The decision to give out merit as part of splinterlands' rewards was one of the reasons why I decided to join a guild.
Although I already thought of joining a long time ago, but I just felt my deck wasn't strong enough to compete and if I only lose, what would be the value-added towards myself and my Guild members?
So I decided to work at my own pace. Joining a guild would come with a specific expectation and even if I decide to join, how am I so sure I would build my deck within a specific timeframe since I wouldn't be able to pinpoint a specific period when I might have enough money to keep building my deck?
Of course, I loved building, but I didn't want to do so because of the pressure or expectations
Money wasn't and still isn't something that comes around every day, so I might not be able to build my deck and probably get stuck at some point while my guild members are growing.
Hypothetically, I might just be speaking in the worst-case scenario, but I didn't know if I was going to meet up to expectations because of my inability to meet certain rules, which may create unfriendly vibes, hence I decided not to join. I cannot call myself an avid rules person.
Joining became irresistible
The only thing I know is that if I'm allocated games in a guild, I'll try as much as possible to win, but any other rules might be flouted not because I want to, but probably because of certain circumstances which I might not be able to control. Fast-forward to this month, the idea of joining a guild became relevant again.
The new splinter ruleset "Are you not entertained" means players can now play gladiator cards in normal games. This has changed the trajectory. With the soulbound summoners now, you can field up to two extra gladiator cards which makes it even more externally Incentivizing to be a guild person at this point.
You need A Cheat code to win on splinterlands these days
Originally, the whole incentive that comes with a guild is internal: the merit and the SPS rewards don't impact anything in-game. But people bringing in their gladius cards to do battle in normal games is certainly a game changer for me.
It's like making some exception to incentive a certain set of people, because of a decision they've made earlier which completely changes the whole dynamics. That was certainly my clue to join a guild as fast as possible because one cannot possibly use gladius cards without being part of any active guild.
I hoped this wasn't the case, but I was wrong
Earlier in February, I got an invite for a guild, but I think I saw it too late the role has now when filled, but then the whole idea of joining a guild was always countered by the fact that I do not enjoy working on schedules.
I checked out the splinterlands' discord and I was right. A lot of Guild rules were just too strict for me. Some of them required heavy DEC donations, some required complete level 3 summoners and above, while some others required avid discord presence.
I checked for guilds where I could do things at my own pace and I really couldn't find any. Even when I find, some certain rule tends to just throw everything under the bus.
I couldn't find the whole flexibility I wanted.
Over time, my ability to stay active on discord has waned, and that's because of a lot that's happening with me. So after so much searching, I still couldn't find that flexible and suitable guild.
In the past, I didn't have a lot of trust in my deck, but over time, I've come to decently invest a bit in it and can now play in Gold 2 modern.
I now have over 78k collection Power, but I still have some of my summoners in level 2, while the others are in level 3.
The money to just take them (my summoners) beyond this level hasn't been there, and I'm not in a haste to do so, because even though my pace might be quite slower than I know, the fact that I don't have a target on my back allows me to do things within my timeframe.
Also, heavy DEC donations aren't something I can really do at the moment
the uncertainty of my pocket makes it so. It's the bear market and I want to focus on building, hence all resources are tailored towards the preparation for the bull market.
On the flip side, I'll keep looking for a flexible and suitable guild to join, because, at this point, it's become really incentivizing to ignore.
Interested in some more of my works?