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Today we're not going to talk about any pretty or ugly cards, haha, but rather about the new Splinterlands expansion related to abilities. However, we're not talking about those awesome abilities that give us victories, but rather those that, instead of adding to our combination and/or lineup, take away from it.
So, let's talk about the "Weakening" effects in Conclave Arcana, those effects that, like a Monday morning, only seek to complicate life for our own allies. But don't panic, understanding them is the first step to mastering the battlefield, or at least to laugh a little at the bad luck of our cards, understanding that they only serve to weaken those super strong cards in our deck. And yes, I also wonder why they made them so strong only to weaken them later. I don't understand you, Splinterlands, haha.
Weakening: Understanding Reckless from Conclave Arcana
While most of the effects of Conclave Arcana, such as Bloodline Dominion or Invigorate, are purely beneficial to your team, there is one ability that works like a double-edged sword and feels very much like a real internal disadvantage for your team—and indeed, it was created for that purpose: to weaken your lineup.
The main and only self-damage "weakness" presented by Conclave Arcana is Reckless. This ability is a classic example of risk-reward: every time this unit successfully attacks, it inflicts 1 point of physical damage to adjacent allied units. No matter how strong your armor is, that point of damage goes straight to the health of your cards.
While other new mechanics can act as strategic disadvantages (such as Final Rest, which nullifies abilities that activate upon death, or the cost of Resurgence, which damages all units upon resurrection), Reckless is a direct weakening that requires constant positioning management and knowing exactly where to place it and what other cards to use around it.
Turning the problem into power
It's really lucky that there's only one weakening in the new set, which is that it becomes the star of strategic combos. The secret to dominating a Reckless is not to avoid damage, but to embrace it, and here I'll teach you how:
 | Painforge: If Reckless damage is unavoidable, use it to your advantage. The Painforge ability gives a unit +1 attack power when it is hit by damage, even if that damage comes from an ally. Place a unit with Painforge next to your Reckless attacker, and you'll see how collateral damage becomes a permanent power boost for your adjacent card. It's a necessary sacrifice that pays off handsomely, ideal for combining with Reckless. |
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 | Triage: If you don't want your Painforge unit to die from "collateral damage," you need to protect it, so healing abilities such as Triage (which heals an allied unit in the rear with the lowest health percentage) are perfect for mitigating Reckless's constant damage. This way, your unit gains power from the hit, and the healer keeps it alive to receive the next power bonus. The truth is that including "Triage" in the equation strengthens this strategy. |
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 | High Health/Buffs: Since the damage directly affects Health, the best defense is to have a lot of Health. Place units with high HP next to your attacker, or better yet, use Summoners/Archons that increase the Health of the entire team (giving a Health Buff). Every extra Health point is one more round in which Reckless' damage is absorbed without lethal consequences. |
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The Empty Decoy: This is the simplest and sometimes most effective strategy: placement. Reckless only hits adjacent units, so the cheapest solution is to simply leave a decoy position, preferably with "Martyr," which strengthens adjacent units when leaving the battlefield. On the other hand, if there is no one nearby, the damage is wasted, and you reduce the risk by half, but this depends on the amount of mana to use in battle.
Ultimately, applying these four rules is not just about defending yourself from damage, but turning your unit/card into a "smart power" whose trigger only you control. It's the art of using your own cards as a weapon, and that's pure Splinterlands strategy.
Conclusion
Conclave Arcana taught us that you don't need to fill the game with problems to increase complexity. By adding a single, specific debuff like Reckless, the set forced us to become team engineers, seeking direct synergies and trade-offs. If you know how to manage that small sacrifice, that single "weakness" becomes one of the greatest strengths in your arsenal.
So the next time you see a Reckless unit, don't discard it; use it wisely, as you can gain great power from it.
With nothing further to add, until next time, "Splinterlords."
I invite everyone to join Splinterlands, the best game based on chains of blocks, full of adventures, battles, and strategies where you will have fun and get rewards according to your league
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