Today I wanted to do another card spotlight, and this time I picked a card from the Fire element that I think can be pretty interesting in the right situation.
The card I am talking about today is, Gobalano Soldier.
It is a Common Fire unit, and at max level 10 it has 3 different abilities. It only costs 3 mana, which is probably the first thing that caught my attention.
Three mana is not much at all, so I think this is one of those cards that can be useful when you are trying to build a team without wasting too much mana.
And honestly, the abilities are pretty nice for such a cheap card.
First Impressions
So lets look at the stats first.
At level 10, Gobalano Soldier has:
Melee Attack: 3
Health: 5
Speed: 4
Armor: 0
Mana Cost: 3
The stats are actually not bad considering the mana cost.
The 3 melee attack is especially nice. You are only spending 3 mana, but you are getting a unit that can potentially deal 3 damage every round.
The health is only 5, so obviously this isn't some kind of tank. You don't want this guy standing in the first position and taking a beating.
But that isn't really what he is designed for anyway.
His abilities make it much more interesting.
Ability 1: Sneak
Sneak: Targets the enemy unit in the last position.
The first ability is Sneak.
This means Gobalano Soldier targets the enemy unit in the last position.
And this is exactly where I think this card becomes useful.
Instead of attacking the enemy tank, he can go straight after the backline.
A lot of teams put weaker support or ranged units at the back because they expect the tank to protect them.
Sneak basically says: Nope, I'm coming for you.
With 3 melee attack, he can actually put some serious pressure on those weaker backline units.
Ability 2: Ambush
Ambush: Takes an extra turn prior to the first round of battle.
The second ability is Ambush, and this one is probably the most interesting ability on the card.
Ambush allows the unit to take an extra turn before the first round of battle.
So basically, the fight hasn't even properly started yet and Gobalano Soldier can already attack.
That's pretty crazy for a 3 mana card.
If you combine Ambush with Sneak, things get even more interesting.
You can potentially hit an enemy backline unit before the normal battle rounds even begin.
And if that enemy unit has low health, there is always a chance you can remove it immediately or at least bring it very close to being defeated.
I really like cards that can do something before the normal battle starts because they can completely change the opening of a match.
Ability 3: Shatter
Shatter: Successful attacks destroy the target's armor.
The final ability is Shatter.
Whenever Gobalano Soldier successfully attacks, it destroys the target's armor.
This can be very useful against teams that depend heavily on armor to protect their units.
Imagine you have an enemy unit sitting there with several points of armor.
Gobalano attacks it and Shatter removes that armor.
Now your other attackers have an easier target.
So even if Gobalano Soldier doesn't finish the enemy himself, he can still help the rest of your team by breaking down their defenses.
And because he has Sneak, he can do this against the backline instead of the frontline.
That combination is actually pretty cool.
Why I Like This Card
The biggest thing I like about Gobalano Soldier is simply the 3 mana cost.
You don't need a huge amount of mana to fit him into your lineup.
And despite being cheap, he has three abilities that all work together pretty well.
Sneak + Ambush + Shatter is a pretty useful combination.
Sneak lets him attack the backline.
Ambush lets him attack before the normal battle begins.
And Shatter helps remove armor from the enemy.
That's a lot of utility packed into one small goblin.
Of course, there are some weaknesses too.
With only 5 health and no armor, he can be taken out pretty easily if the opponent gets a chance to hit him.
And because he is a melee attacker, positioning is also important.
You definitely don't want to just throw him anywhere and hope for the best.
Where Would I Use Him?
Personally, I think Gobalano Soldier would be especially interesting in low-mana battles.
When the mana limit is low, every mana point matters.
Spending only 3 mana on a unit that can attack before the first round, target the enemy backline and destroy armor sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
I would also look at using him when I expect the opponent to have weaker units sitting in the back.
If you can remove one of those units early, it can make the rest of the battle much easier.
Conclusion
Overall, I think Gobalano Soldier is a pretty underrated little card.
It doesn't have massive health.
It doesn't have armor.
And it isn't some huge legendary monster that is going to carry an entire team by itself.
But for only 3 mana, I think it offers quite a lot.
The combination of Sneak, Ambush and Shatter gives it a clear purpose.
It's basically a little backline troublemaker.
If the enemy has a weak unit hiding at the back, Gobalano Soldier can get to it before they are ready.
And honestly, sometimes those cheap cards are the ones that surprise you the most.
I'm definitely going to keep an eye on this card in future battles, especially when I get some low mana rulesets.
It might not be the strongest Fire card out there, but I think it can definitely find a place in the right lineup.