Splinterlands Monster Highlights - Featuring HALFLING ALCHEMIST

Featuring Bronze League Summoner and Monsters in Action!

As I have spent more time battling in bronze than silver, and since they have made all the changes to the modern format of reducing bots things have gotten much more difficult down in low silver and bronze. I'm finding myself having to compete against teams that are fully loaded with cron, llama, yoden, and some other untamed monsters like Cornelius that I just don't have and can't afford to rent. This means that I am trying to discover new ways to defeat these lineups as efficiently as possible to give myself a chance. This brings me to today's highlight of halfling alchemist, card which I used to own and had long forgotten but see the immense value in as I need to find counters to the teams I've seen the most.

Weekly Highlight -HALFLING ALCHEMIST

Edition: PROMO
Rarity: EPIC
Element: NEUTRAL
Attack: RANGE
Abilities: HALVING
Abilities:
Health: 1
Speed: 1
Attack: 1
Armor: 1







Reasons Why I like it

There are not many cards that have the halvong ability. Being able to cut your opponents base attack in half is really impressive and useful when you're facing off against some really strong opponents. In the bronze I think there's only one or maybe two cards and have this ability and therefore having one is a key counter too many typical lineups.

The Matchup - Where Rules Sets, Splinters and Mana Collide

The Rule Sets

Watch the Match Here

https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_2f90ba762f271221fb5ed409efe2917e&ref=senstless

MANA: 19

Ruleset: Aim True: Melee and ranged attacks will always hit their target.

Ruleset: Equalizer: All monsters start with the same health, based on the highest health in either team.

SPLINTERS: Fire, Earth, Life

Initial Rule Set and Mana Gameplay Thoughts

• Rulesets
  This duel rule set combination makes it pretty interesting. Having all the cards start with the same health means some lower mana cards are now exceptionally useful, while having all the cards hit every attack also means that slow speed cards are not necessarily as bad as they were before. I think this opens up a lot of possibilities especially with the limited mana of 19
• Mana
  Having only 19 men of means it'll probably be a focus on a lot of smaller cards which will get a health boost, while keeping your attacks limited to one or two primary attacking cards.
• Splinters
  Only three splinters are available, and I think they're going to be the most popular combos for this rule set anyways. I think it'd be a bit more difficult to potentially play water and death and dragon doesn't get very many small amount of options in addition to the splintering shoes so, I think this will likely be a match between one of the three splinters even if they were all available.

• Summoner GENERAL SLOAN
  I decided to go for the big power boost of adding one range attack to everyone. I thought it would benefit most of the cards I could select in the life brand anyways. There are a lot of two mana range attack cards that will get an additional boost and have two base damage.

• First Position GARGOYA SCRAPPER
  Not traditionally a tank, but with the health boost from the rules set it now also has the void ability to help protect against a magic lineup if that's the direction your opponent goes so it becomes a much more useful and powerful card

• Second Position SOUL FIEND
  For zero mana of course it's going to be in this lineup, it can be another card that gets healed by my Crystal Smith if given the chance

• Third Position VENARI CRYTSALSMITH
  These matches where everyone has the same health level I feel like you always have to have at least one healer if not a monster that also heals to give yourself a mess badge

• Fourth Position PELACOR ARBALEST
  A double strike attack with three range damage in each attack is great, when you give it the additional health it's no longer going to be targeted by opportunity and get knocked out before it can do its part

• Fifth Position HALFLING ALCHEMIST
  A great card, and when you give it and it boosts to its attack it's even better. These little speed is no longer a matter as it has choose track and will always hit due to the rule set

• Sixth Position HERBALIST
  Wanted to add another range attack, it will get the attack boost Plus it provides cleanse if my monsters get poisoned or stunned.

Opponent Lineup & Match Play

• Summoner LORANA SHINE
  I am struggling to win a lot of matches against Lorna shine as it's divine Shield can be troublesome to get through if you don't have it.
• PELACOR CONJURER
  Great play, and typically it would be in my lineup but with two strike it's speed and flying ability become less impactful.
• DUMACKE EXILE
  Great card, a little heavy on the mana cost but it has high speed, attack, health and armor. Overall it's a great card
• STITCH LEECH
  I'm getting nervous as it looks like my opponent went a full-on sneak attack lineup with an opportunity card and this is a great choice
• URAEUS
  The third sneak attack card, and those combinations are typically pretty successful as all attacks go One direction
• CELESTIAL HARPY
  Walmart a powerhouse, is flying ability plus opportunity will make a troublesome to knock out I'm just glad I don't have a sneak card trying to hit it.

Round 1

For the round starts, I look at their team and I'm getting quite nervous. The triple sneak Plus having a Divine shield on every monster means it's going to be very difficult for me to start to do damage. The good news is for me that the combination of a true strike, plus a double strike card means that those hits should come. I'm just not sure that they'll come fast enough to knock anybody out before I get taken out.

As the round starts I quickly secured the first knockout with arborist and its double strike. Unfortunately in the next turn I already lose my first card at the back of my lineup. Luckily for me that means there's now only two sneak attacks now three. The last attack of the round is where the halfling alchemist does its damage striking Dumackle and cutting its damage down to one.

Round 2

Is around two starts I'm feeling pretty good, half Lane will not be knocked out this round, and their primary tank monster is now only doing one damage. I quickly make work and knock it out, bringing them down to only three cards none of them doing enough damage to knock out my tank before they're knocked out. Given that they only have five health, and that pellicore arballist is doing six damage each turn guaranteed things are moving pretty quickly in my favor.

At the end of round two halfling alchemist strikes again and brings down stitch leech to only one damage.

Round 3

The highlight of round three is that once again halfling alchemist strikes again and brings down Ureas to do only one damage, this is the third and final time it will cut my opponents attacked down and all but guarantee my victory.

Round 4

Luckily for me this match doesn't make it out of the fourth round, and I didn't lose any more monsters.

Thoughts - and Chances to Win Again

I'm a little shocked that I'm a 100% case away given how I felt before the match started, but after seeing how it played out I guess the combination really favored my lineup. Double strike, half Lane, and healer all worked out really well especially when all monsters got health boost and had two strike to never miss an attack.

I will definitely be using The halfling alchemist as much as I can, thankfully one of my guild members had an extra one to loan me so I didn't have to worry about rentals anymore and I can focus on getting lava/chran / mylor on my team more consistently.

~~@senstless

#sbi-skip