Hello Splinterlands community, summoners old and new. This is dc3ntr4lzd, with my second post, and it deals with one issue that I find is an important one and needs to be addressed for the better.
Ever since I started playing Splinterlands, one of the most amazing and helpful features of this new digital ownership game is the rental market.
The fact that I can tap into a vast pool of cards for rent and boost my card power to grow and achieve higher leagues is, in my opinion, a real game-changer in terms of potential for brand new players.
Especially when the prices required to own a modest deck will go into the hundreds and possibly thousands and a lot of new players will not have any such capital to buy into the game at this steep entry point.
Yes, card delegation and scholarships are also great ways to get into the game, but for lone wolf and independent players who want to go to the beat of their own drum, the rental market is exactly the kind of resource that facilitates this.
I'm one such player, and the rental market allowed me, a noob and unseasoned summoner, with very few cards earned in bronze league rewards, to profit from other players' extra cards and build a competing deck to battle it out with others in the Silver League III, where we enter as underdogs and can battle fiercely with our shiny new rented deck!
I always rent my deck day one of the season and go for full season rentals. This allows me to secure a full deck to get me through and will occasionally add cards at different times during the season as I tweak and expand my deck
This is great, because I can manage my expenses more easily and better control my strategic plan through the season.
The double edge sword of the rental market is its most important feature, the fact that it is a free market.
One aspect of this free market and as expected, is the fact that end-of-season rentals spike to absurd high prices, but as much as I dislike to pay high prices I fully believe and fully support players' given and immutable right to price their owned cards as they so desire.
And this post is not about the pricing of cards at end of the season. So no need for pitchforks, I'm not here to attack the high prices.
This is where this opinion post comes from and where the title will be explained.
The bad practice and I might add unethical, from card owners:
The cancellation of rentals the last 2 days of the season end.
This should never happen especially after a deal has been "agreed upon" when a player, like me, rents a card at beginning to mid season.
This is the most frustrating aspect of renting cards. Listen, I am all for a free market and high prices because demand is high and every owner has a right to charge what they deem is the right price.
But seriously, canceling a rental end of season, after I rented your card days earlier is seriously not cool and should be frowned upon.
This is how the practice might play like in the tangible world, imagine renting a car for the week, and right before the weekend of your rental, the company locks the car remotely and now you have to pay a higher price to keep using it for the weekend. Bullshit. This car rental company would immediately go out of business for the shady practice. It's totally unethical to change the rental agreement after it's been signed.
As a card owner, if you want to charge higher prices, you should have a better rental plan. Like putting your cards for rent 7 to 2 days before season end with the higher prices you expect people to pay.
But if you are renting from day one, then you should adhere to a renters ethical practice, an Honor code, and honor your rentals until season's end.
I know not all card owners are like so. I'm looking and salute you, owner of furious chicken who has not canceled my rental since my second season ;) much appreciated, you are a shining star.
So, hereby I would like to ask for a pledge, and code of honor to all card owners, old and new, big and small. To honor a rental card for the duration of time when a rental agreement has been signed into the blockchain, and never cancel at seasons end.
And then we can all enjoy a fair environment, with all the awesome benefits and rights that Splinterlands rental system and free market have to offer, where you can pay and earn, as it is an immutable given right, the prices you rightfully deem are deserved.
Thanks for reading and I hope we always strive to improve and become beacons of integrity, equal opportunity, and growth for all players new and old, big and small, as I am and will always strive to be as part of the awesome Splinterlands community.
Peace. DC3LZD