The Challenge
The Battle Mage Secrets challenge for this week has been centered around the EQUALIZER ruleset. This unique ruleset balances the playing field by setting the initial health of all monsters to match that of the monster with the highest base health on either team.
This creates a new dynamic in the gameplay strategy, as previously overlooked monsters with low health become viable options. The lineups in battles with the EQUALIZER ruleset typically feature heavy hitters from both teams, as the focus is on eliminating and shaving off those new and improved health from the opposing team's monster 😵
The Battle
In my alt account, jimbei, I was able to engage in a battle that involves the EQUALIZER ruleset during the current Guild Brawls. To get right into the action, the battle link can be found here. Otherwise, do read on as I go into more details regarding the lineup and fight.
To start, let's review the ruleset. The first one is Keep Your Distance, which prohibits monsters that deal melee damage from being used in the battle. And of course, the main highlight of this challenge, the EQUALIZER ruleset that we discussed earlier. Finally, there is also the Unprotected ruleset that strips all armor from monsters, and they cannot receive any armor through abilities or summoner buffs. This is a low-mana battle with a cap of 13, and only the Water and Dragon Splinters are allowed.
As mentioned, this battle was done in a Guild Brawl hence there were additional limitations imposed depending on the fray you are participating in. The fray that I'm playing has a Silver League level caps with all cards playable only from the Untamed and Chaos Legion set.
Summoner, Quix The Devious (Winner)
Quix The Devious was a clear choice for this battle due to these rulesets in place: Keep Your Distance and Unprotected. The Unprotected ruleset removed all armor from the battle, rendering Kelya Frendul's +1 Armor buff useless. The -1 Speed Buff from Quix The Devious would cancel out Kelya Frendul's +1 Speed buff, leaving only Quix The Devious's additional -1 Range buff, which was particularly useful given the Keep Your Distance ruleset that allowed only Range and Melee monsters in the battle.
First Position, Chaos Agent - Chaos Agent is a viable option as a tank in this battle, mainly due to its Dodge ability, which increases the likelihood of evading Range attacks. Despite its low base health of 3, the EQUALIZER ruleset can level the playing field and improve its survivability. Additionally, it's a mana-efficient choice for this low-mana-cap battle 😍
Second Position, Merdaali Guardian - I may have overlooked mentioning the importance of having a Healer in the team setup during battles that feature the EQUALIZER ruleset. It is quite common to include a Healer to increase the team's overall durability. In this case, the Merdaali Guardian's Tank Heal ability is particularly useful in supporting the Chaos Agent. ✌️
Third Position, Naga Assassin - I positioned the Naga Assassin in this spot due to its speed and Backfire ability. If the Chaos Agent and Merdaali Guardian were to fall, the Naga Assassin could serve as the third tank. Its speed would increase the chances of opposing ranged monsters missing their target and taking damage from the Backfire ability 🤠
Fourth Position, Alfredo - Alfredo was included in my team due to its low mana cost and also because it is a Gladius Card. It wouldn't be a Guild Brawl without using any Gladius Card, right? 🤣 I am hoping that Alfredo will be lucky enough to defeat any opposing monster and trigger its Bloodlust ability, further empowering it in the battle 🤞
Last Position, Igor Darkspear
I chose my main damage dealer, Igor Darkspear, who has 2 Range damage, but I predicted that it would be reduced to 1 Range damage since the opponent would probably select Quix The Devious (-1 Range debuff) as their Summoner as well. Like the other monsters in my lineup, I selected Igor Darkspear because it is a mana-efficient monster that becomes even more powerful as the card level increases 👊
The Analysis
As predicted, both of us played Quix The Devious as the Summoner of choice for this battle. The inclusion of a Healer (Merdaali Guardian) was also within the expectation of a EQUALIZER ruleset battle.
However, the key factor that set my team apart in this battle was choosing low-cost monsters that allowed me to include more monsters in my lineup. Having more monsters in a EQUALIZER ruleset battle is a significant advantage as it provides additional defense while gradually depleting the opponent's health.
By choosing the Kulu Swimhunter, my opponent not only wasted precious mana (4), but also gave me the 6 health (highest base health monster) for my entire lineup 😇
If you made it this far, I sincerely appreciate your time and value your encouragement. Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions so that we can discuss about other strategies. Thinking about giving Splinterlands a try but haven't signed up yet? Feel free to use my referral link: https://splinterlands.com?ref=ak08, and be sure to reach out to me if you have any questions!
Are you interested in reading some of my future writings? Don't forget to follow me! In the meantime, here are some of my most recent blogs if you'd like to view them:
Social Media Challenge - A battle analysis, showcasing the
EARTHQUAKEruleset!Social Media Challenge - A battle analysis, showcasing the
MARTYRability!Battle Mage Secrets - A battle analysis, featuring the
COUNTERSPELLruleset!Social Media Challenge - A battle analysis, featuring the
ClOSE RANGEruleset but focuses more on the monster's abilities!
All banners, dividers card and battle images used in this article are open source and obtained from the Splinterlands team or made by @flauwy. Do check out his link for other amazing designs!