Splinterlands Social Media Challenge - You shouldn't neglect Maneuvers

I fought an interesting battle in Modern Diamond ranked. This was a game with the Maneuvers rule set. It's a very simple one: all units have Reach, which means players can place any melee unit in the second position and it will be able to attack. It can be a good idea to place a melee unit in the third position, especially if the first unit is fragile, although that's a more advanced strategy. I almost always make use of this advantage and it's usually a mistake not to.

This game has the following rule sets: Maneuvers and Close Range. I went with Akane and placed Grimbardun Smith in front, followed by Mantaroth. Next, I used Rage, Venka the Vile, and Oshuur Constantia. I finished the team with Supply Runner. I could have switched the first 2 units and Grimbardun Smith would have been able to attack but I preferred having Mantaroth with more protection and allow it to survive longer. They opted for Risqruel Drath putting Arkemis the Bear in front. They didn't use any melee unit in the second slot, opting for Sorriel the Bale instead. After that, they placed 4 powerful ranged units, to take advantage of their summoner's stat boost: Supply Runner, Ash Mirage, Rush Townsend, and Countess Sinash.

I gave Ambush to Mantaroth and Oshuur Constantia. They gave Impede and True Strike to Ash Mirage and Rush Townsend. In the Ambush phase, I Repaired most of the damage Rush did and Arkemis at 7 HP. However, when the round started, their extra speed and heavy damage, managed to take out Grimbardun Smith twice. I missed some attacks but Mantaroth and Oshuur couldn't miss Arkemis and they killed it. In round 2, they left Mantaroth at 3 HP, but Venka didn't miss the attack nor the Trample hit, taking out Sorriel and Supplu Runner. Rage and Oshuur eliminated Ash Mirage and Mantaroth dealt some damage to their 2 units remaining. In round 3, Venka finished the game.

I think their team would have been better if they had a strong melee unit in the second position, instead of Sorriel. I understand that they wanted the Rust and Blind it provides and they would also have to find 2 extra mana but I think having more defense with very strong attackers in the back would have been better.

What do you all think about this game? Would you have done anything different? Let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading!!