Source: Unsplash (Royalty Free)
Reading this, you wouldn't think I am a veteran of the game. I was in the first group of players who fell in love with Splinterlands back when Alpha and Beta Cards were all we desired. It wasn't until the SPS boom that I just had to liquidate my beautiful deck of cards. It hurt, but it turned out to be the best decision I could have made at the time because I exited at the peak. On top of that, it set me up incredibly well in life financially, helping me purchase a car and a nice apartment.
However, trying to build my deck back was incredibly challenging. I didn't have as much time to play as I did before. I didn't post as much on my Hive account as I used to before. At one point the changes came too quickly for me to keep up and I fell behind.
I play a lot of Fortnite and I see it all the time, how new players complain about how sweaty the game is. That they just want to chill and have fun but they can't.
It dawned on me that I was now in the shoes of those new players, but on Splinterlands. Not only did I have a weak deck of cards, but I was clueless about the best lineups to field as well.
Then there were the Glint rewards, no more focus chests, an energy meter, Rebellion cards and now a Wild season pass. How was I supposed to understand what was happening?
I spent the better part of two weeks watching Splinterlands content on YouTube, reading the Wiki and chancing on articles by fellow players. It was hard! I mean, climbing a steep cliff with one arm tied behind your back, hard to find information on the changes.
This is one of the areas I would urge the team at Splinterlands to look at. Document changes in short video clips and post them to your YouTube channel. It would be so much easier to track changes.
Thankfully, nothing much has changed on the card rental front. Except maybe one huge, incredible, spectacular (I could go on all day) change. Seasonal rentals! They have been incredibly useful to me this season, and they are cheap too. No more random cancelations before the season ends.
I was able to gather a good amount of Glint and I spent it all in the Shop. Quite a beautiful collection of Soulbound cards that will be the foundation on which I build my new set of cards on.
Oh, I have missed this feeling!
Now that the new Wild season requires a pass, I have made sure to pick up some vouchers from the market before the demand goes through the roof and the price doubles.
Maybe it won't happen that way. The new season pass might discourage players from participating in the Wild format.
It would be nice if the wild pass threw in a singular loot chest, and you had the chance of earning energy, merits or reward cards (common->legendary). It wouldn't be game breaking. Even if someone had 100 accounts they would have to pay $100 and still not break even on their investment.
Anyway, I am really looking forward to the next few seasons. It is a game of strategy and patience after all. See you all on the battle field! (If you see me, please let me win...)