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Monster Focus

In this week's Social Media Challenge, I want to draw attention to a seemingly unremarkable monster hailing from the Death Splinter: the EVER-HUNGRY SKULL. Frequently overlooked due to its lackluster health stats, this monster, in specific battles, can truly shine and serve as a valuable utility card to have in your collection, ready to be deployed when the need arises.

While it may primarily be used only in the Equalizer ruleset, the EVER-HUNGRY SKULL possesses potential beyond this limited scope. Join me as I uncover the true power it holds in battles. Prepare to be astonished by this underestimated monster that turn the tide of 😜

Ability Focus

Flying - Has an increased chance (+25% chance of evading)
of evading Melee or Ranged attacks from Monsters who do not have the Flying ability

Thorns - When hit with a Melee attack, does damage back to the attacker

Return Fire - When hit with a Ranged attack,
Monsters with Return Fire will return reduced damage back to their attacker

Ruleset Focus

Here are some rulesets that align perfectly with the strengths of the EVER-HUNGRY SKULL.
Keep an eye out for these rulesets and unleash the full potential
of the EVER_HUNGRY SKULL in these battles to greatly enhance your chances of victory! 😉

Equalizer - The initial Health of all Monsters is equal to that of
the Monster on either team with the highest base Health

Up Close & Personal - Only Monsters with Melee attack may be used in battles

Up to Eleven - All Monsters have the Amplify ability

Weak Magic - Magic hits armor first before hitting health

The Battle

In my alt account, jimbei, I was able engage in a battle that showcased the effectiveness of using the EVER_HUNGRY SKULL even though it was not a battle that consist of the Equalizer ruleset. To get right into the action, the battle link can be found here. Otherwise, do read on as I go into more detail regarding the lineup and fight.

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Let's now take a closer look at the ruleset governing this battle. It's a relatively straightforward encounter with just two rulesets to consider. Firstly, we have the Armored Up ruleset, where all Monsters benefit from an additional 2 Armor, in addition to their regular Armor stat. Secondly, the Aim True ruleset ensures that all Melee and Ranged attacks unfailingly hit their intended targets. The mana limit for this battle is set at 28, and only the Fire, Death and Earth Splinters are eligible for use, providing a well-defined pool of options for Summoners to strategize with ✌️

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Summoner, Astral Entity

Given the Armored Up ruleset in play, it's highly probable that many players will opt for a Magic-heavy team. Initially, I considered using the Thaddius Brood for its -1 Magic debuff. However, after careful consideration, I decided to go with the Astral Entity instead. Its -2 Armor debuff is capable of negating the effects of the Armored Up ruleset, allowing me to assemble a faster and more agile attacking team with Melee and Ranged monsters compared to the Magic monsters available for this battle 😏

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First Position, Cursed Windeku

Cursed Windeku was my preferred choice for the tanker position due to its possession of two exceptional abilities ideally suited for fulfilling its role. The Thorns ability provides a robust defense and serves as a powerful countermeasure against Melee attacks from enemy monsters while the Heal ability enhances its resilience, allowing it to withstand the enemy's assault. Furthermore, the Slow ability, inflicting a -1 Speed debuff on the enemy's team, aligns perfectly with my strategy of constructing an agile team 💪

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Second Position, Chaos Agent

To be honest, Chaos Agent earned its spot in my lineup mainly due to my depleted mana after selecting the essential cast members for my battle strategy. Left with only 1 mana, I decided to include Chaos Agent in my team, considering its valuable countermeasure abilities, which could prove advantageous during the battle. With the Phase and Dodge abilities, Chaos Agent can skillfully evade the enemy's attacks when called upon in the first position, and the Backfire ability enables it to retaliate with damage whenever attackers miss their target 😤

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Third Position, Silent Sha-vi

In my preferred lineup for battles involving the Death Splinter, the Silent Sha-vi holds a significant role. This unit's Sneak ability allows for a deadly offensive attack, swiftly taking down the enemy's backline. Moreover, its Piercing ability enables the damages to bypass the target's Armor, dealing excess damage to their Health, making it a formidable force in battle 😅

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Fourth Position, Weirding Warrior
Fifth Position, Soul Strangler

Selected the Weirding Warrior mainly due to its Amplify ability where it could increases Magic Reflect, Return Fire, and Thorns damage to all enemy units by 1. As mentioned earlier, this ability synergizes well with the Cursed Windeku and the EVER-HUNGRY SKULL 😁

Soul Strangler is a mana efficient damage dealer in my lineup for this battle. Despite its low cost of 3 mana, this monster delivers a significant blow with its formidable 4 Range attack and could potentially inflict the target with Poison 😵

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Last Position, Ever-Hungry Skull

Finally, the main highlight of today's post is the EVER-HUNGRY SKULL! I strategically positioned it in the last position, serving as a backup plan in case the opponent chooses not to field a Magic-heavy lineup. With its impressive Armor stats and retaliatory abilities like Thorns and Return Fire, the EVER-HUNGRY SKULL can deal substantial damage to opposing monsters, especially those attempting to Sneak on my team 😝

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The Analysis

As the battle commenced, I couldn't help but smile, knowing that my preparation for a potential non-Magic-focused enemy team was paying off. My initial prediction proved correct, and the opponent had indeed set up a Sneak-focused team, providing the perfect opportunity for my EVER-HUNGRY SKULL to shine in this battle 😆

The enemy's strategy revolved around their Gladiator Monster, Katrelba Gobson, with its formidable Bloodlust ability that would powered it up with each defeated target. However, their hopes soon backfired when facing my EVER-HUNGRY SKULL. Even though my EVER-HUNGRY SKULL was unable to attack from the backline, its Thorns ability proved to be an effective countermeasure, effortlessly eliminating both the Katrelba Gobson and Uraeus without even needing to make a direct attack. The battle ended almost as quickly as it began, with victory in my favor, and I hadn't even lifted a finger 😅

Do you guys have any go-to strategy as well? Do share them with me in the below comments 😎

If you made it this far, I sincerely appreciate your time and value your encouragement. Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions so that we can discuss about other strategies. Thinking about giving Splinterlands a try but haven't signed up yet? Feel free to use my referral link: https://splinterlands.com?ref=ak08, and be sure to reach out to me if you have any questions!

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Are you interested in reading some of my future writings? Don't forget to follow me! In the meantime, here are some of my most recent blogs if you'd like to view them:

DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE FORGOTTEN ONE!	HOLY PROTECTION UNLEASHED: DIVINE SHIELDS AND MAGICAL DOMINANCE ON DISPLAY!
UNLEASHING THE BEAST: JARED SCAR IS LUSTING FOR YOUR BLOOD!	UTILIZING THE MARTYR ABILITY AND DOMINATE THE KEEP YOUR DISTANCE RULESET! (Latest Blog)

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All banners, dividers card and battle images used in this article are open source and obtained from the Splinterlands team or made by flauwy. Do check out his link for other amazing designs!