Now, where to begin...

Yes! The battle took place in Bronze 1 league after, with immense difficulty, parted with my meticulously assembled deck for cold hard cash so that I could actualize the dream of owning my own home.

This is the second time in my many years of playing the game that I have liquidated my Splinterlands NFT's which surprisingly I have grown sentimentally attached to. I doubt it will happen a third time considering I will not be paying rent in a month or two thanks to this beautiful game.

But why is that story relevant to this battle?

Starting over again requires a bit of skill, sculpting your monster and summoner assets for the most optimum battling in the lower leagues. Wave Runner is one of those cards you must own for the water splinter and in this battle I show how essential he can be to winning.

Wave Runner

---

Edition: REWARD
Rarity: COMMON
Element: WATER
ATTACK: MELEE
ABILITIES: Reach at level 1; Knock Out at level 5; Snare at level 9

Battle Ruleset

---

Battle Link: https://steemmonsters.com?p=battle&id=sl_c6b18e544ca7878daa54523fcf5f1e0b&ref=deniskj
Mana Cap: 27
Rules: Standard.

1: Demented Shark

This, in my opinion, is a must-have monster, especially in the lower leagues. The fact that the Demented Shark comes with the inspire ability in level 1 ensures that you can always have a +1 Melee boost over your opponent.

The Demented Shark is also perfect as a tank in the lower leagues, especially when paired with a healer.

2: Wave Runner

The star of the show features Wave Runner. A 5 mana monster with the reach ability that makes him perfect in the second position. He comes straight out of the pack with 2 melee damage and once paired with the Demented Shark he can cause serious havoc to the opponents tank with a total of 3 melee damage.

Generally, Wave Runner is perfect for the lower leagues because most of the monsters with magic are relatively weak in the water splinter. That means blast abilities, mainly from Ruler of the Seas, are not hitting as hard.

Usually I would prefer to have a monster with the reflect ability in this position to absorb and return fire to my opponents in the higher leagues who will undoubtedly be rocking up with serious magic firepower.

3: Ice Pixie

Ice Pixie, on the other hand, is a convenient low mana monster you can set up under Alric Stormbringer for that +1 magic damage increase. She may not be the star of the show but be sure she will always leave a mark before she falls on the battlefield.

4: Djinn Oshannus

Interestingly, even though this battle was meant to showcase Wave Runner's strength and usefulness in battle, Djinn Oshannus was in fact the one who carried the day.

The latest legendary monster in a new set of reward cards, Djinn comes equipped with the void ability to help him absorb heavy magic attacks.

As the Demented Shark, Wave Runner, and Ice Pixie fell in battle, Djinn Oshannus was left to hold off the magic attacks from the opponents monsters. His resilience was further bolstered by the ever-reliable Crustacean King.

5: Crustacean King

All I can say is that you can never under estimate the value of a low mana healer in any battle. Crustacean King was fortunate to still be on the battlefield since the opponent did not play a monster with the sneak ability.

His healing ability ultimately helped Djinn Oshannus win the battle effortlessly.

Conclusion

---

As a Splinterlands veteran, I have come to appreciate the art of optimising your deck for the leagues you mainly battle in. Since I bitterly cashed in my precious cards for a critical life goal of owning my own house, I have immediately started calibrating my deck to challenge optimally in the lower leagues by buying select cards.

Wave Runner is one of those awesome cards that will help you pick up more wins especially since every other opponent is always playing the water splinter.

If you ask me, magic monsters are a menace. :)

Anyway, get him while he is still cheap because eventually, everybody catches on.