Splinterlands BATTLE MAGE SECRETS Featuring Armored Up in Bronze League

Featuring Bronze League Summoner and Monsters in Action!

I'm back with another exciting battle to share featuring armored up and a bronze battle. I was able to build a devastating team and claim victory over my opponent, even when they use one of the most powerful cards for bronze leagues in Quora towershed.

CHALLENGE RULES

RULESET: ARMORED UP

Description: All units get a +2 armor buff at the beginning of the game.

Use Void Armor to ensure that magic attacks strike armor first.

Use Shatter or Piercing to destroy your opponent's armor more effectively.

Reasons Why I like it
Giving every monster armor significantly changes how much protection some of those useful but low health cards can be. Having enough armor to absorb two or three melee attacks before being taken out, or aero attacks means that cards or otherwise that high risk for being targeted by opportunity or sniping now have another layer of protection and can help Ensure they stick around to make an impact

The Matchup - Where Rules Sets, Splinters and Mana Collide

The Rule Sets

Watch the Match Here

https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_a593a3d34ac9bf5f62c833d618012780&ref=senstless

MANA: 39

Ruleset: Armored Up: All monsters get a +2 armor buff at the beginning of the game.

SPLINTERS: Earth, Death

Initial Rule Set and Mana Gameplay Thoughts

• Rulesets
  Armored up probably means that this will be a magic heavy match, as a way to avoid the armor to try to slide underneath and just go after the health. Otherwise the big tactics are typically to use something with a double strike or splash damage to try to help knock on the armor before it becomes a main target
• Mana
  39 manna is plenty to play any combination you want and play a couple of really powerful cards. It won't be much skimping or hard decisions to make on if you need to cut something as 39 will allow almost every play.
• Splinters

There's only two splinters which really makes it an interesting choice. I expect most to play Earth and go for the magic boost, but the downside is that my death is right there with a magic counter and can eliminate much of the benefits. I have a feeling that Earth will be favored as an offensive tactic by both teams

• Summoner IMMORTALIS
  This is the perfect summoner in my opinion. You get to avoid to every monster as a counter to a potentially high magic opponent, while also including shatter to every single monster including those that have magic to ensure that you eliminate their armor on the first strike. This allows you to really cut through those heavy armored and potentially void armored units

• First Position MYCELIC INFANTRY
  Absolute gem of the earth when paired with immortalis. Having Shield plus void plus armor makes it a truly devastating tank.

• Second Position BRAMBLE PIXIE
  One of the newer cards that I really like, it has three damage with nine health and reach meaning it can attack the first card from second position. When you add in void and shatter it really becomes worth its mana cost

• Third Position GOBLIN PSYCHIC
  Clearly I need the magic attack monster even if it's just to shatter my opponent's armor, while healing my first two cards that have a fair amount of health and resistance to a multiple of attacks

• Fourth Position LURKING PUFFER
  One of my newer acquisitions this month, targeting those cards that both have high health as well as no attack to be paired with those powerful weapon trainers. This one also has corrosive Ward which if hit by a melee attacker it will reduce their Max armor by two which should help if they're running repair

• Fifth Position AVA THE UNDAUNTED
  This card was good before we rebellion but it's great after. The addition of more low mana not attacking the cards makes us heavy hitting weapons trainer wonderful. Adding three range attack to each of its surrounding monsters means it can really do some damage

• Sixth Position CHAOS AGENT
  It used to be just great to take up a rear tank and maybe get a Miss on a dodge, and use up the extra armor but now it's also delivering three arrow damage everywhere round

Opponent Lineup & Match

• Summoner LOBB LOWLAND
  Interesting choice as they wanted to play some Gladius cards. It cost as much mana as my summoner and it will be interesting to see how it works with them
• GRUND
  Not a bad choice, it's double strike will help dig through the armor and it's fairly hard-hitting
• FUNGUS FLINGER
  Clearly just put in as a martyr card before towershed to give it a boost
• QUARA TOWERSHED
  Another double attacking card, it will get boosted and be at three magic plus three melee minimum unless it also gets a knockout
• GOBLIN PSYCHIC
  Always nice to have a double heel on Tower shed. This means it's likely to stick around for a long time and not get taken out before it can start to build up blood left
• VENARI SPELLSMITH
  Typically a great card to use especially if you're considering your opponent using a card with big bloodlust potential.
• FUNGUS FIEND

Looks like the classic zero mana rear guard extra protection. Given its armor it should provide an extra round or at least an extra attack

Round 1

Things are looking interesting before they start, but I feel good. Assuming I don't get extremely unlucky with r&g I think I'm well suited to win this match. As the round starts I quickly put in some work on grund but it all gets healed. I then get pretty lucky with my RNG and get three consecutive strikes that had a 20% chance to miss that were able to take him from nine health to out of the game. Having five cards that are dealing three damage plus one car dealing to magic damage means I'll all of my cards are heavy heavy hitters.

Round 2

Is around two starts it looks like I'm still sitting pretty and I expect to be facing off against powershed. By the time it gets moved to the front it's gotten a boost from martyr but no other knockouts. The round goes on but the big takeaway for me is that having this many monsters dealing three damage is taking a toll on my enemy. I don't think they'll be able to overcome my heavy hitting attacks while having armor and shield and void.

Round 3

Round three starts and it looks like it's beginning of the end. I'm not taking much damage but I'm delivering it in significant quantity. I am actually able to secure enough hits to knock out towershed. After knocking it out I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of time as I haven't lost the card and they no longer have the ability to do enough damage.

Round 4

Round four starts but it's over. They have no health, they have no magic damage, and I'm able to close out this round with a victory and end fully healed. The only thing I'm missing is the original armor that came on mycilic infantry

Thoughts - and Chances to Win Again

The combination of having shatter in an armored up match, while so having void was massive. My ability to have five monsters with a potential of three damage each followed up by a two magic damage monster means I could at most put out 17 damage around. That is most likely too much for any monster to survive. The fact that my monsters were slowed down by their seminar means all of my monsters pretty much attacked consecutively. That piled up that 17 mana attack damage onto a single monster versus it getting spread out and allowing one or multiple tank heels to come along and change the course of the game.

I definitely think I will be using immortalis again if I come across another armored up match where it's available. The benefits really seem to be outweighing the potential costs, and adding void and shatter is a perfect counter to armored up.

~~@senstless

#sbi-skip