This week's featured unit is Thunderhoof Nomad. She's a true Hidden Gem within Splinterlands; in the match she participated in, both teams chose her, even though other options were available. The reason is simple: she offers a wide variety of uses for her low mana cost. Come discover more details about this incredible card and its participation in a ranked match!
I'll be much appreaciated if you Upvote, Reblogs or give any Tips ( PIZZA 🍕, PGM 🎮, LOLZ 😆, ALIVE ❤️, etc ). Thanks and have good reading! 🍀
[ENGLISH VERSION]
Thunderhoof Nomad is a Hidden Gem!
Thunderhoof Nomad is a card that I believe rarely anyone would look at and say "Look, a Hidden Gem!", but when we observe everything it offers, for its very low mana cost, the opinion quickly changes. I personally find cards that offer a lot for little mana quite interesting because they don't have the mana limitation problem of strong, expensive cards. The problem with these cards is that they can't be used in all scenarios, while low-cost cards appear in any scenario, even in high-mana scenarios if they are useful.
What makes Thunderhoof Nomad a hidden gem is that it only costs 3 mana, and at level 4 it has an ability that can be used in any scenario: Strength. This ability grants +1 HP to all units, which is always useful because in a match with 6 cards, it means entering the field with +6 HP for your team in total, which is significant in any scenario. Furthermore, at level 6 it receives an additional 1 magic damage, possessing a very good speed that reaches 3. All this, without even mentioning that at level 8 it receives triage and still has 4 HP, for only 3 mana.
Match Details
I think it's important and I always try to provide the match details because I believe it's relevant to understand the overall context to comprehend the reason for choosing each card. Sometimes you love a specific element or card, but due to rule limitations, you won't be able to use it. Therefore, it's crucial to pay attention to the information that appears before choosing cards for the match.
In this particular match, which was a ranked duel, we had a large number of rules. In total, there were 3 rules in this match, which significantly impacted the decisions. This is because this combination affects three areas of strategy when choosing cards. 3 in total, all of which have a major impact on the match. In addition, only two elements, water and death, were excluded, and the match had a very high mana cost of 50.
The Wands Out ruleset limits the choice of units to only mages, removing the possibility of melee, ranged, and units without attacks. The Are You Not Entertained ruleset is the opposite; instead of limiting, it allows players to summon an additional gladiator unit, something that wouldn't happen in a ranked match without this rule. The "What Doesn't Kill You" effect continues the phrase, granting units +50% melee and speed if they are not at full HP (i.e., if they have taken some damage), thus making them stronger.
Teams Strategy
Both teams had very similar unit choices, with a major difference in the summoners chosen. While I chose Obsidian, which grants +1 magic damage—essential in a match where only mages can be used—my opponent decided to use a Helios Matriarch, and didn't even efficiently utilize the summoner's ability to summon another gladiator. Thus, the match began with all my units receiving +1 magic damage, causing them to deal 6 more damage per turn. On the other side, the units received +1 speed, which didn't help at all because it doesn't change the hit chance against magic damage.
I thought it was quite clever of both teams to choose Quora Towershead as a tank. The reason stems precisely from the "What Doesn't Kill You" rule, because when Quora receives damage, her melee damage increases by 50%, reaching 3, and also her speed, giving her a better chance of eliminating the opponent and activating Bloodlust. Overall, as I mentioned, both teams used Thunderhoof, even in a high-mana match, proved useful due to its overall strength. For DPS, we had Regal Peryton and Mycelic Slipspawn, and for support, the goblin Psychic with its tank heal. The difference in compositions ultimately came down to the Night Reaper chosen by the opponent, which was interesting due to its high damage and being a viable tank option.
