Welcome to my second post in a series called Building A Splinterlands Deck. There have been some exiting changes since my last post.

Check out these new totals:

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In addition to the cards that I have earned/purchased, I also have the 'phantom' cards that were provided in my Splinterlands upgraded account.

If you want to see how I started this journey, check out Building A Splinterlands Deck (Starting From Zero).

Earned Cards

My kiddos love helping me open loot chests. Even as an adult, I rather enjoy the process. My list of earned cards is small, but every card counts as I work towards increasing my POWER.

GRAND TOTAL (EARNED POWER) = 80

Earned CREDITS

In my last post, I mentioned that I had earned 650 CREDITS. To date, I have earned a total of 844 CREDITS (650 + 21 + 14 + 7 + 3 + 146 + 3).

CREDITS are a Splinterlands in-game token. They can be used to purchase cards or packs. Since CREDITS cannot be used to rent cards, I have exclusively used CREDITS to buy cards. I have not been saving up by CREDITS to make larger purchases (personal choice).

Earned HBD (Hive Backed Dollars)

Most of my earnings have been as a result of posting on Hive. I even wrote an article called Why Every Splinterlands Player Should Post of Hive. In that article, I included instructions on how to convert HBD to DEC.

To date, I have converted a total of 3.3718 HDB into 2509 DEC. I have used most of the converted DEC to make additional purchases, but not all.

DEC can also be used for renting cards. I have rented a few cards so far and will rent more cards when it assists with my overall strategy.

My Purchases

As you can see, I have made a significant amount of purchases. Most of my focus has be on purchasing Rare Rewards cards. I have done so for the following reasons.

• These cards have a low 'cost to Power ratio.' This means that I get more power at a lower cost.
• Historically, I have believed Rare cards have extreme gameplay value.
• Reward cards are not included in the 'phantom' deck, therefore, I am diversify my deck.
• Reward cards cost less than others editions of cards.

Gameplay Strategy

Drake of Arnak (Dragon Summoner) + Cursed Windeku (Death Splinter with thorns) is still mighty combo.

I have been modifying the above lineup with Venari Bonesmith and Life Sapper. Both cards have the Life Leach ability.

The best defense against either of the above lineups (IMO) is Obsidian (Earth Summmoner) + Unicorn Mustang (Void) + other Magic attack cards.

Deck Development Strategy

I have not purchased any summoners at this point. For at least the short term, I am focusing on purchasing high value, low cost monsters. At present, I do not have enough leveled-up cards to require a level 2 summoner.

When I have leveled up more monsters, then I plan to rent level 2 summoners. Most likely, I will rent gold level 2 summoners are their POWER is higher.

The last Hive post I wrote will bring in about 8 HBD worth of liquid rewards. This amount is almost double the amount of HBD I have earned so far. I look forward to using these earnings to strengthen my deck

Current Standing

Based on RATING, I am at BRONZE II. At present, I will not be able to move to BRONZE I unless I purchase (or rent) enough cards to increase my POWER.

Final Thoughts

Starting from zero has been tough. Working with a less powerful deck has been challenging. The goal of this series is to show newer players that it is possible to develop a strong Splinterlands Deck without investing a lot of outside money.

DISCLAIMER: If you have the ability to invest outside money, strategic purchases will exponentially strengthen your deck and increase your ability to will battles.

Although I am starting this deck from zero, I must fully admit that I am not starting this experiment with zero knowledge or experience. I have been on the Hive blockchain for more than 4 years. I have been playing Splinterlands for more than 3 years.

I want to share my thoughts and the lessons I have learned during this process so that you can develop your deck as quickly as possible. You can start from zero too!

I Want To Hear From You

1. What is the next card you want to purchase?
2. What advice would you give to a newer Splinterlands player?
3. What do you like about my strategy?
4. What do you dislike about my strategy?

Thanks for stopping by!
@sumatranate (aka @splintersage)