Hello there.
Having finished my review of the Rebellion reward cards, I will be shifting my focus on the changes and updates for the game. The Hall of Legends is still ongoing, and there is only a little over 4 days left for the current third pair. After that, we will see the 4th pair available. I'll probably make a review of the Hall of Legends cards I missed together with the new one coming up. But for this post, I am excited to talk about the SPL Auction House.
This is the first time that SPL has implemented something like this, and early on it already looks like this isn't for everybody. I like myself some auction action, and I've watched a good amount of Storage Wars to know how fun it can be to even just be a spectator. But unlike in a lot of those shows where one doesn't know what they'll get, this one is a single type of card.
Auction winners will get a max level Heloise card. Its stats at max level are mediocre for the cost, but it is the abilities that really make this card scary. The third ability, Spite, makes Heloise counterattack once killed. That in itself isn't bad, since counterattack is a better version than Retaliate where it can activate on other attack types. But what makes it OP is how it works with the 4th ability, Soul Siphon, where Heloise can come back to life multiple times.
Soul Siphon has a lot of text, but it basically revives Heloise with 100 percent armor and 50 percent HP rounded down, while also removing any debuffs and reapplying any buffs. The only downside is that it applies a Weary debuff to the highest HP ally and halves its HP. That means Heloise can revive for 5 times, and that isn't including any support resurrect abilities. So it can work with a lot of teams and is already OP.
That is why it is perfectly understandable that a lot of our whale players are spending a good amount of DEC to get a copy. 8 cards have been sold, and it is interesting to see different winners. As expected a lot of them are Champ players, and the card can definitely help them in their battles. I can imagine that as the card shows its power more competitive players will try to get their own copy.
There are 100 up for grabs in 100 days, with the 20th, 40th, 60th, 80th, and 100th cards being GF. The auction happening for 25 hours is pretty nice since it lets players from different timezones have a shot at sniping the card at the last minute. A lot of people were expecting the first card to cost a lot because it has the card ID 0001. But it is very encouraging to see the other cards going above 1M DEC as well.
The first card was very contested, while the 8th card was just between two people. Azircon is doing something interesting, and is actually gatekeeping the minimum price. From the 3rd card onwards, he has ensured the card doesn't go below 1M DEC. I think I've read he wants to get 4-5 copies since he has scholars as well. It will be interesting to see if he continues to buy after getting 5 copies.
In the discord, some players are speculating if some whales will be trying to hoard a lot of copies of the card. If the card turns out to be meta defining and a must have, the one holding a lot of copies of it can determine the sell/rent price. I don't really know how many whales we have, but I'm curious to see how long this 1M+ price can last.
The top 50 players of Modern are very competitive since they get a DEC reward for their placement, so I wonder if Heloise can be a deciding factor in a lot of these games. If it is, then a lot of the top players will be forced to get their own copy to stay competitive.
For those who can't afford the 1M+ DEC pricetag that is currently the norm, I think going for the cards in the 75+ range will be their best bet on getting a cheaper card. As things stand, I don't think this is sustainable. But if we get into a full on bull market where Alts and SPL tokens go up massively, then that is another thing altogether.
Overall, I think the auction is a very good event, both for the game and the players. It is something fresh and is a good way for the whales to use their idle DEC. The DEC goes to the DAO which can hold it and remove all those DEC from the circulation. This in turn can help start the flywheel.
That is it for analysis of the auction event. I don't have the funds to join it, but I will enjoy looking at how it progresses. Do you plan on joining the auction? Have you faced a Heloise yet? Don't hesitate to share your thoughts.
And as always, these are Not Financial Advice, and Do Your Own Research.
If you want to start playing Splinterlands, you can use my link:
Splinterlands Referral Link
Thanks for sharing! - @libertycrypto27
Thanks for the upvote.