Ruleset Focus
This week in Battle Mage Secrets, we will take a closer look at the SUPER SNEAK ruleset. This particular ruleset bestows the SNEAK ability upon all Melee attacking Monsters. With the SNEAK ability, Melee Monsters would now be targeting the last Monster on the enemy team instead of the first one. This ruleset opens up the possibility of utilizing some of those Melee Monsters that are typically too fragile when positioned in the front 😁
Abilities Focus
SUPER SNEAK ruleset encourages the deployment of Melee Monsters during battles, these abilities exhibit strong compatibility in such scenarios. It is highly advisable to include them in your lineup whenever feasible to enhance your chances of victory!
Monsters with Retaliate have a chance of attacking their attacker
I have shared this chart before and I will share this again whenever these ruleset occurs as the chart is undoubtedly beneficial for new players who are learning and seeking a better understanding of the game. In the context of today's post, it becomes apparent that these rulesets / abilities mentioned take precedence over the SNEAK ability 😤
If a unit has different attacking abilities, some may override others. This chart explains the priorities between abilities:
The Battle
In my alt account, jimbei, I was able to engage in a battle that involves the SUPER SNEAK ruleset. 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.
To begin our analysis, let's dive into the ruleset governing this battle. First on the list is the Unprotected ruleset, which completely nullifies the Armor stats of all participating Monsters. Following this, we have the primary focus of this week's challenge, the SUPER SNEAK ruleset, which we've thoroughly explored in preceding sections. Lastly, the Earthquake ruleset, inflicting 2 Melee damage at the conclusion of each round on Non-flying Monsters. This battle imposes a stringent mana limit of 14 and prohibits the usage of Water and Earth Splinters.
Summoner, Astral Entity
Confronted with the battle's strict mana constraints and the influence of the highlighted rulesets, I opted for the Death Splinter and designated Astral Entity as my Summoner. My strategic rationale rested on the assumption that my opponent would employ a low mana Melee-focused lineup, capitalizing on the SUPER SNEAK ruleset. Despite the ineffectiveness of the -2 Armor debuff from the Summoner within the Unprotected ruleset, the inclusion of the Dodge and Resurrect abilities played a pivotal role in my game plan! 😏
First Position, Pelacor Deceiver
I opted for the Pelacor Deceiver as my primary tank, given its exceptional suitability for the role. The synergies between this unit and Astral Entity were maximized to full effect. Its Flying attribute, combined with the Dodge ability bestowed by Astral Entity, significantly enhanced its evasion capabilities against both Melee and Ranged attacks. Also, its Backfire ability, enabling counterattacks that inflicted damage when the enemy's strikes missed their mark. Notably, it remained unscathed by Earthquake's damaging effects! 😎
Last Position, Venari Marksrat
The introduction of the Martyr ability has reshaped my battle strategy, with Venari Marksrat emerging as a linchpin in most of my lineup. It's tactically positioned in the final slot, with the expectation that it will be an early target for Melee Monsters that SNEAK up on it or succumb to Earthquake's effects, consequently bestowing a substantial boost to the Pelacor Deceiver. This strategic maneuver is further fortified by Astral Entity's Resurrect ability, enabling the revival of the fallen Venari Marksrat, only to meet its demise again and provide yet another round of stat boost! ✌️
The Analysis
Given the limited mana restriction in this battle, there really isn't a lot of strategy or combination one could deploy, therefore it makes it somewhat easier to predict your opponent setup and try to outsmart their strategy with one of your own.
In a battle governed by the Unprotected, SUPER SNEAK, and Earthquake rulesets, my strategic assumption that most players would leaned towards the Life Splinter, mainly due to the availability of low-cost Flying units like the Pelacor Conjurer and Celestial Harpy. Anticipating my opponent's choice, I surmised that they might incorporate other low-cost Melee Monsters to leverage on the SUPER SNEAK ruleset, which turned out to be the case! 😅
With this anticipation, I devised a counter-strategy aimed at exploiting my opponent's potential lineup. I positioned Venari Marksrat in the rear, allowing for a double Martyr boost via Astral Entity's Resurrection ability, thus empowering my Pelacor Deceiver to dominate in the battle 💪
Let's see how the battle pans out in the below breakdown:
In Round 1, my primary focus was to power up my Pelacor Deceiver into a dominant force capable of securing victory on its own. As expected, my opponent promptly eliminated Venari Marksrat, triggering Astral Entity's Resurrection ability, only to see Venari Marksrat fall once more. This sequence resulted in a substantial double stat boost my the Pelacor Deceiver! 😊
In Round 2, the empowered Pelacor Deceiver revealed its newfound might as it skillfully evaded enemy attacks, inflicting Backfire damage on its assailants. Additionally, when the Pelacor Deceiver was struck, its Retaliate ability sprang into action, swiftly dispatching the opponent's Uraeus with a single powerful blow! 👊
In Round 3, the trend of dodging enemy attacks persisted, leading to the opponent's downfall. They succumbed to the substantial damage inflicted by not only the Pelacor Deceiver's attacks but also the Backfire and Earthquake damage, which proved overwhelming. Having essentially only one unit on the battlefield didn't put me at a disadvantage; the concept of "Strength in Numbers" didn't apply in this battle! 😂
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!
Are you interested in reading some of my future writings? Don't forget to follow me! In the meantime, here are some of my most recent blogs if you'd like to view them:
 |  |
 |  |
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.