Notes from the First 2026 Brawl: A Quiet Fray, Noisy Results

Greetings, fellow Splinterlands warriors.
The beginning of 2026 opens with a ritual that always feels sacred for guild players: BRAWL. Not merely because of the rewards, but because this is where ego, strategy, and a bit of luck are tested together.

At the same time, the price of HIVE has surged close to $0.1 USD, making the timeline feel a little more optimistic. There’s also the classic hope that shows up every early year: may BTC keep improving. Let’s just pray for it—while continuing to play our cards.

This week’s Brawl felt unique. It was the first Brawl of 2026, and the results were… mixed. Personally, I achieved the maximum outcome. But at the guild level, the story was a bit different.

As usual, I was placed in Fray 12. My regular fray. A quiet fray. Not many other guilds filled it, so there were only 7 total battles, and only 5 matches were actually played. Out of those five, I managed to secure 3 wins, while 2 had to be let go. Not without reasons, of course.

Overall, the performance of the CLANFT guild deserves applause. We secured 89 victories with a total of 267 points—a solid number, enough to outperform many other guilds, even though we had to acknowledge the superiority of two guilds above us.

And the final result was still sweet:

The guild has won spoils of 40 Crowns in the latest brawl!
Each fully participating member received 2,000 Merits, and players with a spellbook earned 21.88 staked SPS.

Not an embarrassing way to open the year.

Now, about those two losses. One of them—honestly—was purely a technical mistake. While setting up my team, I realized—too late—that one of my rented cards had expired. In a Brawl, this feels like going to the battlefield without shoes. You can still walk, but you limp.

The other loss is more interesting to talk about. It was a kind of déjà vu, tied to my old story about the Drybone Barbarian. In this match, the opponent’s lineup was almost identical to one I had faced before. Only one thing was different: the tank. And that’s where my small disaster began. Once again, I personally experienced the brutality of the Drybone Barbarian. If only I had used it as well, perhaps the story would have ended in a draw—or at least with the same exact drama.

For those who are curious, the full battle can be seen here:

👉 LINK BATTLE 👈

Fortunately, I was able to handle the other three battles quite neatly. The strategy went according to plan, the cards supported it, and in the end I managed to finish first in the ranking among CLANFT guild members. A small but pleasant closing, even if not a perfect one.

As for Merits, the amount I earned this time still feels “awkward”—not enough yet to be exchanged for a Gladius Case. So I decided to be patient. My target is clear: collect enough for 5 Gladius Cases, then open them all at once. The sensation will definitely be better—like opening THR envelopes that you’ve held onto until a second Eid.

Beyond the numbers, cards, and rankings, there’s one thing that always feels warm about Brawl: team cohesion. A guild isn’t just about rewards, but a place to learn. Other players can directly see how strategies are built, how mistakes are discussed without judgment, and how victories are celebrated without excess. Brawl teaches us that losing is normal—as long as you’re not alone.

If I may give a short piece of advice:
stay active in your guild, pay attention to small details like rental durations, and never underestimate a single card—because one card can change the entire story.

See you in the next Brawl.
May our cards be kind, and the market be friendly too.

Talk about Splinterlands,
If you haven't tried out this fantastic game called Splinterlands yet, I invite you to Join.
It's free, but you'll need to invest in a beginning deck or buy gaming cards to gain real assets like cards and tokens.

---

If you already joined the splinterlands, and are looking for a place to grow. We need YOU. We are a chill, social guild looking for a few more active members! If you think you might be a fit, join us in our Discord