Look mama, I made it to DIAMOND III

My Splinterlands journey is one that has been doused in sweat and tears, mostly sweat because of the heat and actually no tears but it was chipped in for dramatic effect.

Overcoming the Struggle

The truth is that I initially struggled with understanding how the game worked because first of all, this is my first experience with digital card battles, or any kind of card battles for that matter. So initially, I randomly picked the cards with the highest manna cost irrespective of type(Melee, Range or Magic) and just threw them into battle, then hoped for the best. It was hit and miss for the most part.

I also didn't know about the special abilities that each card possessed and yet again, simply just threw them into the fray. By the time I understood the difference between Melee, Ranged and Magic, I kind of knew what I was doing but to a very teeny wincy bit extent. However, I didn't have any strategy and yet again just threw everything into the fray to battle.

There also rules of engagement that I didn't pay any particular attention to, at least initially. I did notice that in some fights, certain cards and summoners weren't available but I assumed they were probably tired or wanted to spend time with their family or something. That was initially anyways, because now, I'm totally in tune with the beat and pick my team accordingly. Oh yeah, I also don't think "neutral" cards are useless anymore.

Devising a Strategy

After coming to terms with some of the basics, I pieced all this wisdom together to form a strategy based on the rules of the battle and the summoners available.

My strategy is pretty simple and one that I reckon a lot of people use as well because it is fairly obvious: I go with cards that favour my summoner's buff and one of the determining factors in picking my team. There are of course situations when the summoner's buff doesn't take effect based on the rules, and in those situations, I just go with my most powerful cards.

In ideal conditions, I'd have two of each type of fighter on my team; Two melee, two ranged and two magicians. However, if I'm using Stormbringer, aka Gandalf summoner, I use only one Melee and one Range, and 4 magic cards.

With the shear number of variations in terms of rules and manna cap for picking cards before battles, it is almost impossible to discuss strategy at length. Every fight requires a unique strategy and the key to excelling in battles is understanding the ability of each card and applying it to the situation.

Oh Well

I'm still learning every day and with every battle, I pick up new tricks that I can use to kick ass in ranked battles. My next target is to improve the quality of my cards, so I'll be able to go farther in tournaments and rise higher in the ranks. For now though, Diamond III isn't so bad for a relative noob.

Special thanks to @vcdragon, @mistakili, @penderis, and @clove71 for all the support and contribution to my journey.

Oh yes, one more thing, Happy Easter.