Ability Focus
In this week's Social Media Challenge, I want to delve into the long-standing SNEAK ability, which has been a staple since the inception of Splinterlands. With the introduction of new card editions like Untamed, Chaos Legion, and Riftwatchers, players must adapt swiftly to diverse monster lineups and leverage the various abilities at their disposal to formulate effective strategies!
The SNEAK ability, in my opinion, is one of the most formidable abilities to be mindful of. A monster possessing the SNEAK ability has the capability to target the last enemy monster instead of the first one during its turn. This grants players the opportunity to directly attack the often exposed backline, circumventing any tankers that the opposing team may have positioned 😖
STUN ability could only be found in the below 49 monster cards!
SNEAK ability. It is crucial to be aware of these rulesets and refrain from including monsters with the SNEAK ability in your team. By doing so, you can avoid the oversight of being unable to fully utilize this remarkable ability! 😉
SNEAK and Snipe abilities.
The Battle
While fulfilling my responsibilities in the Splinterlands scholarship account I have with Balthazar, bltzr-wizard-729, I was able to engage in a battle that truly showcase the formidable SNEAK ability. To get right into the action, the battle link can be found here. Otherwise, do read on as I go into more detail regarding the lineup and fight.
Let's start by reviewing the ruleset in place. We begin with the Weak Magic ruleset, which states that any Magic attack must first penetrate the target's Armor before dealing damage to its health. Next, we have the Stampede ruleset, which enables the Trample ability to activate multiple times during an attack if the trampled monster is eliminated. Lastly, we have the Close Range ruleset, which permits the use of Ranged attacks from the first position. This battle has a mana cap of 24 and only allows the Fire, Life, and Dragon Splinters to be utilized.
Summoner, Quix The Devious
Upon reviewing the battle's rulesets, I had a clear plan in mind for my team composition. Since the battle plan I have involved the Dragon Splinters, I immediately chose Quix The Devious as my Summoner. The -1 Range debuff provided by Quix The Devious is particularly advantageous in this battle due to the Close Range ruleset, which typically favors the use of Ranged monsters 😏
First Position, Pelacor Conjurer
Pelacor Conjurer emerges as a standout option for a cost-effective tank in the game, making it a great fit for this particular battle. With a low mana cost of 2, it showcases remarkable Speed and Health attributes, complemented by a range of abilities that are highly effective against enemy monsters. Its Magic Reflect and Phase abilities often strike fear in Magic opponents, while the Divine Shield ability allows Pelacor Conjurer to withstand the initial attack without taking any damage, enhancing its durability in combat 💪
Second Position, Stitch Leech
Strategically positioning the Stitch Leech in the second slot is ideal due to its Life Leech ability. With the reliable tanking capabilities of Pelacor Conjurer, the Stitch Leech has ample time to accumulate Health stats by skillfully infiltrating the enemy's backline through its SNEAK ability. Consequently, if the Pelacor Conjurer falls and the Stitch Leech is summoned to the first position, it can effectively fulfill the role of a tank 😜
Third Position, Dhampir Infiltrator
The Dhampir Infiltrator holds a unique position among my favored units, particularly in battles with limited mana resources. It excels as an extremely aggressive unit, swiftly dispatching the enemy's backline. Equipped with both Double Strike and SNEAK abilities, the Dhampir Infiltrator has the potential to unleash a formidable offensive assault alongside other SNEAKY monsters in the lineup 😉
Fourth Position, Uraeus
Uraeus was also included in the team selection, aligning perfectly with my initial battle strategy. As a member of the Neutral Splinter, it serves as a versatile monster frequently encountered in Diamond and Champion League Ranked Battles. Despite its low mana cost, Uraeus possesses formidable strength with its 3 melee damage and SNEAK ability. However, its standout feature lies in its ability to potentially inflict Poison on opposing monsters 😵
Fifth Position, Supply Runner
Another versatile monster from the Neutral Splinter has been selected for this battle. The Supply Runner possesses beneficial buff abilities including Swiftness and Strengthen. Swiftness provides a +1 Speed boost, while Strengthen enhances the Health stats of the entire lineup by +1, making the team even more formidable. Furthermore, with the Close Range ruleset, the Supply Runner is also capable of engaging the enemy from the first position, ensuring its active participation in the battle when called upon! ✌️
Last Position, Naga Assassin
The Naga Assassin, renowned for its exceptional Speed, was strategically placed in the final position to maximize the benefits of its Backfire ability. This ability deals damage to any enemy monster that fails to land an attack while attempting to SNEAK on the Naga Assassin. Furthermore, the Swiftness ability possessed by the Naga Assassin enhances the overall speed of the team, increasing the likelihood of the enemy's monsters missing their target 😝
The Analysis
Contrary to my predictions, the opponent did not include any Range monsters in their lineup, rendering the -1 Range debuff from Quix The Devious ineffective. This unexpected turn of events caused me some concern as my initial assessment of the opposing team was off. To add to my worries, the opponent chose Lux Vega as their Summoner, providing a valuable +1 Armor buff that would be advantageous in the presence of the Weak Magic ruleset (although I did not field any Magic monsters). Despite these intimidating factors, I braced myself for a tough battle 😣
However, once the battle commenced, my worries quickly faded away as my strategy of employing relentless SNEAK attacks proved to be a resounding success. By assembling a lineup focused on high Speed, utilizing the -1 Speed debuff from Quix The Summoner, and capitalizing on the +1 Speed buffs from the Supply Runner and Naga Assassin, I swiftly eliminated the opposing team's vulnerable backline threats. Deploying the SNEAKING strategy in battles with a low mana cap has consistently yielded favorable outcomes, and this battle was no exception 👍
Do you guys have any go-to strategy as well? Do share them with me in the below comments 😎
If you made it this far, I sincerely appreciate your time and value your encouragement. Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions so that we can discuss about other strategies. Thinking about giving Splinterlands a try but haven't signed up yet? Feel free to use my referral link: https://splinterlands.com?ref=ak08, and be sure to reach out to me if you have any questions!
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All banners, dividers card and battle images used in this article are open source and obtained from the Splinterlands team or made by flauwy. Do check out his link for other amazing designs!