In this series about the Steem Blockchain game, which is free by the way, called SPLINTERLANDS, I am documenting my experiences as I play and progress into the higher ranking leagues. Hopefully this will help others along in their journey into the Splinterlands as well.

Today I want to bring up two simple tactics that I am now currently employing as I journey through the battlefields of the SPLINTERLANDS. My overall quest is to make the Champions' League, but that will be a long term endeavor completed only through small conquests. In the meantime I plan to build up my SPLINTER (Steem Monster) arsenal in preparation for the higher leagues.

After the tragic news of Kobe Bryant's death on Sunday Morning I was suddenly sidetracked by sadness and retrospect. I absorbed the shocking news and immediately put out a wish hoping it wasn't so. I then followed that up with a tribute to Kobe Bryant, KOBE BRYANT will always be just one word; GREATNESS, once I realized that Kobe was no longer here on Earth with the rest of us.

After this post, reality began to truly sink in, and like many around the world, was saddened by the realization that this was no dream, and that the great Kobe Bryant was no more. In order to distract myself I literally went on a 24 hours SPLINTERLANDS binge. I battled and battled until finally reaching Gold League Level 1.

This is where the first tactic that I now plan to integrate comes in. It involves simply waiting for the right hours of the day to start battling. I began to notice this near the end of last season as I battled to make Gold Level 2. I definitely noticed it this past Sunday/Monday, when I battled nonstop. I did notice that as it got later at night in Asia, it seemed to get easier for me to win because the players and their SPLINTERS were not as leveled up as players during earlier hours. This idea was again confirmed this season as I now battled to make Gold Level 1. I was not able to win and level up into Gold Level 1 until it got late at night during the week in Asia. It could be coincidence, but I have now noticed this several times, and @revisesociology, a fellow Steemian who has been playing for far longer than I, also confirmed my theory that there are certain hours that are more conducive to winning. Therefore, for the newer players such as myself, I recommend finding that sweet timing spot in order to improve your win rate and climb higher up into the leagues. Remember, the higher up in leagues, the better your end of Season reward.

Now that I have a much better understanding of the game, the rules and some of the tactics to employ when battling, I have entered a few tournaments. At first I did not enter any tournaments knowing that I would simply be wasting my time, even if some of them are free. Now that I have leveled up a couple of my Summoners to Level 3, a few Splinters to Level 4 followed by many at Level 3 and have a decent understanding of battling tactics, I have proceeded to my second tactic to climb into higher leagues which is to enter some FREE Tournaments.

The first free tournaments that I entered were great experiences. The last few tournaments have not only been great learning experiences, but also rewarding in Dark Energy Crystals (DEC). There are many different types of tournaments, so pay attention to the rules. Many are free and some do have an entry fees but with bigger DEC rewards. I have already won 400 DEC in one free tournament and 200 DEC in another. I then use these rewards to pick up more Splinters to level them up which will then help in battles, and winning battles of course lets you rank up higher in the leagues.

I hope these ideas help you further along into the Splinterlands, and if you have tactics or other ideas to speed up the process into higher leagues, please be sure to let me know.

Also, remember SPUD X is just around the corner, and there are two SPLINTERS included in the main prize.

+++ @streetstyle

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