INTRODUCTION
Kia Ora #Splinterlands whanau!
@Kxlm here with a Splinterlands, Modern Format: Silver Guide.
The purpose of this post is to convey just how effective cheap and underappreciated cards can be, when deployed in the right context AND to perhaps convince newer players who are looking to make their first Summoner purchase (without breaking the bank), of an alternative to the current meta.
Today’s spotlight goes to the hot-tempered Hippo herself – General Sloan and the laudable Life Team!
WHY GENERAL SLOAN?
General Sloan has been deprived of the same love, received by her Chaos Legion counterparts. This is in part, due to the fact that range is generally seen to be less effective, compared to melee or magic, when you take into consideration that ranged monsters cannot attack from the first position (without the close-range ability).
In addition to the above, she also offers only 1 ability for 4 mana, whereas the other Chaos Legion Summoners provide 2 abilities, for the same mana cost (Obsidian being the exception, because +1 magic = OP).
So, how can we make this harshly critiqued hippo a competitive force in ranked battles? Well… No General is without their trusty army, so let me show you the monsters I believe, provide the best synergies to transform General Sloan from a “bum” to a “beast".
THE ARMY
| Card | Level | Mana | Type | Attack | Speed | Armor | Health | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Sloan | 4 | 4 | Summoner | - | - | - | - | +1 Ranged Attack |
| Pelacor Conjurer | 5 | 2 | Support | - | 4 | - | 6 | Flying, Magic Reflect |
| Blinding Reflector | 5 | 3 | Melee | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | Magic Reflect |
| Chaos Knight | 5 | 6 | Melee | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Shield, Giant Killer |
| Shieldbearer | 1 | 8 | Melee | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | Taunt |
| Uriel the Purifier | 2 | 11 | Melee | 3 | 3 | 6 | 11 | Flying, Recharge, Heal |
| Pelacor Arbalest | 4 | 6 | Range | 2 | 3 | - | 4 | Double Strike |
| Prismologist | 3 | 8 | Range | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Blast |
| Supply Runner | 5 | 6 | Range | 2 | 4 | - | 5 | Swiftness |
| Gargoya Devil | 3 | 7 | Range | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | Flying, Close Range |
| Truthspeaker | 1 | 3 | Support | - | 2 | - | 1 | Protect |
| Venari Crystalsmith | 4 | 4 | Range | 2 | 3 | - | 5 | Tank Heal |
| Time Mage | 4 | 4 | Magic | 2 | 5 | - | 3 | Slow |
| Dax Paragon | 2 | 2 | Magic | 1 | 2 | - | 3 | Amplify |
| Djinn Renova | 3 | 7 | Magic | 3 | 3 | - | 6 | Strengthen |
| Soul Fiend | 1 | 0 | Melee | - | - | - | - | - |
| Card | Level | Mana | Type | Attack | Speed | Armor | Health | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelade Brightwing | 2 | 7 | Magic | 2 | 1 | - | 5 | Flying, Repair, Resurrect |
| Herbalist | 1 | 2 | Range | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | - |
| Celestial Harpy | 4 | 2 | Melee | 2 | 3 | - | 3 | Flying, Opportunity |
| Stitch Leech | 5 | 3 | Melee | 3 | 2 | - | 4 | Sneak |
| Xenith Monk | 2 | 4 | Melee | 1 | 3 | - | 6 | Heal |
| Xenith Archer | 4 | 2 | Range | 1 | 3 | - | 3 | - |
EXPLAINATION
💠 Pelacor Conjurer Lvl 5
A low-cost meat shield, with decent health, above average speed + Flying and magic reflect. This monster can be very evasive against melee/ranged attacks, whilst being able to punish magic attackers with the reflect ability. Best utilized in low – mid mana battles in the 1st or 2nd position.
💠 Blinding Reflector Lvl 5
This monster fulfills a similar role to the Pelacor Conjurer. A low-cost “little league” tank, with the added bonus of armor and melee attack damage. He also has the magic reflect ability, allowing him to make a somewhat meaningful contribution, even against magic lineups. Best utilized in low mana battles in the 1st position.
💠 Chaos Knight Lvl 5
The Chaos Knight is your main tank in mid mana battles, where the mana cap is not quite high enough to allow you to field a full team with Shieldbearer. She has great attack and decent speed, along with a generous amount of armor and health. The shield ability is an excellent addition to her kit, making her a formidable front liner vs melee/range compositions. The Giant Killer ability is an added bonus, but it is very situational and rarely used. Best utilized in mid mana battles in the 1st position. Can also flex to the 2nd position, behind another tank to absorb blast attacks, or the last position in the “Super Sneak” ruleset.
💠 Shieldbearer Lvl 1
Shieldbearer is best described as the quintessential tank, offering everything a good front liner should. High health, armor, and the Taunt ability; ensuring the safety of your backline for as long as he is alive. He is your go-to tank for any situation where the mana cap allows you to field him with a full team. Best utilized in the first position, but can flex to pretty much any position you want to draw fire towards.
💠 Uriel the Purifier Lvl 2
The recharge ability tends to get a bad rap by a large portion of the community and understandably so. It isn’t exactly the most efficient or reliable ability when it comes to damage output, BUT damage is not what we are after in a tank. We want survivability. It is here where I believe Uriel’s strength lies. Uriel has a mammoth health pool, exceptional armor, decent speed + Flying making him illusive vs melee/ranged attacks and the ability to self-heal. A very attractive kit for any front liner. Best utilized in high mana battles in the 1st position.
💠 Pelacor Arbalest Lvl 4
This is your ace card, your bread-and-butter, the one that shines the most when used in combination with General Sloan’s +1 Ranged Attack ability: raising his damage from 2 to 3. Add in the Double Strike ability and we have an absolute damage dealing beast! A damage output of 6 per turn for 6 mana is nothing to scoff at. Use this monster in every battle that you can fit him in. Placement in either the 5th or 6th position is recommended.
💠 Prismologist Lvl 3
High damage coupled with the blast ability, allowing you to chunk your targets health, whilst softening up (and in some cases) ending the adjacent monsters. Armor and decent health are an added bonus, making Prismologist a great 6th position monster for protecting against sneak attacks.
💠 Supply Runner Lvl 5
A solid ranged attacker with great speed and health. The main reason for using this monster is for the Swiftness ability, which plugs a major weakness in our deck, which is low speed ranged attackers.
💠 Gargoya Devil Lvl 3
This card is heavily underrated, but I have found it to be a solid performer when coupled with General Sloan. The boost to 4 damage, decent speed + Flying, Close Range and 1 armor makes it a well-rounded ranged attacker. The only downside I would say is the mana cost, so I tend to use it sparingly. The Earthquake ruleset is where this card shines. Best utilized in the 4th, 5th, or 6th position.
I chose not to use the Lvl 4 version as I have never found myself in a situation, wishing I had the Death Blow ability
💠 Truthspeaker Lvl 1
A low-cost support that provides the entire team with 2 armor, through the Protect ability. This helps to defend against pesky sneak, snipe, and opportunity attacks. Best utilized in low mana battles in the 3rd or 4th position.
💠 Venari Crystalsmith Lvl 4
The most versatile card in this deck. Low mana, great damage with General Sloan, decent speed, a respectable health pool and the Tank Heal ability. Just a great card overall. Best utilized in low – mid mana battles, but can still do work in high mana battles as well.
💠 Time Mage Lvl 4
Great damage for a low mana magic monster, high speed, and excellent support with the Slow ability. This card, along with Supply Runner completely nullifies any speed issues our deck may encounter.
💠 Dax Paragon Lvl 2
A low-cost magic support with mediocre stats, but a vital contributor to our low mana, anti-magic strategy with the Amplify ability. Best utilized in the 3rd or 4th position.
💠 Djinn Renova Lvl 3
A hard hitting magic monster that can fulfill the role of an off-tank as well as support our lineup, with the Strengthen ability. The high magic damage helps to diversify our damage types where the enemy tank may be running the Shield ability or have high armor.
💠 Soul Fiend Lvl 1
A zero-cost meat shield to fill an empty slot. Best utilized in the 1st, 2nd, or last position.
BATTLE GUIDE
💠 18 Mana
💠 Maximum damage output per round - 5
💠 Used specifically to counter magic lineups in low mana battles
💠 Main damage source comes from Magic Reflect + Amplify
💠 Tank Heal to sustain the frontline for continued Magic Reflect damage
💠 Additional survivability with Protect
💠 23 Mana
💠 Maximum damage output per round - 11
💠 Evasive tank with Flying + Slow
💠 Potential to reflect magic damage
💠 Additional survivability with Protect + Tank Heal
💠 High damage output for low mana cost
💠 27 Mana
💠 Maximum damage output per round - 14
💠 Strong tank vs melee/ranged attacks
💠 Tank also provides decentdamage
💠 Additional survivability with Protect + Tank Heal
💠 High damage output for relatively low mana cost
💠 32 Mana
💠 Maximum damage output per round - 16
💠 Sturdy tank with Taunt ability to protect backline
💠 Slow + Swiftness ensures you always attack first and never miss
💠 Tank heal to sustain frontline
💠 High damage output
💠 38 Mana
💠 Maximum damage output per round - 18 (+ additional from blast)
💠 Sturdy tank with Taunt ability to protect backline
💠 Slow + Swiftness ensures you always attack first and never miss
💠 Evasive off-tank with Flying + Slow
💠 Potential to reflect magic damage
💠 Armored 6th position to protect against sneak attacks (if tank dies)
💠 3 blast damage per round
💠 High damage output
💠 43 Mana
💠 Maximum damage output per round - 21 (+ additional from blast)
💠 Sturdy tank with Taunt ability to protect backline
💠 Slow + Swiftness ensures you always attack first and never miss
💠 Additional survivability from Strengthen ability
💠 Monstrous Damage Output
💠 50 Mana
💠 Maximum damage output per round - 17 (+ additional from blast)
💠 Beefy frontline tank with Self Heal and potential to evade with Flying
💠 Secondary tank at the rear with Taunt to split enemies damage
💠 Potential to output 9 damage every other round from Recharge ability
💠 Swiftness further improves tanks evasion + boosts team accuracy
💠 Additional survivability from Strengthen ability
💠 High Damage Output potential
CONCLUSION
It is my firm belief that General Sloan is a fine choice of Summoner when paired with the right lineup.
In saying that... Is she going to win you every single battle? No.
Will she allow you to be competitive in the Modern: Silver League? Absolutely!
To put things into perspective, this entire General Sloan main deck can be purchased (at current market prices) for just over $140.00. Comparatively, the top meta Chaos Legion Summoner (Kelya Frendul) is going to set you back $110.00 at Level 4, and that is not even including any leveled monster cards!
Now, in no way is this financial advice. I am merely trying to illustrate that there should be a strong consideration for off-meta cards.
I hope you enjoyed this post and found something of value in it. Thank you for your time and attention - I really do appreciate it ❤️
If you are interested in starting your #Splinterlands journey now - Click Here
Until next time...
-Kxlm
Credits
Also, click the Follow button to keep posted on his future content.