With the Conclave Arcana pre-sale now officially concluded, we eagerly transition into the next exciting phase opening the packs we've purchased and discovering the powerful new cards inside. The pre-sale was a major success, with Alchemy Packs reaching nearly 84% sold, followed by a Standard 31.1%, and Legendary 35.6%, showing just how engaged and enthusiastic the community has been about this expansion. Throughout the event, I had the chance to participate actively, and today I’d like to share my experience during the pre-sale period, including the decisions I made on which packs to buy and what influenced those choices. Alongside that, I’ll also highlight some of the intriguing sneak peek cards from the Conclave Arcana set that were revealed during the event, which sparked a lot of excitement for their unique abilities, strategic potential, and how they could reshape modern gameplay moving forward.
Source: https://www.splintercards.com/index.html
I think the Alchemy Packs guarantee a Gold Foil card which carries the highest chance of pulling Black Foil units (1 in 80), making them the go-to choice for anyone chasing high-value cards during the presale. In contrast, Standard and Legendary Packs with their lower foil odds and higher individual price points—appealed to fewer buyers, as most participants preferred to maximize their potential returns and airdrop multipliers by focusing on Alchemy Packs.
My Pack Selections
I only purchased a handful of packs during the Conclave Arcana pre-sale because, as a student, my budget is limited. My primary motivation was to maintain my presence in the Modern format, if I’m lucky enough to pull profitable cards, I can sell them on the market and reinvest the proceeds into strengthening my deck with useful Modern-format cards. Additionally, the card previews themselves were incredibly compelling; many of the upcoming units, especially the magic-focused ones, appeared to be exceptionally powerful and offered exciting new tactical possibilities.
Beyond personal gain, I wanted to show my support for the Splinterlands community and ecosystem by participating in the pre-sale event. The developers’ efforts to introduce fresh mechanics, lore, and rewards have revitalized interest in the game, and the added incentives—like exclusive promo cards and bonus airdrops—made it tempting to invest even with a tight budget. Contributing to the event felt like a way to help the game grow while also giving myself a chance to extract value from these eagerly anticipated new cards.
New cards, New Challenge to Adapt
Reference of image leaks Conclave Arcana cards posted and thanks by @bravetofu (@bravetofu/conclave-arcana-card-details)
Fire Element - The Fire splinter gains some game-changing cards in Conclave Arcana, with Blazebeard Mercenary leading the charge at a mere 3 mana. Its impressive stats—5 melee damage, 6 armor, 5 health, and 3 speed—combined with its ability to attack from any lineup position, make it an ideal finisher in aggressive builds like Up-Close & Personal. Just be mindful of its Incendiary drawback, which can ignite your own team with a Burning effect over multiple rounds if you’re not prepared to counter it with heals or shields.
Death Element - The Death element boasts several powerful new cards designed to counter buff-heavy opponents, and one that immediately stood out to me is Lucky Longshot. At just 3 mana, this unit comes with Weapons Training, transforming non-attacker team members into offensive threats. Its stats 2 ranged damage, 1 magic damage, 5 health, and 2 speed punches well above its cost, making it a fantastic budget option for adding unexpected damage potential to any lineup.
Water Element - Water’s lineup now features multiple Protect and Armored Strike units, making it a prime choice for melee-focused strategies, especially under rule sets like Melee Mayhem or Heavy Hitters. Water Diviner stands out with high base stats but comes with the Electrified drawback, so you’ll need buffering or healing support to keep it alive. When paired with a Snare summoner, you can lock down opposing fliers and maintain a sturdy frontline.
Earth Element - With the departure of powerhouse summoners like Obsidian and Immortalis, Earth’s focus shifts toward debuff and control strategies, especially when using Kaylia Silverleaf. Look for cards that apply Rust, Affinity, or Silence to weaken heavy-hitting enemies, and combine them with units that grant Tank Heal or Shield to outlast your foes in longer matches like Equalizer.
Life Element - Life maintains its reputation for high-range damage and sturdy defenses. Silver Ranger continues to shine with its Snipe ability, and Bella Ratajowlski makes for an excellent support pick with Shield, further boosting your team’s survivability. Use these cards together to create a shielding backline that can dispatch threats while your tanks absorb incoming attacks.
Dragon Element - Dragon still offers powerful stats and versatile abilities, but the meta now demands counters to Flying units—so cards like Night Reaper with Wingbreak become invaluable. I’ll miss the days when Dragons reigned supreme in the skies under Chaos Legion, but the new anti-flying tech makes aerial dominance more strategic.
Neutral cards - Neutral cards remain the ultimate wildcard, playable in any lineup unless a rule set explicitly bans Neutral. While you might miss the spam potential of Doctor Blight, the new Conclave Artificer can offset that loss by granting Weapons Training to adjacent units, and the Arcane Skinwalker offers a potent mix of debuffs and buffs in one package. Mix these neutrals into your splinter-specific builds to add unexpected tactical options.
Congrats to those who top Leaderboard Conclave Arcana Presale.
I was able to rank 603, and I accumulated 104,000 points which is enough to unlock stage 1 of Wagon, I've cost only 100 USD on this event, and I'll buy additional Black potions for an extra chance to get Black foil.
