EARTHQUAKE was the focus of last week's Battle Mage Secrets challenge and I would like to continue in that theme with a battle that is showcasing this particular ruleset since I was unable to complete the previous challenge while out of the country ðŸ˜
EARTHQUAKE is a ruleset that inflicts 2 melee damage to non-flying monsters at the end of each turn. Although it shares similarities with the Noxious Fumes ruleset, there are several effective strategies to mitigate the damage caused by Earthquake. In the following paragraph, I will discuss these strategies in detail, which may prove to be useful in battles where the EARTHQUAKE ruleset is in effect.
Here are some of the abilities which I personally feel have great synergies with the EARTHQUAKE ruleset. Therefore, do look out for monsters with these abilities when setting up your team and hopefully they would bring you the victory!
Snare - When attacking enemies with Flying ability, hits the target with 100% accuracy and removes the Flying ability.
Protect - All friendly monsters gain +2 armor which could mitigate the first round of EARTHQUAKE damages.
Flying - Grants monster with the ability to Fly, thereby preventing it from receiving EARTHQUAKE damages.
In an EARTHQUAKE ruleset battle, having monsters with the Flying ability is crucial as they are immune to the 2 melee damages dealt at the end of each turn. However, not all lineups have monsters with the Flying ability, and that's where the Brighton Bloom summoner comes in. With its unique ability to grants all friendly monsters with the Flying ability, which is a huge advantage in an EARTHQUAKE ruleset battle, it is a summoner commonly seen in such battles.
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 rather troubling ranked battle during my daily grind which contain the EARTHQUAKE ruleset 😖 To get right into the action, the battle link can be here. Otherwise, do read on as I go into more details regarding the lineup and fight.
Let's begin by reviewing the ruleset for this battle. There are three main components: Noxious Fumes, which inflicts 2 non-melee damage to all monsters at the end of each turn; Armored Up, which provides all monsters with 2 additional armor from the start of the battle; and the the main highlight of this post, the EARTHQUAKE ruleset, as discussed earlier. This battle has a low mana cap of 19 and only allows the use of Fire, Life, and Death Splinters.
The combination of Noxious Fumes and EARTHQUAKE makes this battle particularly challenging, with monsters taking up to 4 damage (2 non-melee and 2 melee) at the end of each turn. Additionally, the low mana cap restricts the use of impactful monsters, further complicating the strategy.
Summoner, General Sloan
I chose General Sloan as my Summoner for this battle not because of its ability to grant +1 Range attack to friendly monsters, but rather because I wanted to use the Life Splinter in this battle 🤣 With the low mana cap and limited selection of Splinters available, the Life Splinter was my best option as it has low mana cost monsters with the Flying ability, which is especially useful in this battle due to the EARTHQUAKE ruleset.
First Position, Pelacor Conjurer
Pelacor Conjurer is a low mana cost monster that is a perfect tanker in this battle. It has several useful abilities that are particularly effective for its role 😎 Firstly, its Flying ability allows it to avoid damages from the EARTHQUAKE ruleset. Additionally, its Phase ability increases the chance of dodging all attacks, including magic, due to its high speed and Flying ability. Another advantage is its Divine Shield, which can negate all damages during the first hit, providing extra survivability. Overall, Pelacor Conjurer is an excellent choice for a low-cost tank with strong defensive abilities.
Last Position, Adelade Brightwing
In this battle, I've selected Adelade Brightwing for its innate abilities that make it an excellent counter to both Noxious Fumes and EARTHQUAKE rulesets. With the Flying and Immunity abilities, it can avoid all damages at the end of each turn, giving it a significant advantage 💪 The Resurrect ability is also valuable, as any resurrected monster will be cleansed of the poison debuff, preventing them from taking additional damage. Additionally, the Repair ability complements the Armored Up ruleset by repairing any damaged armor for my team, making them more durable in battle.
The Analysis
When I prepare my team for a battle, I carefully consider the possible lineups for both myself and my opponent given the ruleset and Splinter restrictions. While I anticipated the appearance of the Forgotten One in this battle due to its Immunity ability, its high mana cost and vulnerability to the EARTHQUAKE ruleset made it an unattractive option 👎 Instead, my strategic choice of having the Pelacor Conjurer as my tank and supporting it with Adelade Brightwing proved to be a winning move. Adelade Brightwing's Resurrect ability not only cleansed the Pelacor Conjurer of poison effects, but also restored its Divine Shield ability, making it even more durable. With this setup, my team was able to sustain far less damage per turn from the rulesets in play, ultimately securing me the victory.
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:
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