Battle Mage Secrets Weekly Challenge! Taking Sides

In this week's Battle Mage Secret, the ruleset is "Taking Sides" This ruleset will not allow you to use any neutral cards in your lineup.

Source: Splinterlands.com

I have always been a fan of Neutral Cards, and my most used neutral cards are the following:

Dr. Blight - I like using Dr. Blight to prevent my opponent from healing.

Halfling Alchemist - This card halves the attack of any opponent that it inflicts with halving.

Ureaus - This is one of my favorite sneak cards because I can use it in any element as it is a neutral card.

These are only the ones that I frequently use, but I still have many neutral cards in my deck that I use depending on the ruleset.

But yes, the Battle Mage Secrets Ruleset today is "Taking Sides," so I need to set my neutral cards aside for the meantime.

After patiently waiting for the ruleset to appear, it finally showed up in one of my rank battles.

Battle Details

Battle Link - https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_d3957dbb8992d399f93edf3aed489c47&ref=jacejav

Rounds - 7 rounds
Ruleset - Taking Sides
Mana Cap: 99 Mana Consumed
Active Elements: Fire, Earth, Life, Death

Although there are four active elements, my choice would only be either Life or Earth because these two elements have healers. Having the ability to use healing in a battle is a great advantage. I've decided to go with the Earth element so that I can use two cards with healing abilities. One is Goblin Psychic, and the second one is Kron the Undying.

I was thinking of using Mylor in case my opponent uses strong sneak attack cards, but at the last minute, I decided to use Scarred Llama.

My Battle Lineup:

Summoner: Scarred Llama
Ability: +2 Health
Last Stand
Cleanse

Monsters:

Tank - Unicorn Mustang: I used Unicorn Mustang because it has a strong attack and a void ability, which reduces magic attacks that I predict my opponent will use.

2nd Position - Oaken Behemoth: I used this card in the second position because it has the reach ability and a magic attack, allowing it to attack twice each round. It also has void armor, making magic attacks hit armor first before damaging health.

3rd Position - Goblin Tower: You might be wondering why I included Goblin Tower instead of using other magic attacks. Goblin Tower has the blast ability, which helps a lot in thinning out enemy units.

4th - Hunter Jack: We don't usually see Hunter Jack in battle, but this sniper can really help in eliminating magic attack monsters.

5th - Goblin Psychic: As I've said, a healing ability is an advantage, so I put a healer.

6th Position - Kron the Undying: I've used Scarred Llama as a summoner, so the best monster to put in the last position is Kron the Undying.

My Opponent's Lineup:

**Summoner - **Conqueror Jacek
Monsters:

• Grum Flame Blade
• Lava Launcher
• Sorriel the Bale
• Djinn Infernni
• Ash Mirage
• Tinderlock

Batlle Rounds

Round 1:
At the start of the round, my ranged monster was immediately weakened by Ash Mirage's Headwinds ability. No one has fallen yet, but my Oaken Behemoth was heavily damaged and my Goblin Tower has only 1 health left.

Round 2:
My Goblin Tower was defeated, and my Goblin Psychic and Hunter Jack are hanging on to their lives. I managed to eliminate my opponent's Grum Flameblade and Lava Launcher cards. My tank card is still very healthy and can still defend the team.

Round 3:
My Oaken Behemoth has fallen, but I managed to eliminate my opponent's Sorriel the Bale and Djinn Inferni. Now, Ash Mirage can't attack because it is a ranged attack card. Luckily, my Mustang Unicorn is still alive and full of life.

Round 4:
Only Tinderlock is left on my opponent's side, and it has activated its Last Stand ability, making it much stronger.

The battle was finished at Round 7, with my team totally eliminating the last card of my opponent.

Analysis:

The truth is I could have lost the battle if my opponent had picked the right summoner. I think my opponent picked Conqueror Jacek because they assumed that my units would be heavily covered with armor. What made my opponent be defeated is because of its summoner's Scattershot ability. It did not try to bring down my tank; instead, it focused on my backliner.

I made a mistake in picking Goblin Tower and Hunter Jack; I should have just chosen Sorcerer and Mycellic Slipspawn. In any case, this was a good and hard-fought battle. At first, I thought I would be defeated because my backliners were getting eliminated, but thanks to the Scattershot, my tank survived.

Playing Splinterlands is not only enjoyable but also mentally stimulating and rewarding too.

If you're interested in trying out this game, you can start with a free account. However, free accounts do not offer rewards. To transform it into a Play-to-Earn experience, consider purchasing the Spellbook.

Image Sources: All images are From the website Splinterlands.com