Splinterlands is where people earn NFTs and get a chance to make money from playing their favorite digital card game.
The advantage of blockchain games is that they offer a way for players to earn cryptocurrencies and valuable NFTs. That is, they enable one to make a living from what they love doing—playing games.
Often, these NFTs are compatible with existing marketplaces meaning they can be swapped for cash and others.
As you would expect from an NFTs project, every other project’s operation is on the transparent blockchain.
Therefore, all moves are on-chain, giving the player an advantage.
Transparency equates fairness–and this is what blockchain advocates for since the very first project went live.
Splinterlands Background
The project first went live in 2018—and is effectively one of the earliest projects to utilize NFTs in their operations.
All trading cards are NFTs.
Therefore, as per the dictates of guiding standards, each card is unique and indivisible. And since the player has access, they truly own each trading card.
Access to the broader and fast-paced blockchain ecosystem also makes it easier for users to participate. Through Splinterlands, a wallet linked to the blockchain is automatically generated for every user who plugs in.
The Splinterlands project operates from the Hive blockchain—which is just as censorship-resistant, transparent, and way cheaper to use than Ethereum. It is perfect for online players considering that most are cost-sensitive.
Splinterlands riding on Hive. Therefore, it is a perfect combination, especially with interoperability with other chains like Ethereum, Tron, and NFT-focused WAX.
For players, Splinterlands is a simple-to-learn, skilled-based one-on-one game available on desktop and mobile.
While its foundation may appear simple, the game is incredibly complex because of the number of card libraries to choose from, the mana, and applicable rules. There is almost always something new to try.
This way, the card trading game is fun and rewarding.
From Splinterlands, players are paired depending on their rankings to battle out based on a unique set of fighting parameters. These include the other player’s details, match conditions, mana—which controls the number of cards you can place in each battle.
Once on set, a player creates a deck of cards. Each card has a mana cost, and the total number of costs has to be lower or equal to the mana level.
Afterward, the battle will begin, lasting for five minutes. Players engage as per the laid-out gaming rules, ending either in a win or loss. Playing off-chain is free.
Over 642k Players—and Counting
Some of its over 642k users—as per DappRadar statistics— have reported that the game isn’t boring or robotic as you would expect from some blockchain games.
The game is engaging yet challenging since you have to study it, the decks, the present, dynamic situations—all of which are variables which humans can discover.
Within its ecosystem, Splinterlands allows players to interact and purchase what’s required.
For instance, players can buy skins for better customization, cards, potions, land, dice, and more within the gaming universe, depending on what’s available and their specific needs. Notably, each of these items plays a crucial role in gameplay in one way or another.
As such, they are valuable and can therefore be traded, sold, or rented as NFTs. Players also have a chance of earning HIVE crypto by participating in the SplinterTalk social media community.
There are three main features of the Splinterlands game:
One, you can play anytime—for the whole experience, you need to purchase the Spellbook for $10, allowing the player to receive blockchain rewards. Splinterlands want every player to benefit from playing, knowing that their activity isn’t just about passing the time without compensation.
Two, for better asset liquidity, Splinterlands has linked its universe with leading marketplaces such as OpenSea, Monster Markets, and others. This is part of their ambitious plans of enhancing user experience and making the game even more rewarding. The link to third-party marketplaces is crucial as they act as dealmakers, providing various types of kick-backs. Thus far, over 15 ETH of Splinterlands assets has been traded on OpenSea.
Three, participating players can earn rewards from tournaments, quests, and ranked plays. Therein, they stand a chance to win. And this will be regardless of their trading experience, skill, or card collection size. When writing, Splinterlands has distributed over $1.5 million as tournament prize rewards distributed as cards of varying rarity, card packs, magic potions, and Dark Energy crystals (DEC)– a tradable, digital currency used to buy items in the shop. For every battle won, a player receives DEC—a reward that depends on the engaging tournament. However, you can speed up DEC earning by being part of a guild and participating in more contests.
The best thing about empowering players with #PlayToEarn is seeing so many of them pay it forward with new users. The way playing a game can positively impact so many lives is just incredible. Stay awesome #splinterlands community! You humble and inspire us every day.#sps #hive pic.twitter.com/7RpmGQSjDb
— Splinterlands (@splinterlands) October 27, 2021
Splinterlands Cards
As a card-playing platform, Splinterlands have four types of cards categorized on rarity, equating value. These are:
- Common cards
- Rare cards
- Epic cards
- Legendary cards
Each of these cards can be picked out by a user, and they can at any moment pick out valuable and scarce cards.
Most importantly, based on their rarity level and circulating supply, they qualify the holder for certain rights that can be advantageous in battle, boosting any critical statistics tracked in every battle.
An edge, adding to the over 46 capabilities typical players possess, can shift the tide in a player’s favor.
In total, there are over 283 cards—and they continue to grow—giving players a robust combination of variety. These libraries are available for collection, and Splinterlands continue to mint out more cards.
As of October 2021, the game’s creators have issued Alpha, Beta, Promo, Reward, Untamed, and Dice cards.
All of them were immediately sold out, revealing the level of demand from its active community. Even so, Splinterlands plan to release more cards to accommodate more users flocking to its ecosystem.
A user can now receive a free card by completing a daily quest that requires the user to complete a list of five simple tasks.
Alternatively, a player can wait until the end of the season—two weeks—to receive at least five chests.
Splintershards (SPS) Tokenomics
The SPS is the governance token of Splinterlands launching on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC). However, the Splinterlands game on the Hive blockchain would directly interact with SPS on the BSC via an oracle system.
Holders of SPS can determine:
- The DEC inflation pools
- Battle Setting
- Card balance update
- Quest, season, and leader-board rewards
- Types of Splinterlands’ sponsored tournament schedule, prizes, and setting.
There are 3 billion SPS tokens which would be distributed over 65 months.
73.33 percent of the total supply will directly benefit the Splinterlands ecosystem through airdrops, P2E rewards, or Staking/Oracle/LP.
Presently, holders of Splinterlands NFTs would receive a portion of 400 million SPS tokens (13.33 percent of the total supply) in an airdrop through to next year, August 2021.
Splinterlands Catalysts
- Splinterlands is rising with the rapid expansion of NFTs. As of October 2021, there are over 640k unique users, a 51 percent rise in the last trading month.
- The platform is also available on mobile and desktop, a convenience for players who want to earn and acquire valuable NFTs and SPS on the go. A combination of convenience and value are the tailwinds that would thrust its assets higher.
- Splinterlands is simple to use and one of the most interactive P2E blockchain games rewarding players. The rapid 5-minute duels are attractive, meaning its assets are also valuable as they are required for customization.
- The decision to launch from the Hive Blockchain could draw more demand for users searching for negligibly low cost of engagement while concurrently receiving rewards.
- Splinterlands continues to engage its community with tournaments and other rewarding activities. All this goes a long way in boosting its community which, in turn, draws demand for its NFTs. To illustrate, Splinterlands has distributed over $1.5 million of different rewards.
- The platform is also seeking partnerships. Their decision to strike a working deal with Yield Guild Games (YGG) is expected to draw more demand for Splinterlands. As part of the deal, YGG made an initial investment, acquiring some of Splinterlands’ valuable NFTs.
- To make Splinterlands even more exciting, the team is increasing the allotment of land available for sale. These are unique, investable assets that might potentially yield ultra-high ROI in years to come.
- Participating in the Splinterlands game universe can be a means of diversifying a crypto portfolio. Users can receive HIVE crypto as airdrops whenever they participate in some of their promotions. This is a boost for Splinterlands’ NFTs, raising its position.
- Holders of Splinterlands NFTs also receive valuable SPS tokens—a move that’s increasing demand for both assets—through an airdrop ending in August 2021.
- Splinterlands’ governance would soon be devolved once SPS is released. This means voting and all changes will be determined by token holders.
- A big chunk of SPS tokens is designed to benefit its ecosystem through incentives and other rewards. Besides, the SPS token provides an extra revenue stream aside from scarcity. NFT assets are now trading at a premium in various supported marketplaces.