Here is a scene from one of my most recent battles. The mana cap was just 25; all elements were enabled except Dragon, and the active ruleset modifier was the classic "Noxious Fumes"—meaning all cards would start the battle poisoned, with the damage kicking in from the second round (causing -2 health damage to everyone). Since the mana cap was low, I saved mana for other cards instead of spending heavily on an Archon; I assigned the Archon role to Alric Stormbringer for just 3 mana, ensuring the team still received the +1 magic attack boost. For the tank position, I chose my new favorite Grey card, the Gelatinous Cube—a non-attacking unit. Behind it, I placed a card with the 'Weapon Training' ability, granting the Cube a weapon (specifically a magic attack), which was further boosted by +1 thanks to the Archon's power, effectively turning a non-attacking card into a unit with 2 magic attack power. In the third spot, I placed Nerissa Tridawn, my deck's heaviest magic attacker. Next came the Ironwing Juggernaut—which I had upgraded to Level 3 just yesterday—capable of attacking from anywhere in the lineup thanks to its 'Charge' ability. Finally, I included a 0-mana magic card whose primary purpose was simply to soak up and waste enemy attacks.
My team consisted of five cards, four of which were magic-based and benefited from a +1 magic attack boost provided by my Archon. The opponent, meanwhile, prioritized speed and armor over raw attack power and built their team accordingly. Watching the battle makes it clear why I consider the 'Gelatinous Cube'—a truly unique beast—such an excellent tank. The 'Noxious Fumes' ruleset began dealing 2 damage to everyone starting in the second round; consequently, several cards on both teams were eliminated solely due to the poison—something you can see by yourself. By the end of the third round, only three cards remained on each side, but the poison effect at the end of that round knocked out three more cards. Overall, the poison wreaked havoc on the battle, yet my 'Gelatinous Cube' tank consistently gained +1 health via its 'Scavenger' ability whenever a card was knocked out, and subsequently restored one-third of its maximum health using its 'Heal' ability.
At one point, you see only three cards on the battlefield—one belonging to the enemy and two to me; one of my cards has a magic attack power of 5. At first glance, it looks like a one-sided battle because the enemy appears weak. However, a closer look at the enemy's last remaining card reveals it isn't as weak as it seems, as all three of its abilities are designed to neutralize magic attacks. First is 'Void,' which reduces incoming attack damage by 50%—effectively halving the damage from my cards. Then there is the 'Phase' ability, which makes magic attacks just as likely to miss as melee or ranged attacks; this means there is no longer a guarantee that an attack will actually deal damage. Finally, there is the 'Forcefield' ability—which I noticed for the first time here—that reduces the damage of any attack capable of dealing 5 or more damage down to JUST 1. Consequently, the total damage output of my two magic-attack cards (with a combined power of 5 + 2 = 7) drops drastically to just 2 magic damage—exactly matching the enemy's output—making it, to some extent, an evenly matched battle.
The implication becomes clear when my 'Heavy Magic Attack' card is knocked out, leaving only two cards on the battlefield: an enemy tank with 2 magic damage power and my tank with 1 magic damage power (calculated as 2 minus 1). However, there are two game-changing factors—or rather, two powers—capable of turning the tide: the game modifier 'Noxious Fumes,' which deals 2 points of poison damage to both cards each round, and my card's Ultimate 'Heal' ability, which restores one-third of its maximum health every round. Essentially, the tank takes 2 damage from poison and 2 from the enemy's attack—totaling 4 damage—while simultaneously healing 4 health; this means my tank suffers no net damage. Isn't this a cool strategy? 🔥
Note:
English is not my first language. So sometimes I use 'Google Translate'. Please don't think that anything I have written in this blog has been copied from somewhere or is AI-generated.
Paragraph Dividers and all the photos are from #Splinterlands.
All the other content images and words are mine unless otherwise stated.
Have a Happy and Blessed day!
