This battle was another learning moment for me as a newer player in Splinterlands. I would soon just be 2 months in my Splinterlands journey. I'm starting this series of posts so I would have a reason to research more about Splinterlands and so I could step in Modern Ranked battles more comfortably soon. This match reminded me that sometimes, the modifiers doesn't matter too much. I wanted to share this fight because it shows that you can be stubborn and still win some matches.

I used my usual Water lineup again because it feels safe to me. Water is the element I understand the most right now. Even when the modifiers affect the battle, most of the time, I simply stick to it since lineups made from Water element is strong in most battles.

Lineup:

This was a high mana battle with 45 mana which means more units can be placed and battles usually last longer. High mana fights usually favor teams with strong damage and good synergy since you have flexibility in what you can use in the battle. The Fog of War modifier removes Sneak, Snipe and Opportunity, which changes how some of my units normally work. In fact, even my Saltwater Mage was affected which annoyed me a little. Melee Mayhem allows melee units to attack from any position but I did not really use that part since I was satisfied with my own lineup of water units full of magic damage. Honestly, I mostly ignored both modifiers because I trusted my Water magic lineup. Fog of War removed the Sneak from my Saltwater Mage but I still felt the damage was worth it so I kept her in the lineup. Using Water in high mana still feels stronger to me, especially when focusing with magic damage due to what Marlai Singariel can provide. Even if I missed some advantages, the element still performed as well as I hoped.

This is the lineup I used for the battle.

Marlai Singariel: Marlai Singariel is a very good archon. I use her when I'm using many units with magic damage. The +1 magic damage helps every magic attacker hit harder. In Frontier Mode, magic damage feels very strong overall due to the limited units you can use. This archon fits my playstyle well. I rely on her a lot because she boosts the damage from my magic-focused lineup.

Great Bear Druid: Great Bear Druid is interesting because he has both melee and magic damage. If he survives, he can attack twice per round which feels very strong. He also has good health, so he can stay in front for some time. You can change him for another tank but I like the magic damage part of him so I usually add him as part of the tanks.

Mystic Scaleweaver: Mystic Scaleweaver has good health and good magic damage. Her Slow ability helps reduce the enemy speed which allows your team to act faster. There are not many strong options here so she would show up a lot in your battles. With Marlai Singariel, her damage goes up to three which is very strong in my opinion. That makes her even more scary to your enemies.

Lunaki Howler: Lunaki Howler does not have abilities but magic damage alone is still good. She fits well in magic-focused lineups. With Marlai Singariel, her damage becomes stronger as well. Sometimes simple units like the Lunaki Howler can still do their job despite the lack of abilities.

Waterlogged Wizard: Waterlogged Wizard is similar to Lunaki Howler but cheaper. She has less health but costs 1 less mana as well. This helps fit the team into the mana limit. She adds more magic damage to the lineup which is good.

Saltwater Mage: Lastly, I have the Saltwater Mage. Saltwater Mage normally has Sneak which is very strong since she also have magic damage. Because of Fog of War modifier, Sneak was removed in this battle. Even then, I still used her for the magic damage. Losing Sneak hurts but she still contributes a lot. I placed her as the last unit because Fog of War modifier keeps her safe firing from afar.

Battle

https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_90eb6547b49240feadd33e6389c5cfc2

I think my enemy had a good lineup here. They also have a unit with Taunt that could absorb my blows. I think the only reason I won here is because my units have strong magic damage and higher speed than the enemy because of Mystic Scaleweaver's Slow. With that single ability, my units was able to react faster than the enemy. This allowed me to kill some of the units first before they can attack. Another advantage is that they used units with range attacks but they are very close to the frontline. When they get to the front and act as the tanks, units with range attacks cannot perform any attack and is just stuck there unlike my units with magic damage.

Why I Think My Lineup Works:

Even though I did not use Melee Mayhem modifier properly, the lineup still worked because of magic damage. Magic does not miss and ignores armor which is like an innate ability on its own. I really like how Marlai Singariel made every magic unit stronger. That added damage can stack a lot if you use many units with magic damage.

Frontier Mode does not have many counters to magic damage right now. Because of that, magic focused teams feel safer. I know this may change later but for now it works. That is why I keep using this kind of lineup.

If there was an archon that boosted melee damage, I would try melee more especially with the Melee Mayhem modifier. But right now, magic feels easier and more consistent to use. This lineup matched what I know and what I trust so I uses it unless the modifier directly is against me.

Posted Using INLEO