Ruleset Focus
In this week's edition of Battle Mage Secrets, we shall dive into exploring the UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ruleset. This ruleset stipulates that only Monsters with Melee attacks are allowed in battles, adding an interesting dynamic by limiting the selection of available Monsters. Despite this restriction, players can strategically leverage hybrid-type Monsters that incorporate the Melee attack, allowing for diverse and strategic team compositions! 👍
Abilities Focus
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ruleset,which mandates the use of Monsters with Melee attacks for all players.
Monsters with Retaliate have a chance of attacking their attacker
The Battle
While fulfilling my responsibilities in the Splinterlands scholarship account I have with Balthazar, bltzr-wizard-729, I was able to engage in a battle that involves the UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ruleset. To get right into the action, the battle link can be found here. Otherwise, do read on as I go into more detail regarding the lineup and fight.
Let's begin by discussing the ruleset governing this battle. First and foremost, we encounter the main highlight of this week's challenge, the UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ruleset, which we have thoroughly explored in the preceding sections. Following that, there's the Melee Mayhem ruleset, enabling Melee attacking Monsters to strike from any position. Lastly, we encounter the Aim True ruleset, ensuring that both Melee and Ranged attacks unfailingly hit their intended targets. The battle imposes a mana restriction of 45 and permits the use of all Splinter types.
Summoner, Astral Entity
With the constraints imposed by the UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ruleset, my preferred strategy consistently leans towards choosing the Death Splinter and selecting Astral Entity as my Summoner whenever feasible. The Summoner is able to grant a -2 Armor reduction, and offering the ability to Resurrect a friendly Monster once during the battle. Despite the negligible utility of the Dodge ability in the face of the Aim True ruleset, it's the overall strategic value that the Death Splinter brings to the battle that guides this selection! 😏
First Position, Ever-Hungry Skull
Thriving within the constraints of the UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ruleset, the Ever-Hungry Skull assumes the crucial position of a frontline tank in this battle. Boasting commendable Armor stats and defensive prowess with Thorns and Return Fire abilities, it is poised to deliver substantial return damages to opposing Melee Monsters. However, I took a risk in this particular strategy, gambling on the assumption that the opponent won't be fielding a Monster that has the Magic attack or one that is equipped with the Shatter ability! 😅
Second Position, Cursed Windeku
I have strategically positioned the Cursed Windeku as a secondary tank behind the Ever-Hungry Skull, so as to leverage on its Thorns ability as well. In this battle governed by the UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ruleset, limiting the battle to Melee Monsters, made Thorns a pivotal advantage. Any Melee damage directed at Cursed Windeku triggered its Thorns ability, inflicting damages back at the attacker. Additionally, the Heal ability possessed by Cursed Windeku contributed to its overall resilience, allowing it to endure the enemy onslaught and continue dealing damage effectively when the need arose! 😆
Third Position, Harklaw
Harklaw played a crucial role in influencing my choice of the Death Splinter. The potent combination of Shield and Demoralize abilities, as discussed earlier, demonstrated remarkable effectiveness and synergies, especially in the UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ruleset. With the bonus of the Immunity ability, Harklaw solidified its place in my lineup, ensuring robust defense against the enemy attacks and safeguarding against debuff abilities like Demoralize from the opposing team! 😎
Fourth Position, Legionnaire Alvar
Fifth Position, Disintegrator
Both monsters were chosen for their Demoralize ability. To maximize its impact, I positioned them towards the back of my lineup, ensuring that the Demoralize debuff remained in play for an extended duration. This debuff proved to be a crucial element, complementing the Thorns ability of the tankers and the Shield ability of Harklaw! 😉
Last Position, Venator Kinjo
I strategically positioned Venator Kinjo in the last position, considering the potential threats posed by enemy Monsters like Diemonshark or Desert Dragon, where triggering Retaliate and Trample abilities could be detrimental. With the Camouflage ability, Venator Kinjo can remain concealed in the backline, free from concerns about Sneaking Monsters. The Reflection Shield ability acts as a safeguard against Thorns backlash, and its Amplify ability enhances the potency of Thorns damage returned to all enemy Monsters! 💪
The Analysis
With the diverse selection of Splinters in this battle, predicting my opponent's choice proved challenging. However, what remains certain is the prevalence of Melee Monsters in the battle, given the simultaneous presence of the UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL and Melee Mayhem rulesets! 😂
What better strategy could there be than meticulously configuring your team to counter Melee attacks comprehensively? This approach renders the opponent's chosen Splinter inconsequential. The Thorns abilities of Ever-Hungry Skull and Cursed Windeku form a formidable defense against Melee assaults, an effect further Amplified by Venator Kinjo. Meanwhile, Harlaw, Legionnaire Alvar, and Disintegrator contribute to the tactical advantage with their Demoralize abilities, significantly diminishing the impact of the enemy's Melee attacks! 🤙
Do you guys have any better recommendations for setting up the team in this particular ruleset? Do share them with me in the below comments 😜
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