Hello Everyone! Hope you all are doing great and welcome to another #Splinterlands post.

Alright, time for another #Splinterlands card spotlight!

Today I'm looking at a card that I think is actually pretty interesting for its mana cost.

The card I'm talking about is, Pirate of Eight.

This is a Rare Water unit, and at level 8, which is the max level, it has 2 abilities:

Reach: Can use melee attacks from the second position.
Blast: Deals an additional 50% damage to units adjacent to the target.

And the stats are:

Mana Cost: 4
Melee Attack: 4
Health: 6
Speed: 4
Armor: 0

Now, 4 mana for 4 melee attack?

That's the first thing that caught my attention.

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

When I first look at Pirate of Eight, the thing that stands out immediately is the 4 mana cost.

That's pretty cheap.

And you're getting 4 melee attack for that cost.

That's honestly pretty good.

The health is also 6, which isn't amazing but definitely isn't terrible either.

Then there is 4 speed.

Again, pretty decent.

So just looking at the numbers, I think Pirate of Eight gives you a nice amount of offensive power without taking up too much of your mana.

But the real reason I find this card interesting is obviously the abilities.

Especially Blast.

Because Blast can make one attack affect more than just one enemy.

And that can become really nasty if the opponent has their units packed together.

𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝟏: 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡

Reach: Can use melee attacks from the second position.

Let's start with Reach.

This ability allows Pirate of Eight to use its melee attack from the second position.

And I really like this for a 4 mana melee attacker.

Normally, melee units need to be in the first position to attack.

But with Reach, Pirate of Eight can stand behind your main tank and still attack.

That gives you a lot more flexibility when building the lineup.

You can have a dedicated tank in front, then place Pirate of Eight right behind it, and suddenly you have two melee attackers hitting the enemy frontline.

That's already useful.

And honestly, I think the second position is probably where I would want to use this card most of the time.

𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝟐: 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭

Blast: Deals an additional 50% damage to units adjacent to the target.

Now we get to the fun part.

Blast.

Pirate of Eight doesn't just damage the enemy it attacks.

Its attack also deals additional 50% damage to units adjacent to the target.

And this is where things can get spicy.

Imagine the opponent has three units standing close together.

Pirate of Eight attacks the middle target, and suddenly the units next to that target are also taking damage.

That's potentially a lot of extra pressure from a single attack.

And because Pirate of Eight already has 4 melee attack, the Blast damage can add up pretty quickly.

Of course, it depends on the enemy positioning.

If the opponent spreads their team out in a way that reduces the value of Blast, you're not getting as much from it.

But when the enemy lineup is packed together?

That's when Pirate of Eight can really start causing problems.

𝐀 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥

This is what I like about Pirate of Eight.

It only costs 4 mana.

But it has a pretty serious offensive setup.

You've got:

4 melee attack

4 speed

6 health

Reach

Blast

That's quite a lot for such a low mana cost.

It isn't necessarily a card that's going to carry an entire battle by itself, but it can definitely contribute a lot without taking away too much mana from the rest of your lineup.