Sandstorm

Sandstorm is a straightforward attrition weather in Mewgenics that deals 1 point of damage to every unit on the battlefield at the end of each round. This damage is unblockable, affects allies and enemies equally, and has no elemental affinity, meaning no resistance or immunity can prevent it.

While 1 damage per round might sound trivial, it compounds rapidly over the course of a fight. After 5 rounds, every unit has taken 5 free damage. After 8 rounds, the cumulative 8 damage can be the difference between a cat surviving a hit or going down. Combined with the Exhaustion timer that kicks in at turn 10 (dealing escalating unblockable damage), Sandstorm creates serious pressure to finish fights quickly.

Sandstorm favors aggressive rush strategies and high-burst-damage team compositions. Teams that can eliminate enemies in 3 to 5 turns lose very little to the attrition. Slower, attrition-based builds that rely on wearing enemies down over many turns will find themselves losing the resource war, since the Sandstorm damages both sides equally but the player typically has fewer units and more to lose.

High-HP cats and cats with passive healing or regeneration handle Sandstorm better, since they can absorb the chip damage without falling into critical range. Shield-granting abilities also help, as Shield HP absorbs the Sandstorm damage before it touches the cat's actual health pool.

Sandstorm can appear in any biome but is especially common in The Desert, where it compounds the already-punishing Heat Wave mechanic. Entering The Desert with both Heat Wave and Sandstorm active means your cats take unavoidable chip damage every round while also being unable to heal between battles.