In Splinterlands, not every loss comes from bad choices. Sometimes both players use similar units and similar strategies but the battle still ends with a winner and a loser. This match shows how luck can change everything. One extra hit at the wrong time is enough to lose the game.

Port Guardian was doing its job as a tank. Even with the advantage of Port Guardian over Asel Alagosdil, there are factors that can be outside of your control. Luck made a big difference at the end. The enemy attacked twice in a row and that small swing decided the fight.

Even with perfect positioning, the battle can turn on who gets the better luck on that battle. Sometimes, players just need to accept that sometimes the outcome depends on “luck of the draw.”

Lore

Among those who guard Port Continental, some are llamataurs, known for their steady temperaments, strong builds, and woolly frames. Those who serve the Mox Confederation in this role are chosen for their discipline, vigilance, and unshakable presence along the city’s sea walls and docks.

The port guardians were formed in response to a time when piracy and corruption threatened to collapse the region’s trade. The role of guardian was proposed by the People’s Assembly as part of a broader set of reforms. What began as a necessity became a symbol of order.

https://splinterlands.com/card-detail/840/regular/15?tab=lore

Stats

Port Guardian is a strong frontline tank because Port Guardian has decent Speed and Armor and enough Health to survive repeated attacks as a tank. Port Guardian excels at absorbing damage while punishing enemies with Corrosive Ward especially against melee-heavy teams. Port Guardian is not meant to be a main damage dealer but can work that way with his 3 melee attack. He also partners very well with Amplify units since Amplify boosts Corrosive Ward damage which is his only ability.

Abilities

Icon	Name	Description
	Corrosive Ward	When hit with a Melee attack, Unit does 2 armor damage to the attacker, and max armor of the attacker is reduced by 2.
		is a match because Corrosive Ward works very well with Amplify because Amplify increases the damage from Corrosive Ward by 1 point. When Port Guardian is attacked multiple times, the extra damage from Corrosive Ward can quickly add up and reducing the armor of enemy units permanently. This synergy is effective because Port Guardian does not need to rely on landing attacks to deal damage back making Port Guardian useful even in tricky situations.
		is a counter because Double Strike can be a problem for the enemy unit having it if they went against someone like Port Guardian with Corrosive Ward. Corrosive Ward works per hit. The enemy attacking twice per round means Corrosive Ward will also activate twice that round. Just be mindful that Corrosive Ward only works on melee attacks similar to Thorns and only affects armor. This means if the enemy has range or magic attack and Double Strike or they have Double Strike and melee attack but no armor, in both of these scenarios, Double Strike will not work and will be a useless ability.

Good Rules to Consider

Icon	Name	Reason
	Back to Basics	Units lose all abilities.
		Port Guardian performs well in Back to Basics rule because losing abilities does not heavily impact Port Guardian’s role as a tank. Port Guardian still keeps the decent Speed, Armor and Health which are the core reason Port Guardian is chosen as the tank. While this rule might not help your team as a whole, Port Guardian will still be unbothered in this rule and you can still use him to his full strength either way.
	Up Close & Personal	Only Units with Melee attack may be used in battles.
		Port Guardian shines here because only melee units are allowed. This maximizes Corrosive Ward value since it only affects melee units. The armor on Port Guardian reduces incoming melee damage while Corrosive Ward reflects some damage back. This is very good since all of the attacks in this rule then would affect the enemy.
	Fog of War	Units lose the Sneak and Snipe abilities.
		Fog of War rule forces all attacks toward the front making Port Guardian a natural frontline tank. Port Guardian absorbs all the attacks while Corrosive Ward affects repeated melee attacks. With this rule in, there wouldn't be Snipe, Sneak or Opportunity that can target your back line so Port Guardian can focus on what he does best, being a tank.

Bad Rules to Think Twice

Icon	Name	Reason
	Briar Patch	All units have Thorns (returns 2 damage to attacker when hit by a melee attack)
		Port Guardian suffers in Briar Patch because Port Guardian has a melee attack and takes Thorns damage every time Port Guardian attacks. This slowly drains Port Guardian’s Health and Armor even if the enemy does not attack him. What makes this worst is Thorns damage does not miss. The more consistent Port Guardian is with his attacks, the more damage he gets from Thorns.
	Born Again	All units have Rebirth (self-resurrects once per battle with 1 health and 100% of armor; all magic debuffs are removed, and all magic buffs are reapplied; skips turn).
		Born Again rule gives revived units full Armor, which makes use of Port Guardian having armor. This makes him a new chance to block enemy attacks when he first die which is a good thing for the lineup overall.
	Melee Mayhem	Melee attack Units can attack from any position.
		Melee Mayhem rule reduces Port Guardian’s role as a forced frontline tank because melee units can attack from anywhere. This flexibility means you can use Port Guardian in other positions like at the back to block Sneak attacks while still being able to attack. This just opens up other possibilities for Port Guardian instead of just being a lonely tank in the front.

Battle

Link to battle

This battle shows that mana cost does not dictate which unit is better or more powerful. I have Port Guardian, a 7 mana unit, as my main tank, while the enemy has Asel Alagosdil, a 4 mana unit, as their main tank. Except for this one difference, everything is the same. You can technically say that this is almost a perfect mirror match except for the tank. I have a higher health unit that requires a higher mana and can even attack. By that advantage, I should win, right? With the effort from both team, and for some miraculous reason, even if I kill the enemy first, I still lost. The enemy has 1 unit with 1 health by the end of the battle making this a win by the luck of the draw.

Images were taken from Splinterlands, made in Canva, drawn in Krita and animated in Photoshop.

Support me by joining Splinterlands using my referral code.