This week's Splinterlands Challenge of the Week was to showcase the wonderful Rusty Android.
I have a real soft spot for Rusty, so much so that he's my only maxed gold card, or maybe that's because he's so cheap come to think of it?!?
There's always a better option compared to poor old rusty, as he's quite expensive for 6 Mana, doing only 4 damage, with only 10 health and just reflect as his single buff.
Still, a challenge is a challenge, and the battle below features a Rusty as a Tank against a reasonably tough deck, AND it features Rusty getting resurrected and lasting the distance!
Go Rusty!
The Rule Set and Line Up
- Mana 27 - OK ish for Rusty
- Equalizer - GOOD for Rusty, he needs all the help he can get!
- Ranged in first position - Given the Mana, not that useful, so i ignored it!
![Screenshot 20201025 at 10.37.02.png]()
Summoner - Lianna - I had an Earth quest and healing is useful in Equalizer.
- Rusty Android - for the quest!
- Chicken - good against blast
- Grogg - first time I played him, great in Eq given the usual 1 health and I wanted to try to resurrect rusty!
- Khmer Princess - triage and tank heal - great with this rule set
- Magi - My main damage card, also gets a boost to his usual low health
- Spirit of the Forest - just one of those must use if you can cards - and good defence against sneak with the flying
Did my strategy work?
Beautifully, to see it in action click here.
- Rounds 1 and 2 - we exchange blows, nice miss in round 2 by the Android on the Kraken, meaning a potential retaliate isn't triggered!
- Round 3 - I lose the Android, but he's resurrected with 2 shields, and immediately my opponent loses his Kraken, which stays deaded!
- Round 4 - thanks to those shields and my opponent playing no magic monsters my Android starts this round with health back up to 10! Looking good!
- Round 5 - His chicken down. There's now a clear pattern - his snipe attack is neautralised by my triage and he can't do enough damage to Rusty to get ahead of the double heal. Whereas I can, game over!
- Round 6 - Ooze down
- Round 9 - Pirate down - it took a bit longer because of my Spirit going for the Crustacean with those shields!
- Round 11 - Crustacean
- Round 13 - Elemental down and GAME OVER!
How important was Rusty?
Well he did his bit, but only because he was resurrected and then healed which was only possible because my opponent played no magic monsters, which thinking about it was odd given his summoner!
Also I've often found the Kraken to be a bit touch and go as a tank - it's so fast that retaliate has even less chance of triggering as missing is common!
I guess Rusty's three damage was important, I needed that to get through my opponent's healing strategy, but overall I think he needed Resurrect and shields and healing to survive.
I'd have been better off playing Lord A who effectively would have had double the health and then swapping Grog for the Sporcerer or the Mushroom - affliction and poison are great for this rule set!
Final thoughts on Rusty...
He may be useless on the field of battle, but I still love him - I've stacked a few regulars, and I've got 5 Golden Rusty, so I do stand by him.
NB I have this feeling that he might come in very handy somehow working the mines when land kicks off, might be worth stacking a few yourself!
I think my 50 or so should me for now though!
If you don't yet play Splinterlands, why not give it a go?
Anyone using my referral link will receive a free rare card!
This was originally posted the Hive blockchain here:
