Hello, Splinterlands Friends and Family! 👋

Following up on last week's post featuring Dark Arborist, for this week's Splinterlands Social Media Challenge!, I’ve decided to continue reviewing Rebellion Reward cards that may be overlooked or underestimated.

This week, I’ll spotlight another fantastic Rare unit: Meriput Slinger! 🏹✨

Using the same structure as last week, this post will cover:
1️⃣ Stats
2️⃣ Battle Strategies
3️⃣ Rulesets
4️⃣ Two Battle Examples 🛡️⚔️

Let’s dive in and see why this card deserves your attention! 👀

It’s important to note that posts will be rewarded based on long-term commitment, including past rewards earned and current Hive Power (HP). Participants who grow their HP and reinvest in the ecosystem are more likely to be rewarded, while those who consistently extract all rewards may not be eligible. I support this rule as it promotes long-term engagement and strengthens the Hive community.

🌟 Introduction

Since the release of Rebellion Reward Cards, enough time has passed for most champion-level players to max out this little gem. 💪 I managed to max out Meriput Slinger about a season or two ago, and it has quickly become a staple in my lineup.

Meriput Slinger is a versatile and powerful card exclusive to the Death Splinter. It brings a lot to the table:

• Affordable mana cost
• Speed modifier
• Decent attack
• The invaluable Reflection Shield

What sets this card apart is its power spike at Gold Level, making it exceptionally valuable for players in the lower leagues. 🏆 This unique feature gives Meriput Slinger an edge over many other cards in the Rebellion set.

Let’s explore this card’s potential in greater detail! 🎯

🥉 A. Bronze Level

At Bronze level, Meriput Slinger doesn’t initially stand out. 🧐 However, it does have its uses despite its limitations.

For 7 mana, you get:

• 3 Ranged Damage
• 3 Speed
• 5 Health
• The Impede ability

While Impede isn’t particularly impactful at this level, or at any level, the overall stats are quite solid for its mana cost. This card competes directly with others like Lira The Dark, Dhampir Stalker, and Supply Runner and arguably offers better stats than all of them.

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🥈 B. Silver Level

At Level 4, Meriput Slinger starts to shine: 🌟

• Gains the Slow ability, reducing the Speed of all enemy monsters 🐌
• Increases Ranged Attack to 4, significantly boosting its damage output

At this level, the card begins to show its true potential. Not many cards at this stage offer Speed modifiers, making Meriput Slinger invaluable.

Here’s how it outshines its competition:

• Better than Dhampir Stalker: Same damage but superior abilities
• Better than Lira The Dark: Higher damage and includes the Speed debuff
• Better than Supply Runner: Double the damage

Overall, Meriput Slinger surpasses similar cards in the modern meta, becoming a standout choice for Silver-level play. 💥

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🥇 C. Gold Level

At Levels 5/6, Meriput Slinger reaches its peak performance. 🌟 For just 7 mana, it gains the incredible Reflection Shield ability.

I’ve mentioned in many of my posts that Reflection Shield is arguably the best ability in the game. 🛡️ Any card with it becomes a force to be reckoned with.

At this point, Meriput Slinger completely surpasses its competitors:

• Dhampir Stalker: Outclassed due to the lack of meaningful abilities.
• Lira The Dark: Still a strong competitor with its Opportunity ability and high speed, but Reflection Shield tilts the balance in Meriput Slinger's favor.
• Supply Runner: Similar with its Speed Modifier, but Meriput Slinger delivers far greater impact.

The exciting part? These cards can all be used together! 😲 Combining Meriput Slinger, Lira The Dark, and Supply Runner in a single team gives you three Speed modifiers at Gold level. That’s an incredibly powerful synergy for any lineup! 💥

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💎 D. Diamond/Champion Level

At max level, Meriput Slinger gains one final, impactful ability: Redemption. 🕊️

When this monster dies, it deals 1 damage to all enemy monsters. This can completely shift the tide of a battle!

Here’s the final form of this amazing card:

• 4 Ranged Damage 🎯
• 7 Health ❤️
• 3 Speed ⚡
• Impede 🛑
• Slow 🐌
• Reflection Shield 🛡️
• Redemption 💥

At Diamond/Champion level, Meriput Slinger becomes a staple for Death Splinter players, offering unparalleled utility and impact.

🛡️ II. Card Strength Overall & the Current Meta

Meriput Slinger is an incredibly versatile card, particularly in a speed-focused team. Its medium mana cost and Slow ability are crucial for gaining a speed advantage. Pairing it with other speedy units like Lira the Dark or Supply Runner creates a highly effective synergy.

With 4 Ranged Damage, the card offers solid offensive output. It’s worth noting that it stays just below the Forcefield threshold of 5 damage, avoiding counters from those tanks.

The Reflection Shield ability is another game-changer:

• In Only Ranged rulesets, it shines as it nullifies reflect damage, a common threat.
• In Fire & Regret rulesets, where enemies often anticipate melee or magic damage, Meriput Slinger brings unexpected value.

While Redemption is a decent ability at higher levels, the card's true power spike occurs at Gold level. This makes it an excellent option for players at that tier. Even if you haven’t maxed the card yet, it remains highly effective, making it especially attractive for newer players.

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Next, let’s dive into two matches where Meriput Slinger played a pivotal role in securing victory! 🏆

Now, let’s take a look at a few example matches where Meriput Slinger was instrumental and analyze why:

I. First Match

🔗 Battle Link

This match stood out because the enemy used the speedy summoner Jacek, complemented by additional speed buffs. However, my team managed to land the first hit! 🎯

As shown in the image above, my Supply Runner had +1 speed compared to the enemy's Supply Runner. This advantage came from using 4 monsters with speed modifiers, two slows (from Cursed Windeku and Meriput Slinger) and two speed buffs (from Lira the Dark and Supply Runner) along with the speed boost provided by Lux Vega, my summoner.

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🛠️ The Ruleset

The ruleset for this match included:
1️⃣ Might Makes Right – Didn’t significantly impact the battle, as it’s more about team selection. Only monsters with 3+ damage could participate.
2️⃣ Melee Mayhem – Allowed melee units to attack from any position. This let me effectively position Cursed Windeku and Pelacor Deceiver in the backline for optimal damage output.

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At the start of Turn 2, my Lira the Dark landed a decisive hit, taking out the enemy Pyrewatch Devil due to my team’s superior speed advantage. ⚡

By the end of Turn 2, the battle was essentially decided. The enemy’s secondary tank fell to my relentless ranged attacks. Shortly after, Countess Sinash was forced into the frontline, leaving the enemy team without any chance of recovery. 🏆

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II. Second Match

🔗 Battle Link

This fight was a 99 mana battle fought using my alt account, @javiss01, which doesn’t have a maxed Meriput Slinger yet. The card was only at level 7, but as I explained earlier, the card's power spike comes at levels 5/6, so being maxed wasn’t critical. Even at Gold Level, Meriput Slinger performed exactly as needed.

For this match, I chose a different summoner—Astral Entity—but still managed to outspeed my enemy. Speed modifiers were provided by Meriput Slinger, Lira the Dark, and Supply Runner, ensuring my team maintained a clear speed advantage.

As shown in the image, my team consistently outpaced the enemy. Notably, the enemy wasted their Ambush ability on Raa, a unit with only 1 speed, causing both attacks to miss—a clear miscalculation.

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Before the enemy could mount any significant offense, I was able to eliminate their tank. Rage then moved into the first position—a formidable unit but one I was prepared to handle.

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Meanwhile, as I focused damage on the frontline, my Raa and Lira inflicted significant pressure on the enemy’s backline. By this point:

• The enemy’s Rage was nearly defeated, with only 2 life remaining.
• The backline was in shambles, as Raa, Runic Skyclaw, and Djiin Muriat were either eliminated or critically low on health.

As expected, the fight ended shortly afterward.

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Final Thoughts

These two matches highlight the potential of Meriput Slinger when paired with other speed-focused units. They also demonstrate why speed is arguably the most powerful stat in Splinterlands.

Speed not only allows you to attack first in every turn but also provides a cumulative advantage throughout the match. Often, you can eliminate key enemy units before they have a chance to act, putting you in a commanding position. This advantage compounds as the match progresses, making speedy teams one of the most consistent strategies for victory.

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🏁 Conclusion

Meriput Slinger is a standout card in Splinterlands, offering exceptional utility across various levels of play. From its Slow ability at earlier levels to its full arsenal of abilities like Reflection Shield and Redemption at max level, it proves to be a versatile asset for any lineup.

What sets the card apart is its synergy with other speed-focused units, making it a core piece for building speed-dominant strategies. The ability to consistently outspeed and eliminate enemy threats before they can act gives players a significant advantage, especially in high-stakes matches.

As seen in the battle examples, Meriput Slinger excels when paired with cards like Lira the Dark and Supply Runner, forming a cohesive, fast-paced team that can dominate the battlefield. Even at non-max levels, the card holds its own, making it an excellent investment for newer players and veterans alike.

If you’re looking to bolster your lineup with a reliable, multi-purpose card, Meriput Slinger is a fantastic choice that will undoubtedly elevate your gameplay.

Thank you for reading! 🎯 If you’ve used Meriput Slinger in your matches, feel free to share your experiences in the comments below. Let’s discuss strategies and learn from one another! 🚀