Hello Everyone! Hope you all are doing great and welcome to another #Splinterlands post.
Today I wanted to shine the spotlight on a card that looks pretty intimidating the moment you see it.
The card is Empusan Darkguard.
It is a Rare Earth unit, and after reading through its abilities, I realized this isn't your typical damage dealer. It can attack weak enemies, support your whole team from the back, and even bring an ally back to life.
That's a lot packed into one card.
Honestly, I think this is one of those monsters that rewards smart positioning instead of simply throwing it into every lineup.
Looking at the stats first, here's what stands out:
Mana Cost: 9
Attack: 5 Melee
Health: 9
Armor: 6
Speed: 3
Those are some pretty solid numbers.
It has enough armor and health to survive for a while, while also dealing respectable melee damage.
The mana cost is a little high, but looking at the abilities, I can understand why.
This card definitely isn't cheap because it offers a lot of utility.
Opportunity: Targets the enemy unit with the least health.
The first ability is Opportunity.
This allows Empusan Darkguard to attack the enemy monster with the lowest Health.
I've always liked Opportunity because it helps remove annoying support monsters before they become a bigger problem.
Instead of hitting the tank over and over, this card goes after easier targets.
That alone already makes it useful.
Shadow Focus: When in the last position, gains Camouflage, cannot attack, and all allied units gain +1 power.
Now this is probably the most unique ability on the card.
Shadow Focus works only when Empusan Darkguard is placed in the last position.
When there, it:
Gains Camouflage
Cannot attack
Gives +1 Power to all allied units
Honestly, I think this is a really interesting tradeoff.
You lose its own attacks, but your entire team becomes stronger.
That could be a huge difference in longer battles.
I don't think I'd use it every match, but it definitely opens up some creative strategies.
Resurrect: Resurrects an allied unit once per battle with 1 health and 100% armor. All magic debuffs are removed, and all magic buffs are reapplied. Resurrected units skip their turn.
The last ability is Resurrect.
This lets Empusan Darkguard revive one defeated ally with:
1 Health
Full Armor
Removed magic debuffs
Reapplied magic buffs
A second chance can completely change the outcome of a battle.
I've lost plenty of matches because my strongest monster got revived by the opponent.
Having that ability on your own side always feels nice.
Personally, I think this card offers two completely different playstyles.
If you want damage, use it normally and let Opportunity pick off weaker enemies.
If your team already has enough attackers, place it in the last position and activate Shadow Focus to give everyone else more power.
That flexibility is probably my favorite thing about this monster.
Not many cards let you completely change their role just by moving their position.
There are quite a few things I like about this card.
High Health and Armor
Strong melee attack
Opportunity helps eliminate weak enemies
Shadow Focus creates unique team strategies
Resurrect can completely swing a battle
Flexible enough to fill multiple roles
It honestly feels like several cards combined into one.
Nothing is perfect though.
Some downsides I noticed are:
Costs 9 Mana, so you can't always fit it into your team.
Shadow Focus prevents it from attacking.
Needs good positioning to get maximum value.
Might be difficult to use effectively for newer players.
Still, I think the positives easily outweigh the negatives.
After reading through everything, I honestly think Empusan Darkguard is one of the more creative Earth cards I've seen.
Most monsters usually have one clear role.
This one can play as an attacker, a team support unit, or even a lifesaver with Resurrect.
My favorite ability is definitely Shadow Focus because it changes the entire way you think about positioning.
Giving every allied unit +1 Power can be huge if your lineup already has several attackers ready to take advantage of it.
Would I use this card?
Absolutely.
It might take a little planning to get the most out of it, but I think that's exactly what makes it fun.
Sometimes the strongest cards aren't the ones with the biggest numbers, they're the ones that make you think differently.
Anyway thats it for today’s #Splinterlands grind. Please do give your reviews in the comments section below. I would really appreciate it :)
I'll be back with another one soon. So do follow me if you want to stay updated. Till then, Stay Happy and Stay Hydrated.
THUMBNAIL IS EDITED IN CANVA
IMAGE SOURCE IS GIVEN BELOW
