Monsters with sneak ability is scary, because they will hit your backline monsters, which often consist of our main hitter, especially range monsters due to their restriction of attacking from first position. With low health point, our main hitter could easily eliminated with those sneak monsters. Some of those sneakers are even having double attack or poison ability to make them eliminate enemies easier.

There are several monsters with sneak ability that is often meet on the modern battlefield :

First is the tenyii. With the help of more physical attack buff from tharsa, his attack is increased and getting more dangerous. He also got the backfire ability to hurt back enemies when he evade their attack.

Next dhampir infiltrator. With double strike ability, he is very dangerous that can eliminate not just 1, but 2 monster at 1 turn ! Whenever he got a buff from inspire, he got his damage increase for both double strike !

Last there is uraeus, his flexibility with neutral element is his main advantage, beside the poison ability to recounter enemies who tried to defend the back with monsters that having very high armor but low health point.

There are some other sneak monsters, but I don't face them often enough, especially the new monsters that is having range attack with sneak ability on the latest edition.

Counter The Sneaker With Thorn Ability

What we can do against those deadly sneak-ers ? Well, there is counter for those sneakers which often consist of melee monsters, it's the thorn ability !

Thorn is ability that can give 2 damage for melee monster that attacking the monster ! So every time they attack thorn monsters, they will receive 2 pysical damage, and if they have the double strike, they will took double thorn damage !

The thorn damage can even increased with the amplify ability on our team ! It cause the thorn damage increased from 2 into 3 physical damage.

Cheap Reward Cards Can Be a Solution

Along all monster with thorn ability, there is one reward cards that can be used effectively for the anti sneak strategy, it's the Venari Heatsmith !

With just 3 mana cost, this monster is having 4 health point and 4 armor ! He is very good at defending because not just the pretty high armor and health point, he also got the thorn, amplify, and void armor ability ! So he is basically effective against magic and melee monsters ! The thorn that is combined with amplify could so effective to hurt back any melee monsters.

Battle Example

I will give you a battle example of the venari heatsmith usage on the battlefield against those sneakers.
You can watch the battle on this link https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_3d9be757107b3267587f016379e56f36

I will also give the preview about it on this section.

Ruleset :

There is no magic ruleset, which will makes the melee sneakers more favourable to used, beside the blast and amplify ruleset. Blast makes people trying to get more assasin especially with double strike ability which could be countered very well with venari heatsmith.

And here is the formation of both team !

I made a right guess cause my enemy use 3 sneak monsters here !

My enemy cleaveryly use the summoner that cause my monster only aim for front monsters, and got the reflect shield behind him to null the impact of blast. We both share a sneak monsters cause I also use uraeus and tenyii.

How the Battle Goes

At the end of 1st round, my team still complete, meanwhile, my enemies sneakers are taking damage of the thorn, with dhampir infiltrator is getting eliminated after took 2 thorn damage 🤣

Things went well, and my team win at 3rd round with full team inside !

Conclussion

Sneak ability is very dangerous cause they are attacking the backline monsters which often having great damage but low health point. With many of sneakers are melee monsters, we can counter them with thorn plus the amplify abilit to hurt them back on each attack !

Final Words