Hello there.
It seems the team is really focusing on the new player experience, and they want to tap the community to help share their knowledge to newcomers. The Glint Shop is relatively new, and there can be different ways to go about it for each player. For newcomers though, most of their purchases will mostly involve the rarity draws and the loot chests. The big question is, which one to focus on first. I will share my thoughts on the matter, and hope it helps newcomers in some way. I'm not saying mine is the best way, and it is for the player to decide. The good thing is that there are bound to be lots of posts regarding this, so just follow which one convinces you, and if it doesn't work, you can try the next one.
Even though the term is newcomer, I will try to put into consideration the different types of players available. One can be beginners that start from 0 knowledge and investment, and just want to try the game out first. Another one is the intermediate player that puts some initial investment into their account so that they can start the game running; these can be those with higher SPS staked, bought cards, and can play in the higher leagues early on. Lastly, I will also touch on the returning players or veterans. There are some that decided to stop playing SPL, but might have decided to come back. Since the Glint shop is new to them, I hope this can also help them with their decisions/strategies. So without further ado, let's get into it.
Beginner Players
Since we are talking about strategies for Glint purchase, it is safe to assume that the player has already some battles under their belt; since you can mostly earn glint from playing the game. For beginners that start the game at 0, and are trying the game out, I assume they are renting out Chaos Legion cards, or have cards given/delegated to them by their guild or other players. Since they have very few cards to work with early on, my biggest suggestion to them is to try and get the common and rare cards first. They most likely play in Bronze, or low Silver if they're good. With that in mind, I think they should aim to get their cards to at least bronze level [level 3 for common, and level 2 for rare].
Not only will the additional cards add more options to their battles, but it can also improve their strategies. Because of the limited Glint they might receive from their battles, I think getting the common and rare draw from the Rarity Draws is ideal early on. The common draw is cheaper than the minor chest, and is sure to be a card. The minor chest can give potions, merits, energy, and cards [and a miniscule chance at the jackpot]. While the merits and cards can be good to increase the collection, getting potions this early on isn't as useful. Getting energy might seem good, but if the player's glint and SPS earnings per battle are tiny, then it isn't as worth it. I think the right thing to focus on in one's account early on is their deck and staked SPS. With glint, working on the deck power is possible, and increasing their SPS staked can follow.
Intermediate Players
For intermediate players, these are the ones that can play in Gold and higher league. Even though they're newcomers they could have invested more into their account to start the game strong. It can be buying a good chunk of SPS to increase their stake and rewards, and renting/buying high level cards. I assume they get a sizeable amount of glint per battle and at the end of the season. With that in mind, I assume that they already have a set of strategies that they usually go for. I consider myself to be in this area, and I have found myself inserting the rebellion reward cards in my teams a lot. But not all of them are equal for my teams. I found that I use the Epic monsters more than the common or rare cards. That is why my suggestion to Intermediate players is to focus on the epic draws early on. I suggest getting them to at least level 2-3 where they are stronger.
The epic monsters are very powerful in their own niches. The monsters with debilitations are OP in back to basics, and the regular ones with new abilities are pretty strong in their own right. Once they are happy with the level, they can then shift to the major chests. I think in the current state of the loot chests, the major chests offer the best bang for buck for Intermediate players. They can use their potions for chances to get GF and Legendary cards, the energy isn't wasted on them, and there is more upside compared to the minor chest or rarity draws since one can get more than 1 piece of potion/card/energy.
Returning Whale Players
I specifically mentioned returning whale players, since if they are not, then the intermediate suggestion will still work for them. I consider whale players those that have a lot of SPS staked and cards. These can be from before if they didn't sell their assets and just stepped away from the game, or if they bought again with the current low prices. They are in a separate area from the Intermediate because of the high number of Glint that they earn per game and season. If they just returned, I think their focus should be on the epic and legendary rarity draws. Try to max those cards first since they are usually the ones that are harder to max, and can have more use in the higher leagues. Try to just use the Batch 1 first, and after that, they can go for the minor and major chests.
I didn't include the ultimate chest since it is very high 'risk'. I have seen a lot of players share their ultimate chest results, and while there are some that have even gotten jackpots, a lot of them get a lot of potions which they already have too much of. I included the minor chests because they are cheap, and they can provide energy. At higher leagues the cost of energy can be more than 1k glint [3600 in C3, 6500 in C1]. If they are a champ player and if they get at least 17 energy, then that more than paid for the whole batch of minor chests. They don't even need to use potions for the minor chest. If they still have a lot of extra after buying batch 1, they can try to save up for the exclusive titles. If they play in C1, have a lot of extra glint and have the titles already, then they can just do whatever they want. Yolo on the Ultimate chests, buy batch 2, buy more titles and sell them, etc.
That is it for my Glint purchase guide. I mostly set it up to the strength of one's account, so I hope it helps all newcomers alike. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think, and if you have suggestions for improvement.
And as always, these are Not Financial Advice, and Do Your Own Research.
If you want to start playing Splinterlands, you can use my link:
Splinterlands Referral Link