When I saw the announcement of the Conclave Arcana reward set today and the sweeping changes to how rewards, chest drops, and foil/unlocking mechanics work, I knew that for a serious Splinterlands player (especially at Diamond and above), this isn’t just a cosmetic update - it is a major shift in incentives, resource flows, and long-term value.
What’s Changed (From My Perspective)
Here is my distilled list of what really changes - and which of those matter most for high-level play:
The Conclave Arcana set adds: 43 new reward cards: 12 Commons, 12 Rares, 7 Epics, 12 Legendaries.
Standard Foil versions of those cards are soulbound at first. To make them tradable, you’ll need Unbinding Scrolls.
You can acquire Unbinding Scrolls via:
1. Loot chests
2. DEC purchases (at 5× Collection Power)
3. Crafting via Land (Artisan Quarter)
4. Direct trade or NCM market
5. On-the-spot “quick unlock” via DEC/Credits if you don’t have the scrolls
Unbinding Scrolls have an expiry: they burn/expire 30 days after the set’s print run ends.
In the Glint shop, there’s no separate “Gold Foil Draw” anymore, every rarity-specific card draw has a 1% base chance to yield Gold Foil.
Using Alchemy Potions can double your Gold Foil chance (especially helpful for higher rarities).
Gold Foils have print limits for each card; once the limit is hit, no more Gold Foils will drop for that card.
Loot chests are revamped: better drop rates, new items in them such as: Unbinding Scrolls, entries to the Weekly Fortune Draw, and more valuable loot in high‐tier chests.
The Weekly Fortune Draw is now one of the primary paths to the most exclusive (Black Foil / Arcane) cards.
Entry into the Fortune Draw is gated by league, ranked wins, and staked SPS (the latter puts a cap on how many entries you can earn from wins).
The cost (in Glint) of energy in ranked matches now scales upward starting in Gold and above.
All of this means: the old models of just grinding ranked play, and hoarding chests will no longer suffice. You’ll need a more nuanced, multi-pronged strategy.
My Strategy for Diamond League
Here is what I am thinking for my initial strategy:
1. Loot Chest Prioritization
With the revamp, chests are far more important, particularly the higher-tier ones. I am thinking on focusing on Major chests first and Ultimate chests second and only then Minor, because the higher level chests offer better drop rates with higher percentage chances for getting epics, legendaries and unbinding scrolls.
2. Staking SPS is More Valuable Now!
Because entry counts into the Fortune Draw are capped by staked SPS, there’s real incentive to raise or maintain a higher SPS stake. For Diamond league, you need 2,500,000 SPS to reach the full cap of 20 entries from wins. I know that I am two million SPS short of that...
3. Alchemy and Legendary Potions Might Become More Scarce
Unbinding Scrolls are the key to turning your soulbound cards into tradable ones - and tradability is where long-term value (and speculation) lies.
4. Maximize The Fortune Draw Advantage
The Fortune Draw is going to be a “lottery ticket” that serious players can’t ignore. I am thinking of always purchasing my weekly pass (125 DEC) before the draw begins. Track my SPS cap situation; if I am hitting it, adding a little more stake or delegations might unlock more entries. I am also going to save extra Glint or entries (if possible) for weeks when I think card drops are more favorable (e.g. near print run end, or when Black Foil/Arcane supply warrants it).
Note of Caution
With more variables (expiry windows, print limits, scroll management), there’s more room for mistakes. So I am going to make a plan for my season and possibly create a checklist for myself.
Also, don't let FOMO push you into bad chest draws or desperate burn decisions late in a season. I will keep reserves and will not blow all my Glint at once. I will save some capital to exploit undervalued opportunities that might come late in the season.
If you have some staked SPS please vote for my SPS Validator Node HERE
I am also a Hive Witness and would really appreciate your vote for me as a witness: https://vote.hive.uno/@seattlea
If you wonder what is the best way to get involved you can use my link to begin your Splinterlands and HIVE journey.