Last night I did something I rarely do - I FOMO'd.
Okay - I "sometimes" FOMO, but after having a little bit of a chat with my Splinterlands gurus, I meditated on it for about 16 seconds and went out and bought 11 of the Djinn Biljka card to max one, if I want to. There is very little need for me to have a maxed one, as I play in lower leagues - but who knows- perhaps one day!
But as you can see, while I could max, I haven't maxed and am instead renting them out, as I am still not playing until the next season anyway.
However, the reason that I am so interested in this card is that it is low mana and has camouflage and void abilities at level 2, where I will likely play it. This means that in the many low mana rounds, I could pair it off using Mylor as the Summoner with thorns, Failed Summoner (potentially with reflect) in the tank position and still have a +2 attack with magic, all for a total of 8 Mana with the Djinn invisible until in the tank position. Not bad!
I don't know if it was worth the 600 odd HIVE I paid for the 11 cards, but I think that this is potentially a very good low mana option with a decent attack and due to its ability to hide, is versatile for many game formats. At the higher end, it also has Weaken, so I think it will be a good addition to any set.
Now, on the rental side of things - it is hard to know where this actually sits as it is very close to the End Of Season (EOS), meaning that the rental prices are high and there is enormous demand for all cards as people look to level up for rewards - especially since the new reward cards have dropped. However, as a low-mana card that packs a punch and has some abilities, it's a winner in my books.
The new reward cards are generally pretty good and the various "power creep" cards have been noted by many - but this is what needs to happen in order for the game to continue to expand and attract new players, but this doesn't mean the old cards won't be valuable. While there are more new cards out there, it requires buying in and to get a full set might be quite expensive or take time. Also, with a lot of new players coming in, many will still be renting and be able to add value to those early cards for a long time to come - if people don't want to play them.
All of this is pay to play, but depending on expectations, one doesn't have to play in the top leagues to have fun or get financial benefits. I see that it is going to increasingly get like sports like football, where while people like to watch the premier leagues and players, they also like to play locally in lower divisions and kick the ball around in the park on a Sunday. I suspect that in coming months or years, Splinterlands will actually grow to cater for more player formats and rather than the one line of leagues, there will be many lines and options for players to join and compete, as well as have fun.
I was just showing one of my colleagues the game and he is quite interested, especially since he is able to invest a little and perhaps even make some gains on it if value increases. Plus, he likes the idea of being able to earn a little too, so perhaps he will start getting into it, which might be well times with the upcoming release of Chaos Legion packs. One of the things he is wondering is, where does the value come from - he still finds it amazing (as do I) that people are willing to spend so much on cards - even though he himself spends a fair bit on gaming himself - and has no chance of return.
This is still a bit of fun for me on the side, though I am not sure if it still qualifies as fun only, since the value of my card holdings is quite high and I did FOMO on a single card that I am not even going to play yet. However, I might start again in earnest to do the daily quests, as I wouldn't mind collecting some of the reward cards on offer, just so I have some and - perhaps I will get lucky and pick up a gold or something.
It annoys me that I am enjoying this so much...
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
