Splinterlands is agame where the slightest edge in a battle can be all the difference for victory. Having the best deck possible provides great opportunities to earn a win but the biggest difference maker when in a battle is often the level of the cards. But how do we level them up?

Step-by-step instructions for combining cards.

The Chaos Evoker is a Common card and therefore needs a total of 5 copies to level it up. The next level box will show the number of additional copies required to take it to the next level. In the example below we can see there are 5 copies in my Cards list. I can combine these cards by selecting the boxes of the cards I wish to combine. I can also use the ALL button to select all cards on the screen.

In the below image I have clicked on the boxes of the cards, selecting them and I am now ready to combine them together to level the card up.

I have clicked on the Green Plus combine button and I am met with the following screen. Check that you have not over-combined cards, and hit combine. If youaccidentally over-combine it is not necessarily an issue but it locks those extra copies in. For land in Splinterlands this wouldn't be a particular issue as it would give you extra power for land. But for playing, you would be wasting card copies until you level it up any further.

The benefits of leveling up cards, such as improved stats and abilities.

The battle below has some death cards which have been levelled up to gain battle defining abilities. Having these cards at higher levels gives me an opportunity to make the most of mana counts. I personally find this really important in lower mana caps as it typically provides additional damage, health or the important ability here or there.

Battle Link Here

Venari Bonesmith in my tank position has the Poison ability at 4th level which inflicts at 50% chance on the opponent. When poison applies, it inflicts 2 damage at the start of an opponent's turn. As a result of the Poison, my lineup is able to punch past the opposing tank more efficiently.

Riftwing is another card which is levelled up to Common level 5. At this level, it gains Backfire which inflicts damage to any attacker who misses. In the case above the sneak attacks by Uraeus miss forcing it to take 2 damage from Backfire.

At higher levels, Dark Arborist gains magic reflect which could have been useful but in this battle it would not have had an impact on the proceedings.

Tips for deciding which cards to prioritize.

Another example of the benefit to levelling a card up is my recent single BCX purchase of Possibilus The Wise, a Legendary summoner from Chaos Legion. One issue I have now is that the monsters I use are typically at the traditional "Silver Level" which is Common 5, Rare 4, Epic 3, Legendary 2. By taking Possibilus The Wise to level 2, I am able to maximise my full deck and abilities.

As long as your summoners are at the appropriate level which is indicated on their stats page, you are free to level up other cards. I would start by renting the appropriate level and then purchasing key cards. Or you could purchase the Summoners, level them up and then select your monsters to level up.

In my case I have rented a Level 5 Thaddeus Brood and this allows me to utilise all of the cards at my disposal to the highest levels available to me. Level 5 Rare summoners allow for 6 Common, 5 Rare, 4 Epic and 3 Legendary.

I levelled up Riftwing to Level 5 and then Venari Bonesmith to Level 4 as shown in the battle above.

Use the Stats page and look through the abilities for each of the cards you want to level up. You can see the relevant stat pages below here:

Strategies for acquiring extra cards to combine.

There are several ways you can find the missing cards you wish to level up. I personally go through the Splinterlands market tab. Select the card you wish to purchase and sort the cards. I tend sort by price if I am buying single copies and Price/ BCX if I am buying multiple copies.

The alternative method which I have used at times is to use @Peakmonsters at Peakmonsters.com.

Once I am logged in using my Hive Keychain, I navigate to the market tab and I can choose to purchase by clicking Buy or Bulk Buy.

The next screen presents the option to buy the card you have selected and shows the abilities and stats along with the cheapest purchase price to achieve that level. If you have one copy of the card already then you can adjust the Highest Level Card (BCX) to the number you require.

Levelling up cards is an essential part of success in Splinterlands and I hope this guide supports you to achieving success in your Battlefield endeavours.

Join Splinterlands:

https://splinterlands.com/register?ref=holdeck2

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How to invest without FIAT in a bear market? : https://peakd.com/hive-167922/@holdeck/how-i-am-investing-for-after-the-bear-market

Setting and redefining goals in a bear market: https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@holdeck/setting-and-redefining-goals-in-a-bear-market

Splinterlands Fire divider by freeztag
Splinterlands Icon Divider made by holdeck and available here
All card, icons, Splinter images and stats courtesy of Splinterlands
Ability and Ruleset blurbs taken from Splintercards
Splinter Element Icons taken from Splinterlands
I have reformatted them into PNG files which you are welcome to use here

(Please note that all prices were accurate at the time of writing, sourced from Peakmonsters.com).