Sand can be a lethal weapon in the hands of someone like Gaara. He possesses the ability to trap his opponents in a sandy prison and crush them in a fatal finishing blow. Naruto Arena's starting characters are usually underpowered compared to the advanced ones (those which can only be unlocked in later stages) but Gaara of the Desert seems to be an exception to the rule.
The moment a player manages to learn the techniques in using Gaara effectively and put him in a team with no chakra clash, he's sure to climb the player ladder quite easily. When going on a losing streak, he can be a player's comeback character. The reason behind this is Gaara's signature skill: The Desert Graveyard. It has the edge of ultimately defeating one of his opponent's characters in a single turn. Although it's not that easy to pull off because it relies on a preparatory action, there's still a good chance that Gaara users can eliminate opponents as early as possible.
Let us now delve into the specific strategies devoted to Gaara of the Desert by examining his skills and abilities:
Armor of Sand
For 1 random chakra, Gaara creates a sand-based armor which gives him 40 points of destructible defense in a 3-turn duration. This skill has a cooldown of 2 turns.
As early as level 1, your opponents will learn to hate Gaara because of his tough-as-nails exterior. 40 points is nothing to scoff at especially in this case where the skill cost comes really cheap. New players who mistakenly target Gaara in the beginning of their turn are only wasting their efforts because he can use his armor to prolong his stay in the battlefield.
Desert Coffin
For a random and a ninjutsu chakra, Gaara traps an enemy target in a prison of sand. The chosen enemy will be stunned for two turns, unable to turn invulnerable/reduce damage, and also receive 5 damage for every turn that the skill is in effect. In addition, Desert Graveyard may be used on the target. The cooldown of this skill is 2 turns.
The preparatory action to his fatal signature move, Desert Coffin has annoyed many players since the early versions of Naruto Arena. It has undergone a lot of changes over the years, and surprisingly it only got better. Dealing a little bit of damage on the side while stunning, this skill is a nightmare for players who don't have back-up plans. When you set your sight on the opposing team's "superstar", cross your fingers that you receive the necessary chakra to finish him off with Desert Graveyard.
Desert Graveyard
For 2 ninjutsu chakra, Gaara will instantly kill the character currently targeted by Desert Coffin. This skill has no cooldown.
You know it's a good day for Gaara when he can reap the fruits of Desert Coffin by following it up with Desert Graveyard. He deserves an award for giving the newbies in the world of Naruto Arena a chance to defeat high-level players who underestimate starter characters. The key phrase here, of course, is "instantly kill". Sure enough, there are several skills later in the game which can counter Gaara's killer move, but as far as early games are concerned, Gaara's an efficient finisher.
Sand Shield
Gaara is pretty resilient because you can choose between two defensive options. As if his strong defensive armor is not enough, he also has the default invulnerability skill which most starting characters possess. This will help you in dangerous instances (e.g. when blue Ninjutsu chakra becomes elusive when you need it the most).
Being a pure blue Ninjutsu user, Gaara should always be paired off with the physically-oriented green Taijutsu characters, the rare breed of ninjas gifted with red Bloodline abilities, and the enigmatic white Genjutsu illusionists. Knowing the dangers of chakra clash, Gaara should avoid fellow Ninjutsu users at all costs
Friday, December 18, 2009
