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I've been dealing a lot of stress against Earth builds. It's quite different this time, quite more deadly. So, I had to invent a build to counter it.

Fortunately, after a few losses, I managed to find the perfect card to beat the Gladiator Katrelba Gobson.

Let me show you how and I am sure this is something you will not expect.

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Venari Knifer

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Stats | Lobb Lowland

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

Lobb Lowland is a rare summoner that you can only get from Rewards Chests.

Level 2 rare summoners allow the use of:
Level 1 Legendary monsters;
Level 2 Epic monsters;
Level 2 Rare monsters;
Level 3 Common monsters.

Lobb Lowland is a good summoner because Conscript. This allows you to use Gladiator cards during Ranked matches. In addition to this, he also decreases the opponent's speed by 1.

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Abilities

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-1 Speed. Decrease the opponent's speed by 1 with a minimum of 1. This ability has the same effect as Slow.

This is a good ability for aggressive builds. Builds that have high attack and low defense is mostly based on speed. The higher the speed, the earlier you can attack.

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𝔄𝔟𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔠𝔯𝔦𝔟𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔶 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.

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Stats | Venari Knifer

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

Venari Knifer's stats are actually quite good. He has a good amount of damage and decent health. However, you cannot use him as a solo tank since he has no defensive abilities.

If you use Venari Knifer as a main tank, he would just die in 1-2 turns. He's good as anti-sneak or as one of two main tanks though.

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Abilities

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At level 1, Thorns is unlocked. Thorns inflict 2 melee damage to any melee monsters that attack this monster.

The only weakness of this ability is it's limited to melee attacks. If opponents has range or magic damage, they would not get any damage when attacking this card.

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At level 6, Backfire is unlocked. Any monster that attacks this monster and misses gets 2 damage back.

With a high speed of 6, it's actually a really strong anti Sneak monster. Whether the opponent's attack hit or miss, they would get 2 damage back which is very strong in eliminating opponent's Sneak monsters.

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𝔄𝔟𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔠𝔯𝔦𝔟𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔶 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.

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Battle Highlights

Click the link below to see the full battle:
https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_a65855c44337ee82136fee6c49e488c8

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Rules of Combat

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

39 Mana Cap. Total mana cost of all monsters must not exceed 39 mana.

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Up Close and Personal Rules of Combat. Only monsters with melee attack can be used during this battle.

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Abilities Used During This Battle

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𝔄𝔟𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔲𝔰𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔟𝔞𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔶 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.

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Monsters in

RED

are my opponent's. Those in BLUE are mine.

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Round 1

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

1. Venari Knifer's Thorns killed
   Katrelba Gobson
   .
2. Mycelic Morphoid's Thorns killed
   Venari Scout
   .
3. Venari Scout
   's Opportunity attack killed Mycelic Morphoid .

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Round 2

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

1. Uraeus
   's Sneak attack killed Venari Knifer .
2. Venari Knifer's Thorns killed
   Uraeus
   .

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Round 3

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

1. Grund
   's attack killed Mycelic Infantry .

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Round 4

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

1. Quora Towershead's attack killed
   Terracious Hulk
   .
2. Grund
   's attack killed Venari Scout .
3. Grund
   's attack killed Goblin Thief .

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Round 5

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

1. Quora Towershead's attack killed
   Grund
   .

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Round 6

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

1. Quora Towershead's attack killed
   Fungus Fiend
   .

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ᒪIᑎEᑌᑭ

^{𝔓𝔥𝔬𝔱𝔬� 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔶 𝔖𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱.}

Lobb Lowland: decreases opponent's speed by 1. He also has Conscript allowing the use of Gladiators during battle. He can also be exchanged with Dragon's Helios Matriarch. The +1 speed from Helios Matriarch acts the same while also having Conscript. The use would depend on which summoner available has the higher level.

1. Mycelic Infantry: Has Shield ability to delay the opponent's advance.
2. Mycelic Morphoid: Placed in second in case the opponent breaks through. I don't want to put a low health unit in the first position due to how many Gladiators I encounter these days. It would increase their stats due to Bloodlust ability.
3. Venari Scout: This should've been Uraeus but I think I don't have it available so I used Venari Scout instead.
4. Goblin Thief: Good damage for a 4 mana unit. He also has Sneak ability to attack the opponent's back row.
5. Quora Towershead: I've been testing her a lot. She's really strong once she ramps up with her Bloodlust. The Heal ability is good for protecting the back from Sneak monsters, same with what I do with Cornealus.
6. Venari Knifer: Placed at the last position due to Katrelba Gobson. His health is enough to live until he kills Katrelba Gobson with Thorns ability.

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ᗪIᗪ YOᑌᖇ ᔕTᖇᗩTEGY ᗯOᖇKEᗪ?

Yes. Katrelba Gobson has low health and I used this clear weakness against her. At level 1, Katrelba Gobson has 3 health. Each Thorns damage from Venari Knifer does 2 damage. With Katrelba Gobson's Double Strike ability, and Sneak ability, she would attack the last monster I have, Venari Knifer, and suffer twice of the Thorns damage, one for each attack. This would give her 4 damage, in return killing her.

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ᗯᕼᗩT ᗯIᒪᒪ YOᑌ TᖇY ᗪIᖴᖴEᖇEᑎTᒪY ᑎE᙭T TIᗰE?

Quora Towershead and Lobb Lowland. I think in this battle, the Gladiators didn't shine as much as I wanted.

I was actually testing Quora Towershead during this match but Katrelba Gobson kept killing her so I had to implement a counter strategy.

However, I do think that rather than the two, it would be better to use Sneaks and Inspire with this lineup.

I still won so it's all good.

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𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

Venari Knifer and Lobb Lowland in Up Close and Personal Rules of Combat

? 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕?

I don't particularly like Venari Knifer but I do think he's interesting in this regard. I think Venari Knifer is strong when played in some situations but not strong overall.

Lobb Lowland is quite good though except for the 6 mana cost. The reduced enemy speed means you can attack first and if you implement this in a Sneak team, you may get good results.

• This post is an entry for Splinterland's Battle Mage Secrets contest.
• Other sources that I do not own are cited under their respective photos. Photos and drawings without cited sources are mine and made for this post.
• Animated Banners and Dividers are edited in Canva Pro.
• Some of the fonts used are from instafonts.io

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GӨӨD ᄂЦᄃK ΛПD KΣΣP GЯIПDIПG!