In this week’s Splinterlands Social Media Challenge, I will be sharing a showdown I found myself locked-in in one of the most grueling battles I have ever fought. a mirror match between two Aurelia-led Earth Kingdoms under the brutal Noxious Fumes ruleset with an overdosed 73 Mana Cap. Both sides unleashed their strongest monsters. What followed next was an epic 24-round slugfest. Before we go into that, check it out in...

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Battle Setup

Ruleset: Noxious Fumes ☠️ (All monsters are poisoned each round)

Mana Cap: 73 💎

Active Splinter: Earth 🌿

Summoners: Aurelia (Fey) vs Aurelia (Fey)

The Game Strategy

Upon seeing the Noxious Fumes ruleset, I knew this battle would be all about sustain and endurance. Poison damage each round means survival depends on Immunity, Healing, or Resurrection and strategic monster positioning. Both Aurelias gave similar buffs, which meant the fight would come down to strategy, order, and synergy.
The plan was simple on my side, outlast the fumes while maintaining consistent damage across the board. I placed heavy hitters in front and balanced the middle with utility and defense.

My Lineup

1. Dire Bear (Mundane Beast) was my frontline tank. Though it lacks magical or ranged defense, its sheer health and melee strength made it ideal to absorb the early hits while poison chipped away at both sides.

2. New Beluroc Aegis (Minotaur) positioned in the second place just to serve as the absorber of attacks. 0Just to buy the main gang some extra time.

3. Dread Tafarian (Leonin) followed, a durable backup, ready to continue the fight with solid melee power once the Dire Bear fell. The raw strength and resilience of Dread makes him perfect for sustained damage output. What I liked most about this monster is its special ability of Heal : Each round, restores 1/3 of max health (rounded down). A cost Mana of 9. An Armor, a speed of 2 and an wholesome HP of 6.

4. Great Bear Druid (Human) a dual monster attacker with both melee and magic attack. A mana cost of 9, and an HP of 6.

5. Time Bandit (Dwarf) occupied the backline with its sneaky attack and cleanse ability bringing consistent pressure from the backline. As well as restoring the HP of member units by 1. It cost a mana of 8, and an HP of 7.

6. Kicking Roc (Human) my backline anchor. Strong and Kicking. The Roc brings another energy to the battle grounds. A mana cost of 8 and with a health point of 5 dealing a -3-range attack to opponent.

Opponent’s Lineup

1. Dread Tafarian (Leonin)
2. Time Bandit (Dwarf)
3. Wilhelmdale Deputy
4. Kicking Roc (Human)
5. New Beluroc Aegis (Minotaur)
6. Glimmermancer (Saurian)

The opponents formation looked balanced, very well mixed with attack power, speed, and endurance. A solid response under Aurelia’s leadership. just similar to mine.

The showdown

The poison began taking its toll just from beginning of #round-2. The Dire Bear charged fiercely into the Dread Tafarian, with both frontliners absorbing and delivering heavy melee blows. The Great Dreads healing ability proved crucial, keeping my frontline alive while the poison continued to whittle down both sides.

Just some few rounds into the middle of the battle and poison had already wiped out the weaker monsters, leaving both teams shredded. But stubbornly standing are The Time Bandits on both sides and my Great Bear. Both teams kept landing crucial hits, with the Great Bear adding magical pressure to the my opponent.

Around the 5th Round, things got desperate as the poison had claimed all support monsters, and only the strongest warriors remained. The two Dreads on each sides continued battling valiantly, trading blows with the opponent’s remnants.

Then came the grind. Round after round, poison damage, healing, and raw strength kept the last few monsters locked in a deadlock. Neither sides could out damage the constant poison tick, and both Aurelia-led squads simply refused to fall.

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Finally, after 24 exhausting rounds, the last remaining fighters succumbed to the fumes. The arena fell silent. No defeat. No victor. Just the remnants of two mighty Earth teams perfectly matched in strength and endurance till the end.

Battle Outcome: DRAW (24 Rounds)

Despite no clear winner, this battle was a true test of strategy, endurance, and survival. Both Aurelia-led Kingdoms showcased just how evenly matched foundation monsters can be under the right conditions.

A fight that reminded me that in Splinterlands, not every match is about brute force. it’s about, adapting, outlasting and timing your abilities to perfection. Even in a draw, the experience was worth it in the end.

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The Noxious Fumes ruleset always makes battles unpredictable just as any other battle ruleset, but it also highlights the beauty of balanced team composition. Every ability, from resilience to healing can change the flow of battle in ways you do not expect.
Even though this ended in a draw, it felt like a victory in endurance and strategy. I will definitely be experimenting more with Cleanse and Immunity abilities next time to counteract the poison because when the fumes rise, survival and sustainability is everything in the end.

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That’s all for now, see y’all in the Arena

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