I must confess, I can probably count on both hand the number of times I have used the Mantoid mainly because I rarely make use of range cards. I like my heavy hitters with melee and magic monsters that by pass shields and go straight for the fresh damage.

It always hurts when the ranged monsters are the last card standing and they sit there in the frontlines taking damage and they cannot do anything to protect themselves.

My aversion, however, doesn't mean monsters like the Mantoid are not powerful when used in the right circumstances.

This battle shows just how good the Mantoid can be.

The Mantoid

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Edition: UNTAMED
Rarity: COMMON
Element: NEUTRAL
ATTACK: RANGED
ABILITIES: Snipe at level 1; Snare at level 6

Battle Details.

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Battle Link: https://steemmonsters.com?p=battle&id=b7587eef64ef7609edbfe3d865ca77b88ce53526&ref=deniskj
Mana Cap: 34
Rules: Keep your Distance.

1: Lord Arianthus

With the 'keep your distance' ruleset in-play, the only other abilities available are the ranged and magic. And when magic is involved there is no one better than Lord A at repealing those attacks and returning some back to the enemy.
He was perfect as my tank for this battle.

2: Prismatic Energy

A not-so-common trick when battling magic monsters is to follow up Lord A with the Prismatic Energy monster. This works especially well when the enemy sets up with magic monsters that have blast.

When hit with blast, the Prismatic Energy returns fire helping eliminate those monsters faster.

3: Wood Nymph

What's a good defense without some extra health?

The Wood Nymph is fantastic at healing the tank, in this case, Lord A so that he could stay in the battle for longer.

She is also probably the most gorgeous gal of all in the Splinter Realm.

4: Mantoid

The star of the show is the Mantoid.

Like I mentioned before, I haven't had the opportunity to play him as much as possible but I can think of the many times I have been destroyed by him when he was paired with Prince Rennyn and Selenia Sky.

I have neither of those cards so he has largely been in cold storage.

In this battle, however, he came in clutch in finishing of the opponents healer.

5: Javelin Thrower

You can never say no to heavy hitters.

The Javelin Thrower did some heavy damage to the monsters in the first position making quick work of it.

6: Earth Elemental

Finally, the Earth Elemental secures the back by absorbing any potential damage which in this case there was none.

He is the perfect rear tank because of the low mana and healing ability. He is able to survive for a long time as the other monsters do most of the damage.

Conclusion

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In my opinion, the Mantoid is a utility monster.

I like to have few ranged monsters in my battle lineup unless the ruleset allows ranged monsters to attack while in the first position.

I would rather have magic or melee monsters in those positions and a ranged monster sitting at the back.

However, I can visualize situations where the Mantoid can be effective. Pairing him with a summoner who boosts ranged abilities, that would ensure he does plenty of damage. God knows how many times I have been steamrolled by such a lineup.