In Splinterlands, each card typically possesses abilities and stats that make it unique. Furthermore, the release of new collections or mini-sets often introduces exclusive new abilities, giving rise to fresh combos and strategies.
Sometimes, a card is better suited for matches with a lower mana cap; for instance, Sten Slatehelm costs 2 mana but boasts 4 HP and 3 armor, making it perfect for tanking a few hits.
There are also cards that shine under specific rulesets—such as "Earthquake," which heavily favors cards with the "Flying" ability, allowing them to avoid damage while all other units take physical damage each round.
However, amidst these situations, there are abilities and cards that prove effective in virtually any scenario. Neutral element cards are a prime example; they can generally be used in battles unless a specific rule prohibits them.
Now, regarding abilities, one in particular from the "Escalation" collection really caught my eye due to its versatility across various scenarios... The ability is called "Bulwark," and the key card featuring it is the Silver Shield Sentry. Come find out more about them!
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An amazing ability called Bulwark
While participating in the Survival event during one of the recent seasons, I noticed that the bots were using cards with high attack stats. This prompted me to investigate, as a weakness of my deck up to that point was the lack of high-attack cards for high-mana matches.
The cards were from the recently released Escalation set, and what was truly amazing was that they possessed very high attack values even at Level 1. The specific card that led me to discover the "Bulwark" ability was the Silver Shield Sentry.
At Level 1, this card has 3 Ranged Attack and comes with the "Close Range" ability, allowing it to attack even from the first position. This makes it perfect for use with the Light Summoner General Sloan—who grants +1 Attack—and also excellent for the Survival event's Brackets I and II.
What I found particularly interesting, however, was that at Level 4, a new ability I hadn't heard of before—Bulwark—was unlocked. According to the description, when the card reaches the first position, its attack power is reduced by 2, but it gains an incredible 8 HP and 8 Defense.
This really caught my attention because it was essentially a total transformation of the card's stats based on a specific condition—reaching the first position—allowing the card to serve two roles during the match. Initially, it would deal significant damage with 3 ranged attack; then, its stats would boost to +8 HP and +8 Shield, turning it into a new tank—something I don't recall any other card doing.
A downside is that, because I participated in "survival brackets" (where levels are capped) after acquiring this card at level 4, I didn't get to fully test this ability—which I believe is extremely powerful, as it trades 2 points of damage for 16 points of defensive stats. Currently, the card's bid price is 0.011 and the lowest price per BCX is 0.012, meaning they are nearly equal.
Consequently, the level 4 version—which features the Bulwark ability—costs around $0.36. While that is significantly more expensive than other common cards from sets like Chaos Legion, it is a card that can be used in the Modern format and possesses an interesting ability.
