August 2021. I was on holiday in Turkey with my future wife, enjoying one of those chill, no-rush vacations in a small traditional hotel. Just us, the sun โ๏ธ, and the pool ๐๏ธ. I remember the moment clearly: I was lounging on a deck chair, checking my crypto portfolio on CoinGecko โ as one does when relaxing, right?
I had started investing in crypto earlier that year, around March 2021. Nothing crazy, just DCA'ing into some coins. That day, while scrolling through CoinGecko, I stumbled across an article about a game called Splinterlands. And my reaction?
WOW. ๐คฏ
I've always been into strategy games, RPGs, card games, board games, comics, Dungeons & Dragons โ fantasy is my kingdom ๐โ๏ธ. You could probably guess it from my house pictures, haha.
So I went straight to the Splinterlands website. From my phone, with spotty hotel Wi-Fi ๐ถ, it was honestly a bit overwhelming. I didnโt really understand everything right away, but it didnโt matter. I bought the Spellbook ๐, jumped into a few matches with ghost cards ๐ป, andโฆ I was hooked.
I remember wondering if I should buy some Orbs ๐งช, which were on sale at the time. In the end, I didnโt โ mostly because I couldnโt tell if it was a good investment or not. But from that moment, I never left the game. ๐
๐ My First Real Investment: Chaos Legion
My first real money into the game went into Chaos Legion. Nothing huge, just a few hundred bucks overall ๐ต. But thatโs where it started.
As time went on, I got more into it. I decided I wanted to climb to Silver League โ so I started buying a few BCX here and there, opening some packs ๐, building slowly. When CL prices dropped, I took advantage and managed to build myself a solid Gold deckโฆ and eventually a Diamond deck ๐ (with a few holes, sure โ but it was competitive).
Each purchase, each upgrade, each little trade felt like part of a bigger journey. I wasnโt just collecting cards โ I was building an arsenal. An identity. A name on the battlefield. โ๏ธ
๐ The Riftwatchers Rush
I went hard into Riftwatchers. Maybe too hard ๐
. I didn't fully realize that CLโs low market prices would end up impacting RW card values, but hey โ I wanted the cards. I needed them to compete. And in a game like Splinterlands, knowledge is power, but so are options. The more cards I had, the more flexible my strategies became ๐ง .
Thanks to a bit of flipping with some Gold Foil cards and grinding tournaments, I eventually secured a full RW set. Not the smartest financial move? Maybe. But from a playerโs point of view, it was 100% worth it.
You can't put a price tag on dominance ๐ช.
๐ฐ The SPS Grind and My Big Move into Rebellion
In the meantime, I kept stacking SPS, DCAโing every time it dipped ๐. I believed in it โ still do. Through thick and thin, FOMO and FUD, I held the line. It became more than a token; it became part of my commitment to the ecosystem ๐งฌ.
My first big (relatively speaking) investment was Rebellion. I went in for about 5,500 packs ๐ฏ (unfortunately only 1,400 in the presale... sigh ๐). Still, I consider that the true turning point. Thatโs when I stopped thinking like a casual and started acting like a whale ๐.
Now, Iโm proud to say Iโve got a full Modern collection, including all promos โ yes, even our beloved Heloise, the queen of hauntings and heartbreaks ๐๐ค.
Every match, every new ability, every mechanic added by RB โ it reminded me why I love this game: it evolves, just like we do. ๐ฅ
๐ฎ Whatโs Next? Conclave Arcana and the Road Ahead
Since January, Iโve been planning and executing my strategy for Conclave Arcana ๐ฏ๏ธ๐. Thatโs a story for another post โ but letโs just say: Iโm going all in ๐ฃ.
This time, I'm not just collecting โ I'm curating. Hunting for Gold Foils, Black Foils, and legendary combos that will define the next meta ๐งโโ๏ธโจ. Watching the market like a hawk ๐ฆ , predicting the shifts, anticipating the synergies. It's not just gameplay, it's chess with monsters โ and I plan to be five moves ahead. โ๏ธ๐น
The arcana is being revealed, and I intend to master its secrets.
โค๏ธโ๐ฅ Why I Love This Game
What thrills me about Splinterlands isnโt just one thing. Itโs the gameplay ๐ฎ, the investing ๐, the card market ๐ผ, the pack openings ๐. Itโs the community, the lore ๐, the constant evolution ๐. Every time I crack open a pack, I feel the same excitement I had over 20 years ago when I first opened Magic: The Gathering boosters. That rush, that what if, that heartbeat skipping on the rare ๐โจ.
Splinterlands brought back that magic โ and gave it a Web3 twist. ๐ธ๏ธ๐
Some people chase profits.
Some chase leaderboard glory.
Me? I chase the thrill. The grind. The game. The legend. ๐ก๏ธ๐ฅ
And Iโm not done yet.
What an awesome post @meredorn!!! I love to see not only your excitement for this set, but also to see your progression from day 1! This is exactly the type of story that people need to know, you not only have purpose with your actions, but you do it because you see a bright future!
I love this and will be sharing it with the team too! โค๏ธ
Thanks a lot Dave! I am amazed by the fact that you liked and shared it. Let me tell you that it was really made with the heart even if, obviously, it could have been much better. I am still learning
Meredorn, you did fantastic! I can tell it was made from the heart and so can everyone that reads it! Its great because its real, your genuine thoughts and feelings were evident!
"I didnโt really understand everything right away, but it didnโt matter. I bought the Spellbook"
I enjoyed that process as well. No guided tours. Just a hack & slash through the jungle in search of adventure! Vonak!
Love your collection.
Yeah, hard in the neginning but pretty rewarding later when some lights turn on in our head ;-)
Similar story for so many people, yeah man, exciting times are coming for sure!
Yeah, I really feel it could apply to a lot of us!
Insane story! Youโre an inspiration, bro. Are you on X?
I remember opening that first MTG Ice Age starter and rushing out to buy some boosters, splinterlands gives me that now im a bit older and dont have to find time to sit in a store, sure i can do that with MTG Arena, but its the fact that the cards are mine that makes a difference - i wasnt going to carry on paying for digital assets on a companies server somewhere that could just disappear. The coming set adds even more excitement, never going to be a top player but a collector, thats a different matter.
!BBH
I am glad that my feelings resonated also in your experience. It is not only the adrenalyne, it is so good to have that feeling
Well done.
Next for writing you got to try some basic markdown techniques for better visibility.
This old post is still valid
https://peakd.com/tutorial/@carrieallen/ultimate-markdown-tutorial
Some basic html is also helpful for formatting.
So are you from turkey?
If he is from Turkey, I'd love to help him on his blogging journey on Hive. But I don't think so, maybe he just came for holiday โ๏ธ Turkey is a heaven for holdiay lol
Yeah I came several times on Turkey but only for holidays. I am Italian. In any case thanks a lot for the help!
You are welcome, let me know when you come to Turkey and maybe I can host you and buy you a coffee!
That reminds me to finish my Venice post.
I am very fond of Italy. Where in Italy you call home?
I come from a samll city called Forlรฌ, it is close to the more famous cisties of Florence, Ravenna and Rimini. A place mainly recognized for nice food and nature. Also, we are close to the sea.
Thanks for sharing! - @azircon
Hi
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STOPI have been a part of this amazing game since before there was gameplay. I have played the game since the launch in 2028. It is great to see you being active on the social side of HIVE. There was a time my @splinterlands portfolio approached $100,000 few years ago. This was the time of SPS launch along with DEC depegging to the upside. Many things have changed. I think we have one of the best DAPPs in the world. It is realistic for us to expect to beat a game like Axie Infinity. I'm looking forward to a new influx of players and and new All Time High.
Thanks for your comment. Indeed, a lot of changes went through but most of them are extremely positive and bullish I would say. I do not know if we can go back to the previous heights. In terms of market cap, I would say yes. What is sure is that now we are in a much better and more sustainable position than 2 years ago.
Even meeting the previous marketcap should bring us a 10X return from current prices. We have better tools to keep players around for long term. That is where we messed up during the previous market cycles. Overall this is some of the most optimistic vibes I have seen from @splinterlands and I'm looking forward to seeing some serious growth very soon.
What a lovely genuine post! I still have a lot of love for the game as well. However, building a lot slower :)
Thanks a lot for your comment!
I am happy to see such motivation in your diversification of game assets on Splinterlands.
Thank you for inspiring more stakeholders to get more assets as Conclave Arcana
Peace
Thank you for your nice comment!
Impressive! Congratulations on all your achievements! Looking forward to the future. :)
Looking forward to higher goals! We can look at a brighter future
Complimenti per il wallet, ma lo sa il fisco? ๐คฃ
Ahahaha no non lo sa ma se non sbaglio finchรจ non si vende รจ tutto irrelizzato quindi intassabile LOL
Ah si finchรฉ non fai cash out nessuno sa niente ๐คฃ
Good luck with your Splinterlands journey and the way you presented it to us so beautifully is, in a word, amazing.
Thanks a lot for your nice comment
Very nice collection. Nice!!!
D&D, MTG, I like very much too. I used to play when I was younger, but as I got older I lost the friends I used to play with. It's hard for workaholic Japanese to get together at the right time.
Splinterlands is great in that respect, because you don't have to time your opponents or travel long distances.
And, of course, it satisfies my desire to own rare cards!
You know what we did? We decided to keep the monday evening for us guys. Playing D&D at my place is something we are thrilled about each week. Now being more than 40 there are weeks we cannot afford it but in general 3 out 4 per month we do it. It's not the 6 hours we used to, but still 3 to 4. And it is a way to be together and we really laugh hard.
It's a very good thing. I wish I could do the same. I think such time is necessary to lead a rich life.
But Japanese people are really bad at spending time and money. They go to work before the sun rises, and when they come home, all they do is eat and sleep. You don't know what you're working for.
I would like to spend more time on my hobbies.
Well for sure it is cultural... As it is for us to detach from work when we feel we accomplish it. Italians are peculiar in general (I do not want to talk about stereotypes) and we are naturally good at enjoying what we love. Obviously this lead sometimes to unexpected, unwanted and negative consequences... I always appreciated what I perceived as the mainly recognised Japanese mentality.
Oh, I'm sorry. Let's not talk about this.
I thought the writing was very nice. It was good to just tell you so.
I know, Splinterlands, and D&D are very enjoyable. Let's have fun.
I apologize... I just followed your comment that was on this topic.
That's so awesome to read Meredorn, it is cool to see people's story!
Hive is a great way to get to know the community you interact with daily on Discord, in a more personal way :)
I look forward to seeing more from you!
Thanks a lot! I think this is our first personal interaction even if I read you really a lot on the SPL Discord. I really appreciate your message! I was actually planning to do a post about my strategy for CA buy. But I decided to do it if and when it will be accomplished ;-)
Cheers Meredorn!
Here's to many more :)