I tried to write about the battle strategies in Splinterlands as if it were a manual following a step by step starting with the most simple and basic concepts. However, this is not an easy task as it is difficult to determine which subjects to write about first.
On the other hand, when playing ranked and tournament battles every day, now and then I come across an important and interesting tactical or strategic theme, and I got into the habit of saving the link of these battles, for future reference. ![08995.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSioTGnwuki6E9QYD9VcBFiitVXKH3YgiajF966NYH16n/08995.png) So now I decided that this can be a good method to approach certain topics and generate posts that in some way can help beginners and all those who wish to study the game and improve their skills. ![ability_shield.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmd6UGw8TVfowXbc1miXGVv3Nty4FbJThVaebFAYqtqgcK/ability_shield.png) Shield ability: Reduced damage from Melee and Ranged attacks.

To start today I bring a subject that I already mentioned, the Shield ability which is very important and even more so in the Novice and Bronze leagues where most monsters have very low damage: a large number of cards with only + 1 ranged and melee attack .
See here all the cards that start from level 1 with the Shield ability: ![shieldtt22.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaqGNLiuixiJgeUTfMUEdcrqK4dyPonfztguueFg449DG/shieldtt22.png) This means that the holder of the Shield ability will suffer 0 damage when attacked by these monsters, that is: he will not receive any damage, he will be immune against these cards. See for example this battle played in a Novice league tournament:

### Battle Link: [@marianaemilia versus @superwolf](https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sm_5eaObKZm35N6KiWRg7Ik )

The opponent's cards with only + 1 melee attack simply were not able to inflict damage on my Living Lava .
With this simple knowledge, the novice player can obtain a good advantage against his most unprepared opponents. This is one of the reasons why in Only Untamed tournaments, the Fire splint is so strong in the Novice and Bronze leagues: ![livinglavalvl1.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPJ8Ce4ScgFToABVyWQ2MqSaEV9t5dCDiMRGEWm7MSBqG/livinglavalvl1.png) The presence of the card: Living Lava that already brings the Shield birth ability from level 1. Other cards acquire this ability in the Silver league, namely: Tortisian Fighter, Elven Defender, Cyclops, and Gloridax Guardian. More cards obtain Sheild in the highest leagues, but until the Silver league, I consider that this ability has greater importance. We must be aware of the fact that normally these cards with Shield are slow, except for the Serpentine Soldier which nevertheless has lower damage. In this way, a fast card with + 2 or + 3 damage may be able to defeat a card with Shield. See this example:

### Battle Link: [@marianaemilia versus @ariesnomu](https://splinterlands.com/?p=battle&id=sm_NjYA5IU90k2WtP7fZPdH)

Although my task was made easier by the presence of a magic attack card, what I wanted to demonstrate is how Living Lava misses the target on two occasions against its much faster opponent Serpent of Eld. ![speed.png](https://images.hive.blog/DQmRntC5MMaB98stzJp6i6DAeFC7uyXZ6GYxt9G7FGGQ3fx/speed.png)Speed Determines the order in which characters attack. It also makes the character harder to hit with Melee or Ranged attacks. I hope this article was helpful and soon I will be back with more basic strategy tips for Splinterlands!

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--- Images: @splinterlands ---

https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYjAHAqszT1tZX1vpsp4mxc9m1iZyMc4GnCpeXJbcC5Du/67392_n.jpg https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWKbuDeSLrjeTpQ6umQ3pkZHKtGh44YQvnW1pgzzb33Qv/357c2c4f186cfec553c7943a4b95a3a8.png --- ![m1981Jxqi.gif](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmR98SkheQpgUjjpPRM37zzP11YwiepRNKKC3cJQTfmDQb/m1981Jxqi.gif)

This post was also published on HIVE blockchain.