Hello! This is gonna be my first entry to the Share Your Battle Weekly Challenge (mostly because I don't have a lot of cards), but better late than never, right?

This week's battle is gonna feature a budget-friendly build, and the star of the show is a brand-new epic Dragon card, Djinn Chwala. Take note, this is the only Level 1 monster that has Thorns.

For the mana cost, this card is a strong tank, and in certain rulesets, it can single-handedly win you the game. Let's take this battle for example.

---

Ruleset and Strategy

Djinn Chwala is sort of a "cheese" strategy for the "Up Close & Personal" ruleset, as it's a way-cheaper option to rent compared to Mylor Crowling and it's the ONLY Level 1 monster that has Thorns. For the newer players in Bronze and Silver, this is a must-have in your collection.

I was playing on my alt account which sits in Silver 3. Since I knew my opponent could only play melee monsters and I didn't have Mylor Crowling, Djinn Chwala was an instant tank choice. I also knew that the +1 armor bonus from Drake of Arnak would eat up at least one melee hit (there aren't many monsters that have piercing at level 1).

I decided that with the remaining 7 mana, I would play a secondary tank that could soak Sneak damage while hitting the opponent's tank with Reach. Fineas Rage was the best option. I wanted to hit hard and fast to the first tank to maximize the damage from Thorns to try to prevent any healers (Sea Monster, Cerberus and Haunted Spirit come to mind). Earth, Death and Water Splinters don't have a good enough Position 2 monster compared to Fineas Rage, at least with the given mana cap.

In retrospect, I could have gone with (3)Serpentine Spy + (2)Kobold Miner + (2)Battering Ram, because each would also get +1 Armor bonus from Arnak, but I was worried about spreading the damage too far apart, and if Djinn Chwala loses in front, my backline would just be gobbled up. Also, I didn't have Battering Ram rented at the time and I definitely didn't want my 2 mana Cocatrice to just sit there in the back 😅.

---

Round 1

Based on the speed, choosing Fineas paid off as he's one of the faster monsters that have Reach. He'll hit first here, but I got worried about the opponent's backline, as they have Sneak / Opportunity. What I wasn't expecting was Ant Miners in Position 2, which I think was a very grave mistake on the part of my opponent. I think he was preparing against a Sneak attack, but unfortunately for him, I chose to break his team through the front.

---

Round 2

First move goes to Fineas again, and because of the thorns and 2 attack from Chwala, we say goodbye to Cerberus. Fineas is still standing strong after this, but he'll get eaten up by the backline of my opponent.

Now after his backline attacked, it leaves my Fineas at 1HP. Kobold Miner and Chwala have the same speed, but Chwala will hit first because he has a higher rarity. Chwala now gets rid of the Ant Miner easily (not a good position because he didn't make the most of Scavenge), but I lose Fineas after Kobold Miner's turn. Cockatrice still sitting pretty.

---

Round 3 / Cleanup

At this point, it's pretty clear who wins (I hope). All the opponent's monsters have 2HP or less so even if Chwala was stunned, he'd just kill them with thorns. Between their cumulative damage and the remaining HP on Chwala, it's not enough to take him down. The 1 armor remaining after Cutthroat's hit ensured the win.

---

Aftermath

---

Final Thoughts

When Djinn Chwala came out as one of the teaser cards for the new CL rewards, I knew that I wanted a maxed out copy right away. However, due to budget constraints, I had to rely on a single purchase and reward chest luck. Thankfully I won a couple and I'm loving this card as a tank.

At higher levels, Djinn Chwala gets Enrage - which increases damage and speed as well. Works amazing with any Dragon Summoner as a budget or secondary tank. I also love using Djinn Chwala as the last position in the Super Sneak ruleset.

---

I sincerely hope this helps you enjoy the game more and appreciate its depth and strategy. :)

Good luck, and may your rewards chests always contain gold foil legendaries.

@cutedawako

Interested in starting Splinterlands? Use my referral link here. 😄
Want to catch me on stream? Follow me on Twitch here. 😍

---

CREDITS:

#nosleepgang

huge shout out to @drabs587 for helping me with edits, content, and inspiration to do the Weekly Challenge.

GIF from Tenor.com

All other images and screenshots from Splinterlands