Gaming, I mean. That's why you're here. You either play Splinterlands (Steem Monsters) or Gods Unchained or both or maybe neither, but just want to read. I am. A gamer, I mean. So, I play both. I've been playing video games since they were put in front of me around 35 years ago. Right? I'm old as fuck and have loved watching it evolve. Good times.

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But, we're going to start at the beginning for these and I'm going to give you my analyses. Each little category I have chosen will have a winner with a tally toward the end. However, I highly suggest one plays each game themselves before deciding which is better for them, as we all have different tastes.

Both of these games require you to play with cards. Each 5 card pack or orb for Splinterlands will cost you $2 USD and can be paid for in various cryptocurrencies, their own in-game token (DEC - which can be earned playing matches or tournaments) or purchased via credit/debit card. I love all the options there, which makes it easy enough to acquire the cards and introduce people to the crytosphere.

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Gods Unchained has a tiered system with the cheapest 5 card packs running you just over $2 USD each. The more expensive ones will cost 1 ETH each - which is close to $200 USD! The only ways you can purchase packs is by having a linked wallet (Portis) to the game and owning Ethereum to pay for it - or paying with a card through Portis. For people new to cryptocurrency that just want to play - makes it harder to onboard them.

#splinterlands (and I mention them first every time because it came out first) has 7 'Splinters'. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses like Fire is heavy on the melee attacking, etc. I like the Dragon 'Splinter' (is it a splinter?) myself because, well, duh. Dragons. The way to build a more powerful deck is to level up your cards and the way to do this, is by merging multiples of the same card. This is where they make their money hand over fist. For cards of higher rarity, you will be buying packs constantly or give up and go to the 'market'. I've seen single cards go for over $2000 USD and since some aren't being printed anymore, I imagine their value will rise. Just to play the game though, you have to buy a starter deck, which is $10 USD or rent a deck, which can be even more pricey for better ones.

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GU has a different approach. You can actually play for free! They have pre-built what they call 'starter decks' and as you 'level up', you can build your collection by winning packs of cards. There are currently 6 'Gods' in the game, which some cards can only be played with. Different strategies involving tribes, also allow a user to customize a deck around their favorite god. Say a person was real aggressive, they may choose 'War' and just want to crack some skulls. There are rarities to the cards and have more levels than Steem Monsters. However, by merging cards to increase the rarity, it gives no bonus to its playing ability. They just look prettier on the board.

If you like cartoons, Splinterlands is definitely for you. I don't know who all plays what for games, but it's like the Borderlands of FPS (First Person Shooters) in the somewhat comical, but still adult themed allure. The humanoids are cool looking, like the Frozen Soldier and some of the monsters are goofy. There also is a dark element to some of the creatures and the females - I gotta say - some are pretty dang hot for cartoons. Call me Roger Rabbit and get Jessica's pouty lips over here pronto!

Gods Unchained now, and to be expected as they hired one of the Magic the Gathering peeps, is a little more realistic and detailed in their art. I say detailed because not only was thought put in to the character the card is showing, but the background behind it as well. Check out the Flying Carpet or Merchant Prince or this one here - Dimension Looper. See how it looks like it's actually hopping out of a different dimension? Like some kind of portal to 'whence he came'? I think that is what really caught my attention with the Unchained artwork.

This is where it gets interesting and really is subjective to the person playing. Splinterlands matches will typically take about 3 minutes to find another player, choose your cards, and win or lose. Once you choose your cards, they all come to the board in the order you set with their specific abilities. A person may use the exact same cards for the allotted mana and ruleset, but have one in a different position than you, and that will make all the difference. They also have tournaments which can take up to 3 hours. So, depending on how much time you want to put in, this game is fairly quick to play.

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When one starts a match for GU, they should probably set aside a good 20 minutes. That's not including the time to structure your deck. Unlike Splinterlands, #godsunchained has a major luck factor involved as you don't get to choose the order the cards are drawn from your deck into your hand. This is where strategy really comes in as you want to be able to have enough complimentary cards to overcome that. Having a few beasts and no support will cause you to lose almost every single time. I am going to go out on a limb and say more structured tournaments will appear in the future and you should probably set aside a good 6 hour time slot for those!

While gaining your daily rewards or buying packs, you might land a gold card in Steem Monsters! Who doesn't like shiny shit? I love it personally. I have quite the golden collection in fact and like playing those tournaments best. The game has 4 rarities; common, rare, epic and legendary - each with a gold foil compliment that is more prized. Right now, the top low-ball price for any card on the market is for an Alpha Gold Foil Lightning Dragon at $4500 USD with only 19 total in existence. Did I say they all have unique 'serial numbers'? The cheapest card out there is a common Vampire at a mere penny. You can buy and sell all you like - as long as the card still is available.

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There are 5 rarities in Gods Unchained; common, rare, epic, legendary and mythic. On top of the rarities, are 4 different 'qualities'. Meteorite, shadow, gold and diamond. I think the shadows look the coolest with their purple aura. The 'Mythic Titans' are the ones you want. Granted, only one (that I know) of each exist, so, pretty pennies are being paid for them. One was just auctioned off recently for $62,000 USD! For one card. One card made only a few months ago! Not quite a Jordan or Gretzky RC, but a damn good start for Crypto Cards!

Right now, I'm leaning on Gods Unchained. It's not to say I don't love playing Steem Monsters/Splinterlands, because I do - I just dropped a couple bucks on the Kickstarter in fact. BUT there are other variables that also figure in to my final conclusion. One is, I don't know if there is a DEC harvest bot on the other side of the screen. I know they were built! I also like the fact of the heavy strategy involved with GU. Gives my little man-sized brain more to do in a single match. But, to each their own, I hope this gives you a better view of them both. Just keep in mind, whatever you do or don't decide to play, REMEMBER TO BE YOU! I always am, even when 'management' shafts me.