The Arcane Raffle is one of the most interesting things Splinterlands has ever done. It’s a completely different way to reward players from playing and investing in the game. I also think this was the best event yet because everyone who plays the game, whether you're a whale or not, assures that you receive something from the event. It's an event that I believe makes everyone feel good regardless of what is your financial status in the community and the game.
There's also new mechanics in this event incorporating the Land and the card game, which is nice. Instead of relying only on luck from pack openings only, players can now directly craft their raffle tickets using in-game resources and with the help of Land resources. This changes how we view drops, because effort and planning matters now more than before.
The raffle also ties into the new release of Yaba’s Pickle, making it feel more valuable than usual. Each raffle ticket already comes with a guaranteed Regular Foil, but that small chance to win one of only 50 Gold Foil Arcane cards makes every entry worth it. I think future raffles will keep following this system since it creates hype while still being fair to both smaller players and whales investors alike.
Yaba’s Pickle is a brand new limited time card release, launched as part of the Arcane Event Series. Unlike traditional card sets, it comes with three different access methods. First, SPS Stakeholders can claim a copy based on staked tokens, a second chance comes through crafting Raffle tickets, and the most exclusive method is the Black Foil Arcane Auction. Each method offers different levels of effort, cost, and reward.
For the first part, Yaba's Pickle will be sold for 150 DEC or 150 Credits. Each card bought has a chance to be regular, gold or black foil. Potions affect drop chances — Alchemy Potions double the odds for Gold, and Midnight Potions do the same for the ultra-rare Black Foil (1 in 2,000). This means that if lady luck really smiled on you that day, you may get a Black Foil Yaba's Pickle for 150 DEC.
The sale will only last for 30 days and only during this time can you pull Gold or Black Foils, making this a real limited event so you better get staking for a higher chance to get your gold and black pickles for 150 DEC each.
For SPS holders, a snapshot will soon be taken and players can claim 1 Pickle per 1,000 SPS staked. This rewards long-term investors while not blocking new players from joining via the other two methods.
After the SPS Stakeholder sale ends, after 7 days, the Raffle for the gold foil begins. It is a crafting-based lottery system that guarantees a Regular Foil per entry and a chance to win one of 50 Gold Foil Arcane cards. This event will run for 50 days.
Finally, the Black Foil Arcane Auction starts 7 days after the gold foil raffle event, offering 20 Black Foil Arcane cards through daily auctions. Players craft Auction Points to bid, and only the top bidder wins each day’s card. These Auction Points are burned if you win or returned if you lose. I think this structure is a test to see if exclusive bidding becomes a core part of high-tier card releases going forward. This one runs for 20 days.
Both the Gold Foil Raffle's tickets and the Black Foil Auction's points will require Aura, a resource that can only be obtained through Land.
The raffle system rewards planning, not just luck. You need 200 Aura, 10 Vouchers, and 200 DEC to craft a single ticket. That means players who invested in Land, manage their resources properly and participate maximize the game have a huge advantage. There's no limit on how many tickets you can enter either, which makes it more like a long-term investment than a gamble.
Each raffle ticket gets you a guaranteed Regular Foil Pickle, which means you never walk away empty-handed. This changes the way we think about risk in Splinterlands events. I think this mechanic could eventually replace some of the lower-value pack sales since it incorporates Land with the card gameplay of Splinterlands. Players are more likely to get involved if they feel like they’re always getting something.
Since only 50 Gold Foils are being raffled, one per day, there’s also this slow-build excitement. Every day at 10 AM ET, you check if your ticket won. The raffle becomes something you track daily instead of a one-time purchase. I think this daily rhythm might even keep player retention up during lulls between major updates. I just wish that in the future, Splinterlands can implement a rule where you can assign which days you can spend your ticket in advance so this won't become a chore instead of a prize. This feels like another version of a login system in some games where you had to login everyday to get prizes which becomes more of a chore the longer you do it.
Allowing players to choose which day they want to put their tickets on will make this event or mechanic less of a chore as they can do this on their day offs or just let the system do the raffle for them by staking tickets in advance and logging in once in a while for the results.
Staking SPS, crafting raffle tickets, or bidding in the auction has different pros and cons depending on your budget. Staking SPS is the safest and cheapest route if you already have SPS staked. It can give you 1 card per 1,000 SPS staked for a mere 150 DEC per card which is very cheap. I believe Yabapmatt chose this idea to ensure that all players at least gets 1 card for his card which is smart. To me, it feels more like a "Thank you for playing Splinterlands and continuously supporting the game" than anything else.If you're just looking to collect one or two Pickles, this is probably the way to go.
The raffle system has a better ROI if you have the resources, especially with the guaranteed card per ticket. Even if you don't win a Gold Foil, you're still building up a pile of Regular Foils which might go up in value later. I think some players will mass-enter just to farm Regular Foils and flip them in the market. It’s speculative but doable.
The auction, on the other hand, is for the big risk-takers. You’re burning 1,000 Aura, 50 Vouchers, and 500 DEC just to enter and only the top bid per day gets the card. I think it’s meant for collectors or whales who don’t mind overpaying for a Black Foil with a low mint. It’s less about ROI and more about prestige.
Overall, I think the gold foil raffle is the best option because it gives guaranteed cards, same with Black foil option, but for a lower price and still offers a shot at high-value Gold Foils. Although, personally, I prefer the SPS Staking simply because I cannot participate in the other two events as I don't have the Land yet that could produce the Aura resources.
The Arcane Event isn't just a one-time side activity. It might be a possible template for the future events. It gives more ways to get cards, make better use of game resources and keeps players more active. With raffles and auctions, Splinterlands made card drops more interesting. I think this setup lets them run cool events even without needing to release a full set.
This event could be a test for how Splinterlands can release high-impact, limited-availability cards outside the usual set structure. Instead of waiting for a full set every few months, they can do micro-releases tied to lore, abilities, or even community votes. I think we may start seeing mini-events that introduce a single card but with lots of layers around how you get it.
The auction and raffle mechanics also double as a way to burn DEC which helps control inflation in the game. Vouchers, DEC, and Aura now have use cases that matter. Players will likely plan around future events by hoarding these, especially if the next drops are just as unique. I think this signals a more healthy mini events that don't require releasing a whole set of cards.
This is unrelated to Splinterlands but I feel proud one of my drawings got recognition here in Hive.
@hiveartgallery/hive-art-gallery-bests-13
My Gigi Murin fan art got 3rd. Good job me!
Here's the link to my fan art post:
@slimeyph/judge-my-art-1-hololive
Hi, y'all. Slimey here, your jolly and gullible little blue slime. I got reincarnated to this world to better my art and join community challenges to get more practice and improve my skill.
Know more about me by checking out my introduction post
See funny vtuber clips and animations by checking out my youtube channel.
Support me by joining Splinterlands using my referral code.
Images are taken from Splinterlands, Drawn in Krita, Animated in Photoshop and Edited in Canva.
