To Tank, Amen
by Carl Van Ostrand

How infuriating would it be if your opponent had a 4VP Gladiator with full life in the Action Field, unset for the entire game!!! Protect, protect, protect. I am getting angry just thinking about it. Next thing you know, you’re actually bashing your opponent’s cards with the sledgehammer (Sunder Maul) – you know, the one kept in your garage. I think it’s important to dissect this strategy so that:

1. You can recognize it early and defeat it
2. Use it on opponents you hate

Once again, this effective strategy (that personally disgusts me) is called Tanking. Just like in your favorite video games, tanks are the valiant workhorses that take all the beating, and LIKE IT. For Ophidian purposes, this strategy usually involves a lone 4VP (high life) gladiator sitting in the action field, soaking up any attack threats by protecting the weenies in the Support Field.

Let’s walk through this step by step.

The first piece of this strategy is in knowing your goal. Your goal is to keep all your gladiators alive, while picking off one of the opponent’s 1VP or 2VP weenies. Sometimes it’s safer to attempt killing the 2VP or 3VP gladiator just in case you need to sacrifice one of your gladiators in the late game.

First find your tank and pick your disciplines. Any 4VP gladiator will do, but keep in mind you’ll want effective methods of healing wounds, preventing damage, doing direct damage, and general trickery. I recommend using War, complimented by Psi and/or Mystic. Also keep in mind that Gladiator abilities like the ones on Lillith, Simon, and Leetah cater to this strategy.

In the first wave, you may want to play offensively, knowing you can probably afford to spread a little early damage among your team. Get in some early hits, and play some solid level 1 War pumps like Spiked Fists and Sunder Maul. Keep in mind that your 4VP will not be your primary attacker, so try pumping your next best attacker.

You will also want to beef up your Tank’s defense. Good cards for this include Flexi Armor, Kaleem’s Desire, Exo-Skeleton, and Nukatal Shield. In case you need to heal your tank make sure to stock a couple of your favorite healing cards as well. And for when you're trying to pick off their weenie, make sure you have Electro Chains, Electro Spear, and Gandrel’s Ax.

The last important element in your deck is making sure your non-tank gladiators stay out of harm’s way. This is not to say they have to put the dunce cap on and sit in the corner, but you need to find a way to retreat them after attacking. The most effective cards are Defensive Anchor and Tigbar Rolls. This way, your lower level gladiators can quickly hide behind the tank after attacking.

Always remember first and foremost, the tank must not die. You will likely promote your tank and spend most of your resources making sure they never get anywhere close to death. You may want to consider adding Gravel Spirits for extra protection, and DR cards like Gercan Sidestep, and One for the Team. If they come after your tank with everything they have, you may need to move another gladiator in to intercept a big attack.

TIP: The tank may never get a chance to attack, but you may find that towards the end of a wave, you have a safe opportunity to deal that extra damage.