SPINEBACK WOLF COUNTERS GOBLIN MECH?! // Splinterlands PvP Highlights #1

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Splinterlands is by far my favorite NFT/blockchain-based video game that is available right now. Unlike many games in the blockchain space, splinterlands is just plain fun. The technology and ownership of cards is a bonus - a huge bonus - but ultimately the gameplay is why I enjoy it. FUN!

I'll be posting some Splinterlands related content to start up this account and then may get into other turn-based/decision-based games or adjacent blockchain and crypto related topics.

Enough preamble, here is my first ever Splinterlands match breakdown.

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MATCH #1: SPINEBACK WOLF COUNTERS GOBLIN MECH?

Spineback Wolf (Death Splinter)

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5 MANA COST -- 6 SPD / 1 MELEE ATK / 1 DEF / 3 HP

EFFECT: REACH (attack from 2nd position)

Flux's Notes

5 Mana is a lot to pay for such low attack and health. When I saw that this is the official Splinterlands "Share Your Battle" card of the week I was skeptical of how to make it work.

If you look closely, the card has some benefits alongside its weak attack and defense. 6 Speed is VERY fast. When combined with reach, this monster can attack first in a battle and avoid being damaged in return.

The Matches

The first match was in fact a total disaster. The card's mana cost relative to stat value is simply too bad to use in a battle with less than 20 mana available.

The next match went much better. I had to devise a team with 20 mana. It's a low amount of energy still given this card's low value. This time, it was *just* enough. This build had to stand against one of the scariest cards in the bronze league: GOBLIN MECH!!

VIEW THE MATCH

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My Team (from front to back): Furious Chicken 1, Undead Rexx 3, Spineback Wolf 1, Parasitic Growth 3, Cocatrice 1.

Opponent's Team: Goblin Mech 1, Ettin Spearman 1, Flame Monkey 1

Outcome: WIN!

Match Analysis

Undead Rexx is a VERY strong card, one of the best reasons IMO to use the death class. Whenever you can get 5 melee attack in your opponent's face, it will have some chance to destroy them. I put the 0 cost chicken in front just to eat the opponent's first attack, saving some health. This is usually my strategy in a low mana cost match where card space won't be the limiting factor.

Putting Spineback Wolf behind a strong attacker with high health seemed like the best idea to me. That way Spineback could use its high speed to deal 1 damage as the very first action of the match. If my opponent runs a level 1 chicken in front like I do, this attack will eliminate it.

In this match in particular the wolf ends up dealing a key point of damage against the goblin mech. Thanks to Spineback Wolf, the opponent's goblin mech dies on turn 3. Otherwise my parastic growth's miss on round 2 would have allowed the mech to stay alive one turn longer, thus killing my Rexx. On top of this, it's only thanks to our hero's ability to reduce the Ettin Spearman attack power by 1 that our Rexx survives to get the final attack.

Lots of close survivals in this one.

My overall assessment of Spineback Wolf is that is not a very good card. High speed is nice on turn one but it's too expensive to use in low mana situations and if you get high mana or 99 mana for a match then this card won't have enough value to be useful. Still, there may be some niche builds where that high speed damage could make a difference.

How are you finding this week's card challenge? Do you like the card or dislike? Let me know your thoughts in the comments -- the goal is to learn.

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Thanks for sharing! - @marianaemilia

Good analysis. Yes, it is not always possible to use it, but on certain occasions, in medium mana battles he sometimes gets into the fight perfectly.

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