A lot of small investors frequently need to rent to stay in higher leagues. Ideally, I’d love to own power rather than rent. I frequently find myself looking for deals for getting cheap power. So, what kind of cards are the best value? I took a snapshot of some prices the other day and did a little bit of analysis. Check out current prices at https://peakmonsters.com/market
Commons
When I looked, the Venari Heatsmith was the cheapest card on Peakmonsters.com at $0.03. I compared it with the Gold foil Heatsmith to see which would be the best value for buying power
| Monster | Foil | Price | Number Needed | Price | Power | Power Total | Power/Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venari Heatsmith Max | Normal | $0.03 | 400 | $12.00 | 5 | 2,000 | $0.006000 |
| Venari Heatsmith | Gold | $0.9 | 14 | $12.60 | 125 | 1,750 | $0.007200 |
POWER/PRICE is the metric I want to use. Lets you know how much bang you get for your buck!
The normal Foil is cheaper than the foil, as expected, but the difference is not that significant. If you are using the Heatsmith on a regular basis, the bonus DEC will eventually pay for itself. Bidding is a powerful tool to minimize the cost of your cards. If you don’t want to pay full price, look at the existing bids. If you can be patient, offer a price a bit below the max bid. The worst thing that can happen is your DEC stays in its coffers and you get more airdrop points!
The evening the snapshot was taken I placed a bid of $.025 for 400 Heatsmiths. Within a few hours I got my order filled! I can’t guarantee it will work, but its a great way to get cheap power.
Rares
The cheapest Rare I found was Exploding Rats.
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| Monster | Foil | Price | Number Needed | Price | Power | Power Total | Power/Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exploding Rats Max | Normal | $0.118 | 115 | $13.57 | 20 | 2,300 | $0.005900 |
| Exploding Rats | Gold | $3.005 | 4 | $12.02 | 500 | 2,000 | $0.006010 |
Surprisingly, the cost of Exploding Rats was almost identical to the Heatsmith Normal Foil. The price will always fluctuate a little bit, so there may be occasions when a rare is clearly the best deal. I was also surprised to see that the POWER/PRICE for Gold was similar to Normal foil. This would be a clear indication to buy the Gold Foils. Even if you use it sparingly in combat you could make up the price difference quickly.
Epics
Djinn Renova was the lowest price Epic I could find. There are a few Epics that could be very useful in game play, so its great to see the POWER/PRICE comparable to Commons and Rares
| Monster | Foil | Price | Number Needed | Price | Power | Power Total | Power/Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Djinn Renova | Normal | $0.61 | 46 | $28.06 | 100 | 4,600 | $0.006100 |
| Djinn Renova | Gold | $16.98 | 2 | $33.96 | 2500 | 5,000 | $0.006792 |
The POWER/PRICE cost for Gold is a bit higher than the Rare Gold, but a bit lower than the Common Gold. If you can frequently use the Epics, go for the Golds!
Legendary
Harklaw was the least expensive Legendary. For Gold cards, the individual cards will require a larger investment. The PRICE/POWER is the biggest here. The Legendaries may have more utility in combat, but, for me, I can’t justify the large initial investment.
| Monster | Foil | Price | Number Needed | Price | Power | Power Total | Power/Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harklaw | Normal | $3.35 | 11 | $36.85 | 500 | 5,500 | $0.006700 |
| Harklaw | Gold | $99.5 | 1 | $99.50 | 12500 | 12,500 | $0.007960 |
Conclusion
The lowest POWER/PRICE was observed with:
- Venari Heatsmith Normal Foil
- Exploding Rats Normal Foil
- Exploding Rats Gold Foil
- Djinn Renova Normal Foil
Due to scarcity, the Exploding Rats Gold Foil is most likely to appreciate. Might be the best investment!
Keep in mind that this was a static snapshot. Keep an eye on prices! It will fluctuate from time to time. You will also find that occasionally the lowest cost card Normal Foil may not always be the lowest cost Gold Foil.
Also, consider bidding for cheap power! You can save a decent amount. I tend to try to undercut the price by at least 10%. Look at existing bids and keep an eye on how you are moving in the queue.
I personally don’t see myself using maxed out Exploding Rats very frequently! :) I’d be willing to pay a bit more for a more useful card, especially a Gold Foil. If I’m more likely to use it, I’ll be making up the cost difference by earning that 10% Gold Foil bonus in combat.
Some cheap and useful Cards to consider that have comparable costs. Some may be niche usages (Little league, Earthquake, etc)
- Pelacor Mercenary – No damage, but Flying, Magic Reflect and Divine Shield can make it a cheap and effective little tank. Pair with Amplify?
- Pelacor Conjurer – Flying and Heal on this Monster works well in Earthquake.
- Venari Seedssmith – Scavenge can be clutch. Poison is nice too.
- Venari Bonesmith - Little League, Life Leech and Poison can really help.
- Lava Launcher – Nice Armor, decent Archery Damage, Close Range and Stun. Backline for Sneak defense.
- Uraeus – Sneak and Poison. Fits into Little League too!
Thanks, and hope you find this useful!
pictures sourced from Splinterlands.com unless otherwise noted
Tardigrade source: https://alien-ufo-sightings.com
Silver source: https://www.goodfreephotos.com/
Not financial advise
Excellent post. Love your 'cheap and useful' card list. Will feature/share this on my daily Splinterlands Digest post and on Twitter.
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