Battle Mage Secrets Weekly Challenge: Lessons Learned from the Shades of Gray Ruleset

Hello, Splinterlands warriors! How are you holding up as we eagerly await the release of the new card series? In this post, I want to share an exciting experience from one of my battles in Splinterlands, which involved neutral element monsters. Although the outcome was a loss, this experience provided many valuable lessons that I’d like to share with you.

Understanding the "Shades of Gray" Ruleset

This battle took place under the Shades of Gray ruleset, where only neutral element monsters could be used. Imagine the situation—under this rule, your collection of neutral monsters becomes the primary key to victory. If your collection is limited, preparation and strategy become even more challenging, and that’s exactly what I experienced.

With three active rulesets and a substantial amount of mana points to use, I had to think hard about the best formation. Eventually, I decided to rely on the following combination of monsters:

My Team Formation:

1. Summoner: Franz Ruffmane
2. Gargoya Lion: with the abilities Flying, Void, and 3 armor points.
3. Arkemis the Bear: with the skill Protect.
4. Uraeus: with the skills Sneak and Poison.
5. Gargoya Devil: with the abilities Flying, Close Range, and Deathblow.
6. Gem Meteor: with the skill Scattershot.
7. Dumacke Orc: with the skills Shield and Retaliate.

On the opposing side, the enemy team looked far stronger:

Opponent’s Team Formation:

1. Summoner: Lux Vega
2. Ulundin Overseer: with the skill Flank.
3. Drybone Raider: with the skills Shatter and Double Strike.
4. Arkemis the Bear: with the skills Protect and Halving.
5. Doctor Blight: with the skills Affliction, Poison, Camouflage, and Scavenger.
6. Gargoya Devil: with the abilities Flying, Close Range, and Deathblow.
7. Uraeus: with the skills Sneak and Poison.

Battle Strategy

The battle was fought under the Heavy Hitter and Fire & Regret rulesets, with a total of 56 mana points available. Despite my efforts to optimize the formation, my incomplete collection of neutral monsters left me with limited choices.

In the first round, I hoped that Dumacke Orc would be able to retaliate against any monster that attacked it. However, what happened? Dumacke Orc was immediately hit with poison from Doctor Blight. Not only that, the front line of my team was also poisoned, and the poison from Uraeus in my team wasn’t effective in damaging the enemy.

The double strike from Drybone Raider put my team in serious trouble. Although that attack also harmed the opposing team, its effect on my defense was devastating. The presence of Arkemis the Bear on the enemy side, which provided shields to their monsters, was highly effective in blocking my attacks. My inability to use a neutral monster with magic attacks was the biggest weakness in this battle, as I had to waste time removing the enemy’s shields before I could start damaging their monsters.

For the full battle replay, you can watch it here:

👉 LINK BATTLE 👈

Battle Outcome

In the end, my team suffered a defeat. However, this loss taught me an important lesson: having a complete collection of neutral monsters is crucial for success in the Shades of Gray ruleset. With a diverse collection of neutral cards, you can be more flexible and better prepared to face various situations on the battlefield.

So, don’t underestimate the importance of diversifying your card collection in Splinterlands. Make sure you have a variety of cards to confidently tackle any ruleset. Keep your spirits up, keep learning, and get ready to fight even better in the next battle!

Talk about Splinterlands,
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