Card Highlights #10: Fire Elemental

Fire Elemental is one of the cards that are normally underappreciated due to his low health. Possible one of the best fire cards but with how easy he dies, people are choosing the safer option and pick like a Mantoid or Centaur.

Lore

Only the most skilled Fire summoners are able to call upon a Fire Elemental. The Elemental is basically fire personified. Once summoned, it takes the most convenient form it can find, then goes to battle with its own brand of deadly flame attacks.

Rental Cost

Fire Elemental may not be the cheapest to rent but it's efficient to do so if you're running speed version with Pyre or archer version with Selena Sky. If you're not planning to use a higher leveled Fire Elemental, the card is currently free to play.

Buy/Sell Cost

Purchasing this card is efficient specially if the free rotation changed. The card inflicts decent damage with or without the ability. However, if the rule set also lined up, this card is probably a beast.

Card Stats

Fire Elemental's stats are great. The only down side is the low health but proper positioning can take care of that. THe high speed plus decent damage actually makes this card deadly.

Card Effect

Blast || Does additional damage to Monsters adjacent to the target Monster.
Blast is a really excellent ability for mages and archers. This allows your monster to inflict damage to multiple enemies which means less turns attacking lower health monsters. Added with Opportunity or Snipe via rule sets, and this fellow can inflict damage to three cards at once.

Affliction || When a Monster with Affliction hits a target, it has a chance of applying Affliction on the target causing it to be unable to be healed.
Affliction is one of the underrated abilities but one I think if strongest of all. This makes invincible tanks useless which allows you to tear your way to the opponent's back row. A great tank requires a great support and Affliction negates that "Great" support.

Redemption || When this Monster dies, it does 1 melee damage to all enemy monsters
Redemption is a good ability to add but not great. However, this may be a good effect to draw a lost game. If partnered with Amplify ability to increase the damage by 1 though, this will become a threat ability that you can use in battle.

When to use

Fire Elemental can be used in any battles. He's exceptional when you're focusing on the main tank as your main strategy, or have opportunity, and sniper due to rule sets. If you get these bonus ability on the current rule sets, this card becomes a beast.

When not to use

Never use Fire Elemental when you have Noxious Fumes or Earthquake Rule Sets. The former inflicts 2 damage that cannot be negated and the latter can be negaed by having Brighton Bloom as your summoner. However, both options restrict your movement and choices one way or the other so it's better to have Fire Elemental sit this one out instead of pushing it through.

Battle

[Replay Link(https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_93ffde07a1d080240b6542c14a471b4d&ref=lasplinter256)

This is the positioning I used for this battle:

In this battle, I decided to add Fire Elemental to the back supported by two tanks in front. The negative side about this positioning is that a creature with sneak can easily break my formation. However, with this battle, my opponent decided to fight me head on.

Round 1

By end of Round 1, Blast damage hit both Unicorn Mustang and Orc Sergeant. My Living Lava got damaged but it's manageable.

Round 2

Due to Living Lava's gap in speed against Unicorn Mustang, he misses once in a while. This is countered by Fire Elemental's consistent damage which is really good as it allows me to push for damage still.

Round 3

Round 3 is a good round. Fire Elemental hit first putting Unicorn Mustang to grave. This allows my Living Lava to survive this round and probably the whole game. With Mycelic Morphoid having only 1 damage, this would be negated by Living Lava's Shield Ability.

Round 4

Game ended on Round 4 with the death of Mycelic Morphoid.

Disclaimer

• Battle photos are taken from Splinterlands in-game website. To view the full game, click on this link.

• I do not own any of the animated pictures. Visit Giphy to get more information.
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