Introduction
Hello Fellow Summoners,
In this article, I will be discussing a Water-based Summon with reach ability. This monster is called Wave Runner.
The Lore
This monster has two sets of eyes it uses to hunt prey on water and those who hover above it. Its powerful tail acts as a propulsion that catapults it to catch unsuspecting victims. It is said that the Wave Runner can even catch Dragon when these powerful magical creators fly on the Wave Runner's domain.
Stats of the Wave Runner
At Level 1, the Wave Runner is a decent secondary tank with 4 HP, 3 Speed, 2 melee damage, and reach ability. The reach ability allows this shark to attack the enemy's tank from the second position. And at maximum level, it gains 7 HP, 5 Speed and 4 melee damage on top of the two extra abilities, namely, knockout and snare. The first ability, knockout, gives the Wave Runner double damage when attacking a stunned enemy while the second ability disables the flying ability of any unit.
Description of the Card
The Wave Runner is a standard card that is available to all players. It is also a common card which the lowest tier in terms of card quality. But do not be misled, just because it is a common card, it does not automatically mean that it is weak. With the proper synergy of line-up, this Water-based card can still beat players if they do not play their cards right.
The strategy that best fits the Wave Runner
I can only speak at Bronze Level because the game meta changes if a player reaches Silver and above leagues.
At the Bronze level, the reach ability of the Wave Runner really puts it as the best unit at the second position. At Bronze 3 when any of these 3 rule sets are applied in the battle (Melee Mayhem, Super Sneak, Equal Opportunity), the Wave Runner can be positioned anywhere. To maximize the power of the Wave Runner, the tank should have high survivability.
For budget accounts, the Water tank options are very limited. The player can either use the Frozen Soldier or the Spineback Turtle. As for me, I prefer to use the Spineback Turtle as my tank because of the high hit points (HP). The Frozen Soldier is vulnerable to magic attacks and has low HP.
If you have some spare funds, I'd recommend buying Torhilo the Frozen or/and the Sea Monster. I find Torhilo the Frozen more flexible to use because it has 4 Armor, 8 HP, 4 Melee damage, and the void ability which reduces magic damage.
The other units can be a combination of magic or range units. It also helps if you can include in the line-up the Crustacean King because it has heal ability which will make your tank last longer.
I have not yet factored in my analysis the introduction of new cards for the water deck. I have tried using the Venari Wavesmith in my water decks and this creates a new strategy for water-based monsters because this monster grants 2 armor to allied units. It just made the water monsters stronger against other decks.
The Combat
In this battle where the mana limit is 99, I selected Alric Stormbringer as my summoner. For my line-up, I picked the Sea Monster as my tank because I believe that the Venari Wavesmith will enable the Sea Monster to last longer due to the +2 Armor and the monster's self-heal abilities.
After my tank, I put the Wave Runner in the second position, then Captain's Ghost in the third position, then the Venari Wavesmith, the Axe Master, and finally, the Water Elemental. I put the Captain's Ghost in the third position because it will serve as the third tank due to its high health and I positioned the Water Elemental in the last position to protect the Axe Master from sneak attacks.
My enemy had a different strategy. While we both used the same tank, his second unit, the Torhilo the Frozen, was not doing anything while my Wave Runner is attacking his main tank. The monster in the third position, Kelp Initiate, was also useless. The remaining units, the Enchanted Pixie, Venari Wavesmith, and Medusa are his main damage dealers.
Also, in terms of damage, I think my units have higher damage capacity especially the Axe Master and Captain's Ghost which has been buffed by my summoner. The affliction ability of my Captain's Ghost also is useful in this battle.
Blow-by-blow account
The ruleset for this battle is Holy Protection which means that the first attack does not inflict any damage. This ruleset is also advantageous for me because of the double strike ability of my Axe Master. With the double strike, 1 of the 2 attacks of the Axe Master will inflict damage to the enemy.
At Round 1, the Axe Master drew first blood because this unit is just so fast. The two attacks immediately cancel the Holy Protection and remove the +2 Armor of the Sea Monster. The Water Elemental attacks next, then the Venari Wavesmith and the Captain's Ghost dealt the killing blow.
In Round 2, it is my opponent's turn to inflict damage on my Sea Monster. With the high damage of the Torhilo and the other magic monsters, my Sea Monster is also eliminated.
In Round 3, my Axe Master eliminates the Torhilo and the Captain's Ghost kills the Kelp Initiate immediately upon replacing the Torhilo. My Wave Runner is also eliminated on this round.
With numerical superiority and higher damage, the succeeding rounds are just mopping out operations.
To view how the battle went, I provide you with the link.
Insights about the battle
The use of Wave Runner is very situational. When using Water decks, I rarely use this card. In fact, this probably is my first time using this card. It is also my first time to win with it.
The card is probably useful in high mana battles where you need a strong secondary tank that has reach ability. In low mana battles, the 5 mana can be best spent for the Elven Mystic especially if the summoner is Alaric which is usually the case.
If you want to try the game, this is my referral link.
