It’s been just over three months since I began playing Splinterlands. It was my entry point into the Hive community, as well as the first crypto game I have played continuously. I thought it could be useful for newer players to see the advice that I would give myself three months ago with what I know now, as I am close enough to my newbie days, but have been lucky enough to make my way up a few leagues. Still got a way to go until Champion I though!
Anyway, without further ado, here they are:
Tip #1: Begin building out your deck with Neutral cards
The beauty of neutral cards is that regardless of what Splinter you are playing with, these cards are eligible under every summoner, regardless of their splinter. Yes, there are match types where you cannot play Neutral cards, but these are less frequent than match types where you can. As a result, it allows you to build out key parts of your strategy with a time and money investment that’ll pay dividends across multiple Splinters.
Tip #2: You're going to need a six to eight Mana tank.
No not that type of tank (similar though).
A tank in Splinterlands is a card that is able to withstand multiple attacks for long periods of time. Now there are reasons to not place your tank in the first position, or to have tanks to account for Sneak and Snipe, but first thing's first. You've got to have strength in your front line.
I would start with a good Neutral tank, due to reasons mentioned in Tip #1. I like the Elven Defender as an option at Level 5 thanks to a good balance of Health and Armor Points, combined with the Shield ability for reduced damage from Melee and Ranged attacks. Speed of 3 might seem slow at first, but remember, this is your first tank. With 3, your tank is unlikely to be the last card to make a move in the round, while if you get hit with a Reverse Speed match ruleset, unlike a Speed of 6 card, it doesn’t become the slowest card either.
As of writing this a Level 5 Elven Defender will cost you ~$1.25 - $2.00, which combined with the mentioned stats makes for a wise investment for a tank in my book. There are other Neutral options, such as Chain Golem or Hydra, but you are looking at least double the price to get to a point where they are comparable in stats to the above Elven Defender. And you’ll want to be wise about your first DEC spent because..
Tip #3: Summoner levels matter.. a lot.
So you're done picking out a leveled up tank and are now excited to put it to the test against a worthy opponent? Well guess what. Your low level Summoner is severely limiting the impact of your tank. For example, if you’re playing a Level 1 summoner, the Level 5 Elven Defender from the earlier example just lost a point in speed, a point in armor, and, most importantly, its Shield ability. What gives?!
Above, you can see that in the example with Contessa L'Ament, in order to be able to play a Level 5 Common card, aka your Elven Defender, you need to be at least at Level 4. Which at the time of writing this would set you back ~$12 - $15, and even more if you go for the Gold card. See why we want to save some money on the initial cards?
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Tip #4: You should get the Gold foil version of a card only when it makes sense.**
In the beginning I went all in on Gold foil cards.. What's not to love with a +10% boost in match DEC winnings for each Gold Card played, right?
Well the +10% boost doesn't make sense, if it forces you to have more limited options in your deck leading to less wins. Because remember: you have to win matches in order to get DEC in the first place.
Before making a purchase of a card on the market, always check both the Regular and the Gold foil price. How much in card level and improved stats and abilities are you giving up by choosing either option?
My rule of thumb is that if you can get the gold foil card for less than a 15% markup and you plan on using the card a lot.. then that's a no brainer. Otherwise, you are likely leaving a lot of won matches (and thus earned DEC) on the table by fielding a weaker deck. Get the card that fills your strategy needs and then sell and upgrade in the future.
Note: this does not take into account any speculation about forward looking appreciation in price of Regular vs Gold foil cards.
Tip #5: At least 80% of your deck will likely come from Market buys instead of card packs.
I remember when I had bought 100+ Untamed card packs and after a bunch of duds it was there. My first gold Yodin Zaku. That was such an awesome moment, and one of the things that make this game (and any TCG) so addicting and fun. Reread the second part of that first sentence though: it was after a bunch of duds. There's a reason getting a killer card like that is memorable, it doesn't happen that often.
The Market gives you the opportunity to think through your strategy and place very specific pieces in your arsenal to win as many matches as possible. Or maybe for you it’s less about winning and more of a chance to role-play your love for the power of nature through the Earth Splinter, or showcase your love for all things passed with the Death Splinter. When you start off, the Market is your best friend to do either. And if you are able to start progressing towards whatever goal you have in the game, it means you are more likely to enjoy it and actually want to keep playing.
Final Thoughts
That was a lot of text, but I have yet to really scratch the surface of the different things to take into account when starting off with Splinterlands. The game allows for a lot of flexibility in strategy and approach that allows you to find a style of play that fits you the best. Due to that, there is a Part 2 with five more tips in the works!
Regardless of whether you are a grizzled veteran or just getting your feet wet, please share in the comments any tips and/or tricks that you think would be helpful to new and lower ranked league players. Also, if you have any specific questions, drop those in the comments too or hit up the Splinterlands Discord channel. It's an awesome and welcoming community there that I'm sure will be able to help you out with some tips and tricks as well.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and battle on!