Splinterlands is a blockchain-based, NFT trading card game that's easy to learn but difficult to master. Simply renting the most powerful cards isn't enough to ensure victory. To have success on the battlefield, players must use strategy and tactics, and create powerful teams that deliver unstoppable synergies. In today's post, I want to share my favorite cards that have helped me battle my way to victory.
Key Strategy = Defense Against Everything!
My primary strategy when it comes to playing Splinterlands is to be prepared for anything and to be able to react to whatever attacks my opponent uses against me. That means my lineup needs to be strong against magic, ranged, and melee damage. But it's difficult to find a single monster that is resistant to all of these different attacks. So, my strategy is to ensure that I've got some cards that are resistant to melee and ranged damage, while others are resistant to magic damage. Giant Alpine Skink and Thandalorian Scion are the perfect combo for this!
Cut Magic and Ranged Damage in Half
Giant Alpine Skink is currently my go-to tank within the water splinter. The reason I like it so much is that it has the Shield ability, which reduces damage from melee and ranged attacks by 50%. Being able to cut the opponent's damage in half is a pretty serious advantage, but Giant Alpine Skink also has two armor, which means that even a powerful melee monster will waste its first attack destroying the Skink's armor before damaging its health. Even at the base level, the Giant Alpine Skink has three speed, which makes it faster than a lot of other melee monsters and give it a decent chance of occasionally dodging the enemy's attacks and avoiding damage altogether. When everything is considered, it's a great monster, especially when the ruleset for the match provides sufficient mana.
Void Armor To Protect Against Magic
Although the Giant Alpine Skink is a phenomenal choice for fighting against a team that uses a lot of melee or ranged attacks, it can struggle against teams that use magic. Magic damage is guaranteed to hit the Skink every time, and it passes right through the armor and directly targets its health. I want to make sure I'm prepared for a team that uses a lot of magic, which is why I like to put Thandalorian Scion in the lineup as well.
For only five mana, Thandalorian Scion has 10 armor and one health in addition to the Void Armor ability. The Void Armor ability means that the enemy's magic attacks have to target Thandalorian Scion's armor before they can start damaging its health. Another way I like to think of this is that Thandalorian scion can essentially absorb 11 magic damage.
Why It Works
The reason that the Giant Alpine Skink and Thandalorian scion go so well together is because the two of them are resistant to pretty much every type of attack. If my opponent is playing a melee or ranged team, then Giant Alpine Skink is going to soak up the damage and allow the Scion to keep hitting the enemy with magical attacks from a position of relative safety. On the other hand, if my opponent decides to play a magic-heavy team and quickly eliminates Giant Alpine Skink, then Thandalorian Scion will move into the first position and start using its Void Armor ability to soak up the opponent's magic attacks. While my opponent is wasting its magical attacks on Thandalorian scion's Void Armor, this leaves the rest of my back line free to attack the opponent's monsters.
Water Diviner = Absorb The Opponent's First Wave Attack
One more monster that I like to throw into the mix is Water Diviner. This monster has only two mana but has one armor and four health. I like putting this monster in the first position because it can absorb a lot of the opponent's attacks that would otherwise damage my more powerful monsters. The downside of Water Diviner is that it has the Electrified ability, which starts dealing damage to friendly monsters at the beginning of Turn 2, but most of the time this isn't even an issue. Putting this monster at the front line allows the enemy to waste their attacks on it, but Water Diviner is usually knocked out of the fight by the end of the first round. So, Water Diviner soaks up a lot of the enemy attacks, but doesn't get to stick around long enough to start damaging my friendly monsters with its Electrified ability.
Summary
I'm still learning the Splinterlands meta and how all the cards interact, but my strategy has helped me out in quite a few battles so far. In this match, I used the combo of Water Diviner, Thandalorian Scion, and Giant Alpine Skink* to cruise to victory and secure the SPS and glint rewards.
*To be fair, the other monsters played a part also. 😀
Since we are on the topic of victory and rewards, I should mention that one of my favorite things about Splinterlands is that it allows players to earn rewards for winning battles. I'm still a novice player, so my rewards aren't the biggest in the world, but being able to earn cryptocurrency and NFTs simply for playing a game is a fascinating concept. If you'd like to learn more about Splinterlands or join the game, feel free to check it out using my link here. As a US resident, I am required to disclose that I might receive a benefit, such as reward or incentive, if you join using my affiliate link. All image credits belong to Splinterlands.