So the new Reward Card Set was just released in Splinterlands which got me take an initial look at them...
The Printer Goes Brrrrrr
First off, the main problem I see for Splinterlands is that there are way too many cards and very few reasons for players to actually own them let alone buy packs. Soulbound reward cards add to this problem as it's possible to earn them, keep them soulbound and keep earning forever while selling off other cards. The unlocking of old soubound cards, the new set now, the 5x2 promo cards, the mini set that is said to also come for Rebellion all make this problem way bigger. I also turned on my bot again and am totally pushed away from actually caring about the game or having fun playing. So I see these cards as something to earn toward max level just to keep up and continue earning in the future.
New Soulbound Reward Set!
These are the cards that at first sight stand out to me...
Fire Splinter
The Continuum Seer peaked my interest because of the 8 Speed and the Phase ability which makes it suitable for a possible speed deck combined with the Jacek Summoner and a monster that gives the opponent blind. However, the 2 health makes it really vulnerable to reflection damage. So I don't anticipate this to become a meta card. The Drybone Megaladon also kind of looks interesting as it can be combined with the Tarsa and the Ferox Defender in 2nd place which would get the reach ability. Especially in games where no magic is allowed. The new Incendiary ability also is interesting and it remains to be seen how overpowered it will turn out to be or not. giving monsters next to it just 33% to pick up burning isn't that massive of a punishment especially when places in last spot.
Water Splinter
The Water Splinter is my favorite choice when the game rule is in place where only Ranged attack monsters can be used. The Mar Toren Trader for that could be a nice extra option as it allowed double or even tripple headwinds (also adding the Naga Windmaster and the Quix Summoner) while it heals itself making for a possible good 1st place tank combined with the Crustacean King. The Shock trooper might work well in last place combined with the Arlic Stormbringer Summoner.
Earth Splinter
Only 1 Monster really stands out as useful for the Earth Splinter in the Halaran Huntress since it for as far as I know its the only monster that has both the Fly and Snare ability. This makes it one of the most useful cards in games with the earthquake game rule also because as a melee monster it has the ability to attack from any position. The earth Splinter already had a couple strong cards with the Fly ability and it now becomes even more strong.
Life Splinter
The Olivia The Brook looks really powerful as it has double attack at a reasonable price, it can attack from any position and also has armor. This makes it an excellent monster to play next to the Iziar. The 2 extra abilities aren't even needed to make it strong but add to the power of this card. The Mimic ability also looks quite fun as it makes this monster pick up random abilities along the way. It looks like the main theme of this set is to add some 1-mana monsters with one legendary for each splinter. The average mana that can be used right now is really high which makes them not so useful. The Frigid Wolf however I can see used in low mana battles when Death is not available combined with the Lorna Shine or Tyrus Paladium summonersand the Lensmaster and or the Pelacor Conjurer.
All cards for the Death splinter are somewhat useful and with some additional Low-mana monsters it gives extra options for an already strong low mana team. With the Ujurak Brave, the team also gets another monster with the Immunity ability. However, it comes at the cost of another one.
Dragon Splinter
The Dragon Egg Forager adds another solid Opportunity monster to the mix which could make for a full opportunity team combined with the Water Splinter. The Night Reaper makes the Dragon summoner an even stronger choice when the earthquake rule comes up.
Neutral Monsters
The Halfling Refugee I can also see as a possible overpowered card as a cheap tank. The negative effect also is rather neglectable as a 10% chance to be unable to attack in round 2 which increases over time will rarely hit as the monster is set to be killed in one of the first couple rounds anyway.
Conclusion!
The new reward soulbound set seems to be quite balanced with maybe 1 or 2 cards that will really become meta. The main thing it will do in my view is give players who aim to just keep their bot running more options to do so at higher levels without ever the need to invest more in the game and even allow them to sell off cards they hold that are tradable. So the main thing I see this set do is lead to the further slow death of the game. It will be fun to grind these cards to coming year trying to get them to max level.
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