Splinterlands Weekly Challenge: Pirate Captain

STRATEGY TIME

MATCH DETAILS

This match was fought with an Unprotected and Holy Protection rulesets. The mana cap to build our team is 42, and we can only use Water and Dragon Splinters in this match.

MY LINEUP AND TEAM PLACEMENT

Summoner

First position

Second position

Third position

| :------------------:|:------------------:|:--------------------:|:--------------------:| https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/untamed/Bortus_lv1.png| https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/reward/Torhilo%20the%20Frozen_lv1.png| https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/reward/Djinn%20Oshannus_lv1.png| https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/reward/Sand%20Worm_lv1.png|

Fourth position

Fifth position

Sixth position

| :------------------:|:--------------------:|:--------------------:| https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/reward/Axemaster_lv1.png| https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/beta/Pirate%20Captain_lv1.png| https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/beta/Crustacean%20King_lv1.png|

Summoner: Bortus While preparing for the match, I was expecting my enemy to go heavy magic because of the match history. I was also lucky enough that there were only Splinters available, narrowing down the possibility of a non-magic enemy. This makes Bortus the perfect Summoner for this match.

Position 1: Torhilo the Frozen If I am already expecting a heavy magic lineup, why not bring it all the way right? Here comes Torhilo the Frozen! Aside from its Void ability, I am not much of a fan of Torhilo because of its 1 Speed. But in this case, it is the perfect tank to counter a heavy magic lineup. Usually if it goes well, Torhilo won't have to receive that much damage.

Position 2: Djinn Oshannus Aside from being an excellent Magic monster, Djinn Oshannus is also a solid tank in the right environment. Since our expectation is a heavy magic lineup from our enemy, Oshannus is the perfect backup tank with its Void ability.

Position 3: Sand Worm Well, I have to hedge my bets don't I? I had to put in Sand Worm just in case my enemy goes strong range (e.g. Axemaster) at its backline. While the chance is slim, I just had to it. Sand Worm is also a formidable enemy against Level 1 monsters.

Position 4: Axemaster For this match, I opted to add Axemaster because of its Double Strike. With its ability, it can deal as much as 4 damage per round. Its decent speed of 4 is also a great addition.Position 4: Axemaster

Position 5: Pirate Captain I am not a fan of Pirate Captain, but in this case it seemed right to add him in my lineup. Since my expectation is a heavy magic lineup, it is perfect to add a monster with Snipe ability to hopefully kill low health magic monsters (e.g. Ice Pixie). I chose Pirate Captain over the other Snipers because of its low mana cost.

Position 6: Crustacean King An excellent support even at Level 1. I added Crustacean King in this match because of its tank heal ability, which can give an excellent support to Torhilo and Oshannus, especially with their high health.

MATCH RESULTS AND PIRATE CAPTAIN VERDICT

Now that we have our lineup ready, let us watch this match with Bortus!

Match replay link

Lucky! Our enemy went heavy magic with Alric Stormbringer as Summoner and 5/6 monsters from our enemy's side deal Magic damage. At first glance, we can already see that Chain Golem is the only real threat here. Once we are able to deal with Chain Golem, the match will already be in the bag. At that point, Oshannus or Torhillo will only be receiving a total of two damage per round (1 each from Magi Sphinx and Oshannus). This can then be easily healed by Crustacean King.

With the final blow from Axemaster, Chain Golem died at the early part of Round 2. Putting this match into rest as Crustacean King solidifies Torhilo's tanking prowess. The match ended at Round 5 with the entire team standing strong, all thanks to the Void ability and tank heal.

Match Conclusion

I always love it when I get my predictions right. While it is not always the case, it usually feels good to see a counter working pretty well. To be honest, I think it was quite a risky move to go heavy on countering magic, since my enemy could have went Selenia Sky and Water ranged monsters combo (not sure if they have this). If that happened, my team would have been easily obliterated given the unprotected ruleset.

Anyway, I'm glad that it did not happen. I will always be happy to have Wins like this.

PIRATE CAPTAIN VERDICT

Personally, I don't use Pirate Captain that much given that there are usually better alternatives available in a match. After playing this match, I don't think my opinion towards Pirate Captain would change as I could have won this match even if Pirate Captain was replaced with a Chicken.

However, if I see amazing strategies for Pirate Captain in other posts for this weekly challenge, I'll definitely try out those. One thing that is making me curious is the Inspire ability of Pirate Captain at Level 6. It seems like it will be an excellent combination with Daria Dragonscale and Demented Shark. Too bad rentals are too pricey for me right now. I don't have the resources to experiment at the moment. But maybe in the future, we'll see!

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this match. In case you missed the previous replay link, click HERE to watch PIRATE CAPTAIN in action.

CREDITS

Splinterlands for the game-related images, game screenshots, and lore.
flauwy for the nice-looking dividers
Cover photo made in Canva

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