My first Splinterlands battle in a long time

It has been quite a long time since I played Splinterlands and while sitting on the loo this morning, I figured, why not? So I logged into my profile on my phone and setup a ranked battle.

I completely forgot about the thrill of setting up your team and anxiously waiting to see what your opponent throws at you. It is a pleasant feeling, I must add, and one that I have missed.

In the image below, you will see my team that ended up being brutalized by my opponents team. I was tactically outclasses in this battle of wits but that's what I thought would happen, since I'm just coming into the game after a long time.

The way the battle kicked off immediately I setup my team made me suspect that I was playing against a bot. Then again, it is of very little consequence to me, if it's a bot or human at this point because I simply wanted to play the game.

Conversations about bots have pervaded the mainstream for a while now and frankly speaking, I'm somewhere in the middle. Bots take away the human side of the game but at the same time, they keep things moving when people are offline and to me, that's equally important.

Anyway, at the bottom of the log, it's very crowded and there's very little margin. Very small tactical switches tend to have a bigger impact on the outcome of the battle, so you can end up in a long losing streak, if you don't straighten up.

I've been at the bottom of the ladder on a number of occasions and have also competed at the richer end of the table, so I have first hand knowledge of the differences. Back when I use to play, I'd say that it was much easier to win matches during the climb than it is to win at either end.

Like I said earlier, at the bottom of the log, it is an almost level playing field and even having a very expensive deck of cards doesn't really make a difference. Okay, maybe an expensive deck could impact the game somewhat because you have options but since everyone is at level 1 at this point, the value of your deck won't really make a big difference.

The value of your deck really shines through when you start breaking into Silver league. At this point, having monsters that are diamond or above standard means that you'll be battling in Silver league with assets that are overpowered in most battles.

By the time you get to Silver 1, you'll meet some resistance but having options in an expensive deck will eventually help you sweep all opposition aside. If you have a deck that's above gold league quality then the situation is pretty much the same as you'll easily sweep everyone out of the way.

Since the changes, I've not played in Diamond or champions leagues, so I don't know how it is there. I reckon at Diamond 3 and maybe 2, it'll be mostly Gold level decks that slid into Diamond league but by Diamond 1, you'll be meeting proper competitors that are all vying for Champions league.

It is at this point that the benefits of a valuable deck shines brightly. At the top of the ladder, you will need to combine every single thing you've picked up along the way to win battles because you'll be playing against players that aren't just players but investors with decks worth thousands of dollars.

It will take quite a while before I reach the top of the ladder again. Until then, I'll just continue to play at the bottom, where the margins are smaller and it is a level playing field.