Defeating the dreaded Llama-Kron combo

I've been involved with Splinterlands for some time now but, until recently, I was mainly an investor and had very little actual gaming experience. In the last month or so, however, I made a commitment to be more consistent with my gameplay because I find the game is a lot of fun on top of the earning potential that it presents.

Even as an investor, I heard many times about the dreaded "Llama Kron" combo and how devastating it can be. However, since I play mostly the lower leagues, such as bronze and silver, I thought I would never have to worry about that as it surely sounds like something for the "big boys" league.

Boy, was I wrong.

I was minding my own business, picking up battles to hopefully fight my way out of bronze league into silver when it happened.

I always like to check not only what Splinters my opponents used on their last matches but also what was their lineup, and that how I found out that I was about to fight the infamous Llama + Kron combo!

I must confess that, for a split second, I considered surrendering and avoid what I thought to be certain defeat. Fortunately I'm not one to give up even when the odds are against me, so I said to myself "bring it on, Earth Mage! Let's see what you got!"

The Ruleset

The rules for this epic match were quite simple:

We got Holy Protection, which grants every monster the Divine Shield ability, meaning that the first damage that a monster takes is negated, no matter what.

All but the Death Splinter were open and the max mana was 34.

Even an inexperienced player such as myself could easily tell that this was definitely Llama + Kron territory.

My Lineup

At this point, I was 100% convinced that I was about to face LLama + Kron so I ignored any other possibility and tried to pick the lineup that would give me the best odds of surviving the onslaught that was about to be unleashed.

I thought that I would need to have a strong defence to hold the raw power of my enemy's mighty monsters but I also knew I needed a lot of offensive power because otherwise I would eventually be overcome by the opponent.

I mentally skimmed my collection and it looked like the Earth Splinter was the one that offered the best balance between offence and defence. And so, it was decided: Obsidian would lead my army to glory or die trying!

My commander was chosen but I still needed an army to fight for her. Since my initial plan was to aim for a balance between offence and defence, here is the lineup I came up with:

Unicorn Mustang
I needed a strong warrior to be on the front line of my army because I knew that the enemy's attack would be brutal. Unicorn's high health and magical resistance made him the best candidate for this mission.

Regal Peryton
Obsidian's army hit hard but it can be somewhat frail sometimes. I was afraid that, should Unicorn Mustang fall, the rest of the army would be crushed so I needed a solid number two and Regal Peryton is a great pick for that. It has 6 points, meaning it can take a hit or two and its high speed combined with the flying ability make it very evasive as well.

Djinn Biljka
At level one, this monster might not look like anything other than a cheap magic attacker but the Camouflage ability can be clutch in some situations.

Spirit Hoarder
This monster is a key component of my lineup and that will become clear during the battle. Its Triage ability is situational at best but this right here is the very situation where Spirit Hoarder shines. Alone, it may not be a big threat but paired with another particular soldier of my army Spirit Hoarder is a force to be reckoned with. But more on that later.

Khmer Princess
Nothing much to say about this one, really. At level 1, it is one of the cheapest magic attackers you can get, which is not bad at all.

Mycelic Slipspawn
This is the second piece of the Spirit Hoarder combo! With 11 hitpoints, Slipspawn has just what it takes to endure all the heat that its Taunt ability draws to it. It also has 2 magic attack, making it a great monster both defensively and offensively. This monster is supposed to draw most of the enemy's firepower, keeping them busy while the rest of my army devastates the opposing front line. Spirit Hoarder's ability to heal backline monsters helps Slipspawn to endure for longer, giving my army the time it needs to triumph!

And so my army was complete, and it was time to face whatever my enemy brought to the battlefield!

The battle

Right after I pressed the "Battle" button all my suspicions were confirmed: I was about to fight Llama-Kron!

There was nothing more I could do but hope I made the best decisions I could have made and pray that my army would emerge victorious.

And so it began.

As both armies lined up and started to apply their buffs, I stared at the mighty Kron the Undying for the first time. Even though I knew we were about to engage in a battle in which only one of us would survive, I couldn't help but admire this formidable warrior.

Battle cries echoed from both sides of the battlefield and then, suddenly, my Peryton made the first move. A magic bolt crossed the arena and exploded in the face of the enemy's tank, Pelacor Mercenary.

Unfortunately, the Divine Shield that was protecting all monsters on that field negated all the damage. But that attack did initiate the fight, and so monsters from both sides started attacking each other as if their lives depended on it, and they did.

The battle started out exactly as I wanted. Mycelic Slipspawn, aided by Spirit Hoarder, was standing strong against the enemy's successive attacks. Meanwhile, the rest of my army delivered devastating blows to the enemy's defences.

One by one, my enemies fell until there was only one left: Kron the Undying. I was in a good position to win this battle, but I knew that the Undying didn't get that name for no reason. I knew he could be devastating by himself and I waited to see how the battle would unfold before I could even consider the possibility of victory.

When Kron found himself alone and surrounded, the Last Stand ability granted to him by his commander, Llama, kicked in and he became even mightier!

Kron now had 18 hitpoints, 5 magick damage and he was a little faster also! Individually, he could have taken down any of my soldiers, but he was alone and we had an army!

The Undying made justice to his name and resisted bravely while delivering heavy blows to my army. Even with its magic protection, Unicorn Mustang was suffering from Kron's ridiculous magic power.

Healing 6 hitpoints per turn, Kron really made his last stand, for a second, I feared he would eventually overtake us all but not even the great Kron could resist the mighty army of Obsidian!

Djinn Biljka delivered the final blow; the hit that sent the Undying to his eternal rest. And then, victory was mine!

I could not believe my own eyes! I conquered one of the most feared enemies in the realm and did not lose a single monster in the battle! That's definitely a story to be told for generations!

Epilogue

Shortly after the sounds of battle died, the fog of war dissipated to reveal the victorious army. Surprisingly, Obsidian's army was nearly unscathed. All enemies were subdued and not even one of my soldiers succumbed.

As I approached the battlefield to praise Obsidian and the rest of my army, I couldn't help but notice that even slain, Kron was still a sight to behold and his title, "The Undying", never made more sense to me.

It was an honour, warrior.

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I hope you have enjoyed this slightly dramatized report of one of my most exciting recent battles and if you also want to engage in epic battles like this one don't waste another second and signup to Splinterlands!