How to Play Splinterlands

You can start playing Splinterlands right away without buying any assets or paying any money. The game can be played on Android and iOS devices as well as PC browsers.

Players get their first cards when they create their Splinterlands account. The game will give you 30 spirit-bound non-transferable cards to get you started and learn the basics of Splinter magic. You can also purchase card packs on the game’s marketplace or OpenSea.

Once the account is set up, the player will head to the Academy Training Arena where they begin the game tutorial. You can, of course, skip the tutorial if you're already familiar with similar games like Magic: The Gathering. However, we recommend staying for the tutorial as it gives you highly valuable pointers and advice regarding the gameplay.

In the tutorial, you’ll meet professor Lorelax who will teach you dueling and the art of summoning in battles. Winning battles in Splinterlands is crucial as it’s your way to rise through the leagues.

Take a Peek at the Battle

Take a close look at the pre-battle screen as you'll find valuable information about the upcoming battle and your opponent’s team. There's a timer for the pre-battle screen. So, make sure to get all the important info in time. The pre-battle screen will show you which element your opponent is going to use for his battle deck of cards. The game rules change with every new battle. The main variables to check out before every new battle are: Combat Rules, Mana Cap, and Elements.

• The Combat Rules: The rules may change the gameplay if your next battle is not standard.

• Mana Cap: This is the total Mana you can spend in the battle. Mana is the card value which you can see on the top left corner of your cards.

Mana Cap (Source: docs.splinterlands.com)

• Elements: Each battle specifies the type of summoning magic that you're allowed to use. In other words, what element cards you can use in the battle

Elements (Source: splinterlands.com)

Once you view this information, you can start building your team and choosing the battle cards.

Building Your Team for the Battle

Cards (Source: splinterlands.com)

The first card you must choose before each battle is the Summoner. The Summoner card determines the element of your team's magic. For example, if you choose a fire Summoner, this means that your deck of cards will consist of the fire element.

Choose the Summoner card from an element that you know can beat your opponent's element which you already saw in the pre-battle screen. For example, if your opponent chose the death element, knowing that the death element is slow, you can choose a summoner from a fast element like fire. Next, you start building your team based on the summoner’s element as well as cards from the Neutral units. You’ll also choose the cards’ position on the battlefield. This is where Splinterlands allows you to deploy and grow your strategic skills.

Combat (Source: docs.splinterlands.com)

The first spot on your team is the main card and this position is called the Tank. This position requires a strong card with a high Health level and a good Armor level to protect its health. Then, you can place cards in the second position that has good Reachability. Go on to build the rest of your team based on their different abilities and their suitability for each position and head to battle. Keep in mind that the Ranged Attacker requires distance from the Opponent. So, the preferred place to place your Ranged attacker is at the back position of your team. Last but not least, remember to add a card that can cure or heal itself and neighboring cards as well.

Once your team is ready, start the battle and enjoy watching it play out!

The Summoner of each team will give the cards extra power or speed before the team with the fastest element begins the attack. each card will take turns attacking. This is why you must choose a strong Tank for your first attack to be impactful.

Why is Splinterlands Fun?

Splinterlands is based in an ever-expanding universe where magic rules. For almost 1,000 years, the Splinterlands were ruled by a Wizards’ Council who governed and controlled the magical elements of the lands and, therefore, controlled the world. The magic of the Wizards’ Council controlled different elements. So, for example, a wizard who has the power to control the water element can control all matter related to water such as rain, rivers, seas, and even creatures that live in water.

Splinterlands cards come in 6 elements: fire, water, earth, death, life, and dragon. Each of these elements contains hundreds of cards of various monsters, fighters, and healers. Once the player chooses a battle, they get to choose the deck of cards that will enter the game according to the number of cards allowed in the chosen battle and the number of Mana. Mana is the magical energy of the cards and Mana Cap is the maximum amount of magical energy you can use in a certain battle. You can see each card’s Mana on the top left corner of the card. Once the battle starts, you’ll start to feel the excitement as you see the battle playing out in front of you. You have to stay focused even though you're not playing the battle card by card. Pay attention to how different element cards interact in battle, what the shields do, and how the speed or range of a card gives it special powers in certain positions. Focus is key to learning your way around battles and improving your card-picking strategy in the future.

The fun of Splinterlands begins with building your deck to enter a battle. This part requires the player to have and develop strategy skills. Splinterlands is quite addictive as the player develops their card strategies and increases their gains in the game and in real life by winning battles and earning Dark Energy Crystals NFTs. While there is a limited amount of cards that can be minted, the cards’ potential is almost endless as the players must combine similar cards to level up the card to increase its power and speed.

In-Game Currency

Splinterlands Credits ("Credits") are not part of the game's tokens but can be used to purchase in-game items. You may buy Credits with PayPal or other forms of cryptocurrency. Credits are a spending balance within Splinterlands. Credits are always valued at 1000 Credits = USD1.