HiveComb

Hello, friends!, Welcome back to another weekly Splinterlands challenge post! This is actually my second challenge entry this week, and I hope you can also join in on the fun.

Today, I want to share an exciting #Splinterlands battle that really tested my strategy and understanding of the game. This match was intense, and what made it even more special was that I used one of my Gladiator cards that I recently upgraded to level 5. So, let me introduce you to this powerhouse!

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Meet ALVA THE CRUSHER

Before diving into the battle details, let me introduce one of my key cards: ALVA THE CRUSHER. This monster comes with Shield, Bloodlust, and Retaliate.

With this combination, **ALVA THE CRUSHER** can effectively withstand physical attacks, grow stronger with every kill, and has a chance to counter melee attacks. The **Retaliate** ability was unlocked thanks to my latest upgrade. However, keep in mind that this ability is only available at a certain level. This card has been a backbone of many of my strategies!

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The Battle Begins

For this battle, the rulesets were COUNTERSPELL, AIMLESS, and ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?. Given these conditions, I chose QUIX THE DEVIOUS (Level 3) as my summoner. Here’s my lineup:

• VRUZ (Level 5) – Martyr, Sneak
• ALVA THE CRUSHER (Level 5) – Shield, Bloodlust, Retaliate
• NOA THE JUST (Level 2) – Rust
• KULU MASTERMIND (Level 1) – Opportunity, Weapon Training
• VOID DRAGON (Level 3) – Flying, Void, Phase
• URAEUS (Level 4) – Sneak, Poison

My opponent, on the other hand, used LOB LOWLAND (Level 5) as their summoner with this lineup:

• PELACOR MERCENARY (Level 6) – Flying, Heal
• FUNGUS FLINGER (Level 6) – Martyr, Blind
• KATRELBA GOBSON (Level 4) – Sneak, Double Strike, Bloodlust
• VENARI MARKSRAT (Level 5) – Martyr, Snare
• BERTROL GOBSON (Level 5) – Opportunity, Bloodlust
• THANALORIAN BLADE (Level 3) – Execute, Opportunity, Lookout

Round 1

The battle kicked off with VOID DRAGON attacking KATRELBA GOBSON, followed by KULU MASTERMIND, who managed to eliminate KATRELBA GOBSON. Losing this key monster early was a major setback for my opponent. However, they retaliated as BERTROL GOBSON struck VRUZ, and THANALORIAN BLADE finished off VRUZ, activating the Martyr effect. This boosted ALVA THE CRUSHER, making him even stronger. Meanwhile, the front-line battle between our tanks was heating up!

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Round 2

With the Martyr effect boosting his power, ALVA THE CRUSHER took down PELACOR MERCENARY, activating Bloodlust and increasing his stats further. Meanwhile, my URAEUS was under heavy fire from two enemy monsters with Opportunity, putting him in a dangerous spot.

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Round 3

ALVA THE CRUSHER continued his rampage, eliminating FUNGUS FLINGER, triggering Bloodlust once again and making him even harder to stop. At the same time, KULU MASTERMIND managed to take out THANALORIAN BLADE. At this point, BERTROL GOBSON was still standing, but I knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

For the full battle replay, you can watch it here:

👉 **LINK BATTLE** 👈

Strategy and Key Takeaways

This battle taught me the importance of card placement and choosing abilities that complement each other. ALVA THE CRUSHER proved to be an invaluable asset, especially with his Shield, Bloodlust, and Retaliate combo.

I decided to use ALVA THE CRUSHER because the rulesets discouraged magic monsters, making me confident that my opponent wouldn’t rely on magic attackers.

The Martyr effect from VRUZ also played a crucial role, boosting ALVA THE CRUSHER at just the right moment. Additionally, focusing on eliminating my opponent’s key threats, such as KATRELBA GOBSON, early on helped shift the battle in my favor.

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Final Thoughts

This match was an incredible learning experience, proving how deep strategy and game knowledge can influence the outcome. Splinterlands continues to provide exciting challenges, keeping me engaged and eager to improve.

If you haven’t tried this game yet, I highly recommend it! Let’s keep battling and taking on future Splinterlands challenges together.

Talk about Splinterlands,
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It's free, but you'll need to invest in a beginning deck or buy gaming cards to gain real assets like cards and tokens.

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