Why I am buying Gold Foil cards in Splinterlands
Gold Foil Legendary, the words any Splinterfan whispers before a pack opening. Daring. Tempting. Wishing it into existence. The centerpiece of a collection. The rarest of any card type…. Not going to lie, I count myself lucky when I pull a legendary from a pack, let alone a Gold Foil Legendary. More costly to attain and with it comes greater card power, is that enough of a reason to buy one? What benefit do such cards bring to a deck?
How did I get started?
As a relatively new player - I started in February 2022 with a $10 spellbook- and with no potential FIAT funds incoming to Splinterlands on the horizon, I have now begun to collect Gold Foil cards, using just my earnings from within Hive. The earnings I am referring to are SPS token earnings on my second account (both Battle and Season- which I have set to auto-unstake) and HIVE blog posts as well as other play2earn games within the HIVE blockchain.
Why do I pay more for a Gold Foil?
As a player with limited funds you might ask why I have chosen to focus on the more expensive card collection of the two. - And I think that is fair question.
I have found that having Gold Foil cards has been very beneficial to me in terms of boosting my earnings and overall card power. This is a decision I have taken in light of the changes by the Splinterlands team to impact earnings based on level requirements in the leagues. I found that my earnings were being hit quite hard by the level requirements as my deck was strong enough for Bronze but not at max level. This issue was exacerbated by the move to Silver which I have been attempting push for. The rewards are just that much better I have found.
Is buying Gold Foil worth it for a small account?
Whilst only having common Gold Foil cards (with the occasional rare), it is really making a difference to my returns. The increase in Focus Points has helped me to achieve a higher return of rewards in the form of battle SPS. My deck is increasing in size and I am collecting cards with a higher level immediately so I am plugging gaps in my deck instantly. I delegate cards to my alt account which battles for me through the use of Splintermate (more on that later).
The next steps for this account?
In the long term, my rental costs are decreasing and as I have no intention in the medium term to push any higher through the leagues, I am finding things at a nice equilibrium. When I do notice a gap in my deck, for example Mycelic Slipspawn, which I have on my main account, I tend to just rent the gap in the short term, either in Gold Foil if I can afford to through rental earnings or in regular foil if required. The plan for now is to finish the common cards in Gold Foil and pick up key cards in other rarities - Uraeus, Merdaali Guardian & General Sloan are good examples of the next step in the plan.
What is holding me back right now?
My current issue right now is the level of summoners I hold is only at second level and in regular foil. Unless I pack a GF summoner, I likely won’t buy one unless they continue to fall at the right time for me. For now, I am taking advantage of the lowered prices of the market and stocking up one deck at a time. It was only just a few days ago that I managed to purchase the remaining 5 copies I needed of Obsidian to take it to the 3rd level. My rentals expire very soon so by the time this post is live, I would have taken that next step.
Splinterlands, is it still Play2Earn in December 2022?
While none of the above is financial advice, I have had good results on a limited budget. As a slow burn project for someone with time to invest it is entirely possible to earn in Splinterlands. With a decent initial injection of funds you can earn decent SPS and cards. With very little by way of funds injected into Splinterlands beyond your $10 Skillbook and the free coins for rentals, it is possible but definitely a slow burn. The journey and the achievements make it all worth it in the end.
Join Splinterlands today:
https://splinterlands.com?ref=holdeck
Join Splex today
...and rent out your cards for some juicy DEC rental fees. Save yourself the hassle of listing and relisting and let the Rental Golem take over for you:
https://splex.gg/?ref=3s5haoqkjteadpf8
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Card images collected using SPL Card Image by neophyte142068