Thanksgiving is all about being grateful and sharing good, memorable moments and this match reminded me of that. I used Abyssal Elemental normally as an extra tank but I did not expect this little decision would change the outcome of this battle. Even small changes can make a big difference and this lineup gave me some thankful thoughts after the battle.

Abyssal Elemental’s Resurgence ability is like getting a second helping at the table. It gives your team another chance to make an impact and create more value in battle. In this article, I’ll show a unique exciting battle, what went well and why I am thankful for Abyssal Elemental and his Resurgence ability.

The Battle

https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_412da59e0bff566b4588114701f1bae8

I’m really thankful for Abyssal Elemental and its Resurgence for turning things around this match. Towards the end, most of my units died from burning and it looked like I was going to lose but Abyssal Elemental came back with Resurgence giving himself full health and armor and even removed the burning debuff WHILE dealing 1 damage to the other three enemies which killed 2 of them and that saved the game. I was really thankful for that unexpected save. Abyssal Elemental gave me another reason why I need to put him more in my matches.

Archon: Marlai Singariel

Marlai Singariel is really good for this lineup because I have 4 units with magic attack. That extra 1 magic damage from the Archon helps all my magic units hit harder and makes the overall damage more deadly. It’s simple but effective since it boosts the entire team's damage without costing extra mana.

Units Chosen:

1. Giant Alpine Skink
Giant Alpine Skink is a solid melee unit with high 4 melee attack, 3 speed, 6 health, and 2 armor. It also has Shield which is really useful for a frontliner to survive extra hits. I placed it in front to potentially absorb melee and range damage and protect my magic units behind, which unfortunately did not work as much as I intended in this match since the enemy also used magic attacks. Either way, it still provided a good wall to delay the damage to my back line.

2. Abyssal Elemental
Abyssal Elemental was a key unit for me but my mistake was using a level 1 instead of a level 2 that has 2 magic attack instead of 1. Even so, it’s still a good tank with Resurgence for a second life and magic damage dealer due to Marlai Singariel boosting his attack. Next time, I’ll definitely use a higher level to make the magic hits even stronger and more consistent. This key unit will had the biggest impact in the battle and I am thankful that I added him in the lineup even though I wasn't planning to do so at first.

3. Mindless Thrall
Mindless Thrall has 2 magic attack and Phase which helps it avoid magic attacks. With 4 speed, it can move early in the round and dodge some incoming magic damage if it gets to the front while still hitting the enemy with huge damage. It’s a versatile unit that is free to get through rewards. Unfortunately, the burn from Global Warming modifier cannot be dodged and he's just as strong as his health is on that regards.

4. Saltwater Mage
Saltwater Mage brings 2 magic attack and Sneak which allows it to hit enemy backliners. This makes it useful for targeting fragile back line units on the other team. It has a decent health and it can chip away at enemies from behind the frontline which is really handy when I want to spread out my damage.

5. Captain Fellblade
Captain Fellblade has 2 magic attack, 1 melee attack, and Sneak. I placed him in this lineup to focus on hitting enemies in the back row while still contributing a bit of melee damage. His mixed attack types make him flexible and hard to counter. I usually put him in combo with Saltwater Mage for that double magic sneak for the enemy back line.

6. Surgehammer
Surgehammer has 2 melee attack and Opportunity, and I placed it last because it has Flying which protects it from melee Sneak attacks. This position lets it strike from the back while staying safe from most frontline attacks. It’s a good finisher unit that can deal extra damage late in the battle while protecting my back line strategy from behind.

The MVP For This Game Goes To... Abyssal Elemental!

Abyssal Elemental and Resurgence
Abyssal Elemental is the first unit that gained the Resurgence ability according to some posts I read. With just this ability with him, he can be used as a tank and can be combined with a lot of combos. Since Resurgence puts it back to full health and full armor on death, any additional health and armor from other units and archon goes on top of it. For example, a level 1 Abyssal Elemental has 3 armor. If you fight in Armored Up modifier, it goes to 5 armor. When Abyssal Elemental dies and gets reborned through Resurgence, you get 5 armor instead of 3. Now, imagine a dream team of 5 Strengthen with 5 Protect. That means a level 1 Abyssal Elemental will be revived with 11 health and 13 armor when Resurgence kicks in. This is just an example and you can do many combos (and counters) with this knowledge.

Abyssal Elemental at Low Level

• Abyssal Elemental at low level is insanely undervalued. Like I mentioned, a level 2 is enough for it to be in my top 10 of the strongest units. There's no ability advantage on leveling up since it only gets another ability at level 6 and the stat change isn't as good or as big of a difference than the level 1 going to level 2. Once you have a level 2, I would say that it's enough. Since you will be going for a level 2, you also don't need a high level archon for it. A level 2 rare archon is enough to make full use of Abyssal Elemental which makes it one of the cheapest and strongest unit you can take advantage of right now.

Abyssal Elemental at Max Level

• Abyssal Elemental at max level is quite insane. He has 3 magic damage and Blast added to his kit. He would be a strong unit if you want and needed damage and that Blast ability on top of that is really good. it deals 2 Blast damage since Abyssal Elemental has 3 magic attack. If I were to cherry pick on this unit, the only complaint would be that the level up of the stats did not improve the armor and health by a lot. This means there's no advantage for the Resurgence in leveling up and so, if you want Abyssal Elemental for defense, I don't really suggest leveling him up as it costs more while not getting the benefit that you want.

Closing Thoughts

This battle reminded me that teamwork is everything, just like a Thanksgiving potluck where everyone brings something to the table. Abyssal Elemental was my star this match, saving me from a literal loss. I’m grateful for units that can pull their weight even when the odds look tough and more so when the chance of winning is almost zero.

Finally, dying doesn’t always mean losing and some abilities can give you a chance again at winning. Just like when you had problems and a solution suddenly pops up, we should be able to thank our fate for that unexpected chance. In Splinterlands, Resurgence, Rebirth or Resurrect can give your units a second chance. I’m thankful for learning these little interactions that I can use towards my future battles.

Posted Using INLEO