Detailed Explanation of “Modifiers” (Witch Hunt)

Best regards Splinterlovers 💚

Modifiers are among the most important aspects of the game in Splinterlands, since they determine how we, as players, act by making decisions about what to play and what not to play. In fact, in many of my posts, I’d say that in most of them I always emphasize that the cornerstone of the decisions we make when playing Splinterlands has to do with the rules—now called “Modifiers.” This is because they change the playing field and the rules by which we must play our cards; therefore, if we don’t understand them, we’ll rarely be able to go on winning streaks.

That’s why, throughout my career as a content creator, I’ve been explaining many rules and modifiers so that players understand their importance and why they absolutely must learn them. Of course, this isn’t something that happens overnight, especially since many of them have been added to the game with increasing frequency. So today I’ll explain one of them—even though it’s been around for a while, it’s relatively new, and I’ve never discussed it on my blog before.

So, if you want to learn about these modifiers—and especially about “Witch Hunt”—stick around until the end of this post. Plus, this will be the start of a new series of posts.

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Impact and Analysis of “Witch Hunt”

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I really like this new rule or modifier, since the “Ranged” attack type has always been at a significant disadvantage compared to the other two attack types in the game—“Melee” and “Magic”— especially the latter, which is an attack that goes straight to health points, bypassing shields and, in the vast majority of cases, the opponent’s defenses; and although there is a way to counter that attack, the reality is that you still take the damage at the cost of reflecting part of it, so you end up taking it anyway.

I imagine that the rule or modifier known as “Witch Hunt” was created to counter the power of magical attacks and their dominance on the battlefield, since its effect specifically inflicts heavy damage on magical attackers—which is ultimately what we want. So, knowing this, what is its actual effect:

What Is Its Effect?

• Witch Hunt Effect: If you have a “Range” attack type on your side of the field and this modifier is active, and your opponent has magical attackers on their side of the field, your cards with the Range attack type will deal double damage. This means that, for example, if we have a card that deals +3 damage points, under this rule its damage is doubled to a total of +6 points, so it’s clearly a disadvantage to play with this type of attack.

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While the modifier is quite obvious—and more experienced opponents will simply avoid playing magic attack cards at all costs—the reality is that another rule is added whereby the “Magic” attack loses relevance and power. Therefore, the dominant attack type among the three would undoubtedly be “Range” in this case, since there are many more ways to counter a physical attack, and you can rely on that to protect yourself. However, those who still believe they have a solid magic-based strategy will suffer for failing to adapt.

Winning Strategies and Recommended Cards for “Witch Hunt”

In this section, I’ll explain some strategies for playing with this modifier. Of course, that doesn’t mean these are the best strategies, but they’re meant to shed some light on the path for all those players who want to learn about Splinterlands gameplay and eventually start to master it. So, even though this is just theory, I’m sure that after reading through it a couple of times, you’ll find the path much easier than before. With that in mind, let’s get started:

Strategies (Long-Range Attacks)

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• Take Advantage of Rule or Ability Combinations: Of course, in addition to taking advantage of the “Witch Hunt” modifier, we should also make use of other abilities that could further increase the damage we deal. The idea is to capitalize on damage and speed, prioritizing these base stats, as well as abilities like Opportunity and Double Strike that boost that damage even further.

• Proper Use of Summoners/Archons: One Summoner that fits this rule is “Prophet Rosa,” who grants “Range” attack power. She can also be paired with a card like “Risqruel Drath,” which is quite strong in this type of attack, in addition to using abilities like “Snipe,” which targets a specific enemy, or “True Strike,” which never misses.

• Some Recommended Cards: I won’t go into detail about the stats of the cards I’ll mention—I’ll leave that task to you—but you can certainly use them to create combinations as I’ve been explaining throughout this post. Cards like “A’lan Musketeer,” “Aerial Shieldmaiden,” “Nimbledook Ranger,” and “Anachron Bolter” could work very well with “Witch Hunt,” and of course, others that can harness the power of ranged attacks and even boost them.

Conclusion

I really loved this modifier/rule, because for years the “Magic” attack has been one of the most powerful in the entire game—in fact, it still is—but now there are many other ways to counter it and catch our opponent off guard, which is great.

So tell me, what's your strategy for playing Witch Hunt? I'm all ears...