In this experiment, I start playing Steemmonsters with only a starter deck. I want to experience first hand what it is like to join the game at the start of season 6.
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A Starter Deck
I realize that we, as early adopters, have been spoiled. First, there were the free booster packs, which allowed us to level up our beta deck at no cost.
When the booster packs were canceled, we were able to collect tons of reward cards.
Since @steemmonsters has decided to lower the number of reward cards that would be given out for free, I started wondering how a new player would experience the game as it is now.
I couldn't wipe out my experience, but I did create a new account with only a starter deck in it.
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This was the first time I noticed that the Water splinter doesn't have a single magic card in the starter deck. I assume there will be a valid reason for that, still, I think it's a bit odd.
The Experiment
In season 6, players get a significantly lower number of reward cards, both for completing their daily quests and as a season reward.
I'm going to try to climb as high up in the leagues without purchasing extra cards.
I did set the rule that I can sell the reward cards I win or any of the monster cards that are in the starter deck to fund the purchase of other cards. In short, I am not going to invest extra money in this account, because I want to find out how a player that can't afford to do so, experiences the game.
Day 1
I completely forgot what it was like to play with only a starter deck. Because you only have a limited supply of cards, you got to work with what you have. This is not always easy, especially for the high mana games....
I had to complete my DQ with the Earth Splinters' starter deck cards. For some reason, this is one of my least favorite splinters. I must admit that I don't play it very often.
Let me remind you that the cards below were the only cards available to play. On top of that, I'm not used to playing level 1 games anymore. Adapting to an incomplete deck of monsters with only a few abilities, was a lot more difficult than I had expected it to be.
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I wonder what the reasoning behind the cards in the starter deck is. As you can see, the Earth splinter has - next to Lyanna Natura - 3 melee monsters in the team, and 1 magic.
The neutral splinter has three more melees...
Personally, I think it would be easier to win your first DQ's and learn the game if there would be a little more variation. But again... I assume there's a valid reason for this selection of cards.
Completing My Daily Quest
I didn't have any trouble winning my first three games, but once I had reached Bronze 3, my luck changed.
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In the end, it only took me 13 games to complete my daily quest. It felt more like 35. And the middle part was really frustrating.
Remember, I have been playing @steemmonsters for a couple of months now, so I do have some knowledge about the game and the cards. If you are completely new to the game, it will definitely take you a lot more battles to be able to finish that daily quest.
Also, if you look at the screenshot above a little closer, you can see that the number of players at the bottom level is pretty limited. Or maybe it is just a coincidence that I played @cherhorowitz 5 times.
Anyway, daily quest mission completed.
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My Reward
13 games and an hour spent to get rewarded with 1 card.
I think that if I would have been a new player and had spent a lot more time on completing that DQ, I think I might have considered it to be a waste of time.
How on earth will I ever grow this deck one card at a time????
I was excited to see what this 1 reward card would be. Would it be a cheap and useless Rusty Android? Or maybe the new legendary for the Water Splinter: the Ruler Of The Sea?
I got fairly lucky, though. It wasn't a gold foil Lord Arianthius - imagine it had been... - but still, it could have been way worse.
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The gold foil Wood Nymph currently sells on the market for a little under $1. If I can sell it quickly, I'll be able to buy quite some commons and rares to expand my deck.
You could help me out by checking the marketplace and buying that lovely golden nymph so I can grow my deck a little
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I'll keep you up to date about my progression in the game.
Not all posts will be as long as this one, but I'll keep you posted about my experiences as a 'newcomer' to the game...
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