Introduction

Another weekly challenge released (Splinterlands, 2022), this time about a card from the Earth Splinter and the Chaos Legion Set, the Mycelic Morphoid.

As commented on Greengineer (2022-a) the Chaos Legion Set brought several 0 and 1 MP cards into the game, one in each Splinter, with the exception of Dragon. In Earth Splinter and with 01 MP consumption, Mycelic Morphoid at first seems to be nothing more than a cheap option to occupy a slot in a battle with little MP available. Let's analyze the card in detail to eliminate this bias:

• Thorns: When hit with melee attack, it returns 02 physical damage to the attacker.

Unlike Death Splinter's Carrion Shade, Mycelic Morphoid can be useful in any type of battle that has enemies with melee attack due to its Thorns skill, acquired from level 03. Still, it's worth noting that it benefits from the same rules that favor their Dark Splinter friend:

• Equalizer: All monsters start the game with the same HP as the one with the highest base value. In this type of game it is important to occupy the 06 slots, so cards with low MP consumption are favored.

• Holy Protection: All monsters start with Divine Shield. Like Equalizer, in this type of game it is important to occupy the 06 slots, because 03 monsters with 1 MP can take longer to be eliminated than 01 monster with a cost of 03 MP for example, because each one will need to take at least 02 hits to fall.

• Armored Up: The idea here is similar to what happens with Holy Protection, but it's only interesting if you're sure there won't be an opponent with too many magic monsters or the Rust ability.

• Equal Opportunity: You can use low MP monsters (which usually have low HP) as bait for your opponent to waste time on them. Only do this if there is no Taunt on the other side.

• Odds One Out: As you can only use odd cards, cards with 01 MP become the ones with the lowest cost to be placed in the game.

• Melee Mayhem/Super Sneak: Few cards with 01 MP can attack from positions other than the first one (Aganju, Lensmaster, Shin-Lo...), so when these rules are in play you can guarantee more attack power with the inclusion of these in your team. Just beware of the Thorns skill that can quickly destroy them. (Greengineer, 2022-a)

The following game had none of these rules active.

The strategy before the battle

The match had 30 MP available, Earthquake was active, and Water and Dark Splinters were disabled. A few hours before the end of the season I was in the Diamond III league with Silver League level cards and with this challenge to fulfill. Normally, with Earthquake active, I use Blighton Bloom, as shown in Greengineer (2022-b), however the user who was renting me this card canceled it on the eve of the end of the season. Without Blighton at my disposal I usually opt for the Splinter of Life as in Greengineer (2022-c), but for the weekly challenge I would need to use Earth Splinter's Mycelic Morphoid.

Looking at the cards I rented to reach the Power needed to stay in the Diamond League III I verified that I had a Lvl 04 Dragon Splinter Summoner, Selenia Sky. Still in Splinter Dragon I had Red Dragon at Lvl 04, which has Flying and Heal skills, interesting to counter Earthquake. Selecting the Earth Splinter to assist Selenia, I could still count on the Minotaur Warlord at Lvl 04, great for eliminating ranged and magic monsters with his Return Fire and Magic Reflect abilities.

So I selected Red Dragon for third position with Heal and Return Fire, Screeching Vulture for fourth position with Opportunity and Gargoya Devil for fifth position with Close Range, all with the Flying ability to not take damage from Earthquake. As a tank I selected the Fungus Fiend for my opponent to waste part of his attacks (since it wouldn't be useful as a second tank due to the active Earthquake, which would eliminate him in one hit) and in the last position I put the Mycelic Morphoid to protect my backline for one round with Thorns, if he had monsters with Sneak or Opportunity. In second place I put the Minoutaur Warlord to fill the tank slot after the inevitable fall of the Fungus Fiend.

Once selected the team was to hope that my opponent didn't come with an unbeatable team at the maximum level and luckily for me that didn't happen:

The battle

My opponent came with Blighton Bloom combined with Earth Splinter. As a tank he selected the Grund with Double Strike, in the second position he placed the Xenith Monk with Heal, in the third position he selected the Goblin Psychic with Tank Heal, in the fourth position he placed the Naga Assassin, in the fifth position he placed the Spirit Hoarder with Triage and to protect your backline selected Chaos Agent. As your summoner was level 01 all your monsters were at that level.

Analyzing my opponent's team, it was easy to predict my victory, as it was a team that could lose even to bronze-level decks. Its only advantage was that all of its monsters would not take Earthquake's damage.

In the first round I lost my Fungus Fiend with the Grund attack and my Screeching Vulture eliminated my opponent's Chaos Agent.

In the second round my Mycelic Morphoid was eliminated by Earthquake's damage. The Naga Assassin killed herself with Return Fire damage. In the sequence the Grund was eliminated by my Minotaur Warlord, who was later killed with the attack of the Goblin Psychic.

In the third round, Gargoya Devil eliminated Xenith Monk. The Spirit Hoarder was taken down by the Screeching Vulture and the Red Dragon dealt the final blow to the Goblin Psychic, granting me the victory.

I could have made better use of my Mycelic Morphoid if I had placed it on the front line, swapping its position with the Fungus Fiend. Anyway my opponent made it easy with a low level composition that didn't stand a chance.

I hope you enjoyed the battle, to follow it in detail just click on Greengineer (2022-d).

PS: Sorry if there is any error in the above writing, as English is not my mother language.

References:

@splinterlands (2022, April 12). SHARE YOUR BATTLE Weekly Challenge! MYCELIC MORPHOID. PEAKD. https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@splinterlands/share-your-battle-weekly-challenge-mycelicmorphoid

@greengineer (2022-a, March 13). SHARE YOUR BATTLE Weekly Challenge! CARRION SHADE EN-US/PT-BR. PEAKD. https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@greengineer/share-your-battle-weekly-challenge-carrion-shade-en-uspt-br

@greengineer (2022-b, February 02). SHARE YOUR BATTLE Weekly Challenge! DRAGONS! EN-US / PT-BR. PEAKD. https://peakd.com/spt/@greengineer/share-your-battle-weekly-challenge-dragons-en-us-pt-br

@greengineer (2022-c, February 04). Battle analysis: Earthquake destroy a Yodin EN-US/PT-BR. PEAKD. https://peakd.com/spt/@greengineer/battle-analysis-earthquake-destroy-a-yodin-en-uspt-br

@greengineer (2022-d, April 15). Battle Link. Splinterlands - Collect, Trade, Battle!. https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_f41b3559727e2b71fe765aac1f35d4de&ref=greengineer

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Introdução

Mais um desafio semanal lançado (Splinterlands, 2022), desta vez sobre uma carta do Splinter da Terra e do Set Chaos Legion, o Mycelic Morphoid.

Como comentado em Greengineer (2022-a) o Set Chaos Legion trouxe várias cartas com 0 e 1 de MP para o jogo, uma em cada Splinter, com exceção do Dragão. No Splinter da Terra e com 01 MP de consumo, o Mycelic Morphoid a princípio parece não passar de uma opção barata de ocupar um slot em uma batalha com pouco MP disponível. Vamos analisar a carta em detalhes para eliminar este preconceito:

• Thorns: Ao ser atingido com ataque melee devolve 02 de dano físico ao atacante.

Diferente do Carrion Shade do Splinter da Morte, o Mycelic Morphoid pode ser útil em qualquer tipo de batalha que tenha inimigos com ataque melee devido à sua habilidade Thorns, adquirida a partir do level 03. Ainda assim vale salientar que ele se beneficia das mesmas regras que favorecem sua contraparte do Splinter das Trevas:

• Equalizer: Todos os monstros começam a partida com o mesmo HP daquele que possui o maior valor base. Neste tipo de partida é importante ocupar os 06 slots, logo cartas com baixo consumo de MP são favorecidas.

• Holy Protection: Todos os monstros iniciam com o Divine Shield. Assim como Equalizer, neste tipo de partida é importante ocupar os 06 slots, pois 03 monstros com 1 de MP podem demorar mais para serem eliminados do que 01 monstro com custo de 03 de MP por exemplo, pois cada um vai precisar levar ao menos 02 golpes para cair.

• Armored Up: A idéia aqui é parecida com o que ocorre com o Holy Protection, mas só é interessante se tiver certeza que não haverá um oponente com muitos monstros mágicos ou com a habilidade Rust.

• Equal Opportunity: Você pode utilizar monstros com baixo MP (que geralmente possuem baixo HP) como iscas para que seu oponente perca tempo com eles. Só faça isto se não houver Taunt do outro lado.

• Odds One Out: Como só pode utilizar cartas ímpares, as cartas com 01 de MP passam a ser as que possuem o menor custo para serem colocadas na partida.

• Melee Mayhem/Super Sneak: Poucas cartas com 01 de MP podem atacar de posições que não sejam a primeira (Aganju, Lensmaster, Shin-Lo...), logo quando estas regras estão em jogo você pode garantir mais poder de ataque com a inclusão destas no seu time. Só cuidado com a habilidade Thorns que pode destruí-las rapidamente. (Greengineer, 2022-a)

A partida a seguir não tinha nenhuma destas regras ativa.

A estratégia antes da batalha

A partida possuía 30 de MP disponíveis, Earthquake estava ativo e os Splinters da Água e das Trevas estavam desabilitados. Há poucas horas do final da temporada eu estava na liga Diamante III com cartas do nível da Liga Prata e com este desafio para cumprir. Normalmente, com Earthquake ativo, eu utilizo o Blighton Bloom, como mostrado em Greengineer (2022-b), porém o usuário que estava me alugando esta carta cancelou na véspera do final da temporada. Sem o Blighton à minha disposição costumo optar pelo Splinter da Vida como em Greengineer (2022-c), mas para o desafio da semana eu precisaria utilizar o Mycelic Morphoid do Splinter da Terra.

Observando as cartas que aluguei para atingir o Power necessário para ficar na Liga Diamante III verifiquei que eu tinha uma Summoner Lvl 04 do Splinter Dragão, a Selenia Sky. Ainda no Splinter Dragão eu tinha o Red Dragon no Lvl 04, que possui as habilidades Flying e Heal, interessantes para contra-atacar o Earthquake. Selecionando o Splinter da Terra para auxiliar a Selenia, ainda podia contar com o Minotaur Warlord no Lvl 04, ótimo para eliminar monstros mágicos e com ataque à distância com suas habilidades Return Fire e Magic Reflect.

Desta forma selecionei o Red Dragon para a terceira posição com Heal e Return Fire, o Screeching Vulture para a quarta posição com Opportunity e o Gargoya Devil para a quinta com Close Range, todos com a habilidade Flying para não receberem dano do Earthquake. Como tanque selecionei o Fungus Fiend para meu oponente desperdiçar parte de seus ataques (pois não seria útil como um segundo tanque devido ao Earthquake ativo, que o eliminaria em um só golpe) e na última posição coloquei o Mycelic Morphoid para proteger minha backline por um round com Thorns, caso tivesse monstros com Sneak ou Opportunity. Na segunda posição coloquei o Minoutaur Warlord para ocupar a vaga de tanque após a inevitável queda do Fungus Fiend.

Uma vez selecionado o time era esperar que meu oponente não viesse com um time imbatível no nível máximo e pra minha sorte isto não aconteceu:

A batalha

Meu oponente veio com o Blighton Bloom combinado ao Splinter da Terra. Como tanque selecionou o Grund com Double Strike, na segunda posição colocou o Xenith Monk com Heal, na terceira posição selecionou o Goblin Psychic com Tank Heal, na quarta posição estava a Naga Assassin, na quinta posição colocou o Spirit Hoarder com Triage e para proteger sua backline selecionou o Chaos Agent. Como seu summoner era level 01 todos os seus monstros estavam nesse level.

Analisando o time de meu oponente era fácil prever minha vitória, pois era um time que poderia perder até para baralhos no nível bronze. Sua única vantagem era que todos os seus monstros não receberiam o dano do Earthquake.

No primeiro round perdi meu Fungus Fiend com o ataque o Grund e meu Screeching Vulture eliminou o Chaos Agent de meu oponente.

No segundo round meu Mycelic Morphoid foi eliminado pelo dano do Earthquake. A Naga Assassin se matou com o dano do Return Fire. Na sequencia o Grund foi eliminado por meu Minotaur Warlord, que posteriormente foi abatido com o ataque do Goblin Psychic.

No terceiro round o Gargoya Devil eliminou o Xenith Monk. O Spirit Hoarder foi abatido pelo Screeching Vulture e o Red Dragon deu o golpe final no Goblin Psychic, me garantindo a vitória.

Eu poderia ter aproveitado melhor meu Mycelic Morphoid se tivesse colocado o mesmo na linha de frente, trocando sua posição com o Fungus Fiend. De toda forma meu oponente facilitou com uma composição de nível baixo que não teve chance alguma.

Espero que tenham gostado da batalha, para acompanhá-la em detalhes basta clicar em Greengineer (2022-d).

Referências:

@splinterlands (2022, 12 de Abril). SHARE YOUR BATTLE Weekly Challenge! MYCELIC MORPHOID. PEAKD. https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@splinterlands/share-your-battle-weekly-challenge-mycelicmorphoid

@greengineer (2022-a, 13 de Março). SHARE YOUR BATTLE Weekly Challenge! CARRION SHADE EN-US/PT-BR. PEAKD. https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@greengineer/share-your-battle-weekly-challenge-carrion-shade-en-uspt-br

@greengineer (2022-b, 02 de Fevereiro). SHARE YOUR BATTLE Weekly Challenge! DRAGONS! EN-US / PT-BR. PEAKD. https://peakd.com/spt/@greengineer/share-your-battle-weekly-challenge-dragons-en-us-pt-br

@greengineer (2022-c, 04 de Fevereiro). Battle analysis: Earthquake destroy a Yodin EN-US/PT-BR. PEAKD. https://peakd.com/spt/@greengineer/battle-analysis-earthquake-destroy-a-yodin-en-uspt-br

@greengineer (2022-d, 15 de Abril). Link de Batalha. Splinterlands - Collect, Trade, Battle!. https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_f41b3559727e2b71fe765aac1f35d4de&ref=greengineer