BattleMage Secrets: EarthQuake

This week's Battle Mage rule set challenge was Earthquake in which non flying monsters take 2 damage points at the end of every round!

Earthquake general strategy....

There are a few basics to get right I think, not necessarily in this order:

1. All other things being equal, pick as many flying monsters as you can!
2. If you can't pick flying, then self-heal is a good move too.
3. Any other health adders are cool - like strengthening summoners or monsters, or scavange, life leach. Anything that can recoup that damage.
4. Shields also work against the earthquake damage, so shield and repair can work, maybe favouring the life splinter a little.
5. Watch out for weak support monsters, they often have low health and so may die before they do any good!
6. It might be an idea to put higher health monsters at the back and lower health monsters (if non flying) at the front. If they are unprotected and have 4 or less health, they are not going to last more than 2 rounds anyway!
7. You might even want to consider snare - although I rarely see it used and rarely use it myself!

Earthquake battle exemplar

The battle below shows a battle in which I use flying to good effect, and features the excellent Runimancer Kye as a the main protagonist.

Rule sets and mana: 24 mana and just Earthquake...

Summoner: Lilly - for strengthen and triage...

1. Gloridax Guardian: a decent flying tank!
2. Chicken - snipe and blast soak
3. Ice pixie - a useful low mana flying magic attack card!
4. Runimancer Kye - heavy on the mana but flying and Life Leach and decent damage...

The battle...

• round 1 - My Chicken falls to EarthQuake, having taking one blast damage
• round 2 - my opponent loses his Ooze and the archer, after just two rounds! Both non flying, low health.
• round 3 - I lose my Gloridax to magic attacks.
• round 4 - I lose my Ice Pixie, ouch, only the Runimancer left!, but he takes out Osheanus, with a little help from more earthquake damage!
• round 5 - Well it's not THAT bad, I've got 5 shields and 12 health and life leach and flying so....
• by round 8 it's all over and I've still got 15 health left, good old life leach, don't knock that ability!

Final battle analysis

My opponent did well to field a couple of flying monsters and his main card Osheanus may have neutralised my magic attacks long enough to take me out, had it not been for Earthquake dealing him 2 damage every round.

This really shows the importance of playing flying monsters at the back, and with Life Leach the Runimancer is really the ideal card for this ruleset even though heavy on the mana!

Earthquake final thoughts...

I guess the key piece of advice is... at least one flying monster near the back!

Life Leach is also an idea!