Splinterlands Challenge of the Week: Byzantine Quad Heal Strategy

This week's Splinterlands Challenge of the Week was to showcase Cerberus from the Fire Splinter:

This is a pretty handy, cheap mana tank, especially infuriating in 'little league' battles - there aren't many monsters with 9 health for 4 mana, 4 damage and two buffs!

However, I don't play Fire, it's my Duff Splinter, so I'm opting for an alternative battle, featuring a Quad heal strategy with the Byzantine Kitty - in a nod to the 'heal the tank' aspect of Cerberus (albeit a pretty lame nod).

The battle below features my quad heal strategy against a maxed deck sporting 2 legendary cards.

I play a legendary summoner with one legendary card and only 4 of them maxed.

I think this shows the advantages of legendary summoners over maxed decks with regular summoners!

The Rule Set and Line Up

• Mana 30
• Stampede
• Heavy Hitters

Both of us ignored both the rules!

Summoner: The Kitty -Tank heal 1, plus 2 speed and true strike.

• The Cube - I normally play Lord A, but I wanted a self healer for my quad heal!
• Spirit of the Forest - Tank Heal 3 and shields.
• Khmer Princess - Tank Heal 4 and Triage
• The Vulture - Opportunity and Scavenge, and great speed!
• Swamp Thing - 2 for 2 and he can't miss because of True Strike!
• Earth Elemental - FINALLY, that low speed doesn't matter with the Kitty.

Did my strategy work?

Beautifully, to see it in action click here!

• Round 1 - we trade blows, no losses.
• Round 2 - I take first blood - a snipe, opportunity combo takes down his FIVE damage Mermaid, it already looks like this is only going one way now!
• Round 3 - HOWEVER, my opponent had a good crack - blast and reflect together reduce my Khmer to 2 health and The Spirit down to just one health (Triage kept her alive!). Triage and Self Heal also kept the Earth Elemental alive!
• Round 4 - The same snipe and opportunity combo put paid to The Lord of the Seas! I lose the Elemental to the Shark, that 4 damage is something I didn't like the look of at the start!
• Round 5 - Snipe put pays to the Crustacean, goodbye heal! I also lose the Khmer to reflect, too busy triaging the wrong card as usual!
• Round 6 - we trade blows, no losses! NB with scavenge the Cube is now up to 19 health and the Vulture 10 health!
• Round 7 - The Vulture takes out his Water Elemental, so much for dodge!
• Round 8 - it's all over, just a matter of finishing of his Lord A!

How important was the Kitty?

Integral to my victory I'd say. Her true strike ability allowed me to play two low mana ranged cards with decent damage at the back that would usually miss A LOT, allowing me to put the higher mana cards up front.

The Earth Elemental proved the perfect defence against the Shark with self healing (along with Triage) keeping him at bay for a few rounds.

The Spirit of the Forest was (as usual) integral and worked nicely with the Vulture - snipe weakening and then the Vulture finishing off those magic attacks in the middle!

The Cube was a great choice for a tank, with void numbing my opponent's attacks. This may not have worked with Lord A, with so much incoming damage including ranged he may have been taken out early given his lower health than the Cube, which would have been disastrous, but with the Cube, his initial high health means ever heal gave him back 4 points, nullifying completely all the damage!

Come to think of it had my opponent played stun, he may have won by enabling a rapid take down of The Cube!

But he didn't and a win is a win!

Final Thoughts: Byzantine Kitty, worth buying?!?

Well I'm going to say 'yes' but I'm glad I maxed mine out when it was going for $20 odd dollars! Now that they're selling for over $40, more than Yodin I could probably live without one!

Having said that, playing the Kitty (oor er!) is FUN - it allows you to not worry about speed as a factor so much and encourages you to get a bit creative with yer card choices!

It truly is one of my favourite cards!

If you don't yet play Splinterlands, why not give it a go?

Anyone using my referral link will receive a free rare card!