Alright, time for another #Splinterlands card spotlight!

Today I wanted to look at a card that I think is actually pretty interesting because it doesn't really rely on having crazy high stats.

The card I am talking about today is, Grim Bonewhip.

Grim Bonewhip is a Common Death unit, and at max level 10 it gets a total of 4 abilities.

And honestly, this is one of those cards where the abilities are probably more interesting than the basic stats.

So let's take a closer look at it.

First Look at the Stats

At level 10, Grim Bonewhip has:

• Melee Attack: 3

• Health: 6

• Speed: 3

• Armor: 0

• Mana Cost: 5

Looking at these numbers, nothing is really screaming OP or anything like that.

3 melee attack is decent.

6 health is also okay.

The speed of 3 is pretty average and there is no armor, which means it can definitely get taken down if the enemy focuses on it.

But the important thing here is that Grim Bonewhip isn't really about being a massive tank.

It is more about what it can do for the entire team.

And that's where the abilities become important.

Ability 1: Reach

Reach: Can use melee attacks from the second position.

The first ability is Reach.

This allows Grim Bonewhip to use its melee attack from the second position.

And I really like Reach because it gives you more flexibility when building your lineup.

You can put your main tank in the first position and then place Grim Bonewhip behind it.

Instead of just sitting there and waiting for the first unit to die, it can actually attack from the second position.

With 3 melee damage, it's not doing insane damage, but it is still contributing every round.

This can be especially useful when you have a strong tank that can survive for several rounds.

Ability 2: Rust

Rust: -2 armor to all enemy units.

Now this is where things start getting more interesting.

Grim Bonewhip has Rust.

Rust reduces the armor of all enemy units by 2.

That can be pretty useful against teams that rely heavily on armor.

If the enemy has several units with a decent amount of armor, removing 2 armor from all of them can make your attacks much more effective.

And because it affects the entire enemy team, you're not just helping one attacker.

Your whole team can potentially benefit from it.

This is probably one of the main reasons I would consider using Grim Bonewhip in certain lineups.

Ability 3: Swiftness

Swiftness: +1 speed to all allied units.

The third ability is Swiftness.

This gives +1 Speed to all allied units.

And again, this is a team-wide ability.

I always like abilities that give benefits to the entire lineup because they can have an effect on the whole battle rather than just one card.

That extra speed might not look like much on paper, but speed can make a big difference.

It can help your units attack earlier and potentially avoid some physical attacks.

So now Grim Bonewhip is giving your team both a speed boost and reducing enemy armor.

Not bad for a 5 mana Common card.

Ability 4: Execute

Execute: If the target has 2 or less health after a successful attack, perform another attack against the same unit.

And finally, we have Execute.

This ability is pretty simple but can be very satisfying.

If Grim Bonewhip attacks an enemy and leaves that enemy with 2 or less health, it gets to perform another attack against the same unit.

So basically, if you weaken an enemy enough, Grim Bonewhip can finish the job with another attack.

I really like abilities like this because sometimes a single extra attack can completely change a battle.

You could have an enemy unit barely surviving with 1 or 2 health, and instead of waiting another round, Execute can potentially remove it immediately.

And obviously, getting rid of an enemy one round earlier can be very important.

How I Would Use Grim Bonewhip

For me, the biggest thing about this card is that it brings multiple types of utility.

It can attack from the second position.

It reduces enemy armor.

It increases the speed of your whole team.

And it has a chance to get an extra attack against weakened enemies.

That's a lot of useful stuff packed into one 5 mana card.

I wouldn't really look at Grim Bonewhip and say, "This is my main damage dealer."

That's not really what it seems designed for.

Instead, I see it as a card that makes the rest of your lineup better while still being able to contribute some damage itself.

CONCLUSION

After looking at Grim Bonewhip, I think this is a pretty cool example of why you shouldn't judge a card only by its basic stats.

3 attack, 6 health and 3 speed doesn't sound crazy.

But then you add:

Reach + Rust + Swiftness + Execute

And suddenly the card becomes a lot more interesting.

The combination of Rust and Swiftness is probably my favourite part.

You're making the enemy team weaker while making your own team faster.

And then you still have Reach and Execute for extra offensive value.

Of course, it still has weaknesses.

With only 6 health and no armor, it isn't something I would want sitting alone in front of a strong enemy team.

But when used in the right position and with a good lineup around it, I can see Grim Bonewhip being a really useful little support/damage card.

Sometimes the cards that don't look amazing at first are the ones that surprise you the most.