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The theme for this week's challenge isn't any creature of myth and legend like in previous weeks, but it is however known for its longevity and toughness- the Spineback Turtle!

Teenange Mutant Ninja Turtles! Heros in a Half-shell! Turtle Power 🐢🐢🐢

Turtles have been depicted in mythology as ancient creatures with great wisdom and knowledge. It's long lifespan indicates longevity and its shell symbolizes the ultimate protection from an foe. This really brings us an image of a wise guardian who is not to be trifled with! ⚔️🛡

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The Spineback Turtle in Splinterlands is not one which will always be in the starting deck of most players. At level 1, it has just 1 ATTACK and 1 SPEED, with 2 ARMOR and 6 HEALTH. These stats definitely accurately portray the Spineback Turtle as a slow but reliable Tank. However at just a 4 MANA summoning cost, this card will surely have its uses.

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I would say that the Spineback Turtle is pretty AVERAGE as most cards go, especially with the release of Chaos Legion, where there are now other options like Cruel Sethropod, who also fulfils the cheap tank role at 1 less MANA, albeit with lower stats. However, there is still a situation in which the Spineback Turtle shines!

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LITTLE LEAGUE

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Under these rulesets, the "AVERAGE" Spineback Turtle has suddenly gotten an immensely huge advantage. LITTLE LEAGUE caps the MANA cost of ALL cards at just 4, ensuring that the Spineback Turtle has suddenly become the top of the range card available. It's stats as compared to other cards in that MANA cost range make it an absolute MONSTER! It's amazing what a slight tweak to the rulesets can do to what is otherwise an unremarkable card. 😱

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⚔️🛡My Battle Showcase🛡⚔️

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Let me present a battle I fought recently in which I used the Spineback Turtle. We both used DIFFERENT splinters AND summoners, and I felt that both of our lineups were pretty evenly matched. It was a VERY CLOSE battle which I eventually won by the skin of my teeth! 🎉

I would say that the Spineback Turtle was one of the MVPs, having definitely played it's part. It's tanking ability and the comparatively higher than average HP allowed it to contribute its own to the overall battle, which eventually won me the fight.

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LINK TO FIGHT WITH MY SPINEBACK TURTLE

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👯‍♀️👯👯‍♂️LINEUP CHOICES👯‍♀️👯👯‍♂️

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The Spineback Turtle was chosen as the Main Tank, being placed right in the frontline, followed by the Demented Shark and Diemonshark. The other 3 "0/1 MANA cost" cards of Creeping Ooze, Hardy Stonefish and Furious Chicken were placed in the backline simply as cannon fodder for the SUPER SNEAK attacks that are expected from such a RULESET. Likewise, the Diemondshark is in that position precisely because its high ARMOR will allow it to take a few more hits from SNEAK attacks after those cannon fodder sacrifices fall.

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⚔️🛡Battle Action Report🛡⚔️

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As you can see, my opponent used Molten Ash Golem as his tank, which was a pretty good choice, being a tanky unit with 9 HEALTH. His REAR was protected by a Furious Chicken and Antoid Platoon, while the Kobold Bruiser, Serpentine Spy and Exploding Rats rounded up the rest of his deck.

The battle started out pretty evenly. BUT as it wore on, I soon realised that my backline of cannon fodder was falling quite a bit faster than I anticipated as compared to my opponent's. His Antoid Platoon with its SHIELD ability was absorbing alot of damange while his Exploding Rats with its BLAST ability was wiping through my backline with ease! 😱

However, I eventually gained the upper hand after his Antoid Platoon fell. The Diemonshark did its job absorbing all the remaining damage with it's high ARMOR as expected, as the opponent's more fragile (but higher DPS) units slowly fell one by one. I can attribute that partially to my units all being beefier comparatively, of which the SPINEBACK TURTLE was one of them. The SPINEBACK TURTLE held the frontline for the entire battle with its superior tanking abilities whilst allowing the DPS behind it to finish the job.

In the very end, the battle was won comfortably, even though I had a slight scare at the start. That slight bit of additional HP was what proved to be the edge I needed to eventually overpower my opponent. 💪🏻

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🔮🔮🔮Hindsight is 20/20🔮🔮🔮

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Would I have done anything differently? 🤔 This is one of those rare instances where I would say that the lineup I could field is just about as optimal as they come. From my summoner choice all the way to my pick of every card and their position. This is the strongest possible hand (based on the cards I have available to me) that my opponent could face. 🏆🥇

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💭🧐💭Ending Thoughts💭🧐💭

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I definitely can appreciate the Spineback Turtle and it's strengths. This is one of those cards which will be easily passed on by most players, but its the small nuances in noticing what cards like this can bring to the battlefield which will give a player the edge in squeezing out every tiny advantage to get the win. 👍🏻

For any players looking to try out the Spineback Turtle, I hope this article has given you some insight into its potential. 😉

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To any new players who wish to explore the world of Splinterland, do feel free to sign up with my REFERRAL LINK 😊.

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