Sometimes battles go just the way you planned. Every spell hits right, every attack connects, and your units move like they already know what to do. This was one of those matches where everything felt smooth even though the situation looked risky.
Then I saw my enemy's lineup and I just said, "Huh? That looks weird." It looked like a misplay but was actually a well thought plan. It's one of those strategies that doesn't make sense on paper but make sense on practice.
I almost lost this battle but unfortunate for the enemy, I always use multiple strategies each battle to ensure that when one didn't work, another might save me if needed.
Battle Breakdown
Modifier in this Battle:
- Global Warming: All units have the Burning status effect applied at the start of combat.
My Thoughts on Modifiers
- The Global Warming Modifier adds the Burning status effect to all units, dealing 2 damage every round with a chance to spread each round. Normally, this forces players to use healers or Cleanse units to reduce the damage taken. But instead of playing safe, I went full offense with magic damage and aimed to end the battle fast. It’s a strat for a risky modifier, but when played right, it rewards players who can pull off the said stunt.
Team Composition
Archon: Marlai Singariel
- This Archon is good because of the +1 magic attack it gives to all allies. That small boost made my entire lineup stronger, helping me deal big damage early on. It became the key reason why I really like magic based lineups in Conclave Arcana and why I've been using them a lot.
Units Chosen
Unit 1: Giant Alpine Skink
- This unit served as my main tank and held the front line longer than I expected. Its strong defense combined with Shield helped reduce the early burst damage from melee and ranges from the enemy. Even when burning damage started stacking, it still bought enough time for my magic units to keep firing.
Unit 2: Abyssal Elemental
- Abyssal Elemental is my backup strategy. I learned that some debuff gets removed when units die and gets revived so I assume Resurgence works the same way.
Unit 3: Mindless Thrall
- This unit was supposed to playe a huge role by dodging magic attacks and staying alive but the Giant Alpine Skink did it job just a tad better. Instead, I was just able to use this unit as a source of damage since it also has magic attack. I do think it's a good backup tank though against enemy magic attack because of the speed and Phase especially on higher levels.
Unit 4: Saltwater Mage
- This unit attacked enemies hiding in the backline and kept the opponent’s weaker units as burning cooks them alive. Its Sneak ability worked perfectly with the team’s all-around offense. Even with the burning effect active, it continued landing hits that decided the fight towards the end.
Unit 5: Captain Fellblade
- This unit had a mix of melee and magic attacks that made it useful in any position. The Sneak ability was good in synergy with Salwater Mage and allowed it to deal damage on back part of their team. This is good to maximize the damage of burning which worked immaculately.
Unit 6: Surgehammer
- This unit was one of my main finishers, using Flying and Opportunity to hit lowest health units first. The goal for adding this unit even though he's not a magic attacker is to reduce the lower health enemy unit to the point that burning can finish them off.
The Battle
Opening Rounds:
I think my enemy had a last minute problem because I do not understand why Ulundin Overseer is in the middle of their team. It wouldn't matter much and I would win still anyways but I don't understand it. They may have a really good idea that didn't go well or it was just a plain mistake. Well, with this one, that allowed me to quickly remove three of their units, Asel Alagosdil giving access to Mystic Scaleweaver and Captain Fellblade, before reaching Ulundin Overseer. That means I had more units before the mid game giving me a huge advantage.
Mid-game:
By the mid game, I am very nervous. I think the reason they put Ulundin Overseer in the middle is they used its high health to keep it alive until the end and hope for the burning from Global Warming modifier to finish their enemies. One good thing is I have a secret weapon, a secret strategy for this game. Abyssal Elemental's Resurgence.
Final Rounds:
I learned this recently that Resurgence and any revival abilities like Rebirth and Resurrect removes debuff like Poison and, of course, burning. By activating Resurgence upon Abyssal Elemental's death, it gets another chance to battle while being free from burning. Now, it's a one on one against Ulundin Overseer that has no attack. I don't need to tell you what happens in the next two rounds.
👉 Watch the full battle replay here
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_412da59e0bff566b4588114701f1bae8
Results & Reflection
What strategy I was aiming for:
My plan was to end the fight quickly using magic attacks. Since Global Warming causes burning every round and I had no way to heal through the debuff. The only answer was to overwhelm the opponent before my team melted from the burning. This worked at a certain point but my Abyssal Elemental saved me from that disaster.
What surprised me:
What surprised me the most is that the enemy's strategy somewhat worked. By putting a big bulky unit in the middle where it's safest, he was able to keep him in until the later stages of the game and win through burning my team. If I don't have a backup strategy, I certainly would've lost that battle.
What I learned:
I mentioned this before that I learned that abilities like Resurgence, Rebirth, and Resurrect can remove debuffs like burning or poison when a unit is brought back to life. This opens up many creative ways to counter effects that deal damage over time. Sometimes it’s not about healing but hitting that reset button that can make you win.
Closing Thoughts
This match showed me how powerful magic can be when used with the right modifier. Even with a dangerous modifier like Global Warming, my lineup worked together to control the flow of the fight. It proved that sometimes attacking hard and fast is all you need to win fights.
There are fights though that you cannot just push your way through and a backup plan is always good to have. A real good survivor doesn't only fight in battles they know they can win but also have a plan to get out when things don't go as they expected.
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