Fly or Die - My Favorite Flying Line-up | Splinterlands #335

By mercurial9 | mercurial9 | 18 Jan 2024

For this week's splinterlands social media challenge we're encouraged to share our most memorable battles. Today I want to highlight one of my favorite lineups that I carefully crafted to tackle the Earthquake ruleset.

Earthquake Ruleset

When dealing with earthquake damage many players rely on the Brighton Bloom summoner, which grants all monsters the ability to fly. Unfortunately, I don't have this summoner. However, I've managed to build up a collection of Beta edition monster cards that include some valuable flying creatures.

The strategy I'm about to reveal involves assembling a lineup of flying monsters strategically positioned for effectiveness against earthquake damage. Each monster has earned its place in the lineup not because of its ability to fly but due to its unique contributions,\ in battle.

Pre-Battle Strategy

Rulesets: Unprotected, Earthquake, Fog of War

To avoid taking 2 points of Earthquake damage each round make sure to have flying monsters in the lineup.
Place a high-health monster at the front to maximize damage output.
In the backline assemble monsters that can buff the team, apply hexes on opponents and deal magic/range damage to their backline.

Battle Line-up Details

Position 1. Nectar Queen (Level 6). Cost: $4

The Nectar Queen is a tank that deals damage and can fly to evade Earthquake damage. Its Retaliate ability is advantageous against opponents who fight up close making it a strong choice for the frontline.

Position 2. Manticore (Level 4). Cost: $30

The Manticore is one of my favorite monsters that attacks from position 2 providing support for melee monsters. It can also fly, which helps with evading earthquake damage.

Position 3. Dragon Jumper (Level 3). Cost: $34

The Dragon Jumper is a high-damage monster that attacks from the backline dealing 4 melee damage. Its Snare ability proves to be effective against flying opponents giving us an advantage especially if the opposition decides to use Brighton Bloom summoner which grants all monsters the Flying ability.

Position 4. Black Dragon (Level 3). Cost: ~$100+

The Black Dragon may not have the raw damage output but its hexes and buffs make it the first mage archetype in the lineup, which is vital increasing health for our lineup and reducing the oppositions health.

Position 5. Spirit of the Forest (Level 3). Cost: $130

I got the Spirit of the Forest back, in November 2020 for $35. It may not deal high damage, but its impressive speed, armor and health buffs make it a valuable choice for any lineup.

Position 6. Fire Spitter (Level 4). Cost: $30

The Fire Spitter is an low mana-cost option that has good damage and high speed (4). Its Flying ability allows it to dodge Earthquake damage. It's a great low-cost that can provide support in any lineup.

Battle Analysis

During my battle with Dragon Jumper, I made an oversight by forgetting that Fog of War would nullify its Opportunity ability. However, this mistake didn't end up costing me because I had Nectar Queen and Manticore working together as a duo, in positions 1 and 2. They were ably supported by the backline and the opposition was swiftly defeated in three rounds and secured a flawless victory!

Concluding Thoughts

Splinterlands is a game that constantly changes, challenging us to come up with strategies for every battle. Sometimes these strategies work seamlessly while sometimes we make mistakes. However, each battle allows us to appreciate the balance between strategy and execution. In this battle, despite a noob mistake with the Dragon Jumper, our overall strategy remained strong and ultimately led us to a decisive victory.