Hello there.
I've been on vacation, and I just got back. I've been playing during my trip, but I haven't been up to date with a lot of things like new cards and updates. I'm trying to get back to writing on Hive again, and one of the things that I miss have been writing Splinterlands posts. So to hit two birds with one stone, I'll be writing about one of the new cards released; Satoshi Nakamoto... or rather Tasoshi Drakamoto!
As a dad/pun jokes enjoyer, I really like the name. I think they should have leaned more into it by making it a dragon element. But maybe due to balancing issues, I can understand why it might be too powerful as a Dragon [where it can be used with all elements]. Looking at her summary, I also appreciate that they dipped a bit more into Satoshi's lore, where it isn't the actual name of the person.
Looking at the card's stats and abilities, there is a lot to take in. First, the level 1 stats are already really good. Eight mana can be high, but the 2 mana damage is very welcome. Adding Sneak into that can easily take a lot of opponents by surprise. Having 2/5/3 Armor/HP/Speed isn't bad since it gives good survivability and evasion chance.
The max level is a bit interesting though. Getting +1 in all stats except the armor is great. The skills that it gets seems a bit weird to me though. I have always found putting Inspire on Magic attack monsters as a head scratcher, since the owner can't make use of it. But with Sneak, it means the team comp encourages back line attackers. Fire has a good amount of Melee sneak and opportunity, so that can work.
The Stun seems to have a niche use. Its main purpose might be to disable the support in the back. Trying to proc the Knockout even if it is a ruleset can be difficult. The team needs to be full of Sneak monsters to do so. But with its high speed, it is still a viable option if the Knockout is together with the Fog of War ruleset.
Finally, Spite is another one where I have a hard time understanding their reasoning for. This is usually good with abilities that revive it so there can be multiple procs, but I'm not sure if Fire has a lot of those. I guess putting it in a second to last position, or in the middle is the best position for it to take advantage of this.
Overall, I think they created this card as a support monster. It doesn't have any abilities that make it a carry, but it really empowers your team, and disrupts the opponent's.
I play in Modern, so I'll just discuss how Modern archons work with her. Nomos and Fithe are pretty straightforward and won't do much to what Tasoshi does. I think those two are defensive Archons, so they don't rely on monsters too much, but rather try to counter what the opponent might be going with.
Abraxas and Dolfar on the other hand, I think is the usual Archons that people will use Tasoshi with in lower leagues. The dual element enables a lot more Melee Sneak and Opportunity monsters that can take advantage of Tasoshi's Inspire, or just work with her Sneak to burst the backline.
Drath isn't ideal, because the additional Range damage doesn't work with Tasoshi, nor with Melee monsters that will take advantage of Tasoshi's Inspire. The Flying can be good in the Earthquake ruleset, and for additional survivability. The left side buff with True strike is always good, but the Taunt on the right can be an option during the Knockout ruleset to take advantage of the stun.
I think Lorkus is the best partner for Tasoshi. Not only can it put your team over the top by providing another increase in melee damage, but the life leech and additional magic damage also work well with Tasoshi. One of the weakness of a team for Tasoshi can be a Taunt sustain team, but Lorkus can also counter that with the right side buffs.
Looking at the Modern Melee Fire cards with Sneak and Opportunity, there aren't a lot of options available. In a pinch, Earth adds two more for a full team with Tasoshi at front. But Death having a plethora available, pretty much cements Death and Lorkus as the best choice. Fire and Death can field a five monster Sneak team with a tank in front. Together with Lorkus, I think the enemy team will melt like butter against that.
Mixing a bit of Opportunity in that team isn't bad as well, especially if they are higher level or have abilities like Ambush. If I were to play Tasoshi and make a team around her, I will create a back line attacking team and coast to victory.
But that is not all. I think monsters with Flank or Reach can also make Tasoshi work [Thragha gets flank at level 4]. This does require one to unlock at least the Inspire ability if they want Tasoshi to shine. All three have Flank and Reach options, so identify which Archon is best for the current situation will be the play.
In the worst case scenario, I think Fire getting another Magic attacker is good. In rulesets where only Magic is available, or Back to Basics, having Tasoshi with its good stats make it a viable card to play. Or one can just play it in high mana battles for its survivability and damage.
That is it for my Tasoshi Drakamoto review. I don't think it is meta defining, but I think it enables and empowers Sneak or Opportunity strategies a lot. It can work in lower league, but it can also hack it in higher league.
Don't hesitate to let me know what you think, and if you have suggestions for improvement. And as always, these are Not Financial Advice, and Do Your Own Research.
If you want to start playing Splinterlands, you can use my link:
Splinterlands Referral Link
