Instead of just paying DEC to unlock Soul Bound cards or making the cards permanently Soul Bound.

Why not have an optional mechanism where older cards from Wild / CL can be staked/put to work unchaining the Soul Bound cards for a set time?
The more BCX / CP staked per card the faster they unlock.
Even if implementation is after the 180-day DEC purchase window, it would be better than perma binding the cards for poorer players.
This way the Whales can pay DEC to unlock cards early and we mere mortals can also unlock our cards, but it will take longer.

Benefits
Cards from older sets will be locked up for a while, increasing the rarity of those older sets, like Land soaks up cards, pushing up the value of older sets.
Players who play in Modern have a use for older card sets as the Wild sets have more CP, which will unlock the cards faster.
The mechanism can be repeated when Rebellion Reward Cards are fully released, meaning the CL Reward cards can be staked to unlock the Rebellion Reward cards.
This way the CL Reward card unlocking is staggered.
Most of the coding was already created when Land 1.5 was written.
If implemented after the 180 days for DEC purchase, the Devs have 180 days to implement it.

Otherwise, the same message is being sent to new players - if you're not a whale, don't play! Because the Reward Cards will NEVER be tradable/rentable NFT's in this alleged Play to Earn game.

The game description tag on the Splinterlands Hive account is as follows:

'Splinterlands is a blockchain-based collectible card game. Collect digital assets, battle thousands of other players, and win crypto and other rewards!'

As the Chaos Legion Reward Cards are Soul Bound and will remain Soul Bound as I cannot afford the unlock cost, I did not win them and do not own them. I will never be able to sell them or rent them out.

Now I know, I will not win/own a single Rebellion Reward Card.

This game description is misleading.