All images in this post are my own personal screenshots taken from Splinterlands. Banner edited by myself
My favorite Conclave card: Yaba's Pickle
I know, I know. If I'm a basic bitch for liking this card and it's silly demeanor, lore, and developer touches. Then that makes me a basic bitch. I love this thing, it's one of the most "easter eggy" cards in GU and implments lore from Yaba's runi in a very fun way. Just to give some context here is the lore excerpt behind a spoiler.
Hidden Spoiler Text
Riklauniman Adrin’eth threw the door open without warning.
“Yabanius!” he shouted as he burst inside. “We’ve got a problem—”
At his cluttered workbench, Yabanius the Architect jumped in his seat. He hunched over, hands clutched to his chest and doing a terrible job of hiding… whatever he was hiding. His runi hovered at his side, its armored frame stock-still and silent.
Riklauniman’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” Yabanius’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “I mean… just… you know. Arcane research.”
“Uh-huh.” Rik folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “Doesn’t look like arcane research.”
Yabanius looked over his shoulder. Out the dusty window. At his feet. Finally, with a defeated sigh, he raised his hands from his chest.
In them was a pickle.
A scrap of purple cloth was draped around it like a robe. It was, Riklauniman realized, the same fabric as Yabanius’s own robe. Two glowing, googly eyes (which looked disturbingly like Yabanius’s own) stared out at him.
Rik’s jaw dropped. “What… what is that?”
“It’s a…” Yabanius hesitated. “An experimental construct.”
“An experimental construct.”
“Yes. Yes! For espionage. A stealth… uh… reconnaissance device. To infiltrate the Conclave Arcana’s ranks.”
Rik glanced at the runi, which normally held a large, brined pickle. But its gauntlets were empty. The runi lifted its shoulders in a shrug.
Yabanius leaned forward and carefully set the pickle on the workbench, balancing it upright. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the pickle did an awkward little hop and pirouetted on its end.
Rik stared. “You’re playing with your pickle.”
Yabanius’s face turned crimson. “I’m not playing with it.”
“It’s a dancing pickle.”
“It’s a stealth pickle!” Yabanius snapped. “It could… deliver misinformation. Sow confusion.”
“It could maybe spice up a charcuterie board.” Rik shook his head. “I’m just gonna…” He backed away, slowly. “I’m just gonna go.”
He closed the door, leaving Yabanius seated there, red-faced, staring down at the pickle as it bopped and wobbled.
“Maybe a hat,” Yabanius murmured, reaching for a tiny scrap of cloth.
This lore is a bit silly but wholesome and humorous. Simply put, I like a little wholesome humor where the devs poke fun at themselves and the way they feel about "creating" in splinterlands. @yabapmatt did a great job here and I love his quirky little personal touch on Splinterlands. I like how down to earth Yabanius is in his own personal card description, he's not some all powerful god being or ego trip. He's a wizard constructing, creating, and adapting to the world around him. There definitely seems to be a connection between the man himself and his character, and much less heavy handed ego-tripping than many dev eastereggs I've seen in videogames. Yaba definitely tied his ego's shoes before they left the house because it certainly isn't tripping anytime soon. Great card by a great guy, what's not to love?
Yaba's Pickle in the Arena: How good is it in a fight?
This card is actually pretty good in various lineups, not the best neutral I've seen but still very strong. I mean how strong did you expect a dancing weaponless pickle? This card is mostly a blocker. It's a fine and dandy blocker for physical damage (this card gets shredded by magical damage). The abilities all fit with the lore, this is a subterfuge espionage pickle. It's not soloing any battles, and that's fine. Still makes itself a tanky addition to many lineups.
Talking Tidbits: The Splintervibes is a banger
This song by splintervibes is a banger and another reason I enjoy this card. Every time I've streamed Splinterlands recently people have wanted to hear this absolute slapper, and for good reason. I dig it, I know it's AI generated and have my qualms with it as a musican, but I still dig it. It's a fun song with a good energy and I can't help but think of this song whenever I see this card. It's just another reason to love Yaba's pickle. Thanks for checking out this post everyone, this is a sortof quick one on why a silly pickle is my favorite conclave card. In short, it's because it's awesome. One random commenter will receive 1 SBI sometime after this post pays out and will be notified in a reply comment. I'll see you folks out there in the Splinterlands, ideally with a freshly brined pickle added to my collection. Cheers
The pickle is a banger. I love mine so much I bought it a sexy new skin to wear
I like the pickle but only have it at level 5 at the moment, sees a bit of play in my deck but probably should use it more
Thanks for sharing! - @rehan12
