The date is Sunday 2nd August, 2020. I've sent 14 HBD to my 
The experiment starts. How long will it take to build the account up without any outside input, other than this initial layout? Especially considering I don't exactly have the time to play it much each day. Can you really earn from playing splinterlands, even if you can't invest in it?
It is late, but I’ve started the daily quest of winning 5 ranked battles with water splinter. Currently all my playable cards are ghost/phantam cards which come with the Summoner’s Spellbook, except for Contessa L’Ament which was a gift from Splinterlands upon my purchase.
The rest of the playable cards will always be available for me to use, but they can't be sold or delegated. This ensures that if I ever sell or delegate out all my cards, then change my mind and want to play again, I can still make a full team up to play again.
I'm logged in on the desktop version, but using it on my tablet. It's a bit fiddly trying to rearrange the team with my big fingers trying to hit a cross about a millimetre across! However, it's interesting to read the little hints and titbits that come up when I'm waiting for a match to be selected.
3rd August 2020 and I've finally completed the first quest. 6 losses 3 wins and 2 wins by default because the opponent either surrendered or didn't get a team together in time. The chest contained an alchemy potion and I'm up 0.085 DEC (Dark Energy Crystals). I forgot how small the rewards were at this level. I've also hit bronze III league, so that will mean at least 5 loot chests at the end of the season.
I've played a few more games to familiarise myself with the cards I have available to use. The life splinter is looking like my weakest area. End the day with 0.832 DEC.
4th August, and that's just typical, my next quest is life splinter! If my opponent has a melee debuff I'm down to single melee damage and if they have a shield then I'm done, especially if I don't have enough mana for a magic attack monster. This is going to be a long quest...
7 losses, one honest to goodness win then the rest of the wins went through by default because the other side “surrendered.” Although it's probably more likely that they timed out. I think this will be the main way I'll get through the daily quest at this rate. On a positive note, I got a Flame Monkey from the reward chest, so one more card up. Current DEC stands at 2.119. Not breathy enough to purchase a card yet.
I realise that this starting stage is going to be the hardest stage to work my way out of. With low league comes low rewards and only a tiny chance of winning reward cards, so I'll be stuck with the basics in low leagues until I can earn enough to buy on the market or if I'm lucky enough to win a good reward card.
5th August puts me at bronze II, up one Sand Worm and 6.697 DEC. The last daily quest was in earth splinter, so I actually got some wins in on my own merit. Still only one chest for completing the quest in bronze II league, but at least the reward was a neutral card, so as long as I have with mana I can use it with any splinter.
A 1c card will set me back around 20 DEC, so I'm over a quarter of the way to being able to get one at that price. What would be your first choice of card to have in your deck, in particular a level 1 card?
6th August and the daily quest was life splinter again. Amazingly I had a good run. Perhaps those better accounts have squeezed up into silver, leaving me with those a bit nearer my capabilities, which are low. After quest completion and a few other games in between, I'm still sitting in bronze II league, with a Baby Unicorn and 12.299 DEC.
Yes, it's still 6th and I've squeezed the next daily quest in. This one was with the water splinter and I've got a good choice for putting together a reasonable team. I've been having a nice run with the reward chest and getting cards each time. This time it was an epic card in the form of an Onyx Sentinel. I hit bronze I, so I'm up to 9 reward chests at the end of the season. 19.325 DEC means I'm close to being able to get a 1c card at the market.
7th August and the quest was fire. Living Lava makes a pretty formidable tank, so I had more wins than losses! The reward chest contained 5 DEC, I'm still at bronze I in the leagues and now have 31.934 DEC. Enough to buy a 1c card at the market.
Interestingly I've learnt from the battle tips that playing gold foil and alpha cards gives a 10% increase on the DEC awarded if you win, for each card of that type played.
8th August and fire splinter again. I'm still in bronze I but I've started encountering opponents who have much better cards and are levelled up with some of them. A lot more losses than wins this time. I also keep forgetting to check what the ruleset is and assuming it's standard, which doesn't help matters.
Reward chest was a legendary potion, DEC is at 42.004. Time to start thinking about which card to save up for. One that heals itself could be a useful asset, or one that heals the front card.
So it's one week in and I've recouped about 2c in DEC and a few cents worth of reward cards.