Hello, Splinterlands friends and family! 👋

Today, as part of the Splinterlands Community Engagement Challenge, we’re going to talk about Scholarships 🎓. The idea is to explore what scholarships are, how you can get one, and how to properly set up both your account and your manager’s account.

I'm a fairly experienced player when it comes to scholarships; I’ve been playing this game as a scholar of sorts for years now. However, not all scholarships are set up the same way, so I’m sure others have had different experiences and opinions 🤔. In this post, I'll share my views and what I know about scholarships in general.

Stay tuned as we dive into this exciting topic! 🔥

Introduction: 📚

Scholarships are a big part of web3 games! 🌐 They provide an ideal way for people without assets to play and earn using other people's assets, sharing the rewards along the way 💰. In Splinterlands, scholarships (or account sharing) have been a part of the game since nearly its inception.

What’s changed over the years is that now it’s easier than ever to set up a scholarship securely, benefiting both the scholar and the manager 🔒.

Types of Scholarships: 🎓

1. Renting Cards:

One of the biggest debates in Splinterlands is whether the current renting system already serves as a form of scholarship 🧐. If you think about it, scholarships allow players to share rewards with the asset owners. That’s essentially what renting is—with the only difference being that rent is paid upfront 💸.

Using this system, cards get delegated for a set period to the renter's account, allowing full use of them in every aspect of the game 🎮.

Advantages:

• The renter has complete control over what they can do with the assets, whether that’s tournaments, brawls, ranked matches, etc. 🏆
• Renters can own some assets while renting the ones they’re missing, adding flexibility.

A good strategy for new players is to start with a traditional scholarship, using earnings to build their own account over time. They can then rent whatever they’re missing, allowing their earnings to increase as they gradually build assets 📈.

Disadvantages:

• Building an entire account solely from rented assets can take quite a while ⏳. Some assets might not be available for rent, making it nearly impossible to complete a full setup.
• Scholarships are often more flexible, allowing players to focus on specific areas like ranked, tournaments, brawls, or even land 🌍. The renting system, on the other hand, can feel like a commitment to using the cards in all areas of the game to maximize returns, which may limit flexibility.

2. Cards and SPS Delegation:

Another type of scholarship occurs when an asset owner delegates an entire set of cards for the scholar to play with 🃏. In return, the scholar will delegate the SPS (Splintershards) earnings from the account back to the manager 💎.

Advantages:

• This setup is very similar to renting, so the advantages are also quite alike. As a scholar, you’ll have the chance to build up your account with soulbound assets and jackpot prizes 🎉.
• For managers, this setup is simple and low-maintenance, as they only need to handle the card and SPS delegations without additional workload 💼.

3. Account Sharing:

This is likely the most classic type of scholarship in Splinterlands and many other games 🎮. Here, the owner provides the assets, SPS, and the account itself for the scholar to play with. The scholar simply needs to invest their time and skill into the game ⏱️.

Advantages:

• This setup has multiple benefits for both scholar and manager. Since the manager handles building the account, the workload for the scholar is reduced—they just need to play 👌.
• The manager can share an entire account, even providing the scholar with the active key 🔑. The account can have all assets delegated to it, with the scholar earning only liquid (from tournaments) and staked assets (from ranked matches).
• Scholars can focus on a single aspect of the game while other scholars or the manager handle others. For example, I currently play the @logantron account in tournaments but don’t play ranked or brawls on that account. My manager and other scholars take care of those aspects 🎯.
• This setup is particularly helpful for an experienced player like me who may not have much time to dedicate to ranked matches due to managing personal accounts for that.

Another huge advantage is the ability to track and control scholars effectively. By giving the scholar an active key, the manager doesn’t need to manually enter every tournament or transfer SPS 🌟. This is possible because Splinterlands allows two different keys per account, making it easy to see which key made each transaction. It’s a very cool and useful feature 🔍.

Disadvantages:

• For the scholar, a downside is that they don’t use their own account, so all soulbound assets earned remain with the manager’s account 🪙.
  • For example, when I used this system in ranked matches, the manager kept all cards and soulbound items. Thankfully, my manager was generous and compensated me with NFTs, but not every manager may do this.
• For the manager, a disadvantage is that they need a clear understanding of how Splinterlands’ key system works 🔐. The UI isn’t very user-friendly, and figuring out how the system functions can take some time.

4. Other Hybrid Types:

As mentioned at the start of this post, these are just examples of how scholarships can work in Splinterlands, but they’re not the only options 🌈. There are as many types of scholarships as there are players in the game 🎮.

There are even scholarship services, like the Balthazar Scholarship Program (applications are typically through their Discord), where scholars only need to share 50% of their SPS earnings with the manager while keeping everything else 💸. Other scholarships may involve different percentages or require a portion of any NFTs you earn.

The key consideration, whether you’re a scholar or a manager, is finding the right person you can trust 🤝. I've personally been a scholar for two well-known figures in this ecosystem, @royaleagle and @davemccoy. Both relationships worked wonderfully because they are incredibly honest people 🙌. At one point, I entrusted them with thousands of dollars, and they did the same.

Ultimately, scholarships are a matter of trust 🌟. It’s essential to remember that behind our screen names are real people with real lives, and a scholarship can be a fantastic point of connection. What starts as a scholarship can even grow into a friendship ❤️.

Conclusion:

Scholarships in Splinterlands offer players unique ways to experience the game, earn rewards, and connect with others in the community 🌍. For those without the funds to invest in assets, scholarships provide an incredible entry point, enabling them to play, interact, and earn without upfront costs 💸. For asset owners, scholarships are also highly beneficial, as they allow for passive income on their assets with minimal time and effort invested ⏳💰.

From renting cards to account sharing, each scholarship type provides both scholars and managers with a range of benefits and considerations 🎲. The key to a successful scholarship arrangement is trust and clear communication between both parties 🤝. As you explore scholarship opportunities, remember to choose a setup that aligns with your goals, abilities, and time. Whether you’re a scholar or a manager, these partnerships have the potential to foster strong relationships—and sometimes even friendships—that make the Splinterlands community special ❤️.

Happy battling, and may your journey in the game be rewarding and enjoyable! ⚔️🔥