As we begin a new year, it feels good leaving 2022 and the massive bear market that it was behind. I'm not saying we don't go lower or that 2023 won't be as bad, but there are definitely things I'm looking forward to in the world of Splinterlands this year. Let's dive in:
End of Chaos Legion
I'm hopeful that the end of the current set will create a little hype and FOMO for the community. Since we are in a deep bear I don't know what to expect, but I'd like to believe we are still getting a small trickle of new players interested every day or week and finally having packs cleared from the store will mean that secondary ones will need to start getting eaten up. At that point, I'm hopeful assets will find a bottom and start to hold their value.
Rebellion
The main thing I'm excited for with Rebellion is finally rotating Untamed out of Modern Format. Sure it will be nice to have new cards added to the meta and some new game mechanics as teased by Matt during one of the recent town halls as well. Ultimately though I'm expecting a little more balance in the game as finally OG players will not necessarily have the advantage for having been here before summer of 2021.
Tower Defense / Genesis League Goals
It's exciting to think that the world of Splinterlands will potentially extend into 2 new games this year and as a player I'm excited for both. Tower Defense will exist within the Splinterlands ecosystem and I'm personally a fan of the genre. Goals will be interesting as well since it will have real world parallels with the MLS. If they can provide a solid game experience with Goals and a fresh ecosystem with the baggage of oversupplied DEC it could be great to get in early!
Battle Pass / 2v2 / New Features
WeirdBeard has teased so many cool features as ideas for expanding game play and enhancing the player experience overall. This is sorely needed right now as many in the community have become disappointed seeing little development and crumbling asset values. While I think getting the economy in a good place is still important - maybe even more important - providing features for existing and new players is crucial as well
Capitulation
My hope with this is that we find a true bottom for the entire market in 2023. Interest rates are still on the rise and inflation is still high so we know there is further pain ahead, but if we can find a bottom this year it will hopefully put us in a solid position come 2024 with the bitcoin halving. There are 2 potential spots I see that can be capitulation points for Splinterlands specifically - Q2 after Chaos Legion sells/burns out and Q4 once the hype for Rebellion dies down. Nobody knows what to expect overall when it comes to the market but fingers crossed this doesn't drag into 2024.