It's another grinding time for today and it seems that we have a very wonderful challenge this week as armors are removed in all monsters involved. It's good to see that a battle with the Unprotected ruleset is one way of measuring the strength and power of a monster unit, to which we excel in such fights. I am not quite sure if melee units are becoming powerful monsters with their ruleset as we know that there are several ranged and magic monsters too that are capable of engaging in a face-to-face battle.
But mostly, I sense that most players looked into melee units as they are built to a stronghold on their position even though there is no armor or shield protecting them. With that melee units have been the first option of many which gives them the opportunity to hold those damages taken and absorb them with their mostly high health and have their comrade do the rest in the later rounds. Anyway, what I am thinking is that I focus more on the health side and secondary to the attack side of choosing monsters with an Unprotected ruleset since staying in the battle for quite a long time might be an advantage. As long as you stay in the battle and have any of your monsters left standing on the battlefield then winning on your side would not be impossible.
Just always focus on what would be your strategy in such kind of ruleset as it might be tricky since there are cases that another ruleset aside from Unprotected is in effect, so try to stay focused and think of a better way of your strategy, to take on your opponent monsters with no problem. Sometimes we rely on armor and shields and even repair them to constantly remain us ahead of any monster in the battle. But I am sure that it will not be the case anymore as armors are now being removed, making any monsters vulnerable to a direct hit to its health, and surely no one will be blocking it unless you have some skills of your monster to stay if protected for quite a while but still there is no guarantee about it as anything could happen once your monsters and your opponent's monsters are exchanging attacks inside the battlefield.
And now for my battle report.
RULESET
| Name | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Water,Death,Dragon |  |
| Mana Cap | 58 |  |
| Broken Arrows | Ranged attack Monsters may not be used in battles. |  |
| Unprotected | Monsters do not have any armor and do not get armor from Abilities or Summoner Buffs. |  |
| Counterspell | All monsters have the magic react ability. |  |
Based on what we see in the ruleset it seems that magic and ranged minimize their capacity even though we know that mostly these types of monsters are preferred whenever an Unprotected ruleset is there. But it seems that it is quite different in this situation as two of the disadvantage rules are added which are kind of difficult to manage to which of monster types should be used as the primary option whenever the selection screen is there. We can see that Broken Arrows rows seem to disable all ranged types of monsters from entering the battlefield as they are all prohibited from doing so. It means that only melee and magic types are possible for you to select from and that melee will have now useless armor too which makes them superior in frontline battles but it seems that it is not the case anymore since all armor is now ignored so we need to better analyze the situation for the better good.
Another thing is that the Counterspell effect is there which is kind of a pain for the magic-type monsters in which they will be receiving such damage once they engage their attacks to target monsters. Now with that, it is kind of an odd situation for magic-type monsters to enter a battlefield where we know that they are at their disadvantage. Now, I sense that melee should be a good option whenever this kind of situation is taken into effect and that if ever you put any magic-type monsters then it should be placed at the back or in the middle, depending on which you think it gains advantage towards the opponent monsters.
We see that the mana cap is high enough to select the proper combination of both melee and magic-type monsters. With that, there would be no difficulty in completing your set of teams given that it has around 58 mana at your disposal. Unlike those that have limited resources, it would be quite difficult to select which monsters should be included in the battle whereas high amount of mana, it is possible to choose the best monsters that you can select from. I would expect that both high attack and high health monsters are surely placed into the frontline to be able to sustain the damages that they could affect opponent monsters and on the other hand, it could also deliver a good damage output as well.
Any strategy and tactics are welcome in any case, especially in this battle you will able to select from Water, Death, and Dragon as your element. We can see that Dragon has a good potential advantage whenever you select it as your Summoner since you have the option to select another element to be included in the battle which unlocks you to another set of monsters of that element. Sometimes a variety of monsters that you will able to select can give you a wide arrangement into its lineup as well as a good formidable formation that could develop a good standout advantage in the battlefield.
Anyway, we just cannot consider yet that Dragon can dig an advantage in this battle even if you have the ability to select two kinds of a set of monsters. Instead, sometimes a mono element could take the glory on the battlefield if you analyze it well and create a strong tactical lineup towards countering opponents. Anyway, it's up to the player to analyze it quickly before the countdown drops to zero. It might be tricky and fast but sometimes quick analysis and a good glimpse at monsters while looking at the mana might take on your advantage in the battlefield.
As we take a look into the matchup we can see that I have selected Kelya Frendul since I think that speed could be a better way to defeat the enemy while I have an armor buff which is kind of useless since armor is not included in this rule. This means that only one buff is possible that I could get from my Summoner. On the other hand a golden Water Dragon Summoner with the name of Possibilus the Wise is a good choice since all of its buffs are possible in use and an additional health of two could be very helpful towards increasing more health to monsters.
As we can see Trample with Reach can really be a pain since attacks could possibly be continuous whenever it can slay one from the other. So I think I need to watch out for these attacks and I am hoping that with the boosts of my speed into my monsters, it could help them take the glory inside the battlefield even if opponent monsters have stronger buffs than what I have acquired.
| Summoner | Active Skill in Battle | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Kelya Frendul | +1 Speed, +1 Armor |  |
| Monsters | Active Skill in Battle | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Coeurl Lurker | Taunt, Dodge |  |
| The Kraken | Taunt, Demoralize |  |
| Baakjira | Void, Slow |  |
| Sand Worm | Sneak Attack |  |
| Deeplurker | Opportunity |  |
| Djinn Oshannus | Void |  |
On my lineup, I have Kelya Frendul as my Summoner in this battle. We know that Armors is not possible due to the rules in effect but I would try to take the gamble knowing that it has also a second buff, which is a speed boost towards friendly monsters. Sometimes attacking first could gain the advantage ahead, knowing that a possible frontline and secondary position could be eliminated in a single round but sometimes it could be a risk whenever we failed to accomplish the primary objective which is why we select such kind of Summoner.
On my frontline, Coeurl Lurker takes charge of protecting its comrade in the battle as good health with skills of both Taunt and Dodge could be a good option to why I have selected this one. I think it could sustain damages taken while we have the opportunity to evade attacks with this monster's Dodge skill. We are just hoping that it could manage to take charge and responsibility by protecting and delivering the needed output to why we put this in front.
Secondly, the Kraken is also a good option since it has Demoralize skills which help decrease enemy melee attacks that could possibly hurt my monsters on the battlefield. Sometimes, if we manage exactly decrease enemy attacks, we can gain the upper hand in the battle and can help sustain our monsters at the very end of the battle. The Kraken also has a taunt skill which can be a second tank replacing my first one just in case it falls into the battlefield. With its health and attack, I am sure that this monster could be a good selection in this kind of situation.
Baakjira known to be a defensive monster is a good placement if we put it at a later position like a third position or something, since It has slow skill which helps decrease opponent attack speed no matter what type it would be. Another thing is that it has a void skill which is a good option against any type of magic attack type monsters. A good defensive monster can be a great help in trying to disable or decrease the counterpart's potential so that it cannot deliver the exact output towards my monsters.
Now, I choose Sand Worm to be my fourth position as I put him in charge of doing nasty things toward my opponent with its Sneak attack ability. Its six damage can be lethal towards enemy monsters and mostly without any armor into effect, then the output could be a good one if ever my frontlines would take their responsibility to prolong the battle so that Sand Worm could fulfill its task of eliminating one by one towards enemy monsters. It does need a boost of speed which is why Kelya is a great help in boosting something to his monster so that doing its responsibility will not be a hassle anymore.
Deeplurker in my fifth position could be a good choice also as it looks for a good kill when it's Opportunity skill. Its task is to eliminate those weak monsters, especially those monsters that are weak in their health. It's kind of a tasty meal for this monster as it is hungry for taking the ground silently and assassinating those monsters that are not looking. I really love this monster which mostly I put this on choice since it can help change the flow of the battle especially when battles are prolonged.
And lastly, Djinn Oshannus in my last position which I think a magic skill type of monster can be a good option despite that I have selected mostly melee units. Its speed is good and also it has decent health which can be sustained if battles reach him in the long run. A Void skill can also be a great add-on just in case an opponent chooses mostly magic-type monsters.
| Summoner | Active Skill in Battle | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Possibilus the Wise | +2 Health, Trample, Reach |  |
| Monster | Active Skill in Battle | Image |
|---|---|---|
| DemonShark | Trample, Enraged |  |
| Baakjira | Void, Slow | |
| Kulu Mastermind | Weapons Training, Opportunity, Shield |  |
| River Hellondale | Resurrect, Inspire |  |
| Djinni Oshannus | Void, Phase | |
| Nerrisa Tridawn |  |
Based on what we saw on my opponent's team, it seems that most of its monsters are magic-type attacks which I think that I have fallout on my tactic. I never imagined that my opponent consisted mostly of magic-type monsters in its lineup. But I think my luck on this one might be a short one but who knows what would I get in the final moments of the battle. I could be wrong or I might be right but sometimes, the flow of exchange of attacks could change drastically as the phase of battles is still hot within the battlefield.
It's Summoner, Possibilus the Wise should take charge of the abundant boosts of health as well as offense buffs reach and trample that could tackle a lot of hassle on my monster side. I think this Summoner is kind of a brilliant choice considering what it can offer to its friendly masters.
In its first position, I see that DemonShark is taking charge of the frontline. I don't see that it has a good health size but I think a boost of health coming from the Summoner, makes his longevity on the battlefield more stretchy than of ordinary base of this monster. With its speed and its decent attack power, I sense that it will become a great threat to my monsters once it starts engaging. But I'm optimistic that I will able to eliminate this monster in a short span of period in our battle.
Next to that is Baakjira which I think focuses on slowing me down and as well as thinking that I might be using magic type of monster also. It has good health at its disposal and I think that it can sustain damages as it can continue to protect its friendly monster if ever the primary frontline is slain in battle.
Kulu Mastermind is placed in the third position as it has Opportunity skill which is really effective during late battles while this monster is very strong in terms of speed and attack. It is very well protected with its Shield ability that could decrease some of my melee attacks toward him and its health points are really hard too because it has a good amount of health. I see that this monster is a good pick in this battle and that it can help change the flow of the battle.
Now we see that he puts the first magic-type monster in its fourth position, and that is River Hellondale which I think is in charge of the Resurrection of fallen units, especially its frontlines that are totally protecting its team. Another one is that it has inspire skill which gives additional melee attack to its melee units which creates more deadly and lethal attacks also. I don't know if I will be able to counter this kind of melee due to many positive buffs coming from both Summoner and Monsters. But I am sure that my monsters are trying their best to confront me even if it is to their disadvantage.
Now his second magic user is Djinni Oshannus which we all know is the most preferred magic monster user under water element since it is absolutely a good add-on to a team due to its attack speed and its anti-magic as well. This monster also has a high health point keeping it long enough to stay in the battle for quite a period of time. It has also a secondary skill that can help him evade attacks, especially magic attacks which have been a difficulty for most players.
And lastly, Merrissa Tridawn is only an add-on to its team based on what I see since it has no skill but in return, it has a good amount of health points and magic attack. I see that my opponent is at its advantage with the current mixture of both melee and magic-type monsters but we shall see once my team and his team are engaged in the battlefield.
At the start of Round 1, as always both of our Summoners cast different abilities in order to gain an advantage over the other. In detail, my Summoner added attack speed to all my monsters but it was then countered by Baakjira which normalized everything. On my opponent's side, his Summoner casted buffs like Reach, Trample, and boosting of health points which is a good boost up for all his monster units. After that, the Kulu Mastermind's attack on its Baakjira makes it not only a defensive but also an offensive type of monster.
As we can see based on the given statistics, my opponent has the advantage compared to our buffs and I might not be able to sustain in the long run but we shall see who will gain the glory on the battlefield. At first, I begin to attack his frontline DemonShark but it seems that it is a formidable monster that retaliates back and deflect magic attack also. And after that attack, he made some counter which eliminated my frontline almost instantly.
And after that, my Kraken took its place and started to get smacked again by opponent monsters. My Kraken is able to evade some of the attacks but it seems that before Round 1 ends, it seems that its health points now down to five which I think it could die in the second round.
In round 2, I begin to attack again its frontline but it seems that it is still standing and then retaliates back which kills my frontline without hesitation. Now, Baakjira takes its place and it seems that it will be waiting for its last life since it has no attack compared to my opponent who has a skill to boost attack. Even in round 2, Baakjira is eliminated almost instantly with the ganged attack, and also my opponent has a good amount of attack points that my monster's health could sustain.
I was able to eliminate his frontline through the effort of Deeplurker using its Opportunity skill. But it was then resurrected by River Hellondale which makes it another threat to my remaining monsters. Before round 2 ended my Sand Worm was eliminated and then after that Deeplurker was the target of attacks which resulted in its elimination in round 3.
My last monster tries to fight back on its very last breath and he takes a sweet revenge against DemonShark which is a big hindrance in our matched up. At the end of our battle, my opponent takes the glory and I only eliminate one of its monsters.
ANALYSIS
Based on what I have experienced Possibilus the Wise, is a very formidable opponent Summoner which I am having a hard time dealing with. And also a proper mixture of both magic and melee is also a good tactic during our engagement. His frontline focus on deflecting my attacks as well as a backup resurrection has been seen during the battle. I almost got wiped out without eliminating even one of my opponent's monsters due to its combo. Even though I have a good amount of health points for all of my monsters, it was never difficult for my opponent as its attacks are so great, especially its frontline.
Sometimes, we missed the idea of what possible team our opponent would create during battle and that is why I lost. I will take note of this strategy in my future battles and engagement and that I too could use such kind of combo as well.
FULL BATTLE
Full Battle can be seen here: https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_28bb8868ee11d436c621a65bb45f1316
CREDITS
- Images are taken from Splinterlands / Steemmonsters
- Some of this images are being edited in Photoshop
- Thank you Splinterlands for letting us use images for our post and other promotions for the game.