So many choices these days!
It's a busy job keeping up with all the things you can focus on in #Splinterlands these days. On one hand, that's good. A thriving in-game, on-chain economy needs multiple assets. Also though, it can get a bit overwhelming. Or is that just me?
Where to focus?
I mean, if collecting magical card battling NFTs is your thing, we got you covered. Old cards? New cards? Core set or promo? Voucher promo? Auction house promo? Or hall of legends promo? And btw did you want that in regular foil or gold foil? Don't forget about tokens too. SPS? HIVE? DEC? Maybe you are one of the lucky folks you bought into DEC-B? 😑 Or maybe you got some ETH and bought some RUNI NFTs, and then got some more ETH to then restake those as NFTs back onto our blockchain 😵 What about NODES? Gotta stock up on VOUCHERS too.
So many choices ... what to do?
You wanna be a cardlord? Those card were talking about above... rent them out. What about a shardlord? Rent those tokens out. Wait, did I mention liquidity pools? Or how about just a regular old landlord? In that case, we got what you need there too. PLOT, TRACT or REGION? Claimed or unclaimed. Surveyed or unsurveyed? Magical? Occupied? Mythic? In that case though, you'll also need TITLES, TOTEMS, TOTEM FRAGMENTS, GRAIN, and soon to be WOOD, STONE, ORE and probably a lot of other things I can't even think of right now. Just, let's not even talk about SOULKEEP, GLG and everything and anything associated with those projects.
Should I Just Buy Everything?
There's no denying it. Unless you want to buy everything all the time, then you've gotta think about where you want to focus in this game. Obviously everyone needs to be make their own decisions and let's be clear---a lot of people don't agree with what I'm about to say---but screw it, I'm choosing LAND and here's why.
Why Land?
In fact, some of the biggest whales have already packed shop and gone out of the LAND business. These were folks who knew their stuff and made well-reasoned assesmments on their way out the door. Basically---why they don't believe LAND will ever become a real thing. I won't rehash or even try to rebut those arguments here. Instead, I'll just tell you some reasons why I'm personally choosing to focus on LAND despite all the fear and doubt.
The Only Oil Reserve on Earth... Ever
What if you knew about the only oil reserve on Earth... the only one EVER. Would you want a piece of that? One of the main reasons I like LAND is that it's kind of like that. It's already 100% fully deployed and will never be printed again. It like a never-renewable resource. There will always be new cards and new card sets, but there will never be new LAND ever again.
Buy Low, Sell High: The Basics
One thing I'm sure you've heard before is buy low, sell high. At the moment, LAND selling near all-time low prices. That's mainly because our frikin player base is very small, so players are actually more scarce than LAND. That's bad 😭 and that's why you're seeing LAND so cheap. Also though, THAT is the opportunity. If you believe in the future of #Splinterlands (more on that below) and you believe in the "buy low, sell high" principle, then maybe you should consider buying land at these near all-time low prices.
Buying low, and sell high is usually a good thing!
Scarcity Switchening: You Must Believe!
Unfortunately right now, none of what I said above actually matters. Oh what? 😵 Wait hold on. I should say it doesn't matter ... yet. That's because, right now, the "SCARCITY" factor does not favor LAND. Like we said above, right now players are more scarce that LAND 😭 and that's not great. However, if you believe in the future of Splinterlands, you must believe that eventually at some point there will be a SCARCITY SWITCHENING. This is where we grow a more substantial player base, and LAND becomes more scarce that the demand from new players. If you DON'T believe in at least that basic fundamental principle---that we WILL grow our player base over time---then tbh I'm not sure if you should invest time or money into any aspect of the game. Having that belief is key! 💪
If we build it, they will come! You must believe 💪
So, I'm just going to assume that if you're still reading this, then you do believe in that fundamental principle---we WILL grow our player base over time! In that case, there should be, at some point, a SCARCITY SWITCHENING between players and LAND. Demand will increase and prices will rise accordingly. That's the basic thesis. It's really like saying 2 + 2 = 4. This is not rocket science, but it does requie FAITH in the game's future. If you don't have that, then probably LAND is not a good place for you to focus.
Immersivity and Engagement: More or Less?
Beyond just economic reasons, the other reason I like LAND has to do more with the player experience. I've read a lot of comments on discord suggesting that LAND is devoid of player engagement. All you do is "click a button once a week" right?
Pushing one button, once a week is not great player engagement.
FIRST yes, if all you do is login once a week and hit "HARVEST ALL" then sure, I agree. That's not a lot of player engagement. Also though, if all you do is login once a week and hit "HARVEST ALL" then perhaps magical virtual blockchain LAND might not be for you? There's so much to immerse yourself in with Praetoria. And social immersion is THE future of gaming. This is an entirely new magical world, all for us, with a practically unwritten story. If you're not fully geeking out about that? If that doesn't totally inspire you? You might consider other places to focus on, other than LAND and maybe other than this game.
Having fun in Praetoria, wish you were here!
SECOND over time there might actually end up being more player engagement in LAND. Especially compared to things like, the actual main game! 😅 Everyone already knows how I feel so I won't rehash it here. Just wanted to point out that LAND is one aspect of the game where (1) having just 1 account is actually an advantage over having 37 accounts, (2) there is no reason for bots or scholars unless you have truly, truly checked out, and (3) there is no place for battle helpers or any of those other outside tools that can negatively affect fair play.
Conclusion
All in all, these are the reasons I'm focusing on LAND instead of anything else right now. Let me know what you think in the comments 🙏 do you see it becoming more valuable in the future? Do you have faith in the future of Splinterlands? Or am I just a crazy believer?!