Close Range Reflections

Ranged monsters often find themselves at a disadvantage in the realms of Splinterlands. While they can attack from the rear rows like magic monsters, many become harmless once they reach the front line. Their attempts to target flying or fast-moving opponents suffer from inaccuracy, much like their melee fellows. However, the Close Range ruleset balances the power. And when the Counterspell modifier applies either, ranged monsters can suddenly emerge as the keen ones. But are they truly the best option in such a game? Let us have a look at this epic battle!

Before marching into the battlefield, have a glance at my lineup. Lir Deepswimmer is arguably the most eligible summoner for leading your troops into battle under this ruleset. With the assumable absence of magic strikers, the two additional armor points, combined with the Return Fire buff for your army and the Blinding effect on your opponent's monsters, make Lir's 7-mana price tag a bargain. I'd consider paying even ten mana for this summoner.

Chain Golem evolves into a versatile tank once leveled up to acquire Void. Despite its below-average speed, my Golem proved resilient throughout the battle, holding its ground just like I needed.

I wonder who decided that the Demented Shark would Inspire its fellows-in-arms. Does it make any sense to you? Anyway, I just wanted my Golem a tad more lethal and had no better card to place there. As you can hardly expect this disabled marine dinosaur (yep, sharks have been around for over 100 billion years) to adhere to my strategic plans, I played it safe and had no tasks for it except for Inspiring the Golem.

Now, here’s a nasty guy. A two-mana wonder capable of turning the tide of battle, particularly under the Aimless ruleset. Though the substances he experiments with remain a mystery, the Halfling Alchemist has mastered the art of halving enemy attack abilities. As a result, drafting him is almost always worth the mana spent.

Cornealus is my favorite sneak-killer. This giant eye can eliminate an army of sneaky monsters thanks to a lethal combination of Thorns and self-healing. Besides, a ranged attack of 3 ain’t no bad either!

To ensure my Cornealus would survive Fire sneaking hordes (yes, I had expected my opponent to side with the Reds in this one), I sent Venari Marksrat to self-sacrifice to the second-to-last position.

I saved the last spot for the weirdest M.D. you’ve ever seen – Doctor Blight. Drafting a magic striker for a Magic Reflection battle might look unwise, yet this guy comes with nasty abilities that may come in handy now and then – Poison, Affliction, and Camouflage. So he can be easily buffed with Martyr’s sacrifice and then spread plague the way he loves.

The Battle

The first round unfolded in my favor as I halved Grum Flameblade's attack and poisoned him. My Martyr perished as I expected, and its sacrifice buffed the two adjacent monsters. Besides this loss, my rows remained relatively unscathed. In the next round, Fina Voxom managed to eliminate the Halfling Alchemist and buff herself, but her fleeting success did little to alter the inevitable outcome. With her demise two rounds later, and being the sole significant threat in the opponent's lineup, the battle was decided. From there, it was simply a matter of systematically eliminating the remaining monsters.

While I'd like to attribute my victory to a superior strategy tailored for the ruleset—demonstrating that reliance on ranged monsters is not imperative under these conditions—I must admit that my success is rooted in having better cards than my opponent. Anticipating their strategy, I simply placed my superior cards to mitigate their strengths, which secured my victory.

See the full battle here!

Posted Using InLeo Alpha