Ever changing, the game of Splinterlands is difficult too learn, near impossible too master, simple changes can have massive implications in terms of impacting gameplay.
According to this authors count, this puts the current number of Splinterlands cards at 611 or with gold foil 1,222 total.
This number changes as cards get airdropped / added, & I'm omitting Runi cards in my tally as each RunI card is unique.
Since the game Splinterlands introduces new cards & match modifiers fairly regularly, its not as simple as Splinterlands was 2 years ago for instance.
With complexity, comes a shake up in the games average Meta builds favored by players.
In this write up we will go over relatively recent Splinterlands changes such as new cards, abilities, & Match Modifiers. For those interested there will be a small section near the end covering game economics, & as always this post features NFT giveaways.
New Summoners
Adding 6 New Summoner cards that are for the first time ever earned free by playing ranked matches for rewards chests.
The new rewards cards are soul bonded for the next few years, however I dont know I would give them up even if I could sell them.
Soul bonded or not that Conscript ability is so powerful personally I am the clingy party in this relationship already.
Every new summoner has a 6 Mana cost, however they all poses that new Conscript ability (more details in the next section).
Aesthetically Franz Ruffmane personal fav
Gladiators
Anyone that has yet to find a guild will be rather shocked, as in addition to the 43 new rewards cards, there are 3 new card abilities.
Conscript is the biggest game changer in this authors opinion as it literally changes the whole game.
The TLDR is with a summoner with Conscript ability allows the player to utilize one of the 32 Gladiator Cards, these where guild brawls exclusive cards.
They are fairly powerful thus the limits on how many Gladiator cards you can play in a match.
This card is notably powerful Quora Towershead is a personal favorite powerhouse, while powerful these cards can be beaten even without Gladiator cards.
Anyone with a guild currently looking for members, my posts tend to have newer Splinterlands players reading them due to my NFT giveaways.
So if your guild needs members at the moment shout out your Splinterlands guild name in the comments.
My guild Canna curate seems to be at capacity, however any guilds mentioned Ill likely cover in future Splinterlands write ups.
The New Meta
Meta in the gamers vernacular can be simplified to (Most Effective Tactics Available) META in other words.
The vague nature of this accepted terminology means the genre of video games that the term META is applicable to is nearly endless.
TCG Trading Card Games usually term what the players use a deck or a build, Splinterlands functions in this authors opinion more like a video game then a physical card game, thus the term Meta.
A Meta for a video game tends to change, while card games can change its usually much less radical a shift then that of video games.
Splinterlands is not only implementing new cards, game types, & 3 new card abilities, but also 2 new rulesets (match modifiers).
The rulesets are perhaps the most important change when the average players Meta (Deck) is concerned.
Not all players have encountered matches with a ruleset (modifier) active for instance Novice ranked matches, dont have them. The active rulesets encountered can be found in a list via the URL below.
https://support.splinterlands.com/hc/en-us/articles/9123215350548-List-of-In-Game-Rulesets
Going the Distance- Ranged attack type monsters only.
Ranged attack type monsters have an ability to attack from any position
until it becomes the first position monster. Some card abilities & Match rulesets allow ranged attackers to attack from starting (first) position.
Wands out- Magic attack type only
Here's a match with wands out ruleset active, note how both players utilize only Magic using monsters.
These rules as well as the implementation of new cards & abilities are designed, in this authors opinion to cause a shake up in the games perceived Ideal meta build.
Changes like these are carefully calculated to maintain game balance, shifts like this throw off your metaphorical equilibrium as a player.
Shaking things up discourages stagnation, encourages collaboration, & innovation amongst the player base.
Weapons Training
This concept of switching up the Splinterlands Meta (Player builds) can really be seen with the other 2 new card abilities Weapons Training👆 & Martyr 👇.
You truly should read this whole post on the new abilities below.
@splinterlands/announcing-the-new-chaos-legion-reward-cards
The TLDR 2 of the new card abilities Weapons Training & Martyr Have effects that can grant cards without an attack an attack type either Mele, Ranged, or Magic.
Now cards like these 👆👇
Can have a temporary attack granted to them by Weapons Training & Martyr.
This alone drastically alters how a match can even be approached.
Splinterlands & its Meta will never be the same, you may want me to give some insight on new strategies to counter these new hurdles we must now overcome.
Here's the best advice this author has to offer, Splinterlands is a nebulous game, evolving seemingly constantly. The best solution isn't a set strategy, its a mindset, try our best to amass the most diverse collection possible.
With our last collection rewards cards the strategy I implemented was one of patience & persistence.
Getting cards to higher levels via the cards burn blend use case is advised even if you dont play that often, Higher level cards are the only real option to those using rentals.
A little diversity, cooperation, & patience, from that simple concept, there is a near endless amount of possibilities we all posses the capacity to achieve.
Rewards get more Rewarding
Not only have reward cards changed, but the Rewards chest mechanics have changed as well.
Potions on chests is now an option details 👆👇.
Potions became more valuable 🤑 somehow improving upon perfection.
The new chest odds with both potions used (2 to 1) shown below.
Now the cards may not be immediately something you can liquidate you can get multiple cards per chest.
So players struggling to keep playing Splinterlands without money to drop on rentals, these rewards are basically a RNG gods blessing.
Meaning if you have gotten disheartened before & dont play Splinterlands for daily rewards chests or seasonal rewards chests.
With these new cards, chest mechanics, & rules you may want to start playing again.
Remember how I mentioned 6 new summoners, that are potential rewards cards, which means you can play the game and earn a deadly team just by playing.
Coming from a individual whom attempts to maintain a higher rank such as myself, if you have trouble when a season starts or ends, try to aim for the middle of a season.
In my experience the players are at their most brutal in the beginning or end of a season.
You likely will not encounter no challenges but bots tend to make mistakes most players avoid at lower ranks.
Further updates
These write ups take a little while to create, in the course of creating this particular write up, chaos legion got another card added, via their pack airdrop function.
Blockchain gaming nerd moment
For those unaware typically when Splinterlands packs are launched, the collections for those packs are not fully released immediately.
When that pack line reaches certain sale goals, cards get airdropped to purchasers potentially, these airdropped cards are added then to those 👇 packs.
This pack mechanic is what first got me into Splinterlands
Now Astral Entity can potentially appear in all existing unopened chaos legion packs.
On the market in your wallet, all chaos legion packs unopened that still exist can possibly contain Astral Entity cards.
Anyone that creates NFTs, or at least has some experience with this form of asset creation, probably can tell this form of NFT pack creation is unique.
Unlike typical NFT packs on say the WAX Blockchain which typically get minted with their contents being predeterminate.
Splinterlands packs are instead decided at the moment of execution, IE when they are opened, this is how potions can modify the packs odds.
Last up for recent updates the interface for DECB DEC Batteries which have purchasing perks when buying assets from the game market.
WAX NFT Giveaways
Every time I post on HIVE I do a few NFT giveaways, the first & larger 5 count WAX NFT airdrop URL which goes to the first user to click the link.
The next 5 WAX NFTs are given away to the first 5 users to comment their WAX wallet address, once I see the comment Ill send you a single WAX NFT followed by a reply stating I have done so. This is for the first 5 users only to leave their WAX address in the comments.
WAX web wallet adds a fee for new wallet creation?
When we have questions no one thought to ask, like how to avoid WAX web wallets 5 WAX fee, reddit already has the answer.
You can send an email to WAX Support: support@wdny.io, they would help you bypass the fee.
Bam problem solved, the full reddit post can be found below.
https://www.reddit.com/r/amcstock/comments/sm739e/amc_nft_how_to_get_through_the_paywall_of_wax/
Now bellow is the WAX web wallet once again free to sign up for with the workaround above.
https://wallet.wax.io/dapps
Splinterlands WAX NFT Airdrop / giveaway
A little longer URL then normal with the WAX NFT Airdrop, I just realized I could use the Splinterlands Atomic Hub LOL 🤣
https://splinterlands.atomichub.io/trading/link/wax-mainnet/1782833?key=5KSTe4MsTqpJov2HSDBiLM62jn4yUPrCBTFLeV4MUs1NzYiYJ2o
All WAX NFTs given away today are Splinterlands NFTs used in the following active P2E game.
https://splinterlands.com/?ref=chubb149
WAX Splinterlands tools
https://splinterlands.atomichub.io/
Please understand the reason I give out Splinterlands NFTs using WAX & not HIVE is really to benefit everyone. A Splinterlands player has to pay for a Spell Book $10 in Splinterlands to get all the games features like asset transferring, a WAX wallet user can claim my giveaway for free regardless.
Miss the Airdrop? I have another 5 WAX NFTs going to the first 5 readers to comment their WAX wallet address on this HIVE post.
Stash Pass Weedcash NFT giveaway
Every time I post anything on HIVE I do several NFT giveaways, one such giveaway is my #stashpass NFT giveaway.
How you participate in a #stashpass NFT giveaway is be one of the first 5 HIVE users to comment #stashpass on this post & then Re-blog, gets a #stashpass Weedcash NFT sent to their HIVE wallet.
My #stashpass Weedcash NFTs are part of a monthly NFT raffle taking place on the 20th with the #stashpass NFT ownership being used to determine who wins the raffle.
Full Instructions on #stashpass raffles can be found via the URL below
@chubb149/stash-pass-nft-airdrops-tutorial
You can view, buy, or sell Weedcash NFTs like #stashpass here
https://www.weedcash.network/nfts/
So the first 5 HIVE users to comment #stashpass & then re-blog this post gets an exclusive limited #stashpass NFT sent to their HIVE wallet.
Splinterlands referral link
https://splinterlands.com/?ref=chubb149
What do you think about Splinterlands changing the game META (Most Effective Tactics Available) do you like the new game changes?