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Card Highlights #46: Uraeus

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A cobra's hiss is a warning—a reminder that in the wild, even the smallest creatures can be deadly.
by Jim Corbett
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Uraeus is a Neutral unit in the Splinterlands world. This unit is a very offensive unit which make it deadly on the right hand. Players often rely on Uraeus for dealing solid damage from unexpected positions. With a mix of Sneak and Poison abilities, Uraeus can quickly weaken opponents lineup by making it hard for opponents to defend from both fron and back.

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Lore

There is a famous circus camp in the Smoldering Forest of the Burning Lands called The Sirk. It has the boldest daredevils, the most agile acrobats and the most distinguished freaks anywhere in the Splinterlands. These performers are especially well known for their daring games with the most dangerous creatures in the world.
They hold staring contests with sabrecats and shut themselves into small boxes with rabid Maglarian wolverines. When it comes to snakes, these daredevils have one rule: Don't mess with a Uraeus.

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^{For full lore of this card, visit this website:
https://next.splinterlands.com/card-detail/351/regular/3/?tab=lore}

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Buy and Rental Costs

As an Epic card, Uraeus has a buy price currently at $4.37 making it decent. Many players see this price range as a expensive and turn off for adding Uraeus to their lineup but often forgotten that it's at max level or multiple copies of cards all rolled into one. Uraeus provides good value for its capabilities and it's a recommended pick for both new and veteran players and for those who want a reliable, cost-effective Epic unit.

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Uraeus can be rented at a price of 0.31 DEC per day which is considered cheap for a max leveled Epic card. This low rent cost makes it accessible to all players who want to test its abilities without committing to a full purchase. Renting Uraeus at such an affordable price allows other players to be able to test and use it in any rulesets or any battles without a long term investment.

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Card Stats

Uraeus's stats show a balanced mix of offense and resilience. Its 4 health and 1 armor provide some defense although it is only a little. Its damage of 3 combined with a high 4 speed makes it capable of striking first and hitting hard. Overall, it's a strong unit for picking off backline opponents.

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Card Effects

Sneak

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

This ability is excellent for targeting enemy backlines which can disrupt the opponent’s strategy. It’s effective for weakening and killing support units early in the battle.

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Poison

Attacks have a chance to apply poison, which does automatic damage to the target at the beginning of each round after the poison is applied

Poison is an additional layer of damage that can continuously damage an opponent even after Uraeus's initial strike. This ability pairs well with Sneak by making sure that the target will keep losing health over time and damage them even when they have high armor or Shield ability.

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Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths
Uraeus has strong offensive capabilities which are great for dealing consistent damage to enemy backlines. It's the perfect example of a hit quick, hit hard strategy. The combination of Sneak and Poison makes it a dangerous opponent if it cannot be killed very early. With high speed, it has the advantage of striking early in the turn order while avoiding the attacks from low speed enemies.

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Weaknesses
One major weakness is its limited armor and low 4 health which leaves it vulnerable to strong attacks and Opportunity attacks. Uraeus can also be countered in rule sets that restrict Sneak, Poison usage or affects melee units negatively.

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When To Use

Need For Speed

You can only summon units with 3 or more speed.

This rule set is ideal for Uraeus due to its high speed. Since in this rule set, you are required to have a unit with more than 3 Speed to use, remember that lower leveled Uraeus may not qualify in this criteria.

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Up Close and Personal

Only Units with Melee attack may be used in battles.

Although this rule limits attacks to melee, Uraeus’s melee attacks make it a suitable choice for such battles. Its Sneak ability can still target enemy backlines even in this limited ruleset.

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Shades of Gray

Only Neutral Units may be used in battles.

In this rule set, where only Neutral units can be played, Uraeus shines as a Neutral Element choice. Its flexibility in any Element deck gives players more tactical options.

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When Not To Use

Briar Patch

All units receive the Thorns ability at the start of the battle. Enemy units that use melee attacks receive damage back.

With this rule, Uraeus has to be cautious but its Sneak ability still lets it attack backline with the cost of being damaged every attack. While you can still use him, you may not be able to use him on long games since he dies in 3 turns when you don't do anything.

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Fog of War

Units lose the Sneak and Snipe abilities.

In this rule set which disables Sneak, Uraeus loses one of its core abilities but retains Poison. This makes him useless as you need Uraeus to be placed in the front in order to use him and last time I checked, Uraeus isn't a tank choice.

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Stampede

The Trample ability can trigger multiple times per attack if the trampled Units is killed.

While he isn't affected by the rule since Uraeus doesn't have Trample, it is still bad because in cases that he does, like when you use him alongside with Possibilus the Wise, Trample doesn't work since Uraeus's target is the last enemy. Trample will attack the next one in line when the target is killed but there is no "next" when your target is the last unit already. If Trample doesn't work, Stampede doesn't work.

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Battle Sample

^{https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_d3c7ad46766f8e3b812c3c51ac2ea345}

At first glance, I already have a good numbers advantage. Due to Tarsa increasing the melee damage and my team composed of all melees, then I make use of her abilities very efficiently. While my team tries to block the front, other ones like Torch Vizier, Tenyii Strike and Uraeus attacks the back. This makes it a good strategy mixing attack from both front and back.

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Final Thoughts

Uraeus is a strong offensive Epic card with stats and abilities like Sneak and Poison that make it effective for targeting backline enemies.

With affordable buy and rent prices, it is a good choice for players seeking a reliable, cost-efficient unit to fill in their lineup.

While its limited health and armor and specific rules shows some weaknesses, Uraeus remains a solid asset in Splinterlands for those looking for a flexible backline assassin that can be used in combination with any element.

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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