Definition

Dodge is an ability that increased chance of evading Melee or Ranged attacks such as +25% chance of evading.

Effect:

• Monsters with Dodge have a 25% base chance to avoid taking damage from any Melee or Ranged attack.
• This applies throughout the entire battle, offering consistent evasion potential against all physical and magical ranged attacks.
• The Dodge chance is further influenced by Speed: the attacker's Speed minus the defender's Speed is compared to a chart, with the difference translating to an additional percentage chance to dodge. For example, a monster with +2 Speed has a 30% chance to dodge against an attacker with 0 Speed.

Strategic Considerations:

• Counteracting aggressive decks: Utilize Dodge against decks heavily reliant on powerful Melee or Ranged attackers. By significantly increasing your chances of evading their attacks, you can frustrate their aggressive strategies and gain a defensive advantage.
• Backline protection: Place Dodge monsters in your backline to potentially avoid key attacks aimed at your valuable spellcasters or support units. Dodging a crucial hit can significantly change the tide of battle.
• Combo potential: Combine Dodge with abilities like Flying (which gives additional dodge against non-Flying attackers) or Opportunity (which allows you to counter-attack after dodging) to create a potent defensive and offensive synergy.
• Baiting attacks: Strategically position Dodge monsters to lure enemy attacks, potentially wasting their actions and enabling your other monsters to counter-attack effectively.

Notable Rulesets

• Up Close and Personal - With only melee monsters allowed to battle, evasive tactics can be quite useful.
• Aim True - monsters always hit their targets rendering Dodge ineffectual.
• Stampede- Trample will be able to retrigger infinitely as long as the trampling monster keeps killing other monsters. Stack your team with monsters able to evade attacks - preventing your opponent from taking out multiple monsters on your team!
• Reverse Speed - Monsters with lower speeds will attack before monsters with higher speeds. Be sure to check your dodging monsters speed so that they do not fall victim to a slower monster!
• Thorns - Even with Dodge, your monster will still take damage from attacking a monster with thorns. Ensure that they can handle it!

Notable Abilities

• Swiftness - all friendly monsters have increased speed. Dodging attacks is the key to success.
• True Strike - If your opponent plays a monster with true strike, they are guaranteed to hit their target neutralizing evasion efforts.
• Backfire - If an enemy misses this Monster with an attack, the attacker takes 2 damage
• Slow - If your opponent plays a monster with slow, be aware that the speed of your monsters will decrease by 1.
• Blind - If your opponent plays a monster with blind, dodge, or flying, be aware that your monster has an increased chance of missing attacks. Pray they do not include the backfire ability in their lineup!
• Return Fire - If you play a ranged attack monster with dodge, they will take damage from Return Fire.

Overall, Dodge is a valuable defensive ability that can significantly enhance your survivability and disrupt enemy offensive strategies. By understanding its mechanics, incorporating it into your deck, and adapting your approach based on the situation, you can leverage the evasive power of Dodge and dominate the Splinterlands battlefield!