Splinterlands BATTLE MAGE SECRETS Featuring Briar Patch

Featuring Bronze League Summoner and Monsters in Action!

This battle took a number of twists and turns and was much closer than I thought before the match started. I took some bad luck on RNG to start and was barely able to squeak out a victory in my brawl. Lets dig into the line ups, the round by round action, and what else I could have done to help myself next time.

CHALLENGE RULES

RULESET: Briar Patch

Description: All units receive the Thorns ability at the start of the battle. Enemy units that use melee attacks receive damage back.

Damage returned is equal to damage of the attacker divided by 2, rounded up.
Melee attack units with the Reflection Shield ability do not take damage from thorns.
The Amplify ability increases damage.

Reasons Why I like it

Briar Patch really changes up the landscape by punishing Melee cards. Unlike the rulesets that block Melee cards this one just makes you date 2 base damage every time you attack. You have to plan for it and see if you can either avoid it, or counter it with armor and shield.

The Matchup - Where Rules Sets, Splinters and Mana Collide

The Rule Sets

Watch the Match Here

https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sm_qzHDVZrIMqlrVRrsshD7&ref=senstless

MANA: 16

Ruleset: Briar Patch: All Monsters have the Thorns ability.

Ruleset: Born Again: All Monsters have the Rebirth ability.

Ruleset: Fog of War: All monsters lose the sneak and snipe ability.

SPLINTERS: Fire, Earth, Life, Death

Initial Rule Set and Mana Gameplay Thoughts

• Rulesets
  Another 3 ruleset match makes my headspin. Briar Patch will harm melee cards and make them less likely to be used, leaving mostly the magic and arrow cards. Given the limited mana, I epect more magic cards to be used since they can attack in all positions. I also expect Martyr cards to be used for the rebirth loop.
• Mana
  Given the limited mana I expect most the time my opponent will focus on magic attacks, and likely use earth to give it a boost. It will be hard to get enough health out there to counter heavy magic attacks
• Splinters
  I think the two favorites are Earth and Death. One boosts magic while the other reduces magic attacks. I expect most teams to have one of these.

• Summoner IMMORTALIS
  I figure if I can add void, plus thorns my tank will be reducing damage as much as possible as well as giving a little back potentially. Shatter will also help if they play heavy void armor on monsters.

• First Position QUORA TOWNSHEAD
  Hard to resist playing it here, Tank heal, blood lust, thorns, rebirth, void, all the goodies. Really hoping have the bloodlust and heal carry me through the game.

• Second Position FUNGUS FIEND
  Just in case it come down to it, added to the back for rear guard and last chance melee/thorn guy. Afraid to put it first incase my opponent also played Quora and ended up giving them a double boost and wrecking my chances.

Opponent Lineup & Match Play

• Summoner THADDIUS BROOD
  Logical play, -1 health plus -1 magic is a really solid choice.
• REVEALER
  Interesting choices for first position, 5 health is a little low potentially but the stun could be devastating.
• VENARI MARKSCRAT
  Going to be a big boost, double Martyr is always dangerous, and could really change the game depending how it hits.
• WITCH OF WARWICK
  Normally its a little light on health, but after getting a double Martyr boost and potentially a bloodlust it could be a decent chunk of magic damage and health with it hits the front row.

Round 1

Before this round starts things look interesting, but I am slightly worried. The combination of stun, rebirth for the Martyr and the possible RNG look could come back to bite me. I am clearly banking everything on Quara.

Round one starts off in lucky I get the first round of attacks in. I do take two Thorn damage to drop my health and I get bit by the stun bug right away. As the rest of the round progresses they start to chip away at my health and knock me down.

Round 2

Having a higher speed and going first would usually be good, but now I have to wait until the stun card has turned and I don't get to regenerate my health and get an attack. The bad luck continues and I get stunned for the second round in a row, causing my health to dip to a dangerous level of four.

Round 3

Round three starts off and it's yet another round that I don't get to tank hill, and they get absolutely ridiculously lucky again with the third stun in a row, they are three for three on stuns and my health dips down to two.

Round 4

So much for tank heel, if you spend your entire life stun you don't get to use it. Around starts with me stunned and this is the first time I don't get stunned. Unfortunately my health dips down to zero. In most matches this would be the end of me, and they would have pulled out a low probability victory and I would be cursing my bad RNG look. Fortunately for me the Born again rules said comes through to save me and I get brought back to life. I'm also very lucky this happened at the very end of the round

Round 5

My tank heel gets to be triggered for the first time in round five. It gives me a much needed plus three health before I attack. The first magic attack secures me a bloodlust trigger boosting my health to five, and my damages to two magic two three melee. I follow up with another knockout on melee damage, but unfortunately take two Thorn damage in return. I do get another bloodlust boost, boosting me to three magic, unfortunately , and for health.

Round 6

I think I may have turned the corner and I'm able to pull out a victory, I start to round off with a double knockout of Mark's grant. While this provides a double marter boost to the witch of warwick, it also triggers a double bloodless boost for me. The plus to health is a perfect offset to the plus two magic of my opponent's card. I end the round with five health and I'm looking like victory is possible.

Round 7

Since my base health has improved so much my tank heel now gives me a plus four which is crucial. I'm able to secure another knockout on my first turn and only take two Thorn damage. While they get to be born again they come back with only one health and won't have enough time to do anything to me.

Round 8

One more knockout for good measure with a stab boost to make things start to be a little ridiculous. But glad to get the win

Thoughts - and Chances to Win Again

I think I have a high probability to win this matchup again if played a hundred times. The biggest risk is bad RNG like I experienced where I was stunned the first three rounds in a row. It's unlikely that happens frequently, but without the Born again rules that I clearly would have lost this match. I still think I would choose this lineup if faced with the same choices again, but I am completely aware that it may be closer than I anticipate.

~~@senstless

#sbi-skip