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*A roadmap of my first six months playing Splinterlands*
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<h2>November 2021 — Learning the Game</h2>

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Sometime in October 2021 I found Splinterlands through [this](https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/09/19/how-i-made-12000-playing-a-video-game-on-the-block/) article which had me coming into the game with visions of riches falling in  my lap 😀  While my profile technically says I started playing the game in October, it was near the end of the month and I don't think I played more than a few battles before November rolled around.  

Unfortunately for me I also came into the game with zero knowledge of the blockchain.  November was spent not only learning the game but learning about NFTs, crypto and what is Hive? I have to admit that there were quite a few hurdles for a noob and not a clear road map for how to get over them.   

In spite of the hurdles I dug in and quickly purchased the spell book and learned how to earn a few credits each day.  This was still pre Chaos release so I spent most my time getting my backside handed to me by Alric/Oshannus/Wavesmith combos.  Eventually I figured out how to use Peakmonsters, after suffering through the terrible rental experience on the game website, rented an Oshannus and bought a Wavesmith. (Yeah not the best card to have been my first purchase, hindsight is 20/20 🤷‍♂). Spamming the combo myself allowed me to move up the ranks and even start earning some DEC.  I still didn't have a good grasp of the splinters, abilities or best strategies for various rule sets, but I was having fun making mistakes and learning as I went.
 
<h2>December 2021 — Joined a Guild and Stretching My Legs</h2>

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December saw the release of Chaos Legion and having not had the opportunity to purchase packs up to this point I dropped my first $100 into the game, bought 16 packs, and spent the rest on cards and rentals.  Once again in hindsight, I would have used that money I spent on packs on individual cards, but I have had a great time opening them as I gain enough potions and don't regret the choice.     

I joined a guild and was thrilled to have them as an additional knowledge base.  I was starting to get a better feel of the abilities thanks to the extra support, but was also struggling to learn the Chaos legion cards and new synergies.  Near the end of the month I made my first blog post, which I didn't yet understand would be an enormous boost to my gameplay.     


<h2>January 2022 — Training</h2>

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This is the first month I started keeping a closer track of my spending on rentals and purchases as well as rewards.  Season 65 ended the middle of January and I calculated I had made my first profit.  After calculating the DEC and rewards cards I had won, and subtracting out the rental fees, I was in the red a couple of hundred DEC.  I wasn't breaking the bank, but it was a great feeling to be playing a game and earning at the same time.  

This is about the same timeframe I entered  my first post into the weekly Splinterlands share your battle and social media challenges.  The payouts from these posts were going directly back to increasing my own CP.  

By the middle of the month I had raised my total win percentage above 50% and was consistently winning roughly 55% of my battles.  I was profitable both seasons this month and this was before I considered SPS airdrops or blog posting payouts.  Adding both of these into the mix and I was making some waves in the profit column.   

<h2>February 2022 — Building My Base</h2>

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At the beginning of the month I [rented up to Silver I](https://peakd.com/splinterlands/@candnpg/splintercards-data-mining-is-renting-to-a-higher-league-worth-it) and found the greater rewards didn't quite payout.  I didn't let this slow down my progress as I was gaining a lot more knowledge and was ready to start playing with some leveled up cards.  

Armed with a greater knowledge base and getting a better feel for my style of play I knew it was time to start building a strong base. The weekly Splinterlands contests, player giveaways and posts of my own content started bringing in rewards that allowed me to buy more cards.  

I developed a [list of Water](https://peakd.com/splinterlands/@candnpg/further-into-the-deep-my-plans-to-build-up-my-water-deck) and Fire cards that I wanted to level up and set a plan to use my game and blogging earnings to make it happen.  I started by leveling up Kelya to level two.  From there I leveled up the Water Chaos commons to level three, added a few important neutral cards, Diemonshark to level two and Torrent Fiend.  My foundation was coming together.     


<h2>March 2022 — Getting Stronger</h2>

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Having assembled my first leveled up splinter I was finding wins easier to come by.  I still struggled when Water wasn't available and set my sights on building up a second splinter.  By the end of the month I had earned enough to level up Tarsa and was now fighting with a level 2 Tarsa and Keyla.  

The neutral cards I had already leveled up made my Fire deck stronger as well and I used the same technique of upgrading all of the common Chaos Fire cards to level three.  Two summoners at level two wasn't a game changer, but it did make the daily grind a bit easier.        

I entered my first [tournament](https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@candnpg/splinterlands-tournaments-jump-in-and-try-one) and between guild brawls and tournaments I was discovering new ways to enjoy the game.  My new goal was to hit 15K CP and have the ability to reach Silver III without renting.    


<h2>April 2022 — Hitting My Stride</h2>

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I reached 15K CP by the middle of the month and I have finished the last two seasons with win rates over 60%.  I still make silly mistakes all the time, but I have found my understanding of what to play in various rule sets or mana counts comes easier and I'm comfortably climbing up the Silver ratings each season.  I'm not anywhere near the leader board at this point, but I'm confident going into many battles.  

I still have a long way to go, and am looking to now start building up a third splinter as well as continue to make my Water and Fire decks stronger.  Six months in I am still enjoying the game and am excited to see what the next six months bring.  I've raised the barbell above my head, now I need to increase the reps I can perform.  

<hr>

|My Stats from the First Six Months||
|-|-|
|Highest Rank|1102|
|Highest Rating|2615|
|Longest Streak|13|
|Total Battles|4534|
|Wins|2469|

<center><h2>🐲 START PLAYING SPLINTERLANDS 🐲</h2></center>

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/candnpg/23tkmmfmSaFBSC1HZ7fqmKqoJjagqhA6F9Nm2hhyQZf51FoxgYhzv57rn6G3kkou2SnsN.png

<center>[🐲 Splinterlands 🐲](https://splinterlands.com/?ref=candnpg)</center>


<hr>

<h5>Credits:</h5>

Thumbnail created by me at [Canva](https://www.canva.com/)

Terrible Stickmen drawn by me 😀
<p>
Thanks for reading!