https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/Eoc6ceQNGemqDQpcynigbUPX3iyPAk3tByPJJhW7wccpJvFDK9gcTMn1ifsuXLm3VbX.png --- ### **INTRODUCTION** I started my journey in Splinterlands two weeks ago and I'm having a lot of fun playing it. However, as I was only using the basic set of cards, sometimes I felt a little bit frustrated for not reaching a high Rating (ok... I must confess I'm not a very good player 😋). At the official game Discord I found some cool deck ideas for beginners that could improve my performance, but since I haven't added any extra money to the game (apart from the Spellbook purchase), I didn't have the budget to implement any of them.. However, one specific card suggestion caught my eye: [Venari Wavesmith](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=338&gold=false&edition=3&tab=) https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/reward/Venari%20Wavesmith_lv1.png --- ### **WHAT MAKES THIS CARD GOOD** Before going into the card details and its strategies, let me show the context where it fits and why. Water Splinter decks are really annoying to deal with. They hit hard, fast, and can wipe your team in a few rounds. But as most mages in RPG games, they lack defense and have low HP/Life ("glass cannons" as people often refer to). Now imagine if we could improve those decks survivability a lot with a single card? Well... that's what **Venari Wavesmith** does. It has an ability called **Protect** that adds 2 extra armor to all friendly monsters. Let's take a look at all Water and Neutral magic damage dealers from the basic set: https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23xAaH9xuPc22NF8vZNu8CkgwAfjGuTB1mrEbvMQ7eZLAAQFCqzzPaJgDJXLfoMvix6nB.PNG **All of them** have no armor (the shield stat). It's pretty obvious how **Protect** will improve those monsters survivability, eliminating Water decks most notorious weakness. Also, your "tanker" will benefit from it... an extra bonus. --- ### **FINANCIAL ASPECTS** You are probably thinking that such wonder costs a lot, but, if we don't take into consideration the last 2~3 days at any season's end, where prices usually spike, it is really affordable. By the time I write this article (new season started 3 days ago), you can find the standard level 1 version of the card for: - Purchase: 2.15 USD (215 DEC) - Rental: less than 0.010 USD (1 DEC) There's no need to get the gold version and higher-level ones will not work (summoner limitation). Just for the record, I managed to rent one for 0.7 DEC a day when the current season started. I renewed it twice and will keep doing that as long as I need. ![rental.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23t76bnFv6qUpmPpWgVebCNQtSuL5AaQoxtbCFoGkdEpg8iP6RrFzNtKAikMhmuqu8TdJ.PNG) **Venari Wavesmith** will greatly improve your winning ratio, returning the initial investment very quickly. >Before renting the card, check if your battle rewards are enough to pay what the market is asking for (they probably will by a good margin). --- ### **BEST COMPANIONS AND DECK STRATEGIES** Our main objective here is to do a lot of magic damage with decent speed, and for that purpose, there's no other choice for **Summoner** than [Alric Stormbringer](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=16&gold=false&edition=1&tab=stats). https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23wMRvG2qxu9D5xKavqDHCUaemXUVd6mLujgE2AbxDs91YsYrakybyQtZKNwoyJzLhepx.png For the **Tanker** position we have the following options based on the battle mana cap: - Low: [Albatross](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=169&gold=false&edition=4&tab=) or [Cocatrice](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=64&gold=false&edition=1&tab=) - Medium: [Spineback Turtle](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=13&gold=false&edition=1&tab=) - High: [Frozen Soldier](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=19&gold=false&edition=1&tab=) or [Serpent of Eld](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=174&gold=false&edition=4&tab=) https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23xp8UgG76zxrvm4iriZeWAaMxN6QV4W3bPBMxPbGMYBPkRZguNnZVdA3HFoxkUMYkHCG.png You can also use the **Albatross** or the **Cocatrice** as your last monster if you have some mana left and no other options suit your needs. If you think your opponent is going to use a Water Deck too, using two tankers can be a safe approach. First a low mana one then a medium/high after. The **Attack Team** will be composed by: - [Medusa](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=17&gold=false&edition=1&tab=) - [Ice Pixie](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=172&gold=false&edition=4&tab=) - [Enchanted Pixie](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=66&gold=false&edition=1&tab=) - [Elven Mystic](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=194&gold=false&edition=4&tab=) https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23xAaH9xuPc22NF8vZNu8CkgwAfjGuTB1mrEbvMQ7eZLAAQFCqzzPaJgDJXLfoMvix6nB.PNG I think one of the best team formations is: >**Tanker** > **Medusa** > **Ice Pixie** > **Enchanted Pixie** > **Venari Wavesmith** > **Elven Mystic** But that can vary based on your strategy, mana cap and opponent. An interesting option for high mana cap battles is to use the [Water Elemental](https://splinterlands.com/?p=card_details&id=18&gold=false&edition=1&tab=) in the last position. https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23xAK64HDhLQsWVz72HwBJ2Y8JNMcUBWEi8yVqYVARAmvSkgijcjvmRKRos33YKWuJHJK.png --- ### **REAL BATTLES** Now let's see how **Venari Wavesmith** performs against the most usual basic card decks and why I think it is a very good option for beginners struggling to improve their ratings and climb to higher leagues. **Mana cap:** 23 **Opponent:** Water Splinter with Alric Stormbringer **Formation:** 2 tankers in front **Battle:** [Link](https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_5f8577d5f4238a5c4638a839234f0c6c&ref=ravenxbr) ![b1.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23u5YxFasGT7WyKNxSivD8VRcX6D4tsb7hpARpUE9AvbAzZ9aqr3o2seKvhMh9JVB3ybX.PNG) **Mana cap:** 30 **Opponent:** Life Splinter with Tyrus Paladium **Formation:** Standard **Battle:** [Link](https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_67ebedf8bb65c729754a1bbc918691bb) ![b4.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23vho3rSSjie6qXA5H1TRz4tLb8VxZZwN2KnT81fKYTUnKgLChi4FUb9QWDmhFGbZKrC2.PNG) **Mana cap:** 15 **Opponent:** Death Splinter with Zintar Mortalis **Formation:** Standard **Battle:** [Link](https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_356db1b7d03df96cc769da11d426d695) ![b5.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23tkjqPMgxP48Lbox1Z6aQRtPjeSj7GVNqaPT47gFFKeTKNYuQQ7j5KMjPkAwWpWkfv8p.PNG) **Mana cap:** 24 **Opponent:** Fire Splinter with Pyre **Formation:** A different card in the second position to fulfill the daily quest requirement **Battle:** [Link](https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_07bec7ce69ddaad2f36b9ddedfb676a5) ![z1.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23tbiNAvp8RfVfgKcGtNrvkSiKru1cfqd9xQCPfES3NvMgn6Q4Dkjk9FnaWcRMzeWfSCG.PNG) **Mana cap:** 16 **Opponent:** Fire Splinter with Pyre **Formation:** Standard **Battle:** [Link](https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sl_97cf263c78fefe7afddb019dd5cc9c3c) ![z2.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23tkn4gp91NSzu86dWtwQp24udWHu6W7U9rL26aFDvFMovh9JuVD8daodRZ6LGWWBinNx.PNG) **Mana cap:** 27 **Opponent:** Fire Splinter with Malric Inferno **Formation:** Standard **Battle:** [Link](https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_403941b8049de9b6a8efe92f282435db&ref=ravenxbr) ![z3.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23uQfxY377grUenWm5zvoTXE54hERTDUnAGhSUJsBeFx1VQUVnc2qyjSJmhbE2DfVsiNC.PNG) **Mana cap:** 17 **Opponent:** Earth Splinter with Lyanna Natura **Formation:** Standard **Battle:** [Link](https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_47767b76db14a4e55dc50b2a7b6a6770&ref=ravenxbr) ![z4.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/23tkk3u9nSrWYSqH8axB8rSTgKboXagtfWgHmF5wbS78VG5eigtW8MSwnybYL4ycyquVn.PNG) As shown above, **Venari Wavesmith** can be very flexible facing all kinds of opponents, from low to high mana caps. It's also effective on some daily quests with minor adjustments to standard formations. --- ### **WHEN IT STOPS WORKING** As you get closer to the Silver Leagues (rating 1000), you'll start to face decks designed to counter mage opponents. Check out [this battle](https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_80eadb1c92c93dd7eb1026526f8efe59&ref=ravenxbr) to see how it works. ![z5.PNG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ravenxbr/Eo8LA1BnaoKxparLd4bYsh1i2ASCgAQQgTChd8Lr7fuc4DQkkPLYkj2vbFqgGpmhcMd.PNG) If you get to this point and start losing a lot of battles using your mage deck with **Venari Wavesmith**, it's time to switch to another strategy. --- ### **FINAL WORDS** There's no invincible card, deck or strategy, and **Venari Wavesmith** is no different. You'll certainly lose some battles using it, but I can guarantee you that your winning ratio will improve a lot on Bronze Leagues. It is also important to mention that the initial investment for using the card is quite low, which makes it a solid choice for beginners. I hope this article helps newcomers to have an easier journey in their first days on Splinterlands 😊. --- Haven't started your **Splinterlands** journey yet? Buy your [Spellbook here](https://splinterlands.com?ref=ravenxbr) and be part of this amazing world!!! [**splinterlands.com**](https://splinterlands.com?ref=ravenxbr)