One thing that baffles most newbies playing splinterlands is the amount of monster cards they will come across when they register and how to really go about it, it was one thing that really baffles be back then too because those cards are tasking and pricy also. Back then it was even hard because there were no renting system so we had to do two things, either we find people to delegate card to us which is very hard because they need those cards too and can't give them out for free or we get to gather money show how and start building the deck from there, for a long time, I had to play with the newbie starter deck given to us for days while planning on how to get my own collections.
Playing the game is fun but building your own deck is tasking but how do we go about it is the main question? as an average player, we have to fine ways to invest in getting those cards but the best way is to utilize the various earning method and use the earning in building your deck, splinterlands is more than a game, they introduced the write to earn program where you get to participate in 2 out of the 3 weekly challenges and get the vote on by the main splinterland account. Currently we have the Art contest where you can blog about your artwork related to splinterland, the social media challenge is also available to talk about things relating to splinterland and lastly is the battle mage challenge/engagment where you will be given things to talk about, doing this for a month will generate some funds for you to start building up your deck.
Even if you have the funds, what will you invest on? To me, the first thing you need to figure out is to know which element you love using and also what cards are really important to you when aligning your battle position or the kind of ability you love using in battle, then you can work towards the kind of cards you have to buy first. Back then, I had to build my deck based on the league/rank I prefer to battle in, we have novice, bronze, sliver, gold, diamond and champion and each have their minimum level card limit and that was what I followed to build my deck immediately after sorting out the kind of cards I use mostly in battle. I'm a water and death element fan and I love magic cards a lot so I started buying every low price cards I can come across with anything I earn from my splinterland blogging post.
Also, It is best to invest in your favorite summoner first because they are way important in battle and the reason is that they determine the level of the monster cards you will be using in battle, even if you decided to rent them, it is of your best interest to keep build building your deck bit by bit till you will be free from renting certain cards and also get to play your game any time, with the look of things certain cards won't be available for rent at some particular level on a long run because major cards are getting cards, which means the weaker your collection, the more chance of getting defeated in battle, utilizing every earning method in the game to build your deck and play for the long run.