Sometimes plans don’t go the way you expect and that’s not always a bad thing. You prepare something cool to show but the game decides to end early because of unique factors. That kind of surprise is good in reality but bad when I want to show something I think is cool.
In this match I wanted to test a Double Snipe idea using units that are easily accessible. Shapeshift Happens Modifier did not affect the fight which I would go in a bit in-depth later. Even though the strategy didn’t fully play out, the lineup still performed really well which is a good thing, I guess.

Battle Breakdown

Modifier in this Battle:

• Shapeshift Happens: All units have Shapeshift (treated as all bloodlines).

My Thoughts on Modifiers

• The modifier for this battle does not really affect me or the enemy because we didn't use any archon with Bloodline Dominion, which are the Conclave Arcana archons. I do want to say that this is a really cool and strong modifier if you do use any archons with Bloodline Dominion since every single unit has a Bloodline. This means if your archon has that ability, you are allowed to use every single unit in the game, as long as it follows the mode you are playing with. So, for Modern Ranked Format, for example, you used Gorgug the Endless, the Orc Water Archon, in this modifier, you can use any fire, water, earth, life, death, dragon or neutral units since every single unit, for that battle only, acts as an Orc or any other Bloodline and will adapt to whatever Archon with Bloodline Dominion ability that you are currently using.

Team Composition

Archon: Marlai Singariel

• Marlai Singariel increases the magic damage of the whole team by 1 which fits perfectly since most of my units rely on magic attacks. This boost made every hit stronger which is, ironically, a bad thing when I want to show something cool because it melts enemies fast.

Units Chosen

Unit 1: Abyssal Elemental

• Abyssal Elemental was used as the main tank because of limited mana but it still performed well. Resurgence gave it a second life which helped absorb damage and buy time for my backline units. I didn't use the Resurgence ability but it's still good to have.

Unit 2: Saltwater Mage

• Saltwater Mage was placed second since Sneak was not the focus of the strategy. Her magic damage still helped apply steady damage especially with Marlai Singariel boosting it.

Unit 3: Shock Trooper

• Shock Trooper deals very high magic damage which made him the main damage source of the team. His damage was so strong that the battle ended too fast which stopped the Double Snipe idea from fully showing.

Unit 4: Frostguard Warrior

• Frostguard Warrior is one half of the Double Snipe plan with his Range attack and Snipe ability. He is good at picking off enemy support units and damage dealers early.

Unit 5: Torrent Snipe

• Torrent Sniper is the second half of the Double Snipe strategy with his Snipe and magic damage. With Marlai Singariel he deals 2 magic damage which makes his Snipe more threatening.

Unit 6: Zargrul

• Zargrul has high health and good armor with Taunt. This helps protect the team overall. Redirecting attacks kept my damage units safe while they ended the fight quickly.

The Battle

Opening Rounds:
At the start, it felt like a race of whoever the first tank unit falls lose. Unfortunately for my enemy, their Silverleaf Mage died first in one round from the focused magic attacks while my Zargrul lived because the enemy attacks are more mixed between range and magic attacks. Zargrul's armor ate most of the early damage while my attacks went directly to their Silverleaf Mage's health.

Mid-game:
By the mid game, my Double Snipe strategy started shining. Torrent Sniper immediately killed Virid Venomancer before it even act. Frostguard Warrior missed unfortunately but the huge damage is enough to deal with the enemy once their tanks died.

Final Rounds:
Towards the late game, the game was easy. The enemy units mostly have 3 health, my units have 3 magic damage and more, so they just picked them off one by one. I really wanted show off the double snipe strategy that's been working really well but the enemy died very quick that I only had a shot of it.

👉 Watch the full battle replay here
https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_c42ba996f94a771ebb26b8f09752aba5

Results & Reflection

What strategy I was aiming for:
The plan was to showcase a Double Snipe strategy using Frostguard Warrior and Torrent Sniper. The goal was to slowly remove enemy support and damage units from the backline while bypassing their tanks. Unfortunately, the game ended before this strategy could fully shine because of the high damage from my team and the low health of the enemy units.

What surprised me:
What surprised me was how fast the enemy lineup fell apart. Shock Trooper dealt too much damage which caused the fight to end early when they tank quickly fall. It was a good problem to have but it ruined the whole idea.

What I learned:
I learned that sometimes having too much damage can be a downside when trying to show a specific strategy. Double Snipe is a strong strategy and I've used it quite a number of times before. Even so, a strong lineup can win even before your plan shows. Next time I might try the same idea with a different set of units to better show how it works.

Closing Thoughts

This battle gave me mixed feelings because the planned strategy was never fully realized. Still, the lineup worked better than expected and secured a fast win. It shows that raw power can sometimes overshadow clever ideas and some battles, you don't need these ideas but just overwhelm the enemy with raw stats.

I might try this Double Snipe setup again in another game with a different team. With a slower fight and without Shock Trooper, I can fully show this cool strategy that also works.

Posted Using INLEO