Sakaba Game Report: The Allure of Splinterlands! A TCG Enjoyable Anytime, Anywhere with Players Worldwide
Hello, this is @hametaro_bcg from the Sakaba Research Team. Since I first encountered Web3 games in 2019, I’ve been delighting in the unique experiences only possible through blockchain and NFTs, playing games every day.
In this report, I’d like to introduce the charms of the trading card game “Splinterlands,” which I’ve played daily for over a year and a half. As of August 2023, Splinterlands boasts around 50,000 active players and allows for battles with players from around the world anytime and anywhere. Not only is it a Web3 game where you can earn, but it also captures the thrill of opening card packs, much like physical card games.
Table of Contents
- A strategic card game to enjoy in your free time
- Unpack card decks and trade cards
- Features that make it easy for newcomers
- Various ways to earn
- Passionate community
- Ecosystem involving third parties
- Conclusion
A strategic card game to enjoy in your free time
A significant attraction of Splinterlands is the ability to battle with players worldwide, regardless of place or time. While many digital card games offer location independence, Splinterlands’ gameplay system lets you enjoy matches that last just 2–3 minutes, making it feasible to play anytime given its vast player base.
The gameplay of Splinterlands is as follows:
<Step.1>
Check the battle rules.
*Note: This includes mana cost limits, battle rules (e.g., only odd MANA cards allowed, starting the battle with special abilities, etc.), and permissible colors (e.g., only red decks allowed).
<Step.2>
Build and submit your deck within the given time.
<Step.3>
Watch the auto-battle between the submitted decks.
By quickly completing Steps 1 and 2, you can even play during commutes or when waiting for a delivery. In contrast, turn-based card games often take longer, which can be inconvenient for both players.
Unpack card decks and trade cards
Please watch this video first.
Opening card packs is undoubtedly exciting and can be considered one of the quintessential joys of card games. Splinterlands offers an experience similar to physical card games, where:
- You decide how many packs to buy after consulting your budget.
- Ponder whether to open a pack or keep it sealed.
- Experience the thrill of hoping for a rare card when opening a pack.
- Decide whether to use or sell the opened cards.
- Sell duplicate cards or buy cards that didn’t come in your packs.
In physical card games, some players try to “cheat” unopened packs for rare cards, which can be disappointing for others. If you buy a pack after the cheat act, you will miss the rare cards that will not appear in it.
Since Splinterlands uses blockchain technology, it operates with high transparency. If you don’t get a rare card, you can only blame your luck, not suspect foul play.
Features that make it easy for newcomers
Often in Web3 games, a “first-mover advantage” can create high barriers to entry for newcomers.
In most cases, when new players come in, strong game items are not available, or if they are available, they are expensive.
Splinterlands addresses this by implementing a “format division” similar to popular games like Pokémon Card Game and Magic: The Gathering. This system ensures that by collecting the latest cards, even new players can compete fairly against veterans.
As of August 2023, Splinterlands has categorized card packs into four “sets.” The “Wild Format” allows for the use of cards from all sets, while the “Modern Format” permits only the latest two sets (Untamed and Chaos sets).
- α set
- β set
- Untamed set
- Chaos set …latest
Many digital card games often rebalance by weakening cards, but in Web3 card games, where “NFT cards are considered assets,” weakening a card is a tricky proposition. It can depreciate its value and lead to player dissatisfaction.
*Note: It would be acceptable to weaken cards if this potential was made clear from the start.
And Splinterlands determines the number of packs issued based on the number of players, taking into consideration that the cards from the latest set do not become too expensive.
Various ways to earn
In traditional paper card games and digital card games, the main way to earn money is to enter tournaments with time and location constraints and win prizes by finishing at the top. In Splinterlands, not only can top-ranked players earn rewards, but players can also acquire tokens or cards with every victory in ranked battles. Any player can intuitively experience Play to Earn anytime, anywhere.
There are also other methods, such as earning from card rentals, obtaining rewards through token staking or liquidity provision, and earning the cryptocurrency $HIVE by creating game strategy content on HIVE BLOG.
Passionate community
What surprised me about playing Splinterlands is that there’s a weekly AMA (Ask Me Anything). The development team frequently reports on progress and quickly absorbs players’ opinions. Players from around the world discuss daily, submit proposals, and make resolutions through governance votes. Thanks to this, I have no complaints about the management team and enjoy playing.
Ecosystem involving third parties
Splinterlands boasts a plethora of third-party services. For instance, the following services exist, which are invaluable for players as they provide features not offered by Splinterlands itself:
- Bulk card purchasing and rentals.
- Limit orders for buying cards.
- Automated rental price adjustment and management.
- Knowledge of card market prices.
- Bots that automatically play the game for you.
The reason for the proliferation of these third-party services is the ecosystem’s design, which allows third parties to generate revenue. When a card transaction occurs on a third-party market, the fees go to that third-party market. Bot services have a license token buy-out model, and profits earned by the bot are automatically distributed.
It’s also intriguing that indie games utilizing Splinterlands cards are in development. You can exchange tokens earned in those games for Splinterlands tokens and purchase Splinterlands assets, and vice versa.
This way, the Splinterlands ecosystem is naturally expanding.
Conclusion
You can enjoy battles, open card packs, buy and sell cards, and there’s a mechanism that’s welcoming for newcomers!
… To achieve all this, you don’t need to play Splinterlands. Just enjoy the Pokémon card game with family and friends.
You can play with players from all over the world at your preferred time!
… If you want that, just enjoy digital card games like Shadowverse.
So, why play Splinterlands?
You can enjoy the advantages of both paper and digital card games while also experiencing earning through the game. And it all boils down to “Is it fun to play?” It’s delightful to craft decks while reading your opponent’s strategy within certain constraints (mana cost limits, battle rules, usable colors).
What do you think? If Splinterlands seems fun or if you’re interested in the ecosystem and operational methods of a well-established Web3 game, give it a try!
Game Overview:
- Game Name: Splinterlands
- Genre: Trading Card Game
- Release Date: May 2018
- Official Website: https://splinterlands.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/splinterlands
- Discord: https://discord.gg/splinterlands
- Operator: Steem Monsters Corp.
