Why Halfling Refugee Is Worth Upgrading to Heal

Hello Splinterlands warriors, how’s your Escalation progress going?

The Conclave Arcana mini-set has officially launched, and they say it’s bringing explosive new cards that will force us to rethink our old strategies. But before we get busy hunting expensive cards on the market, let me tell you about one monster that’s often underestimated simply because it costs only 1 mana.

Yes, today’s main character is Halfling Refugee.

A small, cheap monster that looks completely ordinary. But that’s exactly where its strength lies. In a Splinterlands world filled with epic and legendary cards, Halfling Refugee is like a roadside tire repairman: seems trivial, but often becomes the savior in critical moments.

By default, Halfling Refugee has the Weary ability, meaning there’s a chance it won’t attack. Honestly, that feels more like a curse. But at level 5, it gains Heal, restoring 1/3 of its maximum HP every round. And that’s when this card transforms from a “refugee” into a true survivor.

What makes me like it even more is how well it fits into many rulesets:

• In Back to Basics, its HP-to-mana ratio is incredible for just 1 mana.
• In Noxious Fumes, Heal helps it survive poison longer.
• In Equalizer, Heal + high HP = a budget tank.
• In Super Sneak and Melee Mayhem, it works as an annoying filler.
• Even in Little League, it’s almost always worth including.

All that theory became very real in one of my battles against Archon Bella Ratajowlski, with the Born Again and Unprotected rulesets, and a mana cap of only 22. No armor, everyone dies and comes back once. A perfect stage for experimentation.

My lineup:

• Halfling Refugee (tank)
• Dark Arborist
• Chaos Jailer
• Arachne Weaver
• Bristleborn Brigand

My opponent brought:

• Halfling Refugee
• Saltwraith Bulkhead
• Happy Quokka
• Frigid Wolf
• Meriput Magician

This low-mana battle turned into a test of patience. My Halfling Refugee stood at the front, taking damage every round… then healing back up. Double healing: from its own Heal ability and from Arachne Weaver behind it. It felt like watching a medical drama—just about to collapse, then rushed straight into the ICU.

Meanwhile, my opponent’s Halfling Refugee didn’t have support as strong as mine. Little by little, their HP was chipped away. Born Again brought everyone back once, but after that second life, there were no more miracles. My Refugee was still standing while their team fell one by one.

What surprised me the most: this 1-mana card became the main pillar of victory. Not the most expensive card. Not the rarest. Just the most consistent.

You can watch the full battle here:

👉 LINK BATTLE 👈

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From this, I learned one important lesson:
In Splinterlands, the community often emphasizes big, expensive cards—but improving players usually understand the value of small cards. Cheap cards upgraded patiently can have more impact than a legendary card that rarely sees play.

My short advice:
Don’t underestimate 1-mana monsters. If you have Halfling Refugee, upgrade it to the Heal level. In many rulesets, it’s not just a filler—it can be the foundation of victory.

Talk about Splinterlands,
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It's free, but you'll need to invest in a beginning deck or buy gaming cards to gain real assets like cards and tokens.

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