Explosive Weaponry Modifier already makes every hit dangerous since even the smallest damage can wipe a whole backline slowly but surely. While Tis But Scratches is just a cherry on top, the real problem is getting that firepower that you can use to give a huge blast damage.
I went into this battle thinking it would be a simple brawl with a few more sparks, but it turned out that while I have a few sparklers, the enemy brought the big guns. It might not be a good match to review coming from the one who played the game so let's see if the plan worked out as expected.
Battle Breakdown
Modifier in this Battle:
- Explosive Weaponry - xxx
- Tis But Scratches - xxx
My Thoughts on Modifiers
- The combination of Explosive Weaponry Modifier and Tis But Scratches Modifier creates one of the most confusing setups in the game. Normally, Explosive Weaponry makes every hit hurt since the Blast effect damages nearby units too. But Tis But Scratches seems like it doesn't do anything as it doesn't reduce the current but max health.
Team Composition
Archon: Prophet Rosa
- Good combo with Grimbardun Smith to create a Shield + Void tank unit. Prophet Rosa’s ability to provide Shield to a unit after you've seen their lineup is extremely strong. This assures you if you want the Shield to go to your tank on the 1st position or last depending on the enemy strategy.
Units Chosen
Unit 1: Grimbardun Smith
- Has Void ability and good amount of health to tank your enemies. I usually combo him with others that can give Shield ability to create a solide tank with both Shield and Void.
Unit 2: Abyssal Elemental
- My go-to secondary tank with magic attack. Resurgence is a good ability to create another tank when it dies which helps the team last longer as Saltwater Mage and Captain Felblade takes care of the rest.
Unit 3: Saltwater Mage
- Saltwater Mage may look simple but the combo of Sneak and Magic attack is really good as it bypass armor. It’s one of those simple but effective unit that can surprise the enemies if they aren't prepared.
Unit 4: Captain Fellblade
- Similar to Saltwater Mage but better. She has both Melee and Magic attack that can both do a Sneak attack and her Strengthen ability increases the whole team’s health by 1, making them tougher to kill.
Unit 5: Mar Toren Trader
- I have extra 3 mana so I put her to fill the spot. Mar Toren Trader is really good on higher levels but at low level, she’s just there as a substitute, an extra body to block.
Unit 6: Endura Brune
- The extra armor is good to buy time against units with Sneak if the enemy would be using one. She can also help reduce the enemy's magic attack with the help of Silence which helps a lot when the enemy player used a lot of magic attacking units.
The Battle
Opening Rounds:
At the start of this battle, I already got a blunder. I'm not sure why but I did not apply Prophet Rosa's Shield ability to Grimbardun Smith. It wouldn't change the result but it's bad as a habit. The enemy Archon, Akane, used her ability to give Olivia of the Brook and Rage Ambush ability. That means they get an extra attack before the battle start. With stacks already against me, let's see how it would play out.
Mid-game:
At start of Round 2, things look good on my side. Mar Toren xxx is gone but 3 units on the enemy side is as well. A good trade. Looks like my strategy is working and if I can kill either Rage or Night Reaper, my chances of winning should increase by a lot.
Final Rounds:
Under normal circumstances, I think I would've won this battle. The problem is that due to Explosive Weaponry Modifier, all units have Blast. Halfling xxx and Rage both have 3 damage so their blast damage rises up to 2. On the other hand, my units only have 2 attack at most which means all blast damage is 1. This is a huge difference because other than Grimbardun Smith, no one has any protective abilities. The blast damage comes up to them in full and my backline does not have that much health either unlike Rage to withstand a lot of shots. The difference in damage, despite the presence of Silence, is the main reason why I lost this battle.
👉 Watch the full battle replay here
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_781ee1bdec38200b4186b9a7ec8804b0?ref=ashenova
Results & Reflection
What strategy I was aiming for:
If there’s Explosive Weaponry Modifier, I learned you need to show up with as much firepower as you have. So, the strategy is to put my best men in front. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of damage on my team so instead, I focus on defense while focusing on eliminating their damage out at the back, and hopefully, that's enough. My idea was that if the only units left by the end of round 1 are the tanks, then I should have a good advantage over the rest of the rounds.
What surprised me:
I'm not going to lie, what surprised me the most is that this lineup did not work. I had a huge advantage mid game eliminating their backline with my two units with both magic attack and Sneak but I guess I underestimated the power of Rage. The enemy’s aggressive lineup just pushed through from the front without care about my tank. It show that sometimes, you don't need a good strategy as offense is sometimes better than defense.
What I learned:
Despite your best strategies, the best combos you can have. Sometimes, there's nothing that can win against brute force. The enemy has a higher damage total on a few units and that is enough for them to win. I learned that even if Explosive Weaponry Modifier and Tis But Scratches seem to cancel each other, it’s still better to prioritize damage as one modifier can be more deadly than the other when left unchecked.
Closing Thoughts
Sometimes, even the best strategies cannot win against sheer force. You can be as tricky as you want but one out of ten chances, this strategy will be put down and be ineffective.
In Explosive Weaponry modifier, damage is more important than strategy. The higher the damage of your units, the higher the damage of the blast. You cannot have a team where everyone is protected. You can only do as much since you need damage on your side as well. Unfortunately for this one, the minor difference in damage between me and the enemy team is enough to put all of my efforts on the ground resulting in my loss.
Posted Using INLEO
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:gll6fcm6ppi2g7t2hj2xq7ky/post/3m2x7ggvodc2z
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:gll6fcm6ppi2g7t2hj2xq7ky/post/3m2x7ggvodc2z
The rewards earned on this comment will go to the author of the blog post.
Congratulations @ashenova! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 1250 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPView or trade
LOHtokens.@ladiesofhive, you successfully shared 0.1000 LOH with @ashenova and you earned 0.1000 LOH as tips. (4/50 calls)
Use !LADY command to share LOH! More details available in this post.
Thanks for sharing! - @alokkumar121
