Why Your Magic Strategy Is Probably Wrong In Wands Out | Splinterlands #474
This week's splinterlands community challenge is all about rulesets. Some of the OGs will remember that for long time, the community challenges were focused on ruleset challenges and that's how I got my start in splinterlands: writing weekly about splinterlands rulesets and all the strategy and depth that each ruleset offers. And this week's challenge, couldn't have come at a better time as I just finished an interesting splinterlands battle with the Wands Out ruleset, and it reminded me why most players struggle with magic-only matches. They overthink it.
The Magic-Only Trap
Here's what happens to most players when Wands Out hits: they see magic only and immediately think about stacking the highest magic attack monsters they can afford. Wrong move. Magic battles are not won by who has the biggest numbers. They are won by who takes less damage while dealing consistent damage. This is why void monsters dominate this ruleset, and why players who understand damage mitigation consistently outperform those chasing attack stats.
I constantly see newer players debating between different summoners and especially those magic pro summoners (Immortalis and Delwyn Dragonscale), but my preference is to always go Bortus. Not because it is a better summoner, but because reducing magic damage by one across the entire battles creates more value than people realize. Sometimes the non-obvious choice is the winning choice.
Battle Details
In my recent 22-mana brawl battle, I deployed Shock Trooper as my tank who is not a typical magic powerhouse, but solid stats and abilities that matter. Behind him: Prismatic Energy for magic reflect, Ice Pixie for flying evasion, and Flagulon Reine for blast damage. Each monster was selected with a specific purpose. My opponent went with the more obvious Djinn Oshannus tank approach, who is an overpowered beast most of the time.
Why Bortus Wins Magic Battles
The Wands Out ruleset reveals something important about splinterlands strategy: popular doesn't mean optimal. Everyone talks about Immortalis for magic protection or Delwyn for damage buffs. These are not bad choices, but they are obvious choices. When everyone else is thinking the same way, there is usually an edge in thinking differently. This extends beyond summoner choice. Monster positioning, ability synergies, and mana allocation. The players who excel at Wands Out understand that magic battles are puzzles, not stat competitions.
Every magic attack in a Wands Out match gets reduced by one with Bortus. Sounds small until you realize how the math works out over multiple rounds. A 3-magic attack becomes two. A 2-magic attack becomes one. Those 1-magic attacks? They become zero against any monster with Void. Suddenly, half your opponent's team cannot damage your monsters at all. This is what happened in my battle. In my winning lineup, I placed Ice Pixie in position three specifically for its flying ability. Magic attacks can miss flying monsters, which is important in survivability. Flagulon Reine went last for blast damage value, knowing that most opponents stack their magic power in the back. These kinds of details separate winning players from losing players. Small edges compound over multiple battles.
What New Players Get Wrong
If you're struggling with Wands Out battles, you're probably making one of these mistakes:
- Chasing attack stats over survivability. A magic monster that dies in round two provides less value than another magic monster that survives the entire battle.
- Ignoring ability synergies. Tank heal, triage, magic reflect are the kind of abilities that win magic battles more often than raw damage output.
- Following popular strategies without understanding why they work. Just because Immortalis is expensive does not mean it is right for every magic battle.
The players who consistently win understand that Wands Out isn't about having the best magic monsters. It is about building a lineup that survives long enough to outlast the opponent.
Concluding Thoughts
Winning the Wands Out brawl battle was a result of choosing a strategy that neutralized my opponent's strategy. New players often optimize for individual monster strength and discount the importance of lineup and ability synergy. The magic-only ruleset might seem straightforward, but it is actually one of the more challenging rulesets to get right. Success in this ruleset requires players to think beyond obvious choices.
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