Catotune's Top Battles Rundown: Gold league, Modern format - Jan 30, 2026
In this series, I analyze the top battles of the day to reveal which summoners and monsters are most successful for a given league and format. What better way to improve our Splinterlands skills than to study what the best players are doing?
For those of us who buy, rent, or rent out cards, I'm also hoping that this series can inform us of which cards to acquire for maximum effectivenes.
Stay tuned for a new report to be published daily, each covering the top battles for a different league and format!
MODERNFor simplicity I threw out matches ending in draws and surrender - all data is compiled from wins and losses. Here are the results from 124 of the top Gold league (modern format) battles from Friday, January 30, 2026:
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Monsters with highest win rate
Grimbardun Smith - Neutral splinter
Win rate: 100.00% [4/4]
Grimbardun Smith is a Rare monster card from the Promo edition.
The card at level 8 achieved the most success during the top Gold league (modern) battles today, finding itself on the winning team for 2 games.- Grimbardun Smith performed ideally when used as the secondary tank (2nd slot) in the team lineup, where it saw 2 wins.
- You may want to view @chiefquimbysdad's battles to see how they defeated their foes 2 times with this card [1, 2].
- The lowest price for a Promo edition Grimbardun Smith card is $1.98 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
Thunderous Herald - Life splinter
Win rate: 100.00% [3/3]
Thunderous Herald is a Common monster card from the Conclave Arcana edition.
The card at level 10 achieved the most success during the top Gold league (modern) battles today, finding itself on the victorious team for 2 games.Kelan Gaines - Death splinter
Win rate: 100.00% [3/3]
Kelan Gaines is a Rare monster card from the Promo edition.
In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 8 achieved the most success, being a member of the victorious team for 2 games.- If you want to learn from one of the best, observe @chiefquimbysdad's battles, where they won 2 games using Kelan Gaines [1, 2].
- The lowest price for a Promo edition Kelan Gaines card is $0.95 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
Most winning monsters with at least 10 battles
(Excluding any monsters already featured in the "highest win rate" section above)
Zyrx the Emberglace - Dragon splinter
Win rate: 81.82% [9/11]
Zyrx the Emberglace is a Legendary monster card from the Conclave Arcana edition.
In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 3 achieved the most success, being a member of the winning team for 8 games.- Zyrx the Emberglace performed ideally when placed at the rear of the team, where it saw 4 wins.
- You could take a look at @escha's previous battles to see how they beat their opponents 2 times using this card [1, 2].
- The lowest price for a Conclave Arcana edition Zyrx the Emberglace card is $10.70 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
Blazebeard Merc - Fire splinter
Win rate: 73.33% [11/15]
Blazebeard Merc is an Epic monster card from the Conclave Arcana edition.
The card at level 5 had the most success in today's top Gold league (modern) battles, being a member of the winning team for all 11 games where Blazebeard Merc triumphed.- You may find it educational to take a look at @rokmeint's battle history, where they won 2 games using this card [1, 2].
- The lowest price for a Conclave Arcana edition Blazebeard Merc card is $0.64 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
Cavewise Wayfinder - Fire splinter
Win rate: 73.33% [11/15]
Cavewise Wayfinder is a Common monster card from the Conclave Arcana edition.
The card at level 10 achieved the most success during the top Gold league (modern) battles today, finding itself on the victorious team for 8 games.- Cavewise Wayfinder did best when placed at the front of the team, where it saw 11 wins.
- You may want to watch @lezshin28's battles to see how they defeated their opponents 3 times with this card [1, 2, 3].
- When used in combination with the Thick Skinned ruleset, Cavewise Wayfinder saw 3 wins.
- The lowest price for a Conclave Arcana edition Cavewise Wayfinder card is $0.05 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
Summoners with highest win rate
Reklah - Death splinter
Win rate: 100.00% [2/2]
Reklah is a Rare summoner card from the Rebellion edition.
In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 6 was most successful, winning all 2 games in which Reklah appeared.Cryptic - Water splinter
Win rate: 100.00% [1/1]
Note that while this card has a 100% win rate, it is based on only 1 match.Cryptic is a Legendary summoner card from the Rebellion edition.
The card at level 4 was used in one battle by @flauwy, which it won.- The lowest price for a Rebellion edition Cryptic card is $14.40 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
- The lowest price for a Rebellion edition Cryptic card is $14.40 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
Captain Frankie - Life splinter
Win rate: 75.00% [6/8]
Captain Frankie is a Legendary summoner card from the Conclave Arcana edition.
The card at level 4 had the most success during the top Gold league (modern) battles today, winning all 6 games where Captain Frankie triumphed.
Most winning summoners with at least 10 battles
(Excluding any summoners already featured in the "highest win rate" section above)
Fithe Bladestone - Fire splinter
Win rate: 66.67% [16/24]
Fithe Bladestone is a Rare summoner card from the Conclave Arcana edition.
The card at level 6 achieved the most success in today's top Gold league (modern) battles, winning 10 games.- It could be enlightening to take a look at @lezshin28's battle history, where they defeated their opponent 3 times with Fithe Bladestone [1, 2, 3].
- When paired with the Fog of War ruleset, Fithe Bladestone saw 2 wins.
- The lowest price for a Conclave Arcana edition Fithe Bladestone card is $1.57 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
Kaylia Silverleaf - Earth splinter
Win rate: 61.90% [13/21]
Kaylia Silverleaf is a Rare summoner card from the Conclave Arcana edition.
In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 6 achieved the most success, winning 12 games.- To understand the strategy of a top player, study @curvangle's previous battles, where they won 3 games with Kaylia Silverleaf [1, 2, 3].
- The lowest price for a Conclave Arcana edition Kaylia Silverleaf card is $1.38 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
Sheng Xiao - Dragon splinter
Win rate: 60.00% [15/25]
Sheng Xiao is a Legendary summoner card from the Conclave Arcana edition.
The card at level 3 achieved the most success in today's top Gold league (modern) battles, winning 11 games.
Splinters with highest win rate
Fire
Win rate: 52.94% [18/34]
Fire splinter had the most success against Dragon, beating that element 5 times in today's top Gold league (modern) battles.This splinter was effective with the Fog of War ruleset, where Fire won 2 times.
Fire splinter held its own in battles with mana caps of 16 or lower, winning 5 of those matches.
Death
Win rate: 52.17% [24/46]
Death splinter had the most success against Death, defeating its own element 11 times in today's top Gold league (modern) battles.This splinter performed well with the Wands Out ruleset, where Death prevailed 2 times.
Death splinter held its own in battles with mana caps higher than 56, defeating the enemy in 5 of those battles.
Life
Win rate: 50.00% [22/44]
Life splinter had the most success against Life, beating its own element 7 times in today's top Gold league (modern) battles.This splinter was effective with the Equalizer ruleset, where Life won 2 times.
Life splinter did well in battles with mana caps higher than 56, prevailing in 6 of those matchups.
Final thoughts
Please feel free to leave me feedback in the comments. If you are new to Splinterlands, then please consider using my referral link to get started! It is a ton of fun to play, and you can earn SPS and win NFT cards every day!
If you want to know where to buy or rent any of the cards listed in this report, I personally like Monster Market (not a referral link), a 3rd party marketplace that has a great user interface and pays you DEC back on purchases.
- Catotune
