I share all your thoughts about Splinterlands, I started recently (1 or 2 months ago) and although the first weeks were hard because I was adapting, now I find it a great game.
Although the main reason I got into Splinterlands was the playtoearn, nowadays I still play more for fun, how fun it is motivates me to want to climb positions in the league and reinvest in new cards to increase my power.
Competition breeds some interesting gameplay for sure, you ever play any tournaments?
Not yet, first I want to establish myself better in terms of cards and maybe then I'll try it, just to try it out haha.