As a beginner in Splinterlands, you might be wondering what is the first thing you should improve when it comes to battling. Should you level up your units or summoner first?
I'll admit that I made the mistake of leveling up my unit cards first because they were cheaper. Then, to my frustration, I couldn't figure out why I was still limited to level 1 units in battle. To save you the frustration, please listen to my humble advice: level up your summoner first!
Summoners and the units they can summon
If you take a look at the stats of a Summoner, you will be able to see the level of cards that they can use in battle at each level. In this example, a level 2 General Sloan can use level 3 common cards, level 2 rare cards, level 2 epic cards and level 1 legendary cards.
Personally, I like my summoners to be able to use at least a level 3 Epic card because that's where the sweet spot for abilities and cost of cards is.
Not every summoner is the same. Some legendary summoners will allow you to use more powerful cards at lower levels. This is also true of some of the Alpha and Beta summoners.
For example, a level 2 Possiblus the Wise can use level 5 commons and level 3 epics in battle already.
Why this matters in a battle
The thing with higher level cards is that they unlock more abilities. This is particularly useful in the Bronze and Silver leagues. Take a look at the above battle. Using higher level cards means getting the heal ability for the Muskrat and Imperial Knight. My opponent had no chance with his Level 1 summoner. You can catch a replay of the battle here: https://splinterlands.com/battle/sl_ce0575c7d0a97a86f220e991d01f5899?ref=charcoalbuffet
So, if I can leave you with just one tip as you start your Splinterlands battling journey, it would be to level up your summoners first!