Not every card in Splinterlands gets the spotlight. We all know the hype monsters the legendary cards with flashy stats that feel like they were designed to break friendships. But sometimes it’s the overlooked cards that make your lineup feel clever instead of predictable. For me, that unsung hero is the newest promo card: Yaba’s Pickle. Yeah, the name is ridiculous but don’t let it fool you. This thing is secretly nasty when you maximize its potential.
At first glance, Yaba’s Pickle doesn’t look like much. The stats aren’t screaming “MVP,” and it doesn’t have that legendary status. But that’s exactly why it flies under the radar. The Pickle’s Dodge, Shield, Slow and Heal ability turn this 4 mana card into a powerhouse!
The real beauty of the card is that it’s not trying to be the superstar it’s the utility player that makes the whole squad work better. And when you start pairing it with some modern cards with utility, the Pickle becomes more than just a funny name it becomes a strategy.
Here’s where things get spicy. On its own, Yaba’s Pickle does its job. But when you throw Neoxian Rebel into the mix with its Weapons Training ability, the Pickle gets downright disrespectful. Weapons Training lets your adjacent monsters with no attack gain an attack type from a teammate. Since Yaba’s Pickle doesn’t exactly hit hard on its own(no attack without weapons training), this is the perfect way to squeeze more juice out of it.
Now picture this lineup: you’ve got Ulund Overseer anchoring the front as your mega tank. This guy is a walking wall with absurd HP, and with the Rebel’s training, suddenly Ulund isn’t just soaking hits he’s slinging out magic damage too. Add in Yaba’s Pickle in the mix, and suddenly you’ve built a lineup with a tank that hits like a mage, a support monster that strips buffs, and a Rebel that ties it all together. That’s not just creative it’s brutal.
This setup basically screams high HP, high survivability, and high amounts of magic damage. The Pickle might not be the obvious threat, but it’s the one greasing the gears for the rest of the squad.
I think part of the reason Yaba’s Pickle gets overlooked is the lack of high damage abilities..dont sleep on It’s abilities are not damage heavy like Carnage Titan’s double strike or Immortalis’ teamwide magic reflect. But Splinterlands isn’t always about fireworks it’s about depth. And depth means having cards in your deck that can completely ruin your opponent’s day when played at the right time.
In rulesets like Armored Up or Equalizer, the Pickle can go from funny promo to “why am I losing?” really quickly. Strip away the enemy buffs, pump up your own tank and pickle with Weapons Training, and let the attrition game play out in your favor.
Yaba Pickles ability, Slow, is incredibly disruptive. This ability can completely turn the tide of a battle by significantly reducing the attack speed of enemy monsters, allowing your team to get the first strike usually winning matches.
Beyond his crowd control, Yaba Pickles also brings healing to the table at level 10. This self sustain and support capability means he can endure prolonged fights and keep himself, and potentially nearby allies, healthy. The combination of Slow and healing at level ten makes Yaba Pickles a formidable and resilient champion who can both lock down opponents and keep himself in the fight. He truly shines as a tanky, utility focused character that can disrupt enemy formations while providing vital survivability.
The first time I really saw the Pickle shine was in a Gold League match so he could benefit from leveling. He works in Bronze as you can see from my battle. I dropped Ulund Overseer as my tank, backed by Neoxian Rebel and then Yaba’s Pickle so both of the monsters with no attack suddenly had 2 magic damage. With the Pickle dropping magic bombs on the enemy, their monsters melted away. Meanwhile, my Ulund was smashing them with unexpected magic damage thanks to Weapons Training. What looked like an uphill battle turned into a clean ass kicking, and I walked away laughing at how the Yabas Dirty Dill had quietly ruined their whole setup.
Look, I get it the card is called Yaba’s Pickle. It’s hard to take it seriously at first. But if you’re willing to experiment (no diddy), it’s one of those rare promo cards that rewards creativity. Pair it with Neoxian Rebel Marlai Singariel(+1 magic damage)and Ulund Overseer, and suddenly you’ve got a badass tank and a magic punching lineup that keeps your opponents losing and strips away their precious buffs.
In Splinterlands, it’s not always about the biggest numbers it’s about the smartest synergies. And that’s why Yaba’s Pickle is my pick for this week’s unsung hero. Sometimes the funniest looking card in your deck ends up being the secret weapon that wins you the match.
