Armor, Blast, and a Surprise Victory

Hello Splinterlands friends! 👋
Welcome back to the Splinterlands Community Engagement Challenge: Battlefield Breakthroughs!

Today, I want to share about my battle of the day. This match honestly made me grin from ear to ear. On one side, I had to face a line-up packed with legendary monsters, but on the other, my so-called “simple” team actually showed its fangs and turned the fight around.

🔥 My Team Formation

The rulesets this time were:

• Up Close & Personal (only melee monsters can be used),
• Holy Protection (all monsters start with Divine Shield),
• Melee Mayhem (melee can attack from any position).

With a mana cap of 34 and only Fire and Death available, my first thought was: alright, shields are gonna be the key. Since it’s all melee, I figured survivability would decide the game.

Here’s what I went with:

• Archon: Eternan Brune → reduces enemy armor by -2 right from the start.
• Dumacke Orc → 7 armor + shield + retaliate, perfect as the frontline wall.
• Halfling Refugee → low mana, has heal, solid pick for the middle.
• Exploding Rats → speedy little guy with blast, great for creating chaos.
• Gorth → 5 melee attack, thick HP, my main damage dealer.
• Ferox Defender → repair + protect, crucial for keeping the team’s armor alive.
• Radiated Scorcher → just 1 mana, but comes with shatter, handy for bonus damage.

The formation felt balanced: a sturdy wall, fast attackers, and armor support.

⚔️ Enemy Line-up

My opponent came in flexing with a “luxury” setup—three legendary monsters in their squad:

• Chaos Golem → frontline tank with retaliate and mobility.
• Venka the Vile → piercing, a real threat to my armor-based plan.
• Orella Abadon → bloodlust, dangerous the longer it stays alive.
• Fina Voxom → bloodlust + opportunity, targeting my backline.
• Halfling Refugee → same utility pick with heal.
• Antoid Platoon → shield-heavy backliner, their last line of defense.

I thought, uh-oh, if my team gets worn down too quickly, this could be over fast. But then came the twist.

🔄 The Battle

Round 1:

• Exploding Rats dashes in first, stripping the Divine Shield from both Chaos Golem and Venka, while its blast spreads extra damage.
• Dumacke Orc takes a pounding, but retaliates nicely.
• Radiated Scorcher falls early (expected, since he was just filler).

Round 2:

• Chaos Golem and Venka go down—thanks in large part to the Exploding Rats’ blast!
• Sadly, Dumacke Orc also falls to Fina Voxom’s savage attacks.

Round 3:

• Exploding Rats strikes again, taking down Orella Abadon before it could trigger bloodlust.
• But the Rats also get crushed soon after by Antoid Platoon.
• Now Fina Voxom steps up as their tank.

Round 4:

• It turns into a classic duel: Fina Voxom + Antoid Platoon vs. my Gorth + Ferox Defender.
• Ferox Defender keeps repairing, while Gorth keeps smashing with his 5 melee attack.
• Voxom eventually falls under the repeated blows, leaving Antoid Platoon hopelessly outmatched.
• Victory is mine! 🎉

For the full battle replay, you can watch it here:

👉 LINK BATTLE 👈

🌟 Highlights

1. Exploding Rats was the MVP. Its 2-damage blast plus high speed completely shook the enemy’s backline.
2. Gorth shined as the finisher. Big damage combined with armor support kept him dominant in the late rounds.
3. Archon Eternan Brune’s shield reduction set the tone from the start, making the enemy’s armor-dependent formation crumble faster.

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🤔 Reflections & Lessons

This fight taught me something important: even low-cost monsters can decide the outcome when used in the right ruleset.
Exploding Rats is the perfect example—a tiny monster with blast that became a game changer in an all-melee brawl.

For newer players, here are the takeaways:

• Don’t fear legendaries—focus on your team’s synergy.
• Understand the ruleset, because it can turn an “average” card into a superstar.
• Learn from guildmates; sometimes the quirkiest strategies are the most effective.

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🎯 Conclusion

Even against an opponent packing 3 legendaries, I pulled off the win thanks to a solid formation, smart ruleset use, and monster synergy.

My advice: always pay attention to rulesets and abilities before locking in your team. Winning isn’t always about having the most expensive cards—it’s about building the right strategy.

And above all… never underestimate Exploding Rats. That little guy can flip the battlefield upside down! 😄🔥

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