I've the past 2 weeks Splinterlands has been hit with a tsunami of new players, attention, and value. The announcement of the 365 Day SPS airdrop seemed to set off a nearly immediate buying spree and there are more people learning to play each day. As Splinterlands is a favorite title for a lot of us in The Crypto-Gaming Guild we wanted to welcome these new players with some starting tips that should help get your first wins under your belt and get start earning DEC!
Tip #1: Splinterlands is a game of leagues. Set a target and chase it.
Building a Splinterlands collection is no small undertaking and, more than other games, benefits from some early organization. A cards level can be limited by both the summoner you are using and the league you are playing in. Understanding these mechanics will give you an edge over players that do not.
Here is a snapshot of the specifics of Silver League. For this tip the most important metrics here are power and rating. If you are going to target silver league, which I think is a fantastic goal for a new player with a decent upfront investment, that power figure is roughly how large and strong your collect is going to have to be to advance to the next league while rating is your ladder ranking.
Nothing too complicated here but it's important to understand so you can set goals and keep motivated to hit those milestones along the way!
Tip #2:** A strong monster needs a strong summoner.
**
As mentioned in Tip #1 a monsters level can be throttled by the summoners who it's fighting for. Thankfully monsters will always fight at the highest available level though. It can be important to make sure you don't spent a large portion of your budget on a monster you cant even use! Again, this is an area where a little planning can go a long way to saving you money!
To get started in Splinterlands you are going to need a decent set of cards for 2-3 Splinters. You'll also want to have some exposure to cards in 1-2 other Splinters so you only have a single dump Splinter (one you never use unless forced). This will mean that for summoners alone you'll need 2 for each Splinter you want to feel competent in and at least 1 in all other Splinters. Ideally this would mean nine level 5 summoners, that's a lot of money to spend before buying a single monster! Plan well!
Oh, and just to be helpful, here is the info if you wanted to go for a more slow and steady collection build.
All of a sudden buying common summoners at level 3 feel cheap! Especially with common Goldfoil summoners starting at level 3 for 1BCX (but more about that later)
Tip #3: The fastest way to improve at Splinterlands is to watch your battles.
It can be really easy to hit that skip battle button to get that dopamine squirt from a victory just a little better but, if you want to improve, you're going to want to avoid that.
A players first months in this game are going to be full of helpful and painful lessons. You're going to encounter builds you have a really hard time beating and purchase monsters that sound great in theory but don't deliver in practice. That 'Skip Battle' button exists to keep that information from you and limit how fast you improve. Avoid it.
The speed up battle button will be your best friend though!
Tip #4: Understand the positions of your battle line.
Your monster deployment should not just be a pile of your best creatures. You're going to want a tank in the front to protect the damage dealing ranged and magical attackers in the back. As enemy units often target the last creature in line it can be very helpful to have a strong back-liner.
These are the basics of battle but, as soon as you learn them, you'll start to dominate all the other players who have not. That means DEC!
Tip #5: Understanding Mana and Rule-Set is key to victory.
Oh boy, if I have seen one single thing trip up newer players it's the Mana Cap and Rule Set systems. If you've ever played a tabletop wargame these will look familiar but to fans of traditional deck based TCGS this is going to be new and it will be helpful to reframe some thing.
If you were going to be playing Splinterlands in person you would be showing up to a table with all your card, finding out the ruleset and mana cap, building the best army you think you can for those rules, choosing how to deploy them, and then watching as they battle your opponent. This is why understanding these rule sets and the advantages of each mana cap can provide such an edge
You're quickly going to learn Gelatinous Cube is an absolute beast in any rule set that deals damage*, Vampire rules early Equalizer games, and no collection is complete without some giant stupid monsters to be able to fill out a roster at any mana cap. This is the best part of the game for me.
*Upvote this post, follow me, and use the words 'Gelatinous Cube' in a comment on this post to be entered into a drawing for this powerhouse card! I'll choose a winner and send it out in 24hrs. Thanks for reading my guides!
Tip #6: Make a plan for your daily play and stick to it! (DEC Generation 101)
We all want to make as much money as we can while we're playing and Splinterlands has some great tools to de-incentivize grinding.
If you click on your DEC bar and then hover over the Energy Capture Rate tool-tip icon you get some key information. The optimal way to play Splinterlands is to let your ECR get as close to 100% as you can before playing the games you need to hit your daily quest. If your ECR is getting much below 85% you are losing value (which sometimes is just how it goes to get a quest done).
I've found this mechanic a great incentive to step away from Splinterlands that doesn't just straight up tell me I'm not allowed to play anymore like other games.
Tip #7: Use all the tools available to you!
There is really too much to cover here to be able to do justice in a guide that's already this long but ever Splinterlands player should visit MonsterMarket MonsterMarketand PeakMonsters just to see some of the amazing things that are possible on those websites. This kind of stuff is what makes blockchain gaming special and, unless you want to miss some major deals, it's worth your time to explore!
Tip #8: No summoner, monster, or player is good at everything.
You are going to lose and that's ok. I mean this in Splinterlands and in life. Try and forgive yourself, learn what you can from that situation, and try again.
My Splinterlands collection is massive and there are still 2 Splinters who daily quests I need to skip every time. It's like Martin Luther King said "It can't rain all the time".
Tip #9: **'It's a marathon not a sprint' Or: 'Goldfoils Rule Everything Around Me.' **
Don't compare you collection to other peoples. Just build your collection. This game is BRAND NEW and if you are reading this, you are in early. Don't let things frustrate you. Just do those dailies, complete each season, watch the updates trickle out, and this game will serve you well.
Also, when you win a game, you get an additional 10% DEC rewarded for every Goldfoil card you used. This can go up to +70%. There is also a bonus you get from Alpha cards and promo cards. If you are going to be playing this game for a long time, this is very worth considering. This is also why the Goldfoil Furious Chicken is the best card currently in the game. Remember when I said this?
Well it's 2 weeks later and I was right. Trust me on this shit.
Tip #10: There are strength in numbers. Join a Guild and the Discord!
You get a flat discount to prices and boost to exp for just being in a guild. This is really all you should need to know there but, with the new Brawl systems being rolled out, it seems like the benefits of being in a guild are only beginning. Find some some people to play with!
Also, make sure to join the official Splinterlands Discord HEREHERE! It's a great place to look for trades, find your guild, ask support questions, shill your articles, and talk about this awesome game! Get involved and I'll bet you'll have a ton of fun!
I hope this was helpful! Please feel free to tip me by sending whatever you want to 
If you are looking to stay updated and on the cutting edge of the Play2Earn scene please come and join us over in The Crypto-Gaming Guild discord. We are looking for game captains and folks who can help organize. If you are interested, please step up.
The games we are currently focusing on are:
Rising Star
Splinterlands
UpLand
Neon District
Alien Worlds
Lost Relics
eXode
I hope this is helpful and I was able to help you learn something today!