Saltwater Mage is a very unique unit that I don't think you will win any games in Frontier Mode if your enemy have it and you don't. The amount of advantage Saltwater Mage gives is immense that it is currently a mandatory unit for Frontier Mode. Its magic Sneak attack makes it hard to defend against, especially when their backline units are fragile. Even if they try to counter it, it often comes out on top, turning close fights into one-sided wins. As long as you can defend Saltwater Mage, Saltwater Mage can ensure your wins.
Lore
Most cecaelia live in loosely structured, nomadic pods along the coast, but some have pledged their skills to the Kingdom of Mar Toren, where politics, law, and influence intertwine. Among them are mages who serve in roles demanding precision, discretion, and magical expertise.
With humanoid upper halves and octopus-like lower bodies, they are as comfortable navigating court intrigues as they are the coastal waters of the Wild Northeast. Their skin shifts in color and texture, a natural adaptation that aids not only in concealment but also in silent observation.
https://splinterlands.com/card-detail/846/regular/15?tab=lore
Stats
Saltwater Mage is a really strong backline unit that brings solid magic attacks with the Sneak ability. Normally, only melee units have Sneak but Saltwater Mage is an exception to that rule. Unlike typical mages who hit tanks from the front, this one targets the rear, punishing fragile units from the back that is sometimes the key units the enemy team revolves around with. With 7 health at max level, it’s tankier than most magic units as well making it reliable even in multiple specific rules considering you can level it up to max.
Abilities
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Sneak | Targets the last Unit on the enemy Team instead of the first Unit. |
 is a match because Since Saltwater Mage only has 2 speed, pairing it with Swiftness helps land its magic Sneak attacks faster which can reduce the overall damage of the enemy team. Higher speed increases its chance to strike first which can be the difference between taking out a healer or an important unit. This combo ensures that can attack faster each round giving you a huge edge when reducing the enemy's damage. | ||
 is a counter because Silence directly reduces magic damage by 1, lowering Saltwater Mage’s output from 2 to 1 or 3 to 2 with Marlai Singariel. Not only this lessens its effectiveness but also makes it harder to finish off enemies hiding in the back. Silence also stacks which can make this unit almost useless if the enemy can get their hands on units with Silence and use them all at the same time. |
Good Rules to Consider
| Icon | Name | Reason |
|---|---|---|
 | Explosive Weaponry | All units have Blast (deals an additional 50% damage to units adjacent to the target, rounded up). |
| Magic plus Blast is one of the most dangerous combos in Splinterlands. With Sneak, not only Saltwater Mage can deal damage to the backline but also indirect splash damage to backline near the last unit, potentially triggering multiple kills. It’s one of the rule sets where this unit’s value spikes the most. | ||
 | Equalizer | The initial Health of all Units is equal to that of the Units on either team with the highest base Health. |
| With Saltwater Mage’s naturally low health compared to some tanks, Equalizer gives it a strong survivability boost. It still has high damage so it's very efficient in Equalizer rule. Its attacks keep coming without worrying about being one-shot. Equalizer matches remove one of its biggest weaknesses, low health. | ||
 | Armored Up | All Units have 2 Armor in addition to their normal Armor stat. |
| Magic damage passes through armor, which makes Saltwater Mage even more effective against high-defense teams. While others struggle to break shields, this unit continues hitting the health directly. Its consistent magic Sneak attacks can shred backliners that usually have abilities to protect them. |
Bad Rules to Think Twice
| Icon | Name | Reason |
|---|---|---|
 | Counterspell | All units have Magic Reflect (returns 50% of magic damage to attacker, rounded up). |
| Damage reflected from magic attacks hurts Saltwater Mage each time it strikes. Since it lacks healing or Void, it will slowly get hurt until it dies out. It’s better to bench it in this rule set unless you have no other strategies to play. | ||
 | Aimless | All units with magic and ranged attacks have Scattershot (magic and ranged attacks target a random enemy unit). |
| Scattershot ruins the value of Sneak since Sneak loses effect and changed with Scattershot. Scattershot attacks can land randomly. This removes its ability to reliably attack the enemy backline. Without its ability, Saltwater Mage loses its role entirely. | ||
 | Weak Magic | Magic attacks hit Armor before reducing Health. |
| Since Weak Magic allows armor to block magic damage, Saltwater Mage takes more time to take down its enemies. It becomes less consistent and often needs multiple turns just to deal a small amount of real damage. This rule heavily cuts the time your enemies die. |
Battle
I would've lost this battle if this is a usual battle but I have Saltwater Mage. With her attacking the rear, non-tanky damage units first, it can reduce the overall damage of the enemy team. By round 5, I secured my win then the only range enemy unit, Wilhelmdale Deputy, is the only one alive. Saltwater Mage's consistent damage and targetting those units that are the most important first granted me the win for this battle.
Images were taken from Splinterlands, made in Canva, drawn in Krita and animated in Photoshop.
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Thanks for sharing! - @clove71
