Sometimes it’s not the big hits in front that win the fight, but the small cuts in the backline. I've been in matches were everything looks fine until suddenly my healers and buffers are gone, and then the whole team crumbles. Saltwater Mage is useful in this regard making her way around the main tanks to make sure each attack counts. Actually, it reminds me of how distractions work in life too. You think the problem is in front of you, but the real damage comes from the side. That slow, steady backline pressure usually decides the fight more than any tank and in Splinterlands, there’s one card that does this job very well.

Lore

Most cecaelia live in loosely structured, nomadic pods along the coast, but some have pledged their skills to the Kingdom of Mar Toren, where politics, law, and influence intertwine. Among them are mages who serve in roles demanding precision, discretion, and magical expertise.

With humanoid upper halves and octopus-like lower bodies, they are as comfortable navigating court intrigues as they are the coastal waters of the Wild Northeast. Their skin shifts in color and texture, a natural adaptation that aids not only in concealment but also in silent observation.

https://splinterlands.com/card-detail/846/regular/15?tab=lore

Stats

Saltwater Mage is a sneaky magic attacker that targets the backline with Sneak, bypassing armor and focusing down fragile supports. With decent health for an 8-mana unit, it can survive long enough to deal consistent damage where the enemy least expects. Saltwater Mage is a unique unit as it has both Magic attack and Sneak. This is a strong combo because your enemies cannot use Protect or Archons that gives armor to bolster their backline defense.

Abilities

Icon	Name	Description
	Sneak	Targets the last Unit on the enemy Team instead of the first Unit.
		is a match because the extra armor helps Saltwater Mage be a little more tanky. The longer you can make Saltwater Mage survive, the more she can carry eliminating your enemies starting from behind.
		is a counter because Enemy units with Void reduce magic damage, heavily limiting Saltwater Mage’s ability to finish off backline targets. Thanks to Sneak, Saltwater Mage will not have to deal with the enemy Void Tank initially but there would be a time that she has to face this unit and Saltwater Mage does not have the advantage on this battle.

Good Rules to Consider

Icon	Name	Reason
	Armored Up	All Units have 2 Armor in addition to their normal Armor stat.
		Similar to Protect, it gives armor to allies but Saltwater Mage’s magic damage passes through enemy armor which means you get the benefit from this rule while not getting any demerits.
	Equalizer	The initial Health of all Units is equal to that of the Units on either team with the highest base Health.
		Fixes Saltwater Mage’s low base health and makes it sturdier in battle. Like I mentioned, the longer she survives, the more she can carry.
	Explosive Weaponry	All units have Blast (deals an additional 50% damage to units adjacent to the target, rounded up).
		Blast combined with magic attack is a dangerous combo especially if you add Saltwater Mage's Sneak attacks for enemy backlines.

Bad Rules to Think Twice

Icon	Name	Reason
	Fog of War	Units lose the Sneak and Snipe abilities.
		Negates Sneak, forcing Saltwater Mage to attack the frontline and waste its specialty. While she is still strong, it reduces her potential especially if your enemy has a Void unit.
	Counterspell	All units have Magic Reflect (returns 50% of magic damage to attacker, rounded up).
		Saltwater Mage has magic attack and suffers from reflected damage from Magic Reflect given by this rule. Better to choose a different unit to play instead of a magic attacker when playing in this rule.
	Aimless	All units with magic and ranged attacks have Scattershot (magic and ranged attacks target a random enemy unit).
		Scattershot overrides Sneak targeting, removing its backline pressure. This makes the attacks unpredictable and making your enemies survive longer since Saltwater Mage isn't focusing on one unit anymore.

Battle

Link to battle

In this battle, we have Target Practice which overrides Sneak. So, we can just put Saltwater Mage at the last position to keep it protected. Then, use other non-melee units in front of her to make some sort of barrier against the Enemy Snipe attacks. I had a better placement of units than the enemy player in this battle which gave me the win. The enemy unit must go through Great Bear Druid and Asel Alagosdil before they can reach my Saltwater Mage. As they waste time attacking my backline tanks, my units make way directly attacking their Saltwater Mage and Water Logged Wizard. Once those two units die, it's just a matter of time before I take the win.

Images were taken from Splinterlands, made in Canva, drawn in Krita and animated in Photoshop.

Support me by joining Splinterlands using my referral code.