Ability Focus

For this week's Social Media Challenge, I would like to explore the DEMORALIZE ability that has been around since the incorporation of the Splinterlands game. However, with new editions of cards, such as Untamed, Chaos Legion, and Riftwatchers, that come into play, players must adapt quickly to different monster lineups and learn how to use new abilities to strategize their play.

The DEMORALIZE ability when in play would reduce the Melee attack of all enemy monsters. I personally feel that this is such an underrated ability and I feel that the it is often neglected especially with the new influx of abilities that comes with the Soulbound cards 😢 Therefore, in this post that I'm preparing today, I hope to showcase the importance of it and hopefully bring more attention to the use of it 😁

As of today, there are only 17 monsters with the DEMORALIZE ability!

Here are some of the rulesets and ability which I personally feel have great synergies with the DEMORALIZE ability. Therefore, do look out for such situations when setting up your team and hopefully they would bring you one step closer to victory!

The three rulesets "Up Close & Personal", "Melee Mayhem", and "Super Sneak" all promote the use of Melee monsters in battle. Hence, having the DEMORALIZE ability in your team can be significant in reducing the damage caused by these Melee monsters.

The Shield ability is a defensive ability that reduces both Melee and Ranged damage. It halves the attack damage received, rounding up, except when the damage is 1, in which case it reduces it to 0. This ability becomes particularly effective when paired with the DEMORALIZE ability, further mitigating the Melee damage inflicted on the monster!

The Battle

While fulfilling my responsibilities in the Splinterlands scholarship account I have with Balthazar, bltzr-wizard-729, I was able to engage in a battle that truly showcase the beauty of the DEMORALIZE ability! 😍 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 begin by reviewing the ruleset for this battle. The Silenced Summoners ruleset restricts the summoner from providing any stat buffs, debuffs, or using abilities. In addition, the Up Close & Personal ruleset allows only monsters with Melee attacks to participate in the battle. Finally, the Holy Protection ruleset grants all monsters the Divine Shield ability at the beginning of the battle. The battle has a mana cap of 40, and the only banned Splinters are Water and Dragon.

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Summoner, Thaddius Brood

Given the presence of the Silenced Summoners ruleset, the selection of a summoner is primarily based on the desired Splinter to be incorporated into the lineup. In this specific battle, I opted for Thaddius Brood as my summoner to fully utilize the potential of the Death Splinter in my strategy. ✌️

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First Position, Cursed Windeku

The selection of Cursed Windeku as my tank is primarily due to its Thorns ability. Given that the battle adhered to the Up Close & Personal ruleset, which only allow the use of Melee monsters, the Thorns ability became a significant advantage. Any Melee damage directed towards Cursed Windeku triggered its Thorns ability, causing the attacker to suffer damage in return. This provided a powerful defensive mechanism, allowing Cursed Windeku to retaliate against opponents and diminish their health. Furthermore, Cursed Windeku's Heal ability further augmented its durability, ensuring it could withstand the onslaught and continue to deal damage effectively.

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Second Position, Crypt Beetle - Crypt Beetle was positioned as the secondary tanker in my lineup, serving as a backup in case Cursed Windeku was defeated. The placement of Crypt Beetle in this position allowed it to effectively utilize its Shield ability, which synergized well with the DEMORALIZE debuff provided by the backline monsters.

Third Position, Uraeus - This was my only offensive unit in the backline and was selected due to its Sneak and Poison-inflicting abilities that could provided a much needed support in eliminating the opponent's backline even though I don't have high hopes for it 😅

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Fourth Position, Disintegrator
Fifth Position, Legionnaire Alvar

Both monsters were chosen for their DEMORALIZE ability. To maximize its impact, I positioned them towards the back of my lineup, ensuring that the DEMORALIZE debuff remained in play for an extended duration. This debuff proved to be a crucial element, complementing the Shield abilities of both the Crypt Beetle and Harklaw.

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Last Position, Harlaw

Harklaw, undoubtedly the MVP of this battle, played a vital role in my decision to choose the Death Splinter. The powerful combination of Shield and DEMORALIZE abilities proved to be exceptionally effective, particularly in the Up Close & Personal ruleset. With the added advantage of the Immunity ability, Harklaw secured its position in the last spot of my lineup, providing defense against Sneak attacks and protecting against poison-inflicting abilities from monster such as Uraeus.

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The Analysis

Interestingly, my opponent opted to use a similar Death Splinter for this battle. Since the Silenced Summoners ruleset is in place, the +1 Melee damage from the Fire summoner, Tarsha, is rendered useless. Hence, both of us believe that choosing the Death Splinter would be more advantages due to the availability of selecting Harklaw whom has both the DEMORALIZE and Shield abilities that has great synergies with one another especially in a Up Close & Personal ruleset which I have already explained earlier on.

However, what ultimately led to my team's victory was the inclusion of Legionnaire Alvar, which provided an additional DEMORALIZE ability. This ability played a crucial role in further weakening my opponent's melee attacks, giving my team a defensive advantage. In contrast, my opponent took a more offensive approach, filling their team with monsters that possess the Sneak and Opportunity abilities 👊

With the DEMORALIZE debuffs in play, my lineup becomes incredibly resilient, thanks to the strategic placement of Cursed Windeku and Harklaw. Cursed Windeku's Thorns and Heal abilities not only render the opponent's attacks ineffective but also cause them to suffer damage themselves. On the other hand, Harklaw's Shield and Immunity abilities protect it from receiving damage from Sneak attacks and, most importantly, prevent it from being afflicted by Poison from Uraeus. This combination of defensive capabilities makes my team practically impenetrable 🤘

Do you guys have any better recommendations for setting up the team in this particular ruleset? 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:

• Battle Mage Secrets - A battle analysis, featuring the EQUALIZER ruleset!

• Social Media Challenge - A battle analysis, showcasing the EARTHQUAKE ruleset!

• Social Media Challenge - A battle analysis, showcasing the MARTYR ability!

• Battle Mage Secrets - A battle analysis, featuring the COUNTERSPELL ruleset!

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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.