Splinterlands Strategies is a series I intend to write about specific Splinterlands / (Steem Monsters) cards and how to get the most out of them.
They are quite short and to the point, and I'll write more of them in conjunction with my increased recent playing habits due to the introduction of DEC Crystals as winning rewards.
What I would say to you is look for ways to make potentially poor cards to work for you.
Legendary cards are typically going to be more powerful than common cards, but what if you are playing on a budget?
There are limits to how far you can travel up the rankings with level one or two summoners but you can learn so much by watching your defeats and picking up on your opponents' strategies.
Today's Card: Exploding Dwarf
Exploding Dwarf is a cheap card in terms of price, but not much in terms of quality, or is he?
Costing (5) to cost and having (1) Health was an instant turnoff.. that was until recently I saw him being used effectively to kill me!
Don't overlook the fact that he hits for (3) off the bat and wields Blast at level (1).
Blast is a very powerful ability that hits other opposing monsters on each side of the target as well as the target.
He is cheap to Level to at least (4) and gains Piercing at just Level (3).
Malric Inferno will increase his Melee Attack to (4). Not bad for a Level (1) card!
He's a card I have previously disregarded as junk, but I am reassessing him due to some recent battles where he has been a winner.
When to Use Exploding Dwarf
Exploding Dwarf is not one for your main arsenal but a situational card. You have to remember that most of the time the standard play rules do not apply.
I have found TWO rule sets that greatly favour the use of Exploding Dwarf.
Super Sneak: All Melee Attack Monsters have the Sneak ability.
Melee Mayhem: Melee Attack Monsters can attack from any position.
It's out of the question for Exploding Dwarf to be a tank as he is too fragile.
Not having reach makes him look quite useless but in the cases of high mana (22+) matches, with either of these rule sets he can be a useful team member.
At level 4 he has a Speed of (4) which is decent, but if you use him in conjunction with the neutral card, Creeping Ooze you will have a better chance of him unleashing his damage first on each round.
Using Exploding Dwarf (at Level 4) combined with the 'Super Sneak' rule set can be deadly for healers as a lot of players put them directly after the tank.
Sneak will target the first ranged or magic monster which quite often can be the second in line monster.
With Piercing (gained at Level 3), the Dwarf will take out those pesky secondary tank healers monsters if they are placed incorrectly with just one shot.
The Monitory Cost of Exploding Dwarf
He is a reward card so if you do the daily quests then you are going to come across him quite often.
After having him kick my arse today I'm going to either wait for a possible daily rewards (combined with using a potion) or purchase a Gold Exploding Dwarf who starts his life as level 4.
The difference between level 4 and 5 monsters can sometimes be dramatic, but in his case, there is no difference between the levels whatsoever.
Unless you are planning to have Level 5 Fire Summoners, then I would stick with a Level 4 Exploding Dwarf.
A regular Exploding Dwarf will currently cost your around 2c on the Splinterlands marketplace, and a Gold version around 75c (both currently).
EDIT: I just bought this 75c one that just popped up!
Remember playing with Gold versions increases your DEC rewards (if you win!).
Exploding Dwarf can be regarded as: CHEAP
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