This is the second in a series to explain to my friends how Steemmonsters works. The first post is: Steem Monster Rules - 101 (The Beginning). I realize different people have various knowledge levels of the game, so I decided to do a series of different posts to break it down and simplify it. If you are familiar with it, then you will find this boring. But if you are new, then hopefully I can make it simple to see how it works.

Steem Monster Rules - 101 (The Battle Rules)

Rule #1 - Three Ways To Attack

In order to get started with the battle rules, the first thing you need to know is there is 3 different ways to attack an opponent. These three ways are similar in that they do damage to the opposing teams monsters, but different in a) the way they can be defensed and b) deliver strikes from different positions in the the lineup.

The first of these attacks is Melee and it can be thought of as "hand to hand fighting". I picture the old fights where two guys rolled up their sleeves and duke it out with bare knuckles. The symbol for this type of attack is a saw blade and you can see the picture of it below.

The second of these attacks is Range and it can be thought of as "an archer shooting an arrow from a long distance". I picture the medieval days of all the archers perched high on a wall and lobbing their arrows into the coming hoards. The symbol for this type of attack is a target and you can see the picture of it below.

The third of these attacks is Magic and it can be thought of as "a spell cast by a sorcerer or witch". I picture Gandalf in Lord of the Rings with his staff bringing major damage to their enemies. The symbol for this type of attack is a purple cloud and you can see the picture of it below.

Rule #2 - Attack Rules

Today I'm not going to go over the exceptions, but the following rules apply to most of the monster battles (except if the monsters have the ability of SNEEK or SNIPE). So if they have SNEEK or SNIPE, then you have your own special rules that we'll go over another day. Barring these 2 exceptions, here goes:

Melee Attack

Melee can only attack from the first place in the lineup. So when you are lining up your monsters in the order of play, then you want to make sure you have any monsters with melee attack at the front of the line. (Note: if you don't, then your monsters will just sit there and not attack anything).

Melee attacks the other monsters direct to the first in the the lineup. So if you have a melee monster in the first spot, then it will always attack the monster in the first slot of the other team.

Range Attack

Range can attack from EVERY position in the lineup EXCEPT the first place. So if you have 5 monsters doing battle on your team, then range can use its attack power from positions 2 through 5. (Note: be careful where you place your range attack monster because if you have him ever in the first spot, then he will just sit there and get beat on and not attack anything)

Range attacks the other monsters direct to the first one in the lineup. So just like the melee monster, the range monster will also take his arrows and unleash them on the first slot on the other team too.

Magic Attack

Magic can attack from EVERY position in the lineup, no exceptions. They are the most versatile in their attacks.

Magic attacks the other monsters direct to the first one in the lineup too. Just like the melee and range monsters, the magic monster will also give his damage to the first guy on the other team.

Implications Of Attack Rules

The first monster on the opposition team will have his hands full. Excluding the monsters with SNEEK and SNIPE, all 3 of the other types of attack monsters will attack the guy in the first slot. So that is why you want a tank (or big strong monster with lots of health to be first in your lineup). He will take a whooping, so this is a very big factor in setting your team's lineup.

Also, be very careful where the melee and range monsters are placed. You want them to use their attack power as often as possible, so placing them in the right slots will help you get the most hits in as possible.

Rule #3 - Speed Kills, So Pay Attention To It!

As mentioned last week, the cards will fight in the order of their individual speed.

Order of Play is the first rule that you should know exists. That means that your players on your team will go in the order of their "Speed". The faster a monster, the faster he will strike the other opponent (and thus maybe eliminating a player first).

So when you have a choice in setting your lineup, you want the faster monster (if all other things are equal). If you strike 2 times and the other guy has a slower monster and he can only strike once, then it might mean the difference of life and death.

One last note, the abilities like "heal" and "poison" will go at the end of all the monsters' strikes. So if your monster gets killed before it can be healed, then it will be dead and gone and no heal can apply.

Sample Team Lineup (19 of 20 Mana Used)

This ends today's basic lesson. These are 3 rules that I think everyone should know when first starting out with this very cool game. There are other posts that you can get more info if you feel you are ready to go to the next step, like this one:

Steem Monsters Gameplay Mechanics Revealed!

Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section and I will be happy to answer to the best of my ability!

I will be doing a followup where I expand on the topics discussed soon. I like to give out info in smaller bites so that people can consume it easier. But I also encourage anyone to ask any questions below in the comment section and I will be happy to answer to the best of my ability.

Also if you haven't seen a match with the cards yet, check out this match with me and @yabapmatt. It shows how awesome this game is going to be, and just remember we are all still very much in the beginning! No real gameplay has even started yet ;)

(Note: run in 0.25x speed)