Hello Splinterlands Summoners! Very so often we are matched up with an opponent more powerful than us. Choosing the right cards to use in the ruleset and battling against the odds makes Splinterlands an exciting, fun and challenging game to play. In this battle, I was matched against an opponent with higher level cards.
Ruleset
The ruleset includes Maneuvers, has a max of 50 mana and luckily allows Dragon and Light which I use for high mana battles. Since this is gives Reach ability, I need a good unit in position 2. I was thinking of Drybone Barbarian or Drybone Raider but because of the my team composition and mana limitations, I ended up with Imperial Knight which was a fortunate decision.
The Opponent's Team
My opponent's team is very strong. He has a maxed Underboss Fabino buffing his team with +2 melee damage.
In the first position, he has a max level Grund which will deal 6 melee damage and has the Double Strike ability for a total of 12 damage per turn.
In the second position, he has a max level Mantaroth which will deal 5 melee damage and has insane abilities. Armored Strike, True Strike and Blast adds and complements his damage potential.
In third position he has a maxed level Lord Thanalor, a tanky unit which deals 4 magic damage. He also has the Rust ability which erode my units armors.
In the fourth position he has a maxed level Dr. Blight. Not only does he debuff my units with -1 health, it also deals poison and has the Affliction ability which will prevent my units from healing.
In the fifth and sixth positions he has a couple of maxed level ranged units.
My Team
In high mana battles, I usually pick a Dragon/Light team which was available in this battle. My usual team composition is Uriel a beefy and high damage tank. He is supported by Adelaide with here Repair ability. I also have Iziar in the back to draw enemy fire. He will be healed by Djinn Renova and Spirit Hoarder. My strategy depends on Uriel's shield and healing as well as Iziar's taunt and healing. So my opponent having Affliction and Rust abilities counters my ability. On the other hand, it was lucky I picked the Imperial Knight in second position since it also has a healing ability which mitigates damage caused by Mantaroth's Burst ability.
The Battle
Against terrible odds, my tanks and Iziar were able to survive as his Dr Blight's Affliction ability did not proc (another lucky break). When I eliminated his three damage dealers while keeping the rest of my team intact, the victory was assured. I had fun watching the battle.
link to battle: https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_ce2dd02c0322ceb8b0dde85cdd072031
Conclusion
I have always maintained that the more powerful units don't guarantee victory in battle in Splinterlands. You have to pick the optimal strategy and team composition that will be more than the sum of its individual parts. This is what makes Splinterlands battles fun and engaging.
Thank you for reading and have fun playing Splinterlands!