Hello, Splinterlands Friends and Family! 👋

This week’s Splinterlands Social Media Challenge inspired me to dive into the Warborn Shaman, one of the fascinating Legendary Halls of Legends cards! 💎🔥

Last week, I discussed Fizbo, his immense power, and the potential meta shifts he might bring. Today, however, we'll shine a spotlight on his often-overlooked partner from the Hall of Legends: the Warborn Shaman.

Join me as we explore this card’s unique abilities, its role in competitive play, and how it might surprise us or not in the current meta! 🚀⚔️

🌟 Introduction

The Warborn Shaman is the fifth rare card from the Halls of Legends promo card set. Like other Hall of Legends cards, it’s a dual-element monster, making it usable with both the Water and Death Splinters. 💧💀

Despite its potential, the Shaman hasn’t generated as much buzz as its counterpart Fizbo. This could be because, at first glance, it doesn’t appear particularly strong or impactful. But is that really the case?

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the Warborn Shaman’s strengths and weaknesses, analyzing its potential to determine whether it holds a place in the current meta. Let’s dive in! 🎨✨

🧮 I. Stats per Level

Let’s break down the stats of the Warborn Shaman across its levels:

🥉 A. Bronze Level

At level 2, the card isn’t particularly strong at first glance. It costs 10 mana and has two abilities:

• Void Armor: Magic attacks hit this Monster's armor before its health.
• Impede: Each successful attack reduces the defender's Speed by 1.

For bronze-level play, this card is decent. While it competes with Nerissa Tridawn and Djinn Oshannus, it offers unique abilities and synergies. When mana isn’t a concern, it’s a solid option. ⚔️

---

🥈 B. Silver Level

At level 4, the card gains the Ambush ability (units attack before the first round begins) and an additional point of Speed.

While not groundbreaking, Ambush can be powerful when stacked with similar units. The card still competes with Nerissa Tridawn and Djinn Oshannus, holding its own in specific scenarios. However, its stats remain average.

---

🥇 C. Gold Level

At level 6, the card gets Poison (a chance to deal automatic damage at the start of each round). It also gains +1 Health, though this is underwhelming for a 10-mana card.

Poison adds value, but when compared to cards like Nerissa Tridawn or Djinn Oshannus, this one begins to fall short in terms of stats or abilities. Its overall utility is very situational at this level.

---

💎 D. Diamond/Champion Level

At max level, the card gains Heal (restores a portion of health each round) and +1 Health.

While Heal is a versatile ability, it feels underwhelming on a 10-mana card with only 8 Health. This low life pool limits the effectiveness of healing. Additionally, the card’s reliance on Void Armor for durability is a drawback since armor can’t be healed.

In Poison rulesets or against sneak-heavy teams, it offers utility, but its lack of synergy with Heal diminishes its value compared to other cards.

🛡️ II. Card Strength Overall & the Current Meta

Honestly, I’m not sure what the card designers were aiming for with Warborn Shaman. A card featuring both Void Armor and Heal feels like a strange contradiction. If it had 12 health and 1 armor, without Void Armor, it might have been far more effective.

At max level, the card’s stats feel underwhelming: 10 mana for a unit with only 3 magic damage is subpar, especially considering it’s likely to face magic-protection strategies. Most of the time, this card will struggle to deal meaningful damage and might end up serving only as a poisoner which is a poor trade for its mana cost. There are cards costing 4 or 5 mana that can accomplish more. 😬

I understand that not every card is meant to be meta-defining, but this one falls significantly short. Its utility is highly situational, and even in an all-Ambush team, its impact would be minimal.

🔍 Meta Utility Across Leagues

• Bronze & Silver Leagues: The card has acceptable utility. It won’t be a standout, but its abilities may find more opportunities to shine.
• Gold and Above: This card struggles to compete. Its low impact and poor stat-to-mana ratio make it hard to justify in high-level play.

All things considered, Warborn Shaman feels like it could use a design rework to match its mana cost with its potential utility.

💰 III. Price Point

As a Halls of Legends Rare card, Warborn Shaman costs around 300,000 DEC to max (assuming you sell the guaranteed Gold Foil cards). This translates to approximately $250 USD, which isn't outrageous but feels steep given the card's limited utility.

🤔 Should You Buy Warborn Shaman?

Honestly, this card is a pass. Its utility is severely limited, and you'll likely find value only in niche scenarios with very specific rule sets, such as Poison or Only Magic.

That said, if you have disposable funds and aim to cover every possible scenario, it might occasionally come in handy. However, if you’re here debating whether or not this card is worth the investment, the conclusion is clear: it’s not. Warborn Shaman is completely skippable. 🚫

🥉 For Bronze & Silver Players

If you’re competing in Bronze or Silver, the card isn't a terrible choice. At these levels, its stats are comparable to other cards, making it a viable option. However, it doesn’t stand out and won’t strike fear in your opponents.

Its real shortcomings begin to surface at Gold and Diamond, where its abilities and stats fail to justify its mana cost. For lower leagues, consider it an acceptable addition, but certainly not essential.

Keep in mind that this doesn't mean the card will be usable anything less than max level in diamond or champ. Without heal this card is completely useless in diamond or champ so if you plan to buy it for playing in those leagues it should definitely be maxed.

🔚 Conclusion:

Warborn Shaman is a fascinating addition to the Halls of Legends set, but it falls short in terms of competitive utility. While it shows some promise at Bronze and Silver levels, the card’s value diminishes as you progress into higher leagues. Its contradictory design—featuring Void Armor and Heal—and underwhelming stats make it hard to justify its high mana cost.

For collectors or players seeking niche utility, it might still have situational use. However, for most players looking to optimize their deck, Warborn Shaman is not a must-have card. With other options outperforming it across leagues, skipping this card feels like the right move for those focused on efficiency.

What do you think of Warborn Shaman? Share your thoughts below! ✍️💬