The fervid Mantis. Its prying claws strike both to the left and right.
The Mantis is a Beast card that appears in Act I of Inscryption.
Strategy[]
The Mantis is cheap and has the ability to do group damage, thanks to the Bifurcated Strike Sigil, which makes it attack to its left and right instead of front. The Sigil can also enable the Mantis to attack foes behind Obstacles. Each power upgrade, such as from the Alpha card or a campfire, increases its effective damage by x2 as it attacks twice. For example, a +1 Power from the campfire results in a +2 damage overall as the Mantis attacks twice.
Some notable Sigils that synergize well with Mantis are:
- Fledgling: After surviving 1 turn, Mantis will grow into Mantis God, significantly increasing its offensive and defensive capabilities as it gains Trifurcated Strike, which allows Mantis God to strike opposing spaces to the left, front, and right of it, Additionally it grants the normal +2 Health and +1 Attack from Fledging, Allowing it to end the battle in 1 turn and increases its endurance significantly.
- Fecundity: Because Mantis cannot attack front, it is vulnerable to any creature played in front of it. However, Fecundity allows you to place multiply Mantis (given you have enough sacrifices), which allows the Mantis to watch each other's fronts.
- Brood Parasite: As the Mantis attacks to the left and right but not in front of it, the Broken Egg will protect it from incoming dangers while not impeding its attacks. It also matches the damage of a Raven if its egg is spawned, but it may be walled by the cards that are played on either side of it.
While the Mantis' stats aren't the best, it can certainly hold its own on the battlefield, especially during The Trapper boss fight, where it can take down the Strange Frogs without becoming a Pelt.