Splinterlands - more than what you would think

Just looking at the title you are probably thinking SKIP, but just bear with me for a few seconds or in this case a paragraph or two. This article is not going to be filled with play-by-play decisions or how to improve your deck. Rather this article is more about the start of my journey with my best friend when I started visiting a new world with familiar traits from a world of past.

Now before we dive into the new world and the different journeys, we both have taken so far. I feel that it is only fair to tell a little bit about the past and how we have traveled to this point. We met each other a few years ago at university when we were standing outside of our common dorm having a smoke. At the time it wasn't unusual to smoke outside, and yet it feels like a different lifetime. After introducing ourselves we started talking and realized that we both had a lot in common. His room was right next to mine. Over the next few weeks, we all would go out for drinks, getting to know everyone better and having a great time. We often joke about it, but at the time it was hilarious to think that combined we had just enough things to put together a semi-functioning apartment. As all university/college students right of passage. A good example was the TV Xbox 360 combo. I had the TV and he had the Xbox.

After a few weeks, we were chilling in his room when he asked me if I knew magic the gathering.

At that stage, I never heard about the game as I came from a small farming community a few hours drive away from the university. I answered no and the next moment he pulled out a big box with 2 binders and a separate holder with extra cards out of his cupboard.

He started pulling out cards and showing the 3 different decks that he has completed and 4 other decks he was still busy with. All this was new, and it took a little while to understand everything that he was saying. His main deck at the time was an earth deck focused on regrowth with saprolings. A few times I saw that deck taking root and the moment that happened, we all knew that it was game over.

My style, back in the day, rotated why more to attack with an added retaliation element. If I couldn't beat, you into the ground with my attacks I would make sure that you felt pain if you would attack me. A little bit ironic if you look at the two different play styles. One of my favourite combos was getting one of my vampires out for 3 attacks with 3 defense after his ability was activated and it was combined with an effect from another card. It was this way that I was able to turn a 2-1 undead card into terrors of 3-3 or 3-2 card for the mana cost of 2. I say terror but at the time it was a huge thing for me.

The best part of this was because they were so cheap, when you had it set up you could really use it and punish your opponent who was trying to wipe you out. Knowing his deck so well I knew that I had to get rid of his little 1/1 saprolings creatures as they would form a barrier just taking hits after hits at some point.

Coming back, this was my introduction to one of the most played card games in the world. Many nights went past that we would play against one another, and I would be on the losing side if he was successful in keeping his saprolings alive from my attacks.

I fondly remember one night when 4 friends got together. Our friend was renting the biggest room in the house, and he had set up his room for a fun-filled evening. We ended up playing throughout the night with the classic golden boy anime playing in the background. All while we were shouting with either jubilation or moaning with irritation because of a move that had happened.

Fast forward 13 years and the landscape has changed a lot. Currently, I am in Shanghai, China as a teacher and he is a co-owner of a restaurant back in South Africa.

It is now where we come to the introduction of Splinterlands. After not speaking with each other for almost 3 months. Our schedules happened to line up and we were able to arrange a time for a catch-up session. He started mentioning this game that he and a few of the blokes back in South Africa started to enjoy and how they were focusing on earning SPS and getting the daily chest. What he was telling me sounded like a lot of fun and he thought I would give it a go.

Something that I do appreciate is that he did say to have look at a few videos on Youtube. Read some articles and after trying the game for a few battles. Then decided. I decided screw that and jumped feet first into it. I did this because, knowing my friend that comes from a financial background and that he will always investigate something three times over. He already decided that it is worth it.

He was right.

My very first daily challenge was to win using life leech. As with MTG normally you would find this in the life deck (white deck). My assumption was correct, and I found it. The only problem was I was losing constantly. I was trying to figure out why this was the case and why my monster would attack in a certain way or rather not attack at all. Having a little bit of Magic as a base, it helped me to figure it out quicker that I would imagine for a new player with no experience of any sort when it came to card games. I kept on trying to get the hang of it and before I knew it, As the evening progressed, I found myself more and more drawn to the death deck because of a monster called, cursed Windeku, that has thorns. This monster was turning the tide for me as I started climbing out novice and mixing it up in Bronze league 3. I quickly realized that, yes you can win a few games with the base cards but beefing up some cards and calling for reinforcements wouldn’t be the worst idea.

The next moment I saw that it was 2 am in the morning, everyone was sleeping in the house and I was annoyingly making comments towards the screen as I saw monsters attack again before mine could attack. I decided to call it the evening as I had to get up in 3 and a half hours to start getting ready for work.

Throughout the day I found myself thinking of different combinations, different strategies that I know of and what would transfer over from MTG. On my way home from work, I was sitting in the train on the metro and I was able to complete my daily task.

My very first card as a reward. I was super stoked. At first I though it was a rare card because of the blue but turns out it is part of the dragon deck. I was so excited to share this that I had taken a screenshot and had sent it to my friend.

It is here that we started sending voice notes throughout the day and evening as he was giving me advise on peakmonsters and monstermarket. Mostly talking about monsters but also him telling me about SPS. Nonetheless, I have convinced him to join me on this new journey and he will also be writing his own article as to how he got into Splinterlands. Before I end this rambling I would like to share just one more tidbit. The next day when I completed my daily chest this is what I got and of course, being happy about getting another card I shared this with him. As friends do. The sweet sound of annoyance that came back in the following voice note was absolute gold.

It is in these moments that I find myself being transported back to a simpler time before work, stress and all the responsibilities that comes with it. A time where you could sit around a table or on the floor, with a few friends there and trash talk all you want as long as you were winning the battle, because that is how it works between friends. Having a ball of a time and easily playing away a whole day.

Thanks, Splinterlands for making that a possibility.

Combining happy memories, good times, and some sweet, sweet trash talk with my best mate halfway around the world and bringing some delight and a sense of home to my apartment as I have been working in China and not being able to go home since covid 19 broke out. Looking forward to seeing his article and letting you guys know how this continues. If anyone wants to share some advise about their deck, some nice combos that they have found for the death deck or a funny story about their experience with cards games with their mates. Feel free to leave a comment. Because we all know that there is just something magical about beating a friend and having bragging rights.