Tasoshi Drakamoto: Sneak & Destroy
The latest voucher card to hit Splinterlands, Tasoshi Drakamoto, was sparking strong opinions from day one.
Unlike Kelan Gaines before him, Drakamoto isn't a carry card. He won't singlehandedly win you matches. What he will do, however, is bring calculated, early pressure to your opponent's backline—especially when backed by the right squad.
In the right lineup, Drakamoto can absolutely tip the balance and turn the tide.
This post highlights four matches that showcase Drakamoto's value when paired with solid Sneak pressure and thoughtful Archon support.
(Re)Enter: Sneak & Destroy.
Match 1: Akane's Sneak Squad
This match is a textbook demonstration of the Sneak & Destroy style. With double Ambush from Akane and a triple Sneak team anchored by Drakamoto, the opponent's backline was melted before their front line could react (all of this despite a baked-in Deflection Shield ruleset, which typically stop Night Stalker's ability to execute in its tracks).
Night Stalker and Gobalano Soldier worked in tandem with Drakamoto's Inspire and Graybrow's multiple Spites to dismantle backline monsters early. The synergy here is clean and lethal.
Match 2: The Heloise Wall & Too Much Damage
Sometimes the meta gives you a wall you just can't punch through. Azircon's Heloise the Hollow in a True Strike ruleset proves too resilient to crack.
Drakamoto was present on both sides of the board, but the game plan didn’t land for one of us. Heloise’s demand for attention, True Strike reliability, and strong frontline units overwhelmed my Sneak & Destroy strategy.
Not every tool works in every fight, and this one belongs to the other Drakamoto and his Queen of Death.
Match 3: The Drath Sneak Squad
Another triple Sneak assault, this time under the command of Risqruel Drath. The strength here comes from initiative control (taunting Azircon's Kelan) and the inspired Blast + Executes, allowing the Sneak team to inflict some real punishment.
Huge honorable mention to the Molten Elemental here for a very clutch Trample.
Drath's tactical options ensure the frontline holds long enough for the Sneak & Destroy engine to spin up. A clean execution.
Match 4: Lorkus' Sneak Squad
Lorkus has become a staple in the new Modern meta & Drakamoto makes him an easy pick here, too, offering versatile utility while holding the line against pressure. The triple Sneak squad repeats its damage pattern from previous matches, showing that this comp has real legs.
The supporting cast synergy between Drakamoto and his fellow sneaks, while Graybrow holds down the front line, is again what carries the strategy. Opponent monsters never get the chance to snowball.
Tasoshi's Takeaway
Drakamoto isn’t your hero card—he’s your setup specialist. If you want to build a squad around quick attrition, sneak pressure, and isolating fragile backline monsters, he fits the bill. Paired with fellow Sneak units like Night Stalker, Gobalano Soldier, or Aranduriel (among many others!), and backed by Archons that give them room to work, Tasoshi can absolutely thrive.
He's not perfect. But he's dangerous.
The potential for plenty of other powerful Sneak & Destroy plays is out there - let me know in the comments how you’re playing Drakamoto, or if you’ve found an unexpected combo that pushes him even further.
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 26/56) Liquid rewards.
Drakamoto bringing the heat to the backline! 🔥 Calculated pressure is key, love seeing that strat!
Definitely! A strong sneak option on the board will help keep Kelan's snipes at bay. Balance is good!
A great review and the most complete I've found to date on this new card. Thanks for sharing this.
Nice! You got it - thanks for swingin by and droppin a comment!
I got to drop the item here:)
Winner, winner! What a score, man! Glad ya went back for your 3rd (or 4th) round of buys to land this prize :)
4th.
Without that black foil all the sales that I have done at or below $4 were losses big losses. $100 a pop per round loss if you do that math with 2 GFs :)
With nearly 2.8k RF bcx minted and 5 BF out there, you'll be thankful ya went back for fourths :)
Yeah, I can even go for 5th or 6th in future, no problem. Just need to see what else is out there in the horizon. But for now, I have enough of them.
All the while doing a good deed for the community - more than a few folks benefitted from your pursuit of multiple rounds of seconds ;)
I think $3.8 to $4 could be a reasonable price for the regular. If community benefits from it, that is all that I wanted.
Thanks for sharing! - @azircon

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Nice article Jangles! I'm reblogging it so I can add it to the book I'm writing based on your skills, knowledge, and ambition - nothing will hold you back!:
"The Determined Dodo... A tale of how mental strength can make even a bird with no wings fly!"
Ha! Huge fan of the determined dodo - that boy is floatin! Cheers hombre!