Hello, Splinterlands Friends and Family! 👋

For this week's Splinterlands Social Media Challenge!, I’ve decided to feature a Rebellion Reward Card: Dark Arborist. 🌳✨

This card has proven to be a lot better than we initially thought, and it’s a fantastic addition to the game! 🎉

In this post, we’ll dive into:
1️⃣ Stats
2️⃣ Battle strategies
3️⃣ Rulesets
4️⃣ A live battle example 🛡️⚔️

🌟 Introduction

Enough time has passed since the release of Rebellion Reward Cards that by now, most champion players have managed to max out this little guy. 💪 I maxed it about a season or two ago, and I’ve been using this card quite a lot since then.

It’s true what they say: it’s really hard to judge the strength of a card without using it at least a few times. At first glance, the card doesn’t look particularly impressive, but it’s the combination of stats, abilities, and mana cost that makes it shine. 🌟 That’s why I really like it!

This card is not just another “tofu” card or filler. 🥡 It’s more of a niche card that excels in specific rulesets. The great thing is that there are actually many rulesets where this card can perform exceptionally well. 🔥

🥉 A. Bronze Level

As always, a card at Bronze level doesn’t look very impressive. 🧐 Dark Arborist is no exception. While the card isn’t great, it can still find some use.

The best role for this card at this level is as a soft tank of sorts. For just 4 mana, it offers 5 health and a Melee debuff. That’s enough for the card to earn a spot in certain battles at this tier of play. ⚔️

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🥈 B. Silver Level

At Level 4, the card gains the Magic Reflect ability. 🌟 This ability deals reduced Magic damage back to attackers when hit by Magic.

Additionally, it gets an extra point of Magic Attack, bringing its damage output to 2.

At this stage, the card starts to take shape, resembling its max-level potential. Magic Reflect is incredibly useful in many scenarios, and 2 damage for 4 mana is quite decent. Once again, while the card isn’t overwhelmingly powerful, it certainly finds its niche. 🔮

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### 🥇 C. Gold Level

At Level 6, the card underwhelms. 😕 At this stage, Dark Arborist gains only +2 Health, which isn’t very impressive.

By this point, there are likely much better options available for Gold-level play. Still, it can have situational uses in specific rulesets like Little League or Only Magic.

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💎 D. Diamond/Champion Level

At max level, the card truly shines. ✨ It gains the Void ability, which reduces damage from Magic attacks, and an additional +1 Health.

Here, the card reaches its full potential:

• 8 Health
• Magic Reflect 🔄
• Void 🛡️
• Demoralize 😈
• 2 Magic Damage 🔥
• 2 Speed ⚡

For just 4 mana, Dark Arborist becomes a solid and versatile option in high-level play. This combination of stats and abilities makes it a reliable pick in many battles. 🏆

🛡️ II. Card Strength Overall & the Current Meta

The Dark Arborist isn’t a go-to card for most teams in modern gameplay. It’s not a spam-to-win card like Tofu or Venka, but rather a situational unit that excels in specific rulesets. 🌟

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🎯 Little League

The first ruleset where this card shines is Little League (Only Monsters & Summoners that cost 4 Mana or less may be used in battles).

Cards with low mana costs (2-4) are essential in Little League, as this ruleset limits your card pool significantly—often by more than two-thirds. Coupled with additional rulesets, you may find your viable options even more restricted.

In this context, Dark Arborist stands out as one of the top choices in the Death Splinter, especially considering that when Chaos Legion (CL) rotates out of Modern, staples like Soul Strangler or Venari Bonesmith will no longer be available.

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Wands Out 🪄

Another ruleset where this card excels is Wands Out (Only units with Magic Attack are allowed).

Thanks to its Void ability, Dark Arborist is an excellent choice against magic-heavy enemies. 🛡️ In this ruleset, reducing magic damage is key, and Void provides substantial survivability. Pair it with teammates who can Silence, and you’ll create a formidable defensive wall and even sometimes preventing damage altogether!

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🌀 Other Useful Rulesets

The Dark Arborist also performs well in the following rulesets:

• Reverse Speed
  
  Its low speed (2) makes it a valuable pick when slower units have the advantage.

• Back to Basics
  
  The card’s high health for its mana cost makes it a durable tank in this ruleset, where abilities are stripped away.

• Keep Your Distance
  
  With no Melee allowed, Dark Arborist’s ranged and magic-based stats make it a solid contender.

• Rise of the Commons
  
  Being a Rare card, it qualifies for play in this ruleset, offering solid utility for its cost.

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💡 Final Thoughts

Before wrapping up this post with some gameplay examples, it’s worth emphasizing that Dark Arborist is a niche yet powerful tool in the right situations. Its combination of abilities, stats, and mana efficiency makes it a valuable addition to any Death Splinter deck—especially as Chaos Legion rotates out of Modern.

Stay tuned for some action-packed matches to see this card in action! 🔥

Now, let’s take a look at a few example matches where Dark Arborist was useful and analyze why:

I. First Match:

Battle Link

This first match features a couple of interesting points. First, the battle is being played with my alt account Javiss01, and Dark Arborist is not even maxed yet—it's at level 5, not even Gold level. Despite this, the card was still highly effective in this match.

The Ruleset:

The ruleset was quite intriguing, with three significant rules:

1. Wands Out: As mentioned earlier, Dark Arborist excels in this ruleset because of its Magic Reflect and Void abilities (although in this case, it didn’t have Void yet, due to being underleveled).
2. Noxious Fumes: Since every unit started poisoned, choosing Revealer was a good option for both teams.
3. Tis But Scratches: This rule didn’t impact the match much, as neither team brought healing.

In the first turn, I was able to defeat the enemy Revealer while my units stayed intact. Despite Revealer being resurrected (due to the enemy team’s abilities), it came back with just 1 health and was quickly taken down in the next turn.

After Revealer fell, Dr. Blight took the first position. Although it was gaining life with each death, it was simultaneously losing health due to Dark Arborist’s Magic Reflect.

At this point, the fight was essentially over. 🎯

I chose to feature this fight because it was brief and demonstrated the power of Dark Arborist in just two turns. Even though the card was underleveled and didn’t have Void, it still made a significant impact in an all-magic match. Magic Reflect was pivotal to securing the victory. ✨

II. Second Match:

For the second match, I chose to simulate a fight between my two accounts, featuring the ideal ruleset for Dark Arborist to shine. On one account, I used an entire team based on Dark Arborist as the tank frontliner, while the other account utilized a classic magic team with what used to be the strongest magic team, using Obsidian as the summoner:

Battle Link

At first glance, you can already tell that the green team is in trouble. Having no tanking options really hurts. What's interesting about this fight is how Dark Arborist almost takes down the entire enemy team with its Magic Reflect ability, amplified by Amplify from Venari Spellsmith, as shown in the image to the right.

This was also a very short fight that ended quickly. The green team didn't even manage to kill a single unit because Dark Arborist absorbed all the magic damage with its Void ability.

Honestly, this is the perfect scenario for Dark Arborist. Whenever you encounter Little League and Wands Out rulesets together, and Death is open, this is the only play. There's no other splinter that can defeat this team in this scenario. If you're a competitive player, you should consider these kinds of strategies because they often result in easy wins. 💡

It’s also important to consider using Dr. Blight and Thaddius Brood. In Little League, units already have a low health pool, and the combination of stacking two units with Weaken (which reduces the enemy team's health by -1 HP, but cannot be less than 1) can be devastating, especially when your tank is reflecting that much magic damage.

As I mentioned earlier, these rulesets are the perfect combination for Dark Arborist. ✨

⚡ Conclusion

Dark Arborist is a card that, while not always the most flashy or obvious choice, can prove invaluable when used correctly in specific rulesets. Its strength lies in its ability to reflect magic damage with Magic Reflect and reduce incoming magic damage with Void, making it a key player in Little League and Wands Out rulesets. The card excels when paired with abilities like Amplify and Weaken, allowing it to disrupt enemy magic teams while also providing a decent amount of tanking potential for its cost.

While it may not be the go-to card in every match, Dark Arborist shines in certain conditions, especially when you can exploit its synergy with other abilities and rulesets. For those looking to make the most of their Death Splinter and maximize value in these scenarios, Dark Arborist should definitely be part of your strategic arsenal.

Remember, winning is not always about the most powerful card on the field—it’s about using the right card for the right situation. Dark Arborist may just be the unexpected hero that turns the tide in your favor when the moment is right. Keep it in your back pocket and be prepared to capitalize on its strengths in the right rulesets.