Up until the recent changes to the Splinterlands economy, I was a happy camper chilling in bronze. I run a main and 2 alt accounts manually and was enjoying the rewards. All that's changed and I made the conscious decision to move all my accounts into silver.
My Rental Strategy for my Alt Accounts
I thought moving all 3 accounts up to silver was going to be expensive and difficult. I was surprised, it was much easier than expected. It can get quite expensive though (about 150 - 200 DEC per day).
My main account didn't need much power to make it to silver and now sits comfortably in silver II gaining a ton of DEC and plenty of loot rewards every day. (We'll save strategies for my main account another day).
For today, we're discussing how to rent daily for accounts with ZERO power but over 1000 ranking.
This guide is for players who already have enough ranking to reach silver III. If you don't have a 1000 ranking yet, I suggest you read my guide on how to increase your rank from 0 to 1000 for about 10 DEC.
Rent for your Daily Quest Reward
You could rent out an OP team and just trash opponents, but honestly, it doesn't seem worth it. I base my rentals on my daily quest. This forces me out of my comfort zone and gets me to learn the other splinters and how to make them effective. It also lets you get that sweet loot every day.
Schedule your rentals for 1 day, and you'll only spend the bare minimum to succeed for the day. You don't want to overdo it with how expensive rental prices are right now. When tomorrow comes around, your rentals will be over and you can rent for the new quest.
At the time of this writing, the below deck cost 202 DEC to rent for one day. Was it worth it? You can skip to the bottom of the article to see my final results for the day. Or, keep reading to learn more about my Death Deck.
DEATH SPLINTER RENTING TIPS
So what cards should you rent? As someone who doesn't play death too often, it was quite difficult to come up with a good rental strategy. I ended up following a few basic steps to build a good team.
Time to Level Up
The time for renting level 1 cards is over. You should start looking at renting level 2+ or gold cards exclusively. These will give you a leg up on anyone playing low-level cards and they will quickly increase your power rating. Played gold cards also you a bonus for every win.
Don't overdo it though. You don't need max-level cards to win in silver III. Renting them would be a waste of money at this level.
Start with the Summoners
You'll need summoners. Luckily, you won't have to splurge on the epic and legendary Death summoners to send your opponents to their tombs. If you can afford gold foil, go for it. You'll be playing one of the summoners every round anyways. If not, grab a level 2-3 summoner that will allow you to summon higher-level monsters.
Owster is essential and is your main defense against meta-water magic decks. Level 3 card, 560 DEC.
Zintar Mortalis was my second summoner rented. While you get him in the free cards, I rented a level 3 so I could summon better monsters. Level 3 card, 300 DEC.
You could also add a level 2-3 Contessa, but I was content with the 2 summoners for the day.
Time to Tank
Death has one of the best tanks in the game in Haunted Spirit. An upgraded one should be your first rental. After that, you'll need some meat shields to protect the low health damage dealers on Death.
Gelatinous Cube is a must in almost every deck I build for silver. It's so effective for so many different rule sets. From poison to no melee teams, the cube is a must rental. Gold foil is a plus as well. Gold level 4, 750 DEC.
Haunted Spirit is your go-to for low-mana fights. He's also extremely effective if the rules give melee new abilities like sneak or attack from any position. Place him in the last spot and watch the other team waste their precious attacks. Level 3, 300 DEC.
For high mana fights, you can't go wrong with Undead Rex. Place him in the front and watch him decimate the other teams. Combine him with Owster against magic and you will reflect so much damage to the opposing team. He's also great at one-shotting losers. Gold Foil level 3, 500 DEC.
The Gorloon is the perfect secondary tank. With 12 health and reach, he can withstand blast attacks and still attack from the second position. While he has high mana, it's still a great card for those 40+ or 99 mana battles.
Low Mana Damage Dealers
If you need to deal a ton of damage but have little mana, you're in luck. Death has some great damage dealers that cost little mana. There are some bargains out there that can quickly turn the tide in any ruleset match.
Twisted Jester is one of the most important free cards in the game and is even more effective when you upgrade him. Place him at the back to soak up damage from sneak monsters. Level 3, 300 DEC.
The Darkest Mage was the last card I added to this deck. After all the other rentals I still needed almost 9,000 power. Luckily, I found this Gold epic. At 2 mana, he can be used in almost any fight. Level 2, 10,000 DEC.
Theorosa Nightshade is another perfect low mana addition. Costing only 1 mana, she offers an extra source of magic damage. Level 1, 1000 DEC.
Finally, Fallen Specter is a beast! 6 speed, flying, and magic for only 2 mana? Hell yeah. This card will get played in almost every match unless it's poison or no magic. Level 1, 1500 DEC.
Support and High Mana Damage
Finally, we have the supporting cast. With so many low mana cards in the lineup, it was easy to add a few high mana cards to the deck. These cards provide ample damage and the ability to stay alive.
I found myself playing War Chaang in almost every match I could fit him in. With 8 health, he can stay alive. He also uses melee and ranged combat and is effective in any spot on the board. From rear tank to front tank, get yourself a War Chaang. Level 1, 200 DEC.
Sand Worm gives this death team a high-mana punch. This gold foil card can one-shot 90% of cards and has plenty of health to take a few hits as well. Gold level 3, 500 DEC.
Soulstorm is a fast and deadly ranged attacker. His snare and flight abilities make him essential for earthquake matches. Level 2, 1000 DEC.
The Final Costs and Tally
I know you're probably thinking, "dang, that's a lot to rent" and you're right. 15,000 power is no easy undertaking. Yes, you could just rent 1 gold legendary and be done with it, but does that help you win matches?
At the time of this writing, 1 Gold chaos legendary is 165 DEC a day to rent. The total cost for all the rentals I mentioned above is 202 DEC. For that price, you get an entire deck that is capable of winning with any special rules and against comparable level decks.
Are the rewards worth it?
After renting, I quickly finished my death quest. Going from 100% ECR to 78% ECR, I gained 437 DEC resulting in a 235 DEC profit. That's more than enough DEC a day to continue renting. Of course, I got 2 potions in my quest reward, but that doesn't happen every day.
Get Out of Bronze and Start Playing the Game.
I get that it seems daunting to get out of bronze. I was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago. But jumping in and heading to silver is so worth it. The game is more fun, you get to use all new cards, and the rewards are HUGE.
Thanks for Reading!
If you made it this far I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time out of your day to read my post. I hope it was informative and helps you make better teams in Splinterlands!
Do you have any strategies you'd like to share? I'm still pretty much a total noob at this game and death splinter especially. Are they any cards I missed or ones I should replace from this deck?
A little about me...
Currently based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I'm a solo-traveling digital nomad. Due to the pandemic, I've been living in Siem Reap for almost 2 years now. While I'm hoping to get back on the road soon, I'm not in a rush.
I'd love to connect with other travelers, digital nomads, gamers, or residents of Cambodia. Don't hesitate to say hi or send me an upvote!
You can learn more about me and my company at OneZen.me.
