Splinterlands | Mini Monsters

Usually, I look forward to high-mana battles and high-mana monsters to play with. The reason is simple, we get stronger monsters with better attack value and, therefore, a better chance of winning the battle. I am pretty sure others think like me. If that is the case, then the mini-monster or little-league rule is against our comfort zone.

The mini-monster rule is about using only monsters and summoners that are four mana or lesser. That means we go against our natural inclination and choose good monsters from the available mix to battle. That was a bit difficult back when I started, but now I am getting a hang of it. Or am I?

Well, the best way to know for sure is to witness a battle, and that’s what we will do. But before that, let's spend a minute getting to know Splinterlands. After all, that’s where we will find the mini-monster rule.

What Game is Splinterlands?

Splinterlands is a digital card game that allows you to collect, trade, battle, rent, and even earn from the cards. The game gives Play to Earn a whole different meaning. By now, you would know that the governance token (SPS) airdrop made millionaires out of the early adopters. It still keeps giving and remains a fun and engaging game.

To give you an idea of how lucky you can get in Splinterlands, read my story of getting cards worth $500 from buying only a few packs worth $20.

Got Cards Worth $500 from $20 Packs

And this is just a tiny number. I have witnessed people getting uber-expensive cards in their pack and selling it for as high as $6500. In fact, there is a whole Splinterlands marketplace on the Hive blockchain and now on Wax too.

Any reason not to try it out? To join, scroll down quickly. 😊

The Mini Monster Rule| All Big Monsters Are Not Welcome

As discussed in the previous section, the mini-monster rule is a tough cookie for those that aren’t used to playing with smaller monsters. However, there is a way to get around this problem. One of the things that we need to remember is to extend the life of our monsters through the course of the battle. To this extent, it will make sense to use summoners that reduce the opponent's monsters’ health. This strategy alone is a big plus.

In addition, it would also help to find monsters with the life-leech and scavenging ability. How does that help? With every attack, a life-leech monster’s health increases, and that is a big advantage during the mini-monster rule. Our monsters stand a chance to outlast the opponent’s. Also, the scavenging monsters’ health increases with every monster that dies. This also works towards elongating the monsters’ health in battle.

Ironically, I did not follow my understanding of how to play this rule, and I suffered. So, let’s head to the battle and see what I did.

The Battle | Frowns and Angry Brows

Here is the battle I was referring to. This battle not only has the mini-monster rule but also thorns and blast.

In my hurry to cover for the other two rules, I forgot to get monsters with scavenge and life-leech. That was a pretty big mistake, but the opponent ticked all the boxes for playing the mini-monster rule. We will see that in a moment.

Since the battle was of a 35-mana cap, there was no problem in fitting as many monsters as we required. The maximum that could fit was six monsters and one summoner of mana four. And that would be:

6 (Monsters) * 4 + 1 (Summoner) * 4 = 28

So, 35 Mana was a comfortable cap. It was the battle, though, that was uncomfortable for me. ☹

The Face-Off Screen

As I got a glimpse of the opponent’s lineup, my mistakes were apparent.

The opponent’s team is in the upper half of the screen, while mine is in the lower part. I was planning too much for the blast rule and forgot the mini-monster rule. The opponent got the right summoner and the correct monsters. They went with the Death Splinter and Thadius Brood as the summoner. Thadius reduced the health of all my monsters. That is a double whammy considering the blast rule in play.

Also, the opponent’s lineup had monsters with scavenge and life-leech abilities. If played well, it works against the blast rule, also. How did I miss this? Anyway, let’s get into battle.

We Battle Hard

We battle hardly, actually.

My lineup was almost gone by the end of the first round. I only had a barebone lineup at the beginning of the second round. Contrasting this, the opponent’s lineup was impeccably placed without having lost even one monster.

And The Battle Hurries to Conclusion | Whopped By the Opponent

And even before my monsters could breathe, they were done for. Take a look.

Even before the end of round 2, I was finished. The only consolation was that I got one of the opponent’s monsters. 😉

An Easy Victory For the Opponent | Mistake From My End

All that I should have done in the battle was done by the opponent, and therefore, he or she deserved to win. But what a battle! It was so one-sided, that my team barely made it to the second round. This is what a good choice of monsters does.

Anyway, I enjoyed the battle. I hope you did too. Until I see you next time, namaste! 😊

Want to Join Splinterlands?

You can click below and follow the link. All the best!

JOIN SPLINTERLANDS

Want to Watch the Battle I Spoke About?

Here it is:
https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sm_MdpD9sbCNFOPyaV7mzko

Image Courtesy: Splinterlands Resources