This week's new Weekly Challenge is featuring the Haunted Spider from Beta! He's a 3 mana cost ranged unit that starts out with only 1 speed and 2 health, but makes up for it with 2 damage! https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/beta/Haunted%20Spider_lv1.png My goal was to take advantage of his high damage by fitting him into a low mana team.

The Lineup

https://splinterlands.com?p=battle&id=sl_7f4421cc3b4e7b460199dfb0a4354765&ref=tlsovotl
This battle featured the Reverse Speed and Equalizer Ruleset, both great ways to take advantage of Haunted Spider.
I saw that my opponent loves to run melee teams, so I punished him for this by choosing Zintar Mortalis as my Summoner for this match.

https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/beta/Zintar%20Mortalis_lv1.png For my main tank, I chose Bone Golem, as his armor would help keep him ahead in Effective Health Points despite the Equalizer Rule. https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/untamed/Bone%20Golem_lv1.png In the second slot, I used maggots for their low speed, guaranteeing that the maggots would hit their target with the Reverse Speed Rule, then placed my Haunted Spider in my last slot. https://d36mxiodymuqjm.cloudfront.net/cards_by_level/untamed/Maggots_lv1.png

The Battle

Just as suspected, my opponent chose to use Malric, so Zintar cancelled out his melee bonus! He leads his team with a Hydra, upping the Health of all units to 8! Additionally, his team has much higher Speed than mine, giving my 1 Speed team a huge advantage!

https://puu.sh/IgMRv/8a55aab811.png In round 2, my Bone Golem secures the first kill, taking out my opponent's Hydra! https://puu.sh/IgMUA/5433f2b6fc.png In round 3, the Haunted Spider takes a kill on the Serpentine Spy, leaving my opponent with only one damaging unit left! https://puu.sh/IgMW4/d85dfca756.png At the end of round 4, my opponent's Kobold Miner finally puts an end to my Bone Golem's reign of terror! https://puu.sh/IgMWO/7d3c49dbf8.png Halfway through round 5, my Haunted Spider avenges my Bone Golem, taking out the enemy Kobold Miner! https://puu.sh/IgMXL/c36c9e5805.png Left with only his Creeping Ooze, my opponent falls, leaving me victorious! https://puu.sh/IgMZy/3ed25353ce.png

Closing Thoughts

My strategy worked! I was able to take great advantage of the Reverse Speed Rule to ensure all of my monsters attacks landed, and that they would dodge some of my opponent's attacks. Haunted Spider proved to be a great asset to the team, as his ranged damage prevented the Hydra from being able to reflect enough damage to beat my team.
If you're looking to take advantage of the Haunted Spider, be on the lookout for games where the Reverse Speed Rule is used, it'll be your best friend.

Thanks for reading, and take care!