In the latest Splinterlands challenge, something exciting caught my attention with the release of the Rebellion Reward Cards series. As a dedicated Splinterlands fan, I always get excited when new cards are launched. The Rebellion series introduces many cards with intriguing new abilities, and I was eager to see how they could enhance my gameplay experience. One card that immediately stood out to me was the Thanalorian Archer from the Life element, categorized as Rare.
Upon first glance, I was immediately drawn to its basic ability, Lookout. It’s a unique skill that allows the monsters around Thanalorian Archer to take one less damage from enemy attacks targeting with Sneak, Snipe, or Opportunity. Essentially, this card acts as a lookout for the team, giving early warnings when an enemy tries to sneak attack from the backline. In a game like Splinterlands, where surprises abound, this ability can provide a significant strategic advantage.
In addition to Lookout, Thanalorian Archer comes equipped with Snipe, which allows her to target enemies in the back row with her ranged attacks. This becomes highly useful in battles where you need to quickly eliminate enemy support monsters that are often protected by front-line tanks. More impressively, at level seven, Thanalorian Archer gains the Return Fire ability, enabling her to reflect a portion of damage from ranged attacks back at the attacker. The combination of these abilities makes this card appear quite promising for a variety of strategies.
I decided to test Thanalorian Archer in one of my more challenging battles. The match had a mana cap of 33 points, with the Fab Four and Wands Out rulesets. This limited the available elements to Life, Earth, and Dragon. For this battle, I chose Quix the Devious as my summoner. Quix's advantage is his ability to reduce the enemy’s ranged attack and speed, which can be crucial in a close fight.
Here’s the team I assembled:
- Void Dragon (Lv 3) – Flying, Void, Phase
- Thanalorian Archer (Lv 1) – Snipe, Lookout
- Spirit Hoarder (Lv 2) – Triage, Repel
- Chaos Dragon (Lv 3) – Flying, Scattershot, Blast, Blind
My opponent used Grandmaster Rathe as their summoner, providing additional armor, protection from magic attacks with Void Armor, and the Amplify ability. Their formation was solid, featuring Adelade Brightwing to repair armor, Spirit Hoarder for healing, and Meriput Magician for extra support healing.
As the battle began, I quickly realized my opponent was heavily focused on defense, particularly with the combination of Void Armor and Adelade Brightwing’s armor repair ability. My team’s magic attacks, especially from Void Dragon, couldn’t immediately pierce their defenses. This is where Thanalorian Archer started to shine. I placed her in the middle of my formation to protect surrounding monsters from enemy Snipe and ranged attacks. Although she didn’t contribute heavily in terms of damage at her current level, her protective role was noticeable.
The toughest challenge in this battle was breaking through the enemy’s constant armor repairs and healing. However, thanks to Chaos Dragon’s Blast attack, which hit multiple targets at once, I eventually weakened their defenses. While Chaos Dragon was the key to my victory, Thanalorian Archer played a crucial supporting role, reducing the damage my team took from the enemy’s ranged assaults.
For the full battle replay, you can watch it here:
After this match, I realized that Thanalorian Archer has immense potential, particularly at higher levels. At level one, she might not deal much damage, but as she reaches level seven and gains Return Fire, I believe she’ll become a formidable card against ranged-heavy enemies.
Conclusion
Overall, Thanalorian Archer offers strategic protection for the team, especially with her Lookout ability. In battles where Snipe, Sneak, and Opportunity are common, this card can be a highly effective protector. However, to fully maximize her potential, I recommend leveling her up to at least level seven, where she becomes much tougher with the added Return Fire ability. If you're looking for a card that can both shield your team and retaliate against enemy ranged attacks, Thanalorian Archer is a solid choice to consider.
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