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Piercing

If Melee or Ranged attack damage is in excess of the target's Armor, the remainder will damage the target's Health

This ability is what makes Silent Sha-vi shine. Normally,  a quick counter against Sneak is using one unit with Protect or a summoner that gives armor like Kelya Frendul. That delays the Sneak damage by 1 to 2 rounds depending on the attack damage and this is sometimes all you need to break through an enemy's line. With Piercing, this strategy gets disabled and you can quickly kill the enemy's back line.

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Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths
Silent Sha-vi's strength lies in his damage, speed and ability. With high damage, high speed, Sneak and Piercing ability, he's the perfect unit to do a flank strategy where you attack both front and back of your enemy's line.

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Weaknesses
Silent Sha-vi's weakness is that he needed a tank to be useful. Even if I said that he can be a secondary tank, that's still just for emergencies. Silent Sha-vi does not have any defensive abilities that would allow him to withstand a few turns when fighting against hordes of enemies.

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When To Use

Unprotected

Units do not have any armor and do not get armor from Abilities or Summoner Buffs.

Without the blessing of Protect and armor, it is really easy to break through the enemy's back line.

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Equalizer

The initial Health of all Units is equal to that of the Units on either team with the highest base Health.

Equalizer increases everyone's health so having high damage is really useful. The more damage you have on your team, the more you can counteract this rule set.

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Odd Ones Out

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

Odd Ones Out is quite a hard rule set for me since a lot of good tanks in Death element like Cursed Windeku is an even mana. So, when Odd Ones Out is in play, I have to rely on him.

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When Not To Use

Earthquake

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

Since Silent Sha-vi does not have any defensive abilities, using him in Earthquake Rule set is like a timed bomb. If you can't kill the enemies fast enough, Silent Sha-vi would die.

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Fog of War

Units lose the Sneak and Snipe abilities.

In Fog of War, the abilities Sneak, Snipe and Opportunity loses their effect so having Silent Sha-Vi in this rule set just makes him sit and not be able to attack. It would be better to use another unit instead.

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Back to Basics

Units lose all abilities.

Just like Fog of War rule set, Back to Basics removes the Sneak which removes his capability to attack from the back as well.

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Battle Sample

^{https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_45ea13ed697baf014d8476a4da49cbad}

With a mix of damage, I cleared  the enemy's team very quickly in a matter of a few rounds. It's nothing flashy but a good mix of damage is hard to counter.

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Final Thoughts

If you're looking to take your game to the next level, look no further than Silent Sha-vi. His versatile nature and power make him an essential part of any winning strategy

Silent Sha-Vi is a unit that may not be flashy but sure knows how to pack a punch. With his high damage, speed and combinations of abilities, he's the ultimate flank unit. When used properly, he can take out your enemy's team in a matter of a few rounds. If you're looking for a versatile and powerful unit to add to your team, Silent Sha-vi is definitely worth considering.

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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