RE: Splinterlands Spellbook Starter Experiment - How Much Did I Earn ....

but it's a different game down in Bronze and Silver, there's a handful of rare and epic cards which pick up buffs early on which are worth going for

I can confirm this as a Bronze player. At least for the season end rewards today. I received only one card out of nine chests, and that card is a gold foil level 2 Twilight Basilisk, which is a rare dragon monster, and this card is currently worth $20 USD.