A Skirmish in Hell

Picture a desolate landscape shrouded in Noxious Fumes, where all signs of life have long withered away, leaving only scattered Briar Patches. In the distance, two packs of peculiar flaming creatures march ominously. Devils? Perhaps. Demons? Maybe… None the kind you'd wish to encounter in a dark alley, although it wouldn't truly be dark once they appear. Yes, such a scene could greet you in Hell. And it occasionally occurs in the realm of Splinterlands. The battle I'm about to recount had one extra modification: Target Practice. Though it wasn't a game-changer this time.

Fire isn't my preferred side; I view the Red Splinter as blunt power – lethal yet sluggish. However, there was no other option than the Fire Splinter this time. I opted for Skargore, counting on his Enrage buff to tilt the odds in my favor.

In Splinterlands, success hinges on combining your cards to exploit their synergies. Coeurl Lurker stands as a reliable tank on its own, adept at dodging physical attacks, particularly when bolstered by Enrage and Martyr buffs. Once it reaches a speed of 8, it becomes nearly impervious to the slower Fire monsters, as my opponent soon discovered. My tank skillfully evaded every blow, succumbing only to the hostile environment.

Venari Marksrat rarely sits out any of my lineups; I even deploy it as a tank in low-cap games. This time, he merely buffed the two keen monsters in my set.

From the outset, it was apparent that every creature but one would fall in this battle. I hoped that Tinderlock would be the last one standing. Thanks to two Martyr buffs and Enrage, he succeeded.

Firecaller was the other Martyr in my set. Unlike Venari Marksrat, this monster can actually stand a chance in many battles. This was not the case, though, and I was aware of it. I just needed the buff.

If Djinn Apprentice were a fully-fledged Djinn, he might have stood a chance of surviving the initial rounds. As a mere pupil, his fate was sealed from the start.

Even those who survive radiation ultimately succumb to poisonous fumes, as seen in the case of Radiated Scorcher. Its intended role was to tank against sneaky monsters if any were present.

The Battle

This battle demonstrates that even a summoner considered "weaker" can outmaneuver a potent adversary, such as Yodin Zaku, which I rank among the best ones. Not only that Scagore grants his Enrage buff to improve your monsters' stats from the second round on, but you also get 4 extra mana points to spend on monsters compared to Yodin Zaku.

My opponent wisely picked Almo Cambio, Forgotten One, and Cornealus, all endowed with either poison immunity or self-healing. Tusk the Wide is a reasonable tank for 6 mana points, yet he couldn't keep pace with my exceptionally swift tank or Tinderlock. Luck may have played a role, but I maintain that in ten battles with identical decks, I would secure victory in at least eight.

See the full battle!

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