Gladiator/Bloodlust Counters

Gladiator cards and the Bloodlust ability can present a challenge. For Units with Bloodlust, each victim nets the attacker +1 to all stats. Fear not! There are ways to counter Gladiator Cards and Bloodlust. 

Make an educated guess as to whether a gladiator card is heading your way

There are three scenarios in which you will likely face a gladiator card. 

1. The Are You Not Entertained modifier allows the use of one gladiator card.  
2. Hover over your opponent's previously played teams. If previous teams frequently display a Soulbound Summoner and gladiator cards,  they may choose to repeat that strategy. 
3. Brawls, or battles between guilds, allow 1 gladiator card to be used with regular summoners. With a soulbound summoner, two gladiator cards may be used. A brawl with a soulbound summoner and the Are you not Entertained modifier allows three gladiator cards to be used. 

Evaluate your options

There are several ways to defeat gladiator cards that require evaluation of tactics. The type of gladiator card you are likely to face and the position of that card all come into play.  Pick and choose from the list below to build your gladiator card elimination strategy.

1. Use Dispel: Bloodlust AND martyr can be dispelled. Nothing is more satisfying than a fully buffed gladiator card losing it all to dispel. Ensure that your follow-up attack is ready. Dispel alone will not fell gladiator cards.
2. Remove Support: Use snipe to target magic or ranged units that may be providing support to your opponent's gladiator card. Removing healing or repair may be the key to victory.
3. Buff and support your tank: Gladiator cards are notoriously hard to fell. Ensure that the unit you plan to send against the gladiator card is well buffed and supported.
   From Abilities & Status Effects:
   • Inspire - Inspired melee units gain 1 extra point of melee attack power.
     • Underboss Fabino grants +2 melee attack to two units. Grund, with doublestrike, is a perfect candidate to take down gladiator cards when buffed so.
   • Protect - Protected units receive 2 extra points of armor.
   • Strengthen -  Strengthened units receive 1 extra point of max health.
   • Swiftness - Units granted swiftness gain 1 extra point of speed.
   • Martyr - When a unit with the Martyr ability dies in a battle, it gives adjacent characters +1 to all stats.
   • Weapons Training - Units with the Weapons Training ability will “train” any adjacent characters with no attack. This gives them an attack of the same type as the character with the Weapons Training ability.
4. Fight fire with fire: Break out a gladiator card of your own.  
   • Bloodlust - Units with Bloodlust gain +1 to all stats when an opponent is defeated. 
5. Divert attacks using Taunt: This strategy may only be effective if you place your taunting unit on the backline and bolster it with triage. Divert fire from your heavy-hitting tank while they smash through the front lines - moving closer to the gladiator card. 
6. Stun: An underutilized ability, stun has a 50% chance of preventing the target from attacking the next round. If a unit with bloodlust cannot attack, bloodlust cannot be triggered. You can use multiple units with stun, especially with the new multi-element summoners in play. Ensure that you have a strategy to take down your opponent's team! Stunning your opponent's tank will not prevent the backline from attacking and eventually overwhelming your team! 
   • Knock Out does double damage to enemies that are stunned. 

Wild Teams: Strategies and Counters

The teams below represent some of the more common lineups you will face as these cards work well together. You can use these as suggestions or starting points for your own strategies, and take into account things like counter attacks to build more complex lineups. Though the lineups below are only available in Wild format, the strategies are also present in Modern format.  

Earth - Taunt/Heal Combo

Unicorn Mustang, Goblin Psychic, Regal Peryton, Mycelic Slipspawn

Earth teams can utilize a magic-resistant tank backed by a magic-wielding healer and other magic units. Confronting this team can seem daunting as the Unicorn Mustang begins with 10 health and is healed often. 

Tips:

• Consider renting Dr. Blight - a neutral unit armed with Affliction -  to stop the healing. 
• Owster Rotwell is a summoner that gives your unit Magic Reflect, dealing damage to the opponent's units each time they attack with magic. Use Amplify to maximize the reflected damage. 
• Consider using a unit with Fury in order to destroy units with Taunt more quickly.
• Use Snare to guarantee a hit to flying units. Dragging them down to earth is especially useful during the earthquake modifier. Snare removes the flying ability which forces those units to take damage each round. 

Fire - Armored Tank/Sneak Combo

Lava Monster, Serpentine Spy, Tenyii Striker, Uraeus

Fire teams can utilize a more melee-resistant tank such as Lava Monster. While securing the front end, the backline goes on the offensive - picking off your lineup one by one. 

Tips:

• Counter this melee-heavy team by renting the Mylor Crowling summoner. With each attack, the units will take damage from Thorns, given to all units on your team.
• You can also employ units with Sneak, Snipe, or Opportunity to take out the enemy's back line, ideally before they can attack. To up the odds of this happening, include a units with Slow to reduce your enemy's speed by 1. 
• Use Blast to deal damage to units adjacent to the target.

Life - Taunt/Heal Combo

 Shieldbearer, Venari Crystalsmith, Pelacor Arbalest

Life teams may utilize a combination of melee, ranged, and healing units. Using Taunt, Shieldbearer draws all of the attacks to it, allowing your enemy's backline to attack your cards without fear of taking damage. 

Tips:

• Consider using a unit with Fury in order to destroy units with Taunt more quickly.
• Dr. Blight casting Affliction to stop the Healing ability Shieldbearer could be useful as well.
• A unit with Shatter, such as Weirding Warrior will destroy shields with a single strike, making it easier for ranged and melee units to take down an enemy's health.
• If you believe that there is a high probability of your next opponent using ranged attack units, consider using Ilthain, giving all friendly units an extra +1 speed in addition to the Return Fire ability. This forces any ranged unit that lands an attack to take damage in return.
• Ranged attack units must also pierce through armor, making friendly units with Protect such as Arkemis the Bear invaluable. 

Water - Evasion/Opportunity Combo

Serpent of Eld, Deeplurker, Feasting Seaweed, Merdaali Guardian

Water teams may select Kelya Frendul as a summoner. By doing this, units gain +1 speed and +1 armor. This makes the Serpent of Eld even more likely to evade attacks, while Deeplurker and Feasting Seaweed are more likely to attack quickly, decimating your back line. 

Tips:

• To counter this team, consider using either a unit or summoner with Thorns so that melee units take damage after attacking. 
• Magic units are also a solid choice as they will bypass armor, striking directly at the health stat.
• You can also use units with Slow to negate Kelya's +1 speed. 
• Dr. Blight uses Affliction to prevent Healing.
• Units with Snipe take back line units out of the game early.

Death - Thorns/Ranged Combo

Cursed Windeku, Undead Badger, Soul Strangler

When encountering Death teams, Cursed Windeku can be one of the more frustrating tanks to defeat. Thorns deliver damage to any melee units that hit them.  While Cursed Windeku holds the front line, back-line units can attack your units, picking them off one by one.

Tips:

• If your opponent is likely to use Cursed Windeku as a tank, consider relying more heavily on magic units for your win.
• Mylor Crowling gives Cursed Windeku a taste of their own medicine with the Thorns ability, given to each unit on your team.
• Focusing melee attacks on the back row and using a magic unit take down Cursed Windeku can be a good path to victory.
• Consider using a Riftwatchers melee attack unit such as Corsair Bosun. Due to Deflect, this unit does not take damage from Thorns.

Dragon

Dragon teams can pick any other element to add Dragon units to and provide an advantage. Consider the implications of Dragon summoners paired with other Elements. 

Tips:

• Quix the Devious deals -1 Ranged Attack and -1 Speed to all enemy units. Consider relying more heavily on magic and melee attacks.
• Brighton Bloom gives all of the units on her team the Flying ability. This is particularly useful within the Earthquake modifier. Be sure to include a unit with the Snare ability if flying units may be a concern in your next battle. 
• Drake of Arnak delivers +1 Armor to all units on his team. Consider relying more on magic units, or including a unit with Shatter or Piercing in your lineup. 

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