Hello,
I see an issue with starter cards. I understand that the starter cards have to be given to players so that they have something to begin and a way to earn in Splinterlands. But I don’t agree with the current approach. A lot has changed in Splinterlands since I joined in 2020. I have seen highs and lows that have been interesting to be a part of. I want to detail what I think the current problem is and a way to potentially address it.
Problem:
Currently purchasing a spellbook gives you access to all the common and rare cards from the two sets active in the modern league. You’re rewards are nerfed for using starter cards, but at times securing the win is more than enough reason to throw them into your lineup. Securing the win will secure you some rewards based on rentals/ownership. However, it also discourages low level play because you have what is good enough at the low levels. I’ve seen starter cards still hold their own up into the gold leagues which is insane to see. There is no need to purchase some cards to either have a complete collection or a healthy pool of options to combat in ranked. I don’t agree with this and I think that it should be removed all together now that we have soulbound cards.
Proposed solution?
Soulbound reward cards are an interesting concept and I feel like the way to go for spellbooks and starter cards in the future. At the point and time that you purchase your spellbook you are rewarded with the full common and rare set of the currently in print soulbound cards. Instead of having core sets available to you out the gate, you only have the current soulbound cards available to you. This would include summoners as well so that you can play with the base set of reward cards. But it also gives you something that you can continously improve through reward chests. You cannot improve starter cards you have to buy the ones that you feel are more effective to your gameplay/gameplan. This would incentivize play and incentivize building up your collection. You would receive every future set of soulbound reward cards when they printed and this would continue as long as soulbound cards remain to be a thing in the game. Potentially this introduces too many summoners that is also why I am suggesting only every other set of soulbound cards has a summoner as we will always have summoners through the core/side sets.
Users will start to receive rewards for their time in the game and have a way to actively grow their account and hopefully and potentially unlock these cards if they so desire.
Ending thoughts:
Soulbound cards are an interesting way to incentivize people to continuously play and grow their cards and setting them up with 1bcx of all common and rare reward cards makes it fun (subjective) to continously play your account(s).