Thoughts on Splinterland from a Yu-Gi-Oh player
A little bit of history
Honestly, this is just funny | Image courtesy of GIPHY
I've played Yu-Gi-Oh! since childhood but I only really took the game 'seriously' - as in I actually became aware of the meta - at the age of 16. At that point pendulums were being introduced, the community was in a frantic rave over how this new summoning method was 'broken', and the game was as chaotic as it ever was.
Fast forward to 2022 and things have changed significantly but some things never change.
The game now has links, master rule five had screwed pendulums pushing them to the fringe realities of the meta, COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the competitive landscape, but the game is still same in some regards; it's still chaotic.
But this post isn't just to discuss Yu-Gi-Oh!, and how it has shifted over the years, it's to discuss my thoughts on Splinterlands coming from Yu-gi-oh!
So where to begin but at the entrance?
It all begins in the beginning
Your average card game player | Image courtesy of Tenor.com
Let's break the ice. Card games cost money.
There's no getting around it, card games are notoriously expensive, especially when it comes to competitive scenes, and Splinterlands is no different. Now, Splinterlands is generous by offering some free cards for players to get a 'feel' for the game and honestly a lot of people lambaste these cards, but they're really not that bad. Honestly, I got to Silver 3, and would of made it to Silver 2 if the game did not have that god damn power barrier, in a day. It really is not that hard after you realise what cards to abuse.
The same cannot be said for Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh! is horrendously expensive. You'll see people on the Splinterlands discord complain about how expensive cards can get, and while it is true that certain cards are laughably expensive, it is not even comparable to Yu-Gi-Oh!. In Yu-Gi-Oh! you could pay hundreds of dollars to simply enter the competitive scene. And, when I mean simply enter, there are meta's where you literally have to fork up hundreds of dollars to stand a chance of winning in competitive tournaments. Compared to this situation Splinterlands is cheap.
Yeah, I said it, Splinterlands is cheap in comparison to Yu-Gi-Oh!
Now, that isn't to say that the price of cards in Splinterlands is cheap, it's just to say that in this comparative post - Splinterlands is the cheaper of the two.
Better to invest in Splinterlands
It is far better to invest in Splinterlands than it is to invest in Yu-Gi-Oh!. Why? Because the money making opportunities in Splinterland far out weigh the oppurtunities in Yu-Gi-Oh! Now, making money in Yu-Gi-Oh! ain't really that hard, but the initial investment can be outrageous, and the ROI can be even worse depending on how the meta changes and you'll only really figure the meta out after months of playing.
Does Splinterlands have similar constraints? Yes and no.
Yes, in that it can take months to figure out the meta in higher echelons of play and collecting the big cards can require quite an investment. But, the opportunities to make money are in abundance.
But money, while being an annoying aspect, is not the be all and end all of card games. No, what makes a card game flourish is the
Gameplay
Yu-Gi-Oh! outclasses Splinterlands in the realm of gameplay by a large margin. Yu-Gi-Oh! is exceptionally dynamic and allows for a ton of skill expression in almost every facet of the game. For instance, while the meta is largely dominated by a few decks, there is still opportunities for skill to be expressed in deck building. Often the top eight decks have weird/wacky card choices that ultimately decide the outcome of duels. Then, you have the fact that Yu-Gi-Oh! duels are extremely skill based. Sure, like every card game in existence, there is a certain aspect of luck, but I'd argue that is only like 40% of the duel. The other 60% is skill expressed through plays, plays that are largely dictated by knowledge of the meta, speculation on card choices, and making judgement calls.
Splinterlands has almost none of these things.
Splinterlands largely is luck based. Luck on what the game type is, luck on which monsters your monsters attack, and luck when you correctly guess what summoner your opponent is going to use. Skill expression is seen in card choices, knowledge of game types and overall understanding of the meta as a whole. Understanding the meta is, as it is in Yu-Gi-Oh, important because it allows you to make judgement calls on what your opponent may do. It doesn't really make sense, but if you've played card games - then it should.
What do I prefer?
Both. I prefer both. Why? Because they fill different things for me. Yu-Gi-Oh! fills an itch to play a competitive, strategic, card game. The time required to get good at Yu-Gi-Oh! is immense and when I have the time for it - I engage with it. Splinterlands is the opposite, its a silly, short, card game that I play because it doesn't take the majority of my time and I can make money out of it. The gameplay, while not being tremendously engaging, grows on you and it becomes a short blast to pass the time.
I recommend both.
Conclusion
Yu-Gi-Oh! is my first love. I'm always going to remember it fondly. And, while I take large breaks, I will always come back to it. Splinterlands isn't as deep as Yu-Gi-Oh!, the gameplay isn't deep, skill expression is really low and it gets tedious. But its good for what it is and that's all you need sometimes.
Sometimes we just need to appreciate what things are.
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