In April, I managed to reach Silver II for the first time and In May I mirrored the achievement. I completed every weekly battle challenge and I constantly improve my game tactics and team synergy. The season reward was sweet, with 3 rare cards from 15 chests.
Weekly Battle Challenge 1 : The Un-Peaceful Giant will strike back!
I completed this challenge on 1st of May, when the world celebrates Labour Day. No more slimy nagas or mushroom people, as this time we have to put to work a well groomed Big Friendly Giant! The Peaceful Giant is the Splinterlands version of the Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl. This neutral card has the perfect as a main tank. It has no abilities and will not gain any abilities when upgraded. He will gain one extra Health Point for every level rise.
With 8 HP for 5 Mana, this card can endure a lot of damage. Used in the right team, the Peaceful Giant can be a game changer! The Peaceful Giant loves the nature and the animals. His hand can hold an elephant and his size will outmatch mighty dragons. His mission is to create balance and defend the weaklings.
But how this hulk help out while being a punchbag? Well... Demonic creatures can hide behind him and drain the life out from the opponents. Malric Inferno was my chosen summoner because he will give +1 Melee Attack. No more Mister Nice Guy, as the Un-Peaceful Giant will slap you back.
The Peaceful Giant was my choice of tank, and Fineas Rage was used in the second position. Fineas has Reach ability and high speed, which will be an advantage in this combat. The Kobold Miner with Sneak was selected to spend the 2 Mana left and the Furious Chicken was left at the back to defend the Miner from the opponent's Sneak attacks.
The opponent selected the Death splinter, with casters behind the Shadow Presence. The Presence was the first monster to fell, at the start of Round 2. It was shortly followed by the Giant. It was Round 3 when many adversaries fell under Fineas sword. One by one, he cleared the path towards an comfortable win! The Peaceful Giant can be used in many strategies and can feed in many tactics. Having big HPs and low mana cost, makes the BFG a real asset for a team. My one was used as a punch-bag, to receive heavy hits from enemies. He gave Fineas Rage enough time to hit from behind and nuke some of the opponents. See the full battle HERE!
Weekly Battle Challenge 2 - The Silvershield Bard
O'Valley of Plenty ... O'Valley of Plenty ... Toss a coin to your Witcher!
This week battle challenge is not about the hero, it's about those supporting the hero! It's about that one who lives to tell the tales and sing the acts of heroism ... it about the bard!
The Silveshield Bard is a support card which I never used. For 1 Mana is one of the cheapest cards in the game, well balanced with 1 Attack, 2 Health Points and 3 Speed. The Bard will remove all negative effects from the friendly monster in the 1st position with his Cleanse ability. Will gain Swiftness at level 5, giving increased speed to his team.
Battle Details
Mana cap: 23
Ruleset: Normal
Lineup Details: The Shilvershield Brigade
Tyrus Paladium(Summoner): +1 Armor to friendly monsters
Shieldbearer: Main tank
Luminous Eagle: Melee with Reach
Silvershield Bard: Cleanse
Truthspeaker: Protect (+2 Armor to friendly monsters)
Herbalist: Ranged
Furious Chicken: defender of the back gate
No special rules and an opponent who choose the fire splinter gave me a small advantage. He went for the Goblin Mech as a strong tank and heavy ranged damage from the Ettin. The Shieldbearer was my witcher, the slayer of monsters. Looked like a fair fight but his Goblin Mech was the first down, at the start of Round 3. After that was all about grinding! My opponent made a mistake by leaving the Flame Monkey in the third position, leaving the Ettin useless.
I had the better tactic in this game and the extra armor made the difference. I only lost the Shieldbearer during the fight and the set up showed strength and efficiency. Toss a coin for the winners... O'Vallet of Plenty! See the full battle HERE!
Weekly Battle Challenge 3 - The Hybrid from the Deeps - Octopider
Death Splinter is not everyone's favorite as it requires strong cards and out of the box thinking to create insane game mechanics. Maybe this is also the reason why Death is not chosen as often as Water or Life for weekly challenges. But this week we have a treat as the theme is ... the Octopider!
The Octopider is a rare ranged monster that can be obtained through reward chests. It has Demoralize at level 3 and Blind at level 7 and a good mix of treats that makes it worth it to pay 8 Mana. The Octopider has 7 Health Points, 3 Ranged Attack and 3 Speed, a mix that will bring some deadly power to the team. This hybrid monster may be the Kraken we hear about in sailing stories or maybe this monster is the one that kicks the kraken ass whenever they meet in deep waters.
Battle details and lineup
Mana cap: 20
Rulesets: Weak Magic (magic damage will hit armor before health)
I choose Contessa L'Ament as summoner, to reduce the ranged damage of the enemy monsters, and because is my only level 2 Death summoner.
Undead Rexx: Main Tank and Main Damage
Furious Chicken: Free entry
Octopider: Ranged Damage
The enemy team was also Death Splinter, with the Haunted Spirit used as main tank. The damage was focused on ranged attacks from the Haunted Spider and the Cyclops. The Undead Rexx is overpowered and nuked the Haunted Spirit, with help from the Octopider.
After 4 rounds, the whole enemy team was down and my one was still standing. Not a single monster was lost in this battle, as a result of the strong strategy. The choice of summoner was excellent, as the Haunted Spider and the Cyclops were affected by the reduction of ranged damage. Also using the Undead Rexx as the main tank is very rewarding, as his attack power and speed is insane. I used the Furious Chicken in the second position, to created a barrier between the Rexx and the Octopider, and create the chance for another attack in case the Rexx will be taken down. The team set up was ready for a bigger challenge. See the whole battle HERE!
Weekly Battle Challenge 4 - Minos the Mighty Minotaur
Many eons ago, I ventured into the Labyrinth and set free the Minotaur! In this alternative universe, I was Theseus! I didn't slay the beast, I offered him the chance to join me as my companion!
We traveled to the Splinterlands and spent the last centuries hunting down big dinosaurs, just for fun. As new heroes joined the adventure, the battle horn called us to action! Is time for Minos the Mighty Minotaur to swing the axe and let some rage out!
The Minotaur Warrior is an Alpha/Beta common Earth monster! I hope you don't wear a red hood, because this will make him really angry! I never used this card until the battle challenge, as my usually choice for tank is the Nectar Queen. The Minotaur costs 4 Mana and has Reach ability. The starting HP is 2 with 3 Armor, which makes it a decent tank. It has 1 Melee Attack and 3 Speed, under my expectations for a 4 Mana card.
Battle Details and Line-up
Mana cap: 44
Rulesets(s): Armored Up +2 Armor to friendly monsters
Summoner: Lyanna Natura +1 HP to friendly monsters
Opponent: Water Splinter + 1 Spell Power
I chose the Nectar Queen as main tank for the high damage/ high HP combo and the Minotaur Warrior as second tank with Reach. War Chaang used in 3rd position as a ranged until will reach 1st position, than melee fighter. The three monsters were backed with heal by the Wood Nymph. Mitica the Headhunter was in charge with high ranged damage, while the Sand Worm was used in the last position as the Sneak ability ignores the position on the battlefield.
Even if my opponent chose a summoner that gives +1 Spell Power, he had only 2 casters in the team! Why? School boy error! Torhilo, the enemy tank was down in Round 2, and most of his monsters lost their extra armor. My Nectar Queen was on low health while was dealing damage with his Reach skills.
I lost the Nectar Queen while my opponent lost the Water Elemental and the Sand Worm. Then Minos the Mighty Minotaur had a last swing of the axe and joined other brave warriors in after-life!
All grinding during round 4 and 5, with damage and heal on both sides. The Wood Nymph did well to keep the War Chaang alive. The Capitan's Ghost was sent to rest in peace at the end of round 5 and now is clear who the victor will be. The Prismatic Energy was left alone against 4 monsters, and had no chance to survive.
I won the fight because my team was balanced and used fully the summoner's trait while the opponent used a spell damage booster but didn't used more casters. The balance was broken by a higher damage from my selection.
The Minotaur Warrior had his contribution, dealing damage and defending the overpowered Headhunter and Sand Worm. Probably he went to the Underworld, maybe in Valhalla, but for certain he will live in the adventurer memory (until needed again!). See the full battle here!
Hey good post! I have always wanted to start playing sp but for some reason I keep procrastinating. I just wanted to ask from the ROI perspective how rewarding the game is vs the time you put in ?