The theme for the current "Share Your Battle" challenge is Time Mage, but I thought of sharing another Magic card from the Life element. It's none other than Djinn Renova, which is a Epic card that can be obtained from Reward chests. Its Strengthen ability is very strong when you have a full lineup of 6 cards. Not only it guards against Death's Thaddius Brood summoner, the extra 1 HP is a 50% increase for low HP cards such as the squishy Pelacor Arbalest.
As usual, here's a portion of the lore for Djinn Renova:
Dawn of the Djinn 2 of 4 - Once the fifth mana gate was unlocked, the Planet knew that Mount Praetorus in the Splinterlands must be protected. The sixth and final mana gate was now all that prevented the dreaded Chaos Legion from conquering the world. The Planet had some tricks up its sleeve and plenty of magic of its own, so it took action. Calling to each of the trapped Belludae souls throughout the world, the Planet extended them an offer of freedom. None of them refused the offer.
The Planet used its delicate but powerful forces to destroy each enchanted vessel that contained the trapped Belludae souls. Then as they were going free, the Planet ensnared each of them into a new type of confinement. They were each trapped by one of the magical elements, unable to change physical forms or leave the territory of their element. With each of the Belludae a deal was struck. They would henceforth be called Djinn, and their service would be complete once the Planet was free of destruction at the hands of the Chaos Legion.
Battle Type & Team Lineup
| Position | Card | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Summoner | General Sloan | Life is one of my preferred choices for high mana fights because power cards like Pelacor Arbalest are very powerful when it can be protected effectively by Shieldbreaker (Taunt), Djinn Renova (Strengthen), and Venari Crystalsmith (Tank Heal). That's already >30 mana. |
| 1 | Shieldbreaker | Shieldbreaker is 99% the default tank for Life lineups because the squishy Ranged cards are glass cannons. As long as they get protected for some time, their damage output can overwhelm even the strongest lineups. |
| 2 | Warrior of Peace | Warrior of Peace is another card that buys more time and gives more protection to the Ranged cards. At speed 5 and 9 HP, it can take many rounds for opponents to take it down. |
| 3 | Djinn Renova | Her strongest contribution is not the magic damage, but her Strengthen ability. This gives the two cards in front even more HP and gives further protection to the team. |
| 4 | Gargoya Devil | I would typically slot Venari Crystalsmith in here but because this battle doesn't allow healing abilities, my preference is Gargoya Devil because it is one of the few Ranged cards that is able to attack in the first position. (At higher levels, Deathblow would be a nightmare for opponents.) |
| 5 | Pelacor Arbalest | The star Ranged card that must be protected at all costs. If he goes out within the first 2 rounds, the chances of victory will be very slim. |
| 6 | Silvershield Sheriff | There are many choices for Ranged cards and I landed with Silvershield Sheriff not because he's the best, but it only cost just 0.1 DEC per day to rent. Otherwise Prismologist might be better I feel. That said, its Snipe ability can be a game changer in battles sometimes, especially when facing Earth lineups. |
Pre Battle: I was greeted with a Death/Thaddius Brood lineup and a Tank with Void ability, which doesn't bode well for Djinn Renova. But thankfully, the Strengthen ability ensured the squishy Pelacor Arbalest maintain his 2 HP.
Round 1: While the frontline focused on protection, Gargoya Devil and Pelacor Arbalest cleared the tank easily, whose 2 Armor and 6 HP did not stand any chance.
Round 2: Once again, Gargoya Devil and Pelacor Arbalest partnered to clear away Cursed Windeku, whose 9 HP didn't provide any resistance. Silvershield Sheriff's 2 snipes took out one of their big cards in the backline too, while Warrior of Peace stepped up to be the tank.
- Round 3: Another 9 damage by the duo sent another card out (luckily no misses). The rest of the team were still holding up well.
- Round 4: Silvershield Sheriff's 16 damage over 4 rounds sent yet another card packing while the duo's 9 damage overwhelmed all the strong tanks from the opposing end. Warrior of Peace was literally untouched.
If you are interested to watch the battle, you can find it here.
Post Battle
Did my strategy work? Definitely yes, Life's Ranged attacks are very strong thanks to the boost from their Summoner but they must be protected at all costs. With my multiple layers of protections from my first 3 cards, it was enough for the remaining 3 cards to inflict the damage. A pity that Djinn Renova wasn't able to do decent damage, otherwise I might have completed the battle faster.
Do I like Djinn Renova? Definitely yes. Djinn Renova deals decent magic damage, has good HP, and her Strengthen ability is really beneficial for lineups with full 6 cards. I would definitely pick her instead of going for another ranged card.
Final thoughts? Unlike my Water lineups, I am not always confident with Life lineups because a series of misses (due to probability and speed factors) can be costly and turn winning battles into losses. However, Djinn Renova comes in handy in such cases because her magic damage doesn't miss. So back to the question at the start, is Djinn Renova or Time Mage better? I would say both have their strengths, but I would prefer Djinn Renova in my lineup if I had to pick magic card for Life.
So that's all I have! What are your takeaways from this battle? Feel free to comment below, as I am always keen to learn and improve!
As always, thanks for reading and have a pleasant day ahead!
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