Documenting my Splinterlands Knowledge - Rebellion Reward Cards Review: Rares Part 1

Hello there.

I just finished reviewing the Rebellion common reward cards, so now I will be going over the rare reward cards. While the common cards are easier to get and level up for newer/weaker players, the rares are just slightly harder. If you're going for the chests, rares always have a 20.0% chance of appearing if you're getting a reward card, regardless of Minor, Major, or Ultimate chest. This means that you will still get a good amount of rare cards in chests.

For my review, I will do a similar thing from the common reviews. I will first discuss the cards objectively, looking at the stats and abilities, and eventually on what teams it can work with. I usually play up to Silver level cards so I'll be looking at them from that perspective, but I'll also share my thoughts on their max level versions.

Drybone Megaladon

Drybone Megaladon is an 8 cost Fire monster. It has Flank at level 1, gets Retaliate at level 4, and finally gets thorns at max level. Before anything else, I would like to call out the name. I wonder why they went with MegalAdon, instead of MegalOdon, which is the real word. It's close enough, but it always gets me and I don't know if it was just a typo haha. Looking at the lore, they used MegalOdon, which makes things even more confusing. [I just noticed this and will be informing the team. So if the lore name is changed, I'll take credit for it haha]. Additionally, I thought its background was an explosion at first. But only after looking at the lore image do I see it as a sand shark. That would explain why it was a Fire monster, and not a water monster, even though it is a shark.

As for the stats and abilities, I think this card is great. It reminds me of Diemonshark with its cost and high stats. The Flank enables a lot of fire monsters like Grum, and can keep monsters like Explosive Rats attacking safely in the back. It getting the Retaliate in silver level gives it a good power spike. It will almost always be in the front because of Flank, so even getting Thorns at the end is really good. It is pretty much a big counter to melee. It can work well with a lot of fire summoners. Retaliate is better with Tarsa, its high speed and attack work well with Jacek and Skargore. Lorkus works with a lot of monsters overall. I think this card opens up a lot of interesting strategies for Fire.

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Continuum Seer

Continuum Seer is a 4 cost Fire monster. It has the Backfire ability at level 1, and gets Phase at level 3. Did you know that this is a named card; or rather, I think it is. If you look at its lore, the name Sain Mire is given. I wonder if they had a bigger plan for this card, but eventually decided against it. The art is really cool though, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was supposed to be a stronger card. But having said that, I think this is still a very powerful card.

At 8 speed, this might be the fastest monster available. It having backfire and phase at that speed can make it not only hard to hit even by magic attacks, but also deadly. It has very low HP at 2 even at max level to counterbalance things. Imagining trying to this card when it is partnered with Jacek and other Swiftness monsters is a stuff of nightmares. Using this with Skargore in Equalizer is even scarier. I think it can be a win condition on its own in a lot of scenarios. Putting it in the back as a sneak, snipe, and opportunity bait can be deadly for the opponent. Having said that, I think it can be a bit niche if it isn't leveled, since the speed comes in then.

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Commander Slade

Commander Slade is a 10 cost Water monster. It has Enfeeble and Dodge at level 1, gets Reflection Shield at level 4, and Backfire at max level. Another really good card. Not only does it have great stats at level 1, but the dodge lets it evade even more attacks. I sometimes get flashbacks of my misses against the Serpent of Eld when facing this. The Reflection Shield might seem niche at first, but it will actually work well with Possibilus. In melee only rulesets, I find myself using it in second position so it can continuously apply its Enfeeble to the enemies. I think the backfire is nice to have, but it isn't a wasted ability because of the dodge and high speed.

For summoners, it will work well with Kelya to make it faster and evade more. If you don't have the max level, it is one of the monsters that can work well with Aquatus. If you want to double down on evasion, Cryptic is good. Elias is also good because Slade has really high Armor. Slade is a bit bad against Magic attacks since those can go under its armor, but at 10 cost, it is also susceptible to Giant Killer. But overall, I think it is a very strong card to have and can be more versatile than Diemonshark.

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Razorhound

Razorhound is a 5 cost Water monster. It has Strengthen at level 1, gets True Strike at level 4, and Void at max level. We've had 3 bangers so far, but this one is a bit mediocre. It isn't bad because of the Strengthen and True Strike, but its low stats limit it. It only gets the 3 attack at level 7, so it is mostly a support monster for the Strengthen. The Void at the end is a bit of a head scratcher since the number of times I'll need it might be too few.

You want the Strengthen monster a bit in the back to not lose the buff. The True Strike seems to support that since it can provide consistent damage. But the Void is a tank ability. I think it can work with Prophet Rosa in no melee ruleset and close range. But I can't imagine it being used for anything other than the Strengthen, and even then it isn't a must use.

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Thunderhoof Nomad

Thunderhoof Nomad is a 3 cost Earth monster. It has the Reflection Shield at level 1, gets the Strengthen at level 4, and Triage at max level. After a bump on the road, we go back to strong cards. Having reflection shield at level 1 at 3 cost already makes it a very good card. You can use it in Blast and counterspell rulesets. At 3 cost, it can replace Spirit Hoarder for the Triage, and the RS makes it safe when next to Slipspawn. The Strengthen works well with the Triage, as well as the usual heal comps of Earth. It is very easy to slot this in as a cheap magic monster as well. Overall, I think it is really nice at all levels.

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Quilliun Legionary

Quilliun Legionary is an 8 cost Earth monster. It has the Close Range at level 1, gets Thorns at level 2, Void at level 4, and Bloodlust at max level. As a Silver player, I really like that you get most of the abilities at silver level. I think it is already usable at level 1 because of the close range. You don't need Fernheart that much because of this. Getting Thorns and Void really make it good against melee and magic. It isn't a one size fits all though, since Earth has gotten really strong with Range monsters lately, especially with the weapons training available.

With just those three abilities, I think it is already good. But getting Bloodlust can push it over the top. I said can, because it has really low damage at just 2 even at max level. It might be hard for it to get stacks, but the thorns can definitely help. As long as the opponent isn't using range attacks, it can be very hard to kill it. Unfortunately, I think it can only work well with Risqruel as a summoner. This isn't a bad Taunt target, and the Flying and additional range attack can make it better.

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Final Thoughts

I'm actually surprised at how strong these rare monsters are. Almost all of them are viable at just the silver level, and are already strong. The Continuum Seer and Commander Slade can be win conditions of their own, while Thunderhoof Nomad is a solid support monster. Quilliun Legionary and Drybone Megaladon are pretty solid tanks. Razorhound might be a step or two below them, but it isn't a bad card with its Strengthen and True Strike. I'm still working on my epic monsters, but I'll definitely work on my rares after those since they are really good in different scenarios.

That is it for my review of the Rebellion Fire, Water, and Earth rare reward cards. In my next post I will share my thoughts on the Life, Death, Dragon, and Neutral cards. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think, and if you have suggestions for improvement.

And as always, these are Not Financial Advice, and Do Your Own Research.

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