I learn something new about Splinterlands every day. While learning the current situstion, there are rule changes in the game. I follow the changes closely by working overtime. Being a Splinterlands investor/player is challenging. :)
Reward Optimization
Last week, I claimed my Splinterlands awards for the previous season. Both of my accounts had finished the season in the Champion II league. Below is a list of my rewards from my second account during the season.
After deducting the amounts I paid for the rental, I made some profit. I got less than half of this amount of season rewards from my first account. The luck factor has an impact on the rewards. On the other hand, in previous seasons, I had won more rewards with my second account than with my first account. I've long been aware of the factors that affect rewards, but I didn't think they could have such an impact on results.
Gold Cards
I bought the cards I used in my second account after the first one. Therefore, I preferred the gold versions of the frequently used cards with low prices. Thus, I earn more rewards in the games I play with my second account. We can also use low-priced gold cards by renting them. I now follow this strategy on my main account. It has a 5% effect on my total rental expense, while I collect 15%-20% more reward points.
Guild
Guild membership increases reward points by up to 15%. Being a guild member was adequate for the relatively high rewards I got with my second account. Now both of my accounts are members of a guild — the amount of additional rewards increases according to the guild's level.
Alpha/Promo Cards
Since I'm playing in the modern version, I can't use Alpha cards, but I use promo cards. Each promo card used gives an additional 10 percent reward. Arkemis The Bear, Doctor Blight, and Oshuur Constantina are extremely dominant cards. Therefore, their use does not pose a strategic problem. I highly recommend using Arkemis The Bear in games with high mana limits.
Focus Cards
Using focus cards allows us to earn high rewards, up to 60%. It is not easy to use focus cards, especially in high leagues where the competition is more challenging. Because all the players form teams close to ideal, it may be appropriate to consider it as a factor.
Renting Strategy
The amount of rewards is affected by the number of wins achieved. Competition in the higher leagues requires renting expensive cards. Is renting a Byzantine Kitty worth the cost? How about renting a Yodin Zaku? There is a possibility of winning a few cent rewards after the high rent bill. I've been experimenting a lot with renting. For example, Yodin Zaku is worth the rent I paid, but I cannot say the same for Byzantine Kitty. As a general trend, I started to rent more expensive cards as time went on. In the meantime, the level of the leagues I compete in has also increased. There is a saying in Turkish, "the more bread, the more meatballs." It is impossible to achieve a decent job with low cost. So I continue with expensive rentals including Bytantine Kitty.
Investing In Cards vs. SPS
I believe the Splinterlands universe will evolve into a multi billion-dollar franchise. The possibilities that Web3 provides enable Splinterlands to generate revenue potential beyond Star Wars. Therefore, the intellectual property (IP) rights of Splinterlands will be decisive. I don't know to what extent SPS represents Splinterlands IP. Still, there is no doubt that it impacts the ecosystem. I first invested in SPS because I approached the issue from a long-term perspective. Then I started playing the game, and I loved it. As seen in the Bitcoin-based price chart below, SPS has been doing great up until November because it was a significant success for crypto money, with a return of around 30% to maintain its value against Bitcoin during the bear season.
Starting in November, SPS began to lose value against BTC. However, the same is not the case for Splinterlands cards. Cards kept up with the market that started to rise as of the new year, and card prices rose by 50%. I've also benefited from this boost as I gradually converted my SPS to Chaos Legion cards.
There are distinct differences between cards and SPS. While cards are scarce, the number of SPS is constantly increasing. Also, players must use cards to earn rewards, though they don't have to have SPS. There needs to be more than SPS's staking returns, GLX airdrop, voting rights, etc., to equalize the situation. Chaos Legion cards will run out in a few months. However, the number of SPS will triple in the next three years. For now, my strategy is to focus on cards in my investments. The situation may change in favor of SPS in the coming months as staking SPS becomes mandatory to earn rewards. All digital assets included in the Splinterlands economy support each other's value. Investing in different Splinterlands assets will be profitable in the long run.
The Unfair Card
One of the nice things about Splinterlands is that it requires a well-rounded strategy. Different types of games make many cards stand out. For success, it is necessary to have an extensive strategy pool and more than a hundred cards.
On the other hand, one card is much more dominant than the others. When used as a tank, it creates an almost insurmountable obstacle. What could the card I'm talking about be? Yes, you guessed right.
We are close to victory when we use Baakjira as a tank and add sneak and opportunity cards to the team. The dominance of the water element in general and Baakjira, in particular, dulls the game. It's not impossible to defeat the water element team that, includes Baakjira. For example, with an Earth team using Mylor Crowling as a summoner, we can beat Baakjira and its team.
Conclusion
Splinterlands is pure fun.
Thank you for reading.
Cover Image: Midjourney App