Ruleset Focus

In this edition of Battle Mage Secrets, we shall deep dive into the intriguing KEEP YOUR DISTANCE ruleset. This ruleset restricts the usage of units with Melee attacks, even including hybrid monsters with 2 types of attack (which obviously consist of Melee attack). As a result, battles will primarily rely heavily on Ranged and Magic attacks for dealing damages. To excel in this ruleset, we need to implement effective countermeasures against these type of threats, which we will explore further in the following section 😁

Abilities Focus

These abilities enable you to defend/counter the enemies' Magic attacks effectively.

Silenced - Reduces the Magic Attack of all enemy Monsters.

Phase - Chance to dodge Magic-based attacks,
and all accuracy mechanics will apply to the attacking Monster's accuracy.

Void - Magic damage is reduced by half (rounded up),
except when the Magic attack is 1, in which case the attack is nullified.

Void Armor - Magic attacks hit this Monster's armor before its Health.

Magic Reflect - When hit with Magic damage, the recipient reflects
reduced Magic damage back to the attacker, equal to half of the attacker's damage, rounded up.

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These abilities enable you to defend/counter the enemies' Ranged attacks effectively.

Headwinds - Reduces all enemy Monsters' Ranged attack by -1, but it cannot be reduced below 1.

Dodge - Has an increased 25% chance of evading Melee or Ranged attacks.

Blind - All enemy Melee & Ranged attacks have an increased 15% chance of missing their target.

Return Fire - When hit with a Ranged attack, it will inflict reduced damage back to their attacker. The returned damage is equivalent to half of the attacker's damage, rounded up.

Summoner, Archmage Arius
Summoner, Mimosa Nightshade

When the KEEP YOUR DISTANCE ruleset is active, these two Summoners immediately stand out as ideal choices due to their attributes that align perfectly with this type of battle. However, it's important to note that these Summoners are not readily accessible and come with a hefty cost to either own or rent for playing 😅

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 involves the KEEP YOUR DISTANCE 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 start by examining the ruleset implemented in this battle. This is a rather straightforward battle with only 2 rulesets. The first one being the Equal Opportunity ruleset where it grants all Monsters with the Opportunity ability. Next, we have the main highlight of this week's challenge, the KEEP YOUR DISTANCE ruleset which we have already discussed extensively in the above sections. The battle enforces a mana restriction of 41 and ban the use of the Death Splinter.

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Summoner, Quix The Devious

Considering the rulesets in play, it becomes evident that choosing Quix The Devious is a smart decision. Especially in battles featuring the Equal Opportunity ruleset, having the -1 Speed debuff proves advantageous, enabling my team to execute their attacks swiftly before the opponents could, thus capitalizing on the Opportunity ability to take down enemy units effectively. Additionally, since we can expect the enemy to rely on Magic or Ranged attackers due to the KEEP YOUR DISTANCE ruleset, the -1 Ranged debuff will undoubtedly prove useful in this battle as well ✌️

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First Position, Void Dragon

In typical scenarios, the choice for a tanker would often lean towards a Melee unit. However, with the KEEP YOUR DISTANCE ruleset in effect, we decided to go with Void Dragon, a Magic type monster instead. Despite its 5 mana cost, this monster boasts impressive stats and comes with several nifty abilities like Flying, Void, and Phase. These abilities serve as effective countermeasures against both Ranged and Magic attacks, making Void Dragon a strategic choice for this battle 💪

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Second Position, Djinn Renova

When I opt for the Life Splinter, Djinn Renova is always one of my preferred choices in the lineup. Its remarkable Magic damage, along with decent Health and Speed stats, make it a dependable option. Djinn Renova's standout feature is its Triage ability, which becomes invaluable during the Equal Opportunity ruleset, where the enemy may bypass my tanker and target the backline directly. Thanks to this setup, Djinn Renova efficiently heals my team, ensuring they remain healthy and highly effective in battle 😝

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Third Position, Venari Marksrat

Venari Marksrat remains a frequent and favored pick in my lineup across various setups, especially in battles involving the Equal Opportunity ruleset. Due to its role as a fodder unit, I place Venari Marksrat strategically between Djinn Renova and Chaos Dragon, ensuring that it becomes the primary target for opponents. This positioning allows me to leverage its Martyr ability, granting the much needed stat boosts to the adjacent units upon its defeat 😎

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Fourth Position, Chaos Dragon

Even with its relatively high mana cost, the Chaos Dragon proves to be worth every single mana, standing out as an absolute powerhouse on the battlefield. Despite the Scattershot ability, which supersedes the Opportunity ability granted by the ruleset, the Chaos Dragon continue to wreak havoc among the enemy's lineup. Moreover, the additional Martyr stat boost received upon Venari Marksrat's defeat further amplifies its might. The Blind ability, as mentioned earlier, is also a welcomed asset, effectively reducing the accuracy of the enemy's Ranged units 😜

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Fifth Position, Adelade Brightwing

Adelade Brightwing plays a crucial role in the success of my strategy, as its Resurrect ability harmonizes seamlessly with the Martyr ability. This combination has the potential to grant my lineup a double stat boost, especially if Venari Marksrat is the resurrected unit. Additionally, the Swiftness ability enhances my team's overall speed, complementing the -1 Speed debuff from Quix The Devious, therefore allowing Void Dragon to dodge attacks more effectively through the Phase ability 😁

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Last Position, Chaos Agent

To be honest, Chaos Agent found its place in my lineup primarily because I had exhausted most of my mana on essential cast members for the battle strategy. With only 1 mana left, I opted for Chaos Agent, considering its countermeasure abilities that I previously mentioned, which could come in handy during the battle. The Phase and Dodge abilities enable Chaos Agent to evade the enemy's Magic or Ranged attacks effectively, and the Backfire ability allows it to return damage to the attackers whenever they miss the target 😇

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The Analysis

Like my approach, my opponent also chose Quix The Devious as it made logical sense in the presence of the KEEP YOUR DISTANCE ruleset. However, they went with Wave Brood, utilizing its Taunt ability to redirect my attacks and prevent me from fully exploiting the Equal Opportunity ruleset, which would have allowed me to target their weakest monster through the Opportunity ability 👍

In contrast, my strategy focused on allowing the enemy to swiftly target and defeat Venari Marksrat, enabling Adelade Brightwing to Resurrect it again. This allowed me to trigger the Martyr ability twice, providing much-needed stat boosts to both Djinn Renova and Chaos Dragon. With these enhanced stats, my team became overwhelmingly powerful, effectively overpowering my opponent 🤙

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:

MASTERING THE HEAVY HITTERS RULESET WITH STUN AND KNOCK OUT ABILITIES!	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! (Latest Blog)

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.