Hello guys and welcome!
This time we have a Social Media post, where the topic is to make a post giving beginners some sort of guide… It’s the first time I do something like this, so lets see…
The way I see it, there are only two reasons why you would play this game:
- #1. You’re new to the crypto world and want to make money playing an NFT game, and I have to tell you, unless you’re a serious investor you’re not making any.
- #2. You just like games, especially Monster cards games, and you were attracted by Splinterlands. That’s great, because unlike most NFT games, Splinterlands is an actual game, where you have to use your head.
By the way, very important, Splinterlands IS NOT a free to play crypto game… I mean you can try it out for free. You can open an account with your e-mail and try it out, however you won’t be able to participate in the market, earn rewards or participate in the community, which is by the way, Splinterlands greatest asset.
Once you purchase the Spellbook, worth U$D 10, you’ll have access to all in-game characteristics plus an account in the Hive Blockchain.
Being good at Splinterlands
Having played since August 2021 and having a 60% winning rate, I consider myself a pretty decent player, so here goes my advice:
- Read the basics in the “How to Play” tab, in the “Battle!” tab and read and play the Tutorial. Don’t be overwhelmed by the list of Monster abilities, you’ll internalize them in due time.
- Understand that the main idea in this game is to assemble teams where the Monsters support each other, especially the higher you go up in the different leagues. Getting “this” or “that” Legendary card is appealing, however the higher you climb, the least effective is going to be, besides you’re not going to learn anything.
Here’s a good example of teamwork: the Summoner grants to the team the ability to dodge Magic. The tank, which is extremely fast, gets it’s Speed buffed even further by another card. At the same time, the tank, is supported by a Healer. Even though my opponent has more firepower I win with no casualties. Battle Link
- Hover the cursor over your opponent’s previous battles to check his teams. That will give you a hint of the kind of strategy he may use against you. That way you can counter more effectively. And that’s another reason not to rely on a couple of Legendaries.
- Be flexible. Have a good variety of cards to adapt to the continuous change of rulesets and make changes on the spot.
Check this battle from this post I made for the Splinterlands Battle Mage Challenge. I would recommend you to read at least, about this first battle to see how not minding the rules can affect your battles, even if you have an O.P. card like Quora, which is the case in this fight.
So, how much $$$?
All those guidelines are nice and good, but you need cards and, I’m pretty sure you don’t want to play with the Starter cards forever.
So, how much money you spend in the game is up to you and how much is too much is relative to where you’re from. 20 dollars in Argentina, my country, is not the same as 20 dollars in Canada.
To be competitive in Silver your cards should be: level 4 if Common, level 3 if Rare, level 2 if Epic and Legendaries level 1 or 2, that’s up to you. Have in mind that the Modern format is much more challenging and therefore more rewarding, so you may want to cap those levels if you want to participate there… that would be: level 5 for Commons, level 4 for Rares, level 3 for Epics and level 2 for Legendaries.
If you go for the first option, (Commons at 4, Rares at 3 and Epics at 2, no Legendaries) it will cost you around a U$D 100. If you step up your game, (Commons at 5, Rares at 4, Epics at 3 and Legendaries at 2) you’ll have to spend over U$D 200. Just the Chaos Core set and it’s Reward Edition. It’s advisable to only buy the cards you need and not to buy packs, since that is for investors.
Of course that is the price, more or less, of all the cards. I would start by purchasing the Neutrals, which you can always use, and one or two Splinters, just to start, and build from there.
VERY IMPORTANT: Have in mind the Leagues level caps and remember that in order to summon a leveled up Monster you need your Summoner to be in the right level. For example, if you have max level Monsters, you need a max level Summoner to use them.
By using leveled up cards, not only you’ll be more competitive, but also you won’t be penalized for using low level cards or starter cards.
Making extra $$$
I told you, you won’t make any money unless you’re a serious investor, which is half true. The best asset Splinterlands have is it’s community, which you can find in the Hive Blockchain. Every week, you can have two posts curated by the game’s account and thanks to that, make some extra cash.
If you check my profile, for example, you’ll see that my payouts for last month were in total of U$D 55, more or less. Now, half of that goes to the curators, and the other half to me. And by default, half of those 27 dollars you get in Hive Power (staked Hive, it powers your account. Voting power, rentals, transactions, etc), and the other half you get in liquid Hive Backed Dollars, which you can save, sell, invest, or use to buy more cards.
There are other ways to make an extra buck, liquidity pools, staking SPS, gaming, but this is one of the easiest, in my opinion, since it doesn’t have any risk, just make good posts. Besides, you’ll be introduced to a huge Blockchain with many other communities that may caught your interest; food, travelling, photography, sports, urban exploration, other games, lifestyle, investment, etc.
Anyways, this is getting long, so I’m gonna end up here. Maybe there will be a part two. I hope you find this “guide” useful in a way, or at least informative. If you’re interested in joining the game, here’s my referral. >>> Join Splinterlands
