Hi guys how are you all? I hope you are all doing great. So guys today I am back again with a new Splinterlands review. It has been really interesting to explore different monsters and today I have another interesting card to talk about. So without wasting any more time let’s get started.
Today the monster and card I am going to talk about is Surgeblade.
Surgeblade is one of those cards that may look very simple when you first see it. But when you take a closer look at its abilities you start to understand why this monster can be very useful in the right battle. It is a melee monster that comes with a mana cost of only five. Because of its low mana cost it can easily fit into many different types of lineups.
At max level Surgeblade has 4 melee attack 5 armor 3 speed and 4 health. For a five mana monster these stats are quite decent. The five armor is especially useful because it gives Surgeblade good protection against physical attacks. It can take several hits before its health is affected which can help it stay alive for longer.
The most interesting thing about Surgeblade is not only its stats but its abilities. It has three abilities and each of them gives the card a different purpose in battle.
The first ability of Surgeblade is Charge.
Charge is a very important ability because it allows a melee monster to attack from any position. Normally melee monsters need to be placed in the first position if you want them to attack. But with Charge you do not have that restriction.
This gives you much more freedom when creating your lineup. You can place Surgeblade in different positions depending on what you want to achieve. You can keep another strong tank in the first position while Surgeblade continues to attack from behind.
This can be very useful when you have a strong frontline monster that you want to protect. Instead of putting Surgeblade in front and making it take all the damage you can place it somewhere safer while still getting value from its melee attack.
This is one of the main reasons why I think Charge makes Surgeblade much more interesting than a normal five mana melee monster.
The second ability of Surgeblade is Reveal.
Reveal is a very useful ability when you are facing enemies with Camouflage. At the beginning of each round Reveal can be applied to a Camouflaged enemy. Once that enemy is revealed it can be targeted by direct attacks.
Camouflage can sometimes make an enemy monster very difficult to deal with. A Camouflaged monster can stay hidden and continue helping its team while your attacks are focused on other targets. This can become a big problem if the hidden monster is a strong damage dealer or an important support unit.
This is where Surgeblade can provide extra utility.
With Reveal it can help expose those hidden enemies and allow your team to target them directly. So Surgeblade is not only bringing damage to the battlefield but it is also helping your team deal with a specific defensive mechanic.
This makes the card particularly interesting in battles where Camouflage is common or where the enemy lineup is built around hiding important monsters.
The third ability of Surgeblade is Blast.
Blast is one of the most dangerous offensive abilities in Splinterlands because it allows your attack to affect more than one enemy.
When Surgeblade attacks a target the main target receives the normal attack damage. At the same time an adjacent enemy also receives additional damage equal to 50 percent of the attack damage rounded up.
This means that Surgeblade can create pressure on multiple enemies with a single attack.
For example if Surgeblade has four melee attack then the main target receives four damage before other effects are considered. The adjacent enemy can also receive additional Blast damage based on that attack.
This can be especially useful when the opponent has important monsters positioned close together. Instead of damaging only one target you can put pressure on another enemy at the same time.
The combination of Charge Reveal and Blast is what makes Surgeblade such an interesting monster.
Charge gives it positional flexibility. Reveal gives it utility against Camouflage. Blast gives it additional offensive power.
When these abilities work together Surgeblade becomes more than just a simple damage dealer.
Another major advantage of Surgeblade is its five mana cost.
Mana is always an important factor in Splinterlands. Sometimes you have enough mana to use powerful high cost monsters but in other battles you need to be very careful about how you spend your mana. A five mana monster can be much easier to fit into a lineup.
Surgeblade can work particularly well in battles where you need to save mana for your tank and support monsters. You can spend five mana on Surgeblade and still have plenty of mana left for the rest of your team.
Its armor also gives it another advantage.
Five armor at max level is a very respectable amount for a monster with this mana cost. Physical attacks have to go through the armor first before they can damage its health. This can help Surgeblade survive against melee and ranged attackers.
However Surgeblade is not completely without weaknesses.
Its health is only four at max level. This means that although it has five armor it can still be vulnerable once that armor is removed. Magic attacks are also a problem because magic damage can bypass armor and directly target health.
Its speed is also three which is decent but not extremely high. Against very fast teams Surgeblade may have trouble attacking first. Because of this it is important to build the rest of your lineup around it instead of depending on Surgeblade alone.
Another thing to remember is that Blast becomes much more useful when enemies are positioned next to the main target. If the enemy lineup is spread out in a way that reduces the value of Blast then you may not get as much additional damage from the ability.
So you should always look at the enemy formation before deciding how useful Surgeblade will be in a particular battle.
I also think Surgeblade can be interesting in different rulesets. In battles where positioning is important its Charge ability gives you more options. In battles where Camouflage is involved its Reveal ability becomes much more valuable. And in battles where enemies are grouped together Blast can provide extra pressure.
This makes Surgeblade a flexible card rather than a monster that only works in one specific situation.
The card can also become more valuable at higher levels because its stats improve and it eventually gets access to its stronger offensive potential. The increase in melee attack and armor makes it more reliable while Blast gives it an additional reason to use it in offensive lineups.
Overall I would consider Surgeblade a very useful low mana utility attacker.
It may not have the highest health or the fastest speed but it makes up for that with a very interesting combination of abilities. Charge allows it to attack from different positions. Reveal gives it an important role against Camouflage and Blast allows it to damage an additional enemy.
For only five mana this is a very useful package.
In my opinion the biggest strength of Surgeblade is its flexibility. You can use it as an attacker while keeping it away from the frontline. You can use it to help reveal hidden enemies and you can also use it to create additional damage through Blast.
Of course the card will not be perfect for every single battle. You still need to look at the ruleset your available mana and the enemy lineup before choosing it. But when the situation is right Surgeblade can provide a lot of value for its mana cost.
So if you are looking for a low mana melee monster that can do more than just attack the enemy then Surgeblade is definitely a card worth considering.
That’s all for today’s review guys. I hope you enjoyed this review and found the information useful. I will be back again with another Splinterlands monster review very soon.
Until then keep playing keep experimenting with different lineups and most importantly keep enjoying Splinterlands.