I want to take a look at another battle breakdown today. This example comes from a Bronze I level matchup. Battle rules were simple, 14 mana cap and Reverse Speed in effect. A copy of the battle can be found following this link: https://splinterlands.io?p=battle&id=cab85b8e9e0baa9336664b31ea54da220ce15006&ref=mrosen95
What I want to draw attention to is a meta game adjustment that I see in some of the higher ranked games but very rarely if ever in the lower levels.
The traditional tendency is to make your first fighter some BEAST of a creature with high melee, some large life count, perhaps shield and some ability. Goblin Mech is a perfect example and often I see it placed first on newcomer lineups.
By the time the team is assembled many new players exhaust their remaining one or 2 mana on Creeping Ooze or Furious Chicken and you see the back end of the lineup defended by these low mana creatures. Certainly putting a Furious Chicken in the last place to absorb a sneak attack makes sense, but look at the following battle:
As you can see I start a Cocatrice in the opening position who is clearly over-powered by the opponent's Goblin Mech.
In the worst case scenario the Goblin attacks the Cocatrice and kills in 1 BUT costs it one Round of fighting allowing my Monster to get in a shot on the Goblin and weaken it. As it turns out in this version of the battle, the Goblin goes on to Miss the Cocatrice not once, not twice, but FOUR times not killing him until the 5th Round.
Look at the weakened state of the Goblin Mech by the time my Stone Golem advances.
The rest of the battle wraps up from here.
The lesson here is considering putting a low mana Monster meat shield in the first position to absorb one hit and give you a turn advantage on your opponent. Just one more way you can mix up your game-play and become a more adaptable and formidable player.
As always let me know your thoughts on what you want to see here. Remember to have fun and Play ON!!!
