I've been working on collecting the new @splinterlands Rebellion Rewards cards, spending Glint in the Reward shop aggressively to try to max these new cards out as quickly as I can. There are several cards I've already started using (in Champ) despite not yet having them at max level, and in this post I'll talk about my current top 5 cards from the Reward set. Without further ado, let's get into it.
#1. Olivia of the Brook
It's no wonder that Olivia is my top pick from this set. She's an incredibly fun card to use and she can single-handedly swing a battle as she collects more and more abilities from the opposing team over the course of the fight.
Olivia battle tips:
Use her with Iziar so she can get the Martyr, but careful about putting her behind Iziar in case your opponent uses Venka and strikes a trample.
Use her with Eternal Tofu and give her either Scavenger or Divine Shield to give her some protection, particularly in the event you're running into another Tofu.
At level 6 (max) she gets Reflection Shield, which will make her an absolute menace against enemy Tofus (no longer susceptible to the Corrosive Ward & Thorns).
Remember that her strength with Mimic lies in your ENEMY'S strengths, which means she's best in high mana battles where your opponent is likely to have a team stocked with abilities. In lower mana battles, she has less to mimic.
Battle showcase: https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_ed3dbd6752f626f749708dd57ae06343&ref=bravetofu
2. Halfling Refugee
Halfling Refugee is a terrific card for 1 mana, and frankly would still be terrific at 2 or even 3 mana in my opinion. Its debilitation (weary) isn't the worst as it doesn't hurt the rest of your team, and this guy can make for an incredible meat shield.
Halfling Refugee battle tips:
- It's simple really...: Stick this guy in front.
- In back to basics he loses weary, making him an absolute no-brainer.
3. Shock Trooper
Shock Trooper has a debilitation (and probably the worst debilitation for that matter) but he has incredible stats and abilities that make him very versatile.
Shock Trooper battle tips:
ST is a KING in back to basics, where he loses his debilitation. At level 1 he gets 4 magic damage for 4 mana, which is one of the best values you'll find.
When you're not in B2B, I recommend sticking ST in a place where you expect him to die in round 1, otherwise you'll have to contend with his shock damage. I like to put him in the front line, where he's likely to get an attack in (particularly level 3 onwards where he has 4 speed + swiftness) and is a decent meat shield with 5 health (up to 6 starting at level 4).
He's particularly strong in magic-only matches, and particularly so at max level with Magic Reflect.
Battle showcase: https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_fd586df89c86b7e726eee2ac4c400308&ref=bravetofu
4. Arachne Weaver
While I've only used Arachne Weaver twice so far, I've been very impressed and can see huge potential. It's all about the Corrupted Healing, which heals 70% (!) of ALL (!!) other allied units each turn, at the expense of just 1 max hit point. Tremendous card for survivability.
Arachne Weaver battle tips:
- Use it when you've got a big beefy tank up front that you want to keep alive. Think of cards like the bear, Coeurl Lurker, or even Grimbardun Smith under the right conditions.
- Consider pairing the Weaver with Lorkus due to his magic attack and sticking Life Leech on him. Along with Scavenger this will make him an ultimate survivor.
- I think this card could work in a Poison ruleset where he can heal the whole team after they get poisoned, BUT I don't think that's optimal. Each time he heals units they're going to lose 1 max HP, so I feel instead of going for rulesets where everyone will take damage it's better to use Arachne Weaver in cases where few, very beefy units will take most of the damage and benefit from that 70% heal.
- Consider pairing with units that have self-heal, particularly if they are faster (or slower, in reverse speed) than Arachne Weaver. This way they may have a chance of healing themselves before Arachne Weaver attempts to heal them.
5. Dark Arborist
Dark Arborist is a card that really picks up starting in level 3-4, and becomes a beast for magic-heavy rulesets at max level. I've been using it a decent amount also because it's only 4 mana. The demoralize is a bit weird but gives it some utility in non-magic only rulesets as well.
Dark Arborist battle tips:
- Pair with Lorkus for the extra magic damage and Life Leech.
- Obvious choice for magic-heavy / magic-only rulesets, right in the front.
As you can see, 4 out of my current top 5 are Epic cards, which reinforces what other people have said about that rarity being the most important one to target for this set. I do find it a bit odd how much stronger than Epic cards are than the other rarities (and I am rather disappointed about the Legendary cards, but that's for another time).
Let me know what your favorite cards are and how your progress is coming along with these. And best of luck pulling those Olivias!