Countering Cursed Windeku

As I mentioned on one section of my last post. Cursed Windeku are often picked in low mana battle (battle with 12 – 18 mana cap). It’s indeed a powerful card for low mana battle, for two reasons, the Thorn ability and its 9 health.

Low mana battle would limit your cards choice to mostly melee cards, which is the most readily available cards with balance on health, armor, and damage output. Since Thorn only return damage from melee attack, this make melee card a the delicious meal for Windeku. Ranged and magic would be needed to attack without triggering the Thorn; but those cards costs mana and very fragile. So come the question on how to counter Cursed Windeku in low mana battle?

First, the Thorns need to be countered. The only abilities most effective to counter it would be Shield abilities. It not only halves any direct attack, but also halves the Thorn damage. So which cards has Shields abilities at the same cost or lower than Windekus’s six mana cost? The answer lie in the Fire Splinter… yes, the new card from Chaos Legion pack, that is the Antoid Platoon! It has Shield abilities at Level 1 with only four mana cost (two mana less than Windeku, that is fair enough considering the lower 2 armor and 3 health).

But its not enough!!

You are one damage behind compared with the Windeku (your Antoid only made one damage, and Windeku made two damage, one from direct attack, the other from Thorn). Even if you pick Tarsa as summoner which provide damage buff to melee, you still exchange blow the same damage.

Remember before that there is 2 spare mana left? So how should the leftover mana be used?

Add one more additional mana, and summon the little Scavo Hireling following right behind the Antoid. And the only reason is no other than its Repair ablilities.

Right, Repair abilities which exactly repair 2 armor of Antoid’s total 2 amor, and the exactly match with Windeku’s 2 damage. And all this this exact number that make up Antoid & Scavo double team indestructible!

But wait!! The opponent only used nine mana by bringing a summoner and a Cursed Windeku. They still got between three to six mana left to support its formation.
But there’s a way to mitigate such formation:

1. Three to six mana is not a lot, it is still too risky to put ranged or mana cards into the formation. So you would expect melee cards would be picked for the back-row formation. And that would mean to use melee with Opportunity or Sneak ability.
2. The possible melee choice would Undead Badger (cost 2 mana) or Silent Sha-Vi (cost 5 mana). Also Death Elemental (cost 3 mana) even though it’s a magic cards, it might be chosen for its Snipe ability and 3 health.
3. Scavo 1 health would be very vulnerable considering possibilities coming from any of those abilities. So the goal here is to protect Scavo past through 3rd Round, after which Windeku’s armor and health are depleted enough.
4. To attain this goal, then:
   o Tarsa should be chosen as summoner. The health buff are important to sustain additional round for support card. And of course the damage buff would be needed for Antoid’s power.
   o Prioritize using Cannon Fodder card to fill position before and after Scavo. Radiated Scorcher (2 health for 1 mana cost) are best choice, and then Chaos Agent could be the 2nd. It’s better to place Radiated Scorcher in mid-row because it’s able to attack.
   If there’s more than 6 mana left, Tenyii Striker for the back row or Radiated Scorcher for the mid row are good selection (though Tenyii Striker are better choice, with better stats and very usefule to counter Silent Sha-vi Sneak ability).

And here’s one of my battle journal
My formation consist of with Antoid Platoon, Scavo Hireling, Xenith Archer, and Radiated Scorcher. It’s a 14 mana cap battle. Luckily my opponent didn’t put any back-row attacker, so it all depend on the Windeku. Up to 3rd round, all my cards are left untouched, and supported by my Archer, I already depleted Windeku’s health to 3 health. And the rest, the fate is already sealed.