For a while now I have been trying to expand my Splinterlands holdings, but it just is not so simple. As much as this game can make you money, it is a sink.
In the simplest form, you need cards to play, each card is worth a certain amount of Card Points and you need more of this Card Power the higher up in the league you want to play.
This is because each level of the league provides more rewards on average than the one below it. Different cards provide different bonuses, such as a gold version will get you 10% extra on a winning game and is stackable per card.
Fair enough, simple, elegant.
Each day you get a quest and depending on your league you get daily reward chests, my current league I think gives 7 - according to Splintercards that would be about an average of $1 per day in rewards over time.
To play at my current level you only need 150K CP (card power), for the nosy people I actually have 220K power but delegate out 50K to help someone play in the Silver league. Rentals seem to have gone batshit this season, apologies @Blanchy , @Maverickinvictus, let me know if you need any cards I technically have 20K CP to spare since I have no interest in going for Gold 1.
Which brings me to my musings.
How the fuck do I make more from Splinterlands without spending a ton more or losing a lot in a premature sell off.
In my case selling off my Alpha , Beta cards could fund a pretty nifty modern deck, the problem as it goes with crypto is, when one goes down, they all go down.
We are but children playing with funny money.
Regardless, when it goes up, then they all go up. This is where holding out makes sense, and being selective on the cards I do plan to sell.
As example, I have my nifty little Alpha Kobold Miner up for sale, not low but also not way out of price, the way I see it the single card value for these is the price the cards aught to be anyway.
Sure I might get impatient, but the point is I am not going to lose my card and whatever I sell it for will buy me a higher level Beta version.
After that it is just patience really.
Now if you are more like me you actually never lose, lose. You more take a dip and say fuck this then forget about it. Can't lose if you don't recall it now can you.
Seriously though, the players who know exactly how much they make and more so are able to keep growing and make money from this have my respect.
If I look at what it takes just to get to silver you need 3000
According to Splintercards that is an average daily quest return of $0.2 a day over time. With a expected return of $1.2 for each season.
A season runs for on average 2 Weeks, let's say 13 Days so you can expect a high-ball average of $0.29 cents a day return.
If you do nothing else and just sell the cards you get in your two chests etc, you will recoup $90 in about 310 days.
Obviously, that is some serious napkin math and does not account for the $0.12 a day you make for having the cards via SPS... Which will go away anyway.
So you are in essence better off putting the same money into Rising Star and earning even at the current downtrend a daily $0.40
Just saying.
Still it is a game, so we buy the stuff we need to play and the fact it is worth a damn well that is just a bonus.
In time, obviously, right now we are in a way back to the start. I think many bigger account holders might have the same predicament. Me I got lucky, and although a lot of my value is derived from being early, it is like a mansion I can't maintain. Like a very very tiny guy growing tired of going back up to kiss.
All of my Alpha and Beta cards are far more worth than what I can get for them today. If only because of history. Now I do hope the new Modern and Wild formats will return some value but as with anything Splinterlands, I will take that with a pinch of salt.
So for now and kicking myself for not looking into owning land a lot sooner, my bad 
For now we utilise what we can, that means holding your vouchers and stop selling them to the market makers. Maybe if you earn enough SPS convert it to DEC or peg on a loss for both since DEC is pretty much going to 0.001 again so instead provide liquidity.
Flip some Alphas for Betas where it makes sense, hold plenty of Chaos as you can get them.
Post more and join guilds to win brawls and get merits and get "free packs" that way with gladius cards.
Post more and use the HBD to buy Land :P
Ignore the previous line and stop buying my land you asshole.
Sell your land for very cheap.
