Splinterlands Battle Mage Secrets - The Drybone Raider Close Range Frenzy

Greetings ++Splinterlands++ Summoners! The classic weekly battle challenge retired to make way for the Battle Mage Secrets series, making it more entertaining. This new set-up adds a focus on dynamic strategies, as players will be able to choose from a greater selection of more diverse units to bring into battle.

Let's enjoy the **Close Range **ruleset, where all monsters with ranged attacks will be allowed to attack even from the first position. You can fully embrace the battle-rule or just play your rangers as normal. What's your pick?

The Close Range battle-rule is great in some combinations, but it has one issue... it can be totally ignored and the team can be built using only melee or casters.

But some cards can become overpowered under the Close Range rule! Some cards like the crazy Drybone Raider! This card has raw power, with Double-Strike and dual attack! Power-overwhelming!

According to the lore, the Raiders are part of a tribalistic and fractious collective of anarchists! The Drybone are led by the llamataur warlord, Eternan Brune, the fire dude that destroys your armor even before the battle starts.

They are savage, conducting predatory incursions into neighboring lands, attacking settlements for loot, plunder, and fun. The Drybone Raiders are war machines, armoring themselves in primitive furs and leathers, wield all manner of swords and spears! The savagery is reflected in the cost, with 12 mana needed to add this wild-card on the battlefield.

The Raiders are undisciplined and disorderly, but feared for their ferociousness and tenacity. They start with seven health, one ranged damage and two melee damage points, upgrading the stats only a bit. The deadliness is given by the abilities, gaining Shatter and Cripple with leveling. Just imagine how this monster can hit four times while shattering armor and crippling an opponent with four health points in one go! Deadly!

The Drybone Raider is over-powered anyway, but when he will be able to shoot his arrows even from the first position is close to god-like. What about blast damage with every attack? He could wipe half of the population without the Infinity Stones or the "snap"!

Close Range was doubled up with Explosive Weponery in a battle that had 42 mana for team selection. Time to bring on the big guns.

Tarsa: +1 Health & +1 Melee Damage

Living Lava: Melee Tank with Shield

Venari Marksrat: Ranged with Martyr

Drybone Raider: Melee/Ranged with Double Strike

Firecaller: Ranged with Martyr

Djinn Inferni: Caster with Giant-Killer

Antoid Platoon: Melee Tank with Shield

The tactic used for this battle was exceptional, with three ranged units added in the team and two of them with Martyr. Shield in front and shield at the back, and that insane Drybone Raider that will blast the opponents several times per round.

I was battling against Kelya Frendul, and a team focusing on melee damage. Only one ranged in the team, and Djinn Oshannus in the last position. Feels like a bad choice?

Few blasts later and the Venari Marksrat was defeated, but this was the plan! Martyr on the Living Lava and on the Drybone Raider for boosted damage! However, he did only half of his job, missing one of his two ranged attacks.

The Tide Biter was another blast victim, and round two was preparing for amazing events. What happened when I lost the Living Lava? The Drybone Raider came to the rescue and become the ultimate tank.

It got even better when the Venari Spellsmith damage took down the Firecaller, who relesead another Martyr. The Drybone Raider and Djinn Oshannus stats got boosted and the real deal was starting.

Drybone Raider killing spree activated! Arrow one and the Diemonshark was down, then the Deeplurker and the Venari Spellsmith were eliminated through a combo of attacks.

Will the Drybone Raider be able to defeat Djinn Oshannus or this story will lack the happy ending? See the full battle here!

Close-Range Garoya Made The Difference! A ranged monster with close range will be a game-changer. Why? Because it can turn the tides of the battle.. specially in the fights when only archers are allowed!

Who to chose when going the distance? In this battle ... the task was made harder by the limited mana and reduced splinters, with only 26 mana to use for team selection.

From ancient times, Contessa L'Ament was the best choice for this type of battles. The sharpshooters and archers where backed by a weird synergy of abilities and monsters.

Contessa L'Ament: -1 ranged attack

Venari Marksrat: Ranged with Martyr

Gargoya Devil: Ranged with Flying and Close Range

Xenith Archer: Ranged

Ravenhood Warden: Ranged with Protect

Weirding Warrior: Ranged with Shatter

Vampire: Ranged with Life Leech

Only Death Splinter Cards so not much flexibility. Archers and stuff both ways? I was expecting a similar tactic from my opponent, but I had to face the creepy Thaddeus Brood. If the health reduction made sense, the magic dampener was pointless.

It looked like a wrong choice of summoner... and it was a wrong choice of summoner if we consider that the units selection was poor as well.

The Soul Strangler is not as powerful as an OG Vampire, and this was seen when my Dracula eliminated the lesser creature. His place was taken by the Gargoya Devil, one that looked my pale than mine. This one released a deadly bolt and took care of the Marksrat, only to boost my own Gargoya Devil through Martyr.

The pale one was shattered by his own kin, with a flap of stony wings. The Dhampir, another lesser vampiric creature, couldn't face the tide of arrows and was soon defeated. See the full battle here!

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