SplinterLands is one of the very best #Play2Earn games out there. It leverages the attributes of the Hive Blockchain to create one of the first function examples of how NFT's can be applied to both the collectible market and the game play market. They can be applied to all sorts of other industries as well, which is very promising for the space as a whole.
There are all sorts of ways to profit from the game, in fact that's kind of one of the ways to 'win' at playing splinterlands besides just the gameplay. Here are my favorite ways to play the game;
Collections, Renting & Trading:
The limited supply of the cards means that they grow more expensive as the supply decreases. With the packs and rewards I get I like to level up the strongest cards I want to play with to Gold league so I can use them. Excess cards I can accumulate and level up to useful levels then rent them out. Or I hold on to them until they are out of print and sell them so I can purchase any other card I wasn't lucky enough to pull in the packs or rewards. I also delegate a large chunk of my extra cards to fellow guild members so they're playing collection is strengthened, having everyone score better in the brawls will result in greater rewards for the whole team so I'm counting on that being another profitable way of using my game assets.
Playing the game for Ranking:
During each season of play there is a leaderboard with the top players in each league. Instead of advancing to the next tier you have the choice of staying in a lower league and competing for the rewards offered to the best players. This and the Tournament play are both ways to test yourself against the best competition in the game and if you're good enough you can earn substantial DEC rewards.
Playing the game for Rewards:
If you choose to advance in leagues your reward earnings will be larger and unless I'm trying to test my skills I usually climb up as high as I can in ranked play. I've got a collection that's probably 80% maxed out for the Gold League if you're looking at card levels and I have to be on top of my game to place in the Top 20 in ranked play. I can climb up to upper Diamond or low Champion on a consistent basis and the rewards I get from additional quest chests and season ending rewards is far better there.
Playing the game for the Guild:
Like every other in-game asset in Splinterlands, the Guilds have a lot of value and different ways to utilize that value. I've read into the Brawls 2.0 specifics to have a good idea what it will look like which is what I'll discuss here. This is Pre-Season in Brawling and we're getting ready for the regular season to start. Each guild will earn Crowns, which are spent to upgrade buildings. Each player will earn Merits, which are used to purchase Gladiator packs and other brawling specific items. We can collect the cards until we have the appropriate level for our collections and then burn the additional cards to convert them to DEC. Merits are likely going to be distributed evenly to the players based on the whole Guilds score. This is why anyone that has some powerful extra cards should consider delegating some to our lower level guild members which will strengthen their hands and should improve our collective earnings.
Investing your Profits:
Thanks to the developing world of DeFi, there are many ways to stack your in-game earnings. Places like Cub DeFi allow you to put your DEC or SPS in a liquidity pool where you can effectively earn interest on either coin. There are places like Hive-Engine where you can sell your DEC or SPS for the Hive currency, or you can use the Cub DeFi swap feature and turn it into just about any other currency you want. I've experimented with and use both of these markets regularly and there are profitable ways to put your assets to use here as well.
SPS vs. DEC:
DEC is the in-game currency, short for Dark Energy Crystals. SPS tokens are more akin to stock in a company than an in-game currency. SPS will be valuable for their special rights and events you'll be able to participate in by holding them. They may also increase the DEC you receive from ranked battles, similar to the Guild bonus. Buying and holding DEC is currently one of the most efficient ways to capitalize on the airdrop of SPS. My plan for the next 11 months is to focus on staking SPS and then buy the CL packs when they are available with my DEC bag. As the currency, DEC will be very volatile and eventually I'll be converting a portion of my season earnings into alternative currencies to diversify my super heavy Splinterlands crypto portfolio. The SPS I'll plan on holding onto until the full value of it is clear and I can adjust my SPS then, either selling off excess I don't really need or accumulating more if I need more to fully participate up to my collection level.
So you're done with the game, now what?:
If the time ever come where you don't find the game fun anymore and want to stop playing this is where the beauty of the game really pays off. How many other games to you walk away from with hours and hours invested and nothing to show for it? Not Splinterlands. With the collection you've gathered during your playing time you can put them on the rental market and pull out the DEC earnings every few months. This is like an old school dividend your cards earn for you completely passively if you set everything up once. Once jump onto the blockchain train and now your hours and hours of gameplay has turned into cryptocurrency which you earn as long as you hold the cards. #Play2Earn is just getting started and Splinterlands is leading the way. HODL and enjoy the ride.
