Hello Splinterlands Summoners! Splinterlands just announced a new card that will be available in the voucher shop, funnily named DAR GOTTEM GEARNUT 😀 The last voucher card, Tasoshi Drakamoto was an epic rarity. This time DAR GOTTEM GEARNUT is a legendary card. He is a dual element Life and Dragon melee card. Let's take a deep dive into his stats and abilities as well as his possible combos.

---

Stats and Abilities

Dar Gottem Gearnut is a legendary life and dragon element. He's a very excellent tank that will be an asset in your deck. At max level, he deals three melee damage and has three speed. His defense is huge with four armor and twenty five (!!!) health. His abilities are a mix of offense, support and defense. He has Trample which carries his attack to the next unit if the first unit he attacks gets defeated. Flank will grant the Reach ability to another powerful melee unit in second position. Inspire will grant another attack to all melee attackers and finally Void grants Gearnut defense against magic attacks. On the other hand, he requires a hefty fourteen mana to be used in battle.

---

Role in Battle

Dar Gottem Gearnut's role in battle is very clear. He will be your first choice tank, especially in high mana battles. I know I'd pick him everytime I choose the Life or Dragon splinters if I have him in my deck.

---

Possible Synergies

Being a dragon splinter, Dar Gottem Gearnut can combo with all splinters. I would first look at possible combos with other tanks. I will only limit my choices to Modern cards.

---

Leolin Sifu

First let's checkout the Life splinter. Immediately Leolin Sifu comes to mind. She is an epic offensive tank that will pair perfectly with Gearnut. She deals four melee damage complemented by her True Strike, Relentless Strike and Execute abilities. On top of that, she also buffs the whole team with Swiftness, adding one more speed stat to the team. She is a pure offensive melee attacker that will be perfect in second position.

---

Mana Warden

Mana Warden is a common Life and Fire splinter card that deals four melee damage and has four speed. It doesn't have enough defense so it will be better for him in second position. He will also grant the Shield ability to Gearnut adding to his survivability. Further, he will reduce the speed of the enemy tank with his Impede ability.

---

Commander Slade

Commander Slade is a powerful tank by his own right but place him in second position and you got a powerful combo. His stats and abilities are impressive, combining offense and defense. His only weakness is lack of defense against magic attacks that's why he will be great to position behind Gearnut. He also has Enfeeble ability which will decrease the enemy tank's melee attack.

---

Warborn Chieftain

Warborn Chieftain is another strong melee attacker that will be great in second position. He deals four melee damage and has the Stun ability. He can also Dispel any buffs to the enemy and Demoralize their melee attackers.

---

Ujurak Brave

This combo is situational, particularly for Noxious Fumes ruleset. Ujurak Brave is a common card with decent stats. It's his abilities that will be more useful and add value to the combo. He has Immunity which prevents him from getting damaged by Poison in Noxious Fumes ruleset. This makes it ideal to place him in second position where he won't be damaged by attacks and making his chance to survive increase. He also has Silence that decreases magic attacks from the enemy.

---

Mantaroth

This is a super combo. Mantaroth is a powerful tank by himself but place him in second position and he'll be a blast! His offensive kit is tremendous having high melee attack and True Strike ability. In addition, he has Armored Strike, allowing him to deal melee attack equal to his armor. Blast is another powerful ability that damages units adjacent to his targets. Further, he has a support ability, Repair that will increase Gearnut's sustainability.

---

Final Thoughts

That's it, my deep dive and initial list of units that can combo with Dar Gottem Gearnut. These are just melee units I covered and did not include magic and ranged attackers as well as pure support units. There are many more possible combos out there. It's clear to me that Dar Gottem Gearnut is a "must have" unit if you want to strengthen your deck and be more competitive. It may be costly to get him at maxed level so for those with limited budgets, I think a level two with Trample and Flank abilities will be good enough.