Splinterlands can be daunting for Newcomers
With limited cards and resources, it's hard to know who to go for as a beginner... However, I'd like to help out and offer some advice in this article.
Neutral monsters are the first thing you should rent or buy as a newcomer. These are your core for ALL splinters. Dragons are also an option, but tend to be more expensive. In this article, I will focus on the Neutral Monsters and who are the best options to Rent and Buy.
Summoners will help you in later ranks, when you start to have access to Level 2, 3, etc. They are also the first cards you should upgrade so that you can improve your cards' levels... BUT getting a good core of Neutral cards to start you off for a season will help you win EVERY battle you do.
I think the first 3 cards are MUST BUYS eventually if you plan to play long term, but for the sake of a new player's resources, you should probably start with renting.
Why You Should Rent:
Renting is CRUCIAL to growth in Splinterlands. You can rapidly amass a LOT of powerful cards that will help you win your dailies, win more DEC, and level up to higher ranks faster, which will exponentially increase your DEC Rewards and Daily Quest Rewards. Seriously, do it. Absolutely do it as soon as you can.
Here's why: Every Rank, you gain 2-3 additional quests at the end of the season, and after Silver, every rank increases your Daily Reward chests by 1! Finally, your DEC rewards will increase from .1 to 1 to 5 in bronze, to 10-20 in Silver, and nearly 50 a win in Gold!
Even more importantly, renting is cheap, like 3 DEC a day for a card worth 1000 Power cheap!
Renting / Buying Neutral Monsters
So here are my top picks for a newcomer to rent or buy in the Neutral Splinter, I will select 5 Cards I think are the most important cards, and then I'll end with 1 Legendary or very expensive card I think will help hugely throughout your entire experience with Splinterlands. These are tough decisions and many may disagree with me! If you think something else should take a slot, please let me know in the comments below!
#1 Goblin Mech
A super powerful tank, he costs a lot of mana, but that's actually a good thing, as he will round out your team for high mana battles. 4 Attack, Piercing, 3 Speed, 5 Armor, 6 Health, he's the perfect offensive tank for a newbie, and in Bronze and Novice he is OVERPOWERED. This is the first thing you should snag, you'll thank me later as he's almost a catch-all answer to all of Novice and Bronze. He costs about $1.90 right now to own. You will use him less and less as you rank up, but the nostalgia of Goblin Mech carrying you to Silver will live with you forever.
#2 Furious Chicken
This card doesn't look like much, 1 Speed, 1 Health? Why is he here.
Well he's the ONLY card that costs 0 mana currently, and THAT is his value. A Free meat shield, let me tell you the number of times that this card saved me. This guy is a legendary card in my heart. I STILL use him almost every battle in low mana Gold matches. Goblin Mech may be the priority for Bronze and Novice, but THIS is the go-to card for ALL ranks. That shows, as right now he's a whopping $7.99 for a level 1! However, Level 1 is likely all you will need! (If you're renting, consider a Gold one for bonus DEC)
#3 Creeping Ooze
Another oddball. You're like hey why are you showing us so many low mana cards? You need them, that's why! This guy costs 1 Mana, and has similar stats to Chicken, but he reduces ALL enemy's speed by 1. This means, if you use the same lineup as your opponent, and they don't have creeping ooze, you win, because all of your attacks hit first. In Low Mana fights, he is excellent, and in high mana fights, he's perfect for when you have 1-2 mana left and don't know what to add to your team.
#4 Sand Worm
Another High mana card! This one deals 5 Damage and has Sneak, with 5 Health. Making him a very hard hitting, but very slow attacker that can decimate your opponent's ranged and magic attackers. He's not as crucial as the others, but he deserves an honorable mention.
#5 Onyx Sentinel
This guy is a mid mana tank and he is TOUGH. 1 Speed, no attack, and 6 HP, his ability reduces all melee damage by 1, meaning if your opponent is foolish enough to only have 1 melee damage, he takes no damage. Another honorable mention. This ability in particular is an ability you should prioritize on cards, as they are very valuable front liners in Bronze-Silver.
Special EXPENSIVE Cornelius
This is the Neutral legendary you'd want to rent most. Buying this guy will set you back $200. Renting is a different story!
He costs 12 Mana, has 2 Ranged Damage, 3 Speed, and 12 Health! AND he regenerates Health every turn. This makes him an extremely powerful ranged attacker that can tank your opponent's sneak attacks. In 99 Mana battles this guy will help you win significantly, all the way up into Gold and probably beyond.
I'll got into Dragon cards next, as these can be selected ALONG with any other type of Splinter, making them the next most effective cards to get for a newbie, as they will help you out across multiple elements.