<center>![SLTutorial.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmYG3749gRqtGZJqUwHYoSxjMDJVotzcaqu1nrxQHTWgcR/SLTutorial.png)</center>

This is the actual tutorial I made for my 5 year old son above!

Here is the image used on the [How to play](https://splinterlands.com/?p=gameplay) screen.


<center>![9.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmPGLiyfDZheTYn6bF8NcxWvKwvkoa995xedADN5NjwL7j/9.PNG)</center>

So basically to explain a little bit of what is going on here... 

Basically in the 1st position you want what most people call a "Tank", which is basically just a Monster with high health, high attack, and usually shield as well.

<center><h3>1st position</h3></center>

Here is a good example of a good Tank for the first position.

<center>![b1.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmegushmcHiU32Pnrp2DnfEGuzAxkAKPxLtM1BVSNhmDXV/b1.PNG)</center>

As we can see there is high melee attack, high health, and a lot of shield!

It is also great to have at least some of these abilities as well like Magic Reflect, Return Fire, Void, and even Piercing is great for a tank.

<center><h3>2nd position</h3></center>

For the second position I find that it is good to put a monster with Magic reflect, Return Fire, or both!

**Magic Reflect** is good for the Magic monsters with Blast and even the magic snipe monsters like Dwarvyn Wizard.

<center>![b2.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmdhZ6xz5EYxdEbmRtzMLr8gLbvAghoQnhbhDbB3EYKChR/b2.PNG)</center>

**Return Fire** is good for the Ranged monsters with Snipe.

<center>![b3.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmaEq8uucSX2dTCG263JqoRbekYx8fYnRZS9okUvCDNRUU/b3.PNG)</center>

<center><h3>3rd position</h3></center>

Now when we get to the middle positions, we have a lot of different options.

Normally for the 3rd position it seems easiest to put your powerful Magic monsters!

<center>![b4.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmZyMyp7QASAfKp4RnnqkkmWpDosM7zD1nqp4jUZhmRAK4/b4.PNG)</center>

It is also good to pick Magic monsters that debuff the enemy monsters like **Silence** (-1 Magic), **Demoralize** (-1 Melee), and **Headwinds** (-1 Ranged).

<center>![b5.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmaYX9uriiU9JmPbWXEwNtoq41J9NyjaEJ2JHLwMV78qo5/b5.PNG)</center>

By putting these in the middle you are able to get the MOST out of their power!

<center><h3>4th position</h3></center>

You really have a lot of options in the 4th position, but I find if you are going to use a **Ranged** monster, then this is the place to put it since most cannot attack once they reach the first position _(Unless an ability allows you to do so.)_

<center>![b6.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmTJ5XNyKCXkYTzdBavF4c5Kpz4aPGNzbEVhET3xez1w9e/b6.PNG)</center>


<center><h3>5th position</h3></center>

In the 5th position you are basically protecting against **Sneak** monsters, and also putting you powerful cards here as well to get as many attacks as possible.

I find that using **Ranged** monsters, that also have **Thorns** ability is a safe bet.

<center>![b7.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmNtkZLc5i8aMta2eU9WLRSPKSK2QmhiSiB3UZsBFXyQBT/b7.PNG)</center>


<center><h3>6th (Last) position</h3></center>

Now if you do not have a Chicken then the same cards used for 5th position will work here, but if you do have a chicken I find that it is always good to put the chicken back here to take the first **Sneak** _(or even **Opportunity**)_ attack, which is usually powerful.

<center>
![chicken.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmccSc1hsM5S92mcmjJZKnWySHYH84KnZ9SUJD7dga73xL/chicken.PNG)
</center>

Also it is great because it costs 0 mana, but if you have mana remaining, it is better to put a more powerful monster. 

The chicken is if you have used all of your Mana, but you have any empty slot for 6th postion.

<center><h3>Alternates</h3></center>

Alright here is where it gets fun!

**Sneak** monsters, **Snipe** monsters, and monsters with **Opportunity** are very fun and tricky to use!

This is because it is very hard to defend against or even predict.

<center><h3>Sneak</h3></center>
<center>![sneak.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmWWeqzEtKSQYnFzQj8LA7UrwcCDj244UsTe8MurrSxEbZ/sneak.PNG)</center>

<center><h3>Snipe</h3></center>
<center>![snipe.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmQme6dJtLfTu25vGjcfRS6KUP3oZXYGbPjTnNEiedRT8J/snipe.PNG)</center>

<center><h3>Opportunity</h3></center>
<center>![opp.PNG](https://images.hive.blog/DQmbwLYbK9emo2d9RgiQBnCfrqwUPAa6UVQ8ASdzJYYgbrM/opp.PNG)</center>

Speed usually plays a big roll on how effective these are, but they are usually super effective if used correctly!

<center><h3>Conclusion</h3></center>

Keep in mind that this is not an end all be all strategy, and for a lot of rules it may not always win.

However, this is made for just anyone who has NO IDEA what they are doing, and they find themselves putting cards on the board that can't even attack until it reaches the 1st position, which usually gets taken out before then.

Also in the higher leagues this is probably not always the best strategy because everyone is combatting against this.

So if you find yourself lost or confused when battling, then give this a try and see if it helps! 

Let us know if this works, and please reach out in Discord if you have any questions.

I also made this full tutorial for new players that covers the entire Splinterlands site!

https://youtu.be/rXvb7hNgiAU

Play Splinterlands: [Splinterlands.com](https://splinterlands.com?ref=stealthtrader)
Discord: [Splinterlands Discord](https://discord.com/invite/ABuNA2FXY8)

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_(Disclaimer: I am not a financial or investment adviser, and nothing I say or post should be taken as financial or investment advice.)_