Better late than never, my splinter guides continue as we take a look at life cards today. Life was one of the most challenging splinters for me starting the game. I ended up pretty much ignoring life and death until later in the game. Now that I've learned a little more and developed some strategies though, Life has actually become my favorite faction in the game. While there are always multiple strategies that can be effective, here is a look at a greater starter deck that is both easy to use and cheap to build (especially if you rent!).
For a complete breakdown and battle examples (including taking down the dreaded Llama/Kron combo!) sure and watch the video above, but here's a quick summary:
Sneak Attack
These cards form the core of my life strategy, particularly the first 3. Sand worm is nice with 5 attack at level 1, but often times I simply don't have the mana to fit him in. Silvershield Assassin is one of my favorite cards in the game with her double strike ability. She is good at level 1, but really takes off in silver at level 3 when she bumps up to 2 melee attack. Since she gets to hit twice, each additional melee attack gained is really like gaining 2 melee attack! Feral Spirit and Elven Cutthroat also go from 1 attack in bronze to 2 attack in silver. This core can absolutely work at the bronze level, but I feel like silver is where they really start to shine due to this additional attack.
Also notice, these cards are all odd numbered. This is a great option if you can't use even numbered cards!
Summoners
The great news here is that any of the life summoners will work with this strategy. Use whatever fits your budget, both in mana and dollars. I like Lorna the best of the 3 mana summoners, but both Tyrus and Khala are fine options. I personally use Tyrus, as I have him leveled up. I'd look for one of those 3 at level so you can play this at a silver level and take advantge of that extra melee damage. If you can find a Chanseus for a reasonable price or have the money to spend, feel free to use him when mana permits.
Bonus summoner: Daria Dragonscale works extremely well with this group too. The extra melee attack across the board is really strong, plus you get access to using dragon cards. I highly recommend it, but keep in mind this won't count if you are trying to complete a life quest.
Tanks
In general you can use any strong tank here. There are several neutral tanks and even some other life tanks not listed here that work fine. The one I want to discuss though is Silvershield Knight. He has inspire, which increases everyone's melee attack by one. I think the benefit of that is clear by now. If I have the mana I will put him in the 2nd spot and a stronger tank in the first spot. Knight can't hit from that position unless a special ruleset allows for it, but the extra attack he provides is a stronger offensive boost than another attacker, and he can then act as a second tank once your starting tank falls.
Support/Healers
I actually don't use healers too often. When I first started I saw how powerful healing was, so I tried to incorporate it into every life deck. This wasn't working. I had much more success when I switched to an all out attack squad. This doesn't mean healers don't have their place though, and they can still be very powerful on the right teams.
There are certainly plenty of other good life cards, so don't neglect everything else. I mention some of my other favorites at the end of the video above. But this is a solid starting build for your life deck and should let you have some early success that you can expand upon.
