I assure you that it was not "overlooked". We recognize that it might be an issue, but it is possible that it might not be, or might not be an issue in the way we think. As a result, the current plan is to put the format out and see how it goes. Then we will watch and see what the actual issues are and address them quickly.
If we need to not allow soulbound reward cards in Survival mode, then we will do that - it will be very quick and easy to do. I think it would be better overall, however, if soulbound reward cards can be used, so I would prefer to make sure that measure is actually needed rather than doing it preemptively. It may also turn out that there are better ways to address the issue of the idle bot accounts than banning SBR cards from the format as well.
RE: Introducing Splinterlands Survival Mode