Every week there is a Splinterlands challenge that can be found in this week's post. I also encourage Splinterlands players to partake in the challenge because they get to learn about the game. In this week's challenge, we discuss scholarships. I didn't know too much about it but I have heard about it before.
What is a scholarship?
In a scholarship, the manager offers a scholar a chance to use a higher level or maxed-out deck for a cost. This lets the manager use their assets and generate a return while the scholar can earn a portion of the rewards without having to put in the upfront costs of the cards. It reminds me of how I was tired of losing so much that I ended up buying some packs when I started to move up in the leagues. It was a hefty investment and I don't think everyone has the money to do so. So I think scholarships are a good way to get people into the ecosystem and it's a win-win for the manager and the scholar if everything is done correctly. It reminds me the most of all those articles on Axie and how scholarships were used there. So I think it's an important part of the ecosystem to get new players into the game without the huge barrier of costs.
I think that the Splinterlands Discord is probably the best place to visit if you are looking for a scholarship. The tavern is the general chat for the game so it might be easier to find managers there. I don't know how easy it is to get one because they might be looking for good players.
Do's and Don't's for the Manager
I think that the Manager should first understand the scholarship system. Without understanding it, I think it will be easy to put down unreasonable expectations. This is a contract between two people and you should understand the risks/returns you will get. Other than that, I think people should be transparent and communicate frequently. As a person owning the cards, you must also understand the game to give feedback if things are not going well for the mentee. If you don't know enough, then you should have some resources where people can get that information. Also, the scholar is a person and you should be reasonable with your expectations.
Do's and Don't's for the Scholar
The scholar should understand the scholarship system and they should try to make sure that the details are ironed out. There is nothing worse than leaving things vague because it leaves it open to interpretation. With this, you should understand what your expectations are and what you are required to do. It would be best if you communicated frequently with the manager to give them an update and to make sure that everything is going well. As the person playing the account, you are responsible for understanding the meta and trying to improve your strategies. Especially so when new cards come out because they can change things up. So you should practice frequently. If there are any issues such that parts of the deal can't be completed, I suggest you discuss that with your manager. You are a real person and sometimes things just happen so there are times that you can't complete what is asked. It's best to let the manager know before it becomes a big issue.
Conclusion
This challenge was to look into scholarships. I never used one but I can see the advantages that it provides for the entire game. The entire system is a contract between two people so people should treat it more like a job/business. Things should be reasonable and I think that all the details should all be transparent. Maintaining communication is also key because we are dealing with real people.
What did you think of scholarships in Splinterlands?
Feel free to leave a comment if you read my post. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer.