In this series, I analyze the top battles of the day to reveal which summoners and monsters are most successful for a given league and format. What better way to improve our Splinterlands skills than to study what the best players are doing?

For those of us who buy, rent, or rent out cards, I'm also hoping that this series can inform us of which cards to acquire for maximum effectivenes.

Stay tuned for a new report to be published daily, each covering the top battles for a different league and format!

For simplicity I threw out matches ending in draws and surrender - all data is compiled from wins and losses. Here are the results from 123 of the top Gold league (modern format) battles from Saturday, January 4, 2025:

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Thanks for hearing me out, and now back to our regularly scheduled program:

Monsters with highest win rate

1. Imperial Knight - Life splinter
   Win rate: 100.00% [4/4]
   

   
   
   Imperial Knight is a Common monster card from the Soulbound Rewards edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 10 achieved the most success, being a member of the winning team for 3 games.
   • Imperial Knight performed ideally when positioned as the team's tank (first slot), where it saw 4 wins.
   • You may want to take a look at @joubma's battle to learn how they beat their opponent using this card ^[1].
   • The lowest price for a Soulbound Rewards edition Imperial Knight card is $0.06 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

2. Commander Slade - Water splinter
   Win rate: 100.00% [3/3]
   

   
   
   Commander Slade is a Rare monster card from the 13 edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 5 achieved the most success, finding itself on the winning team for 2 games.
   • Commander Slade performed ideally when placed at the front of the team, where it saw 2 wins.
   • It could be educational to observe @radmal89's battle, where they won using this card ^[1].
   • The lowest price for a 13 edition Commander Slade card is $0.38 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

3. Anasth Soothsayer - Water splinter
   Win rate: 100.00% [3/3]
   

   
   
   Anasth Soothsayer is a Rare monster card from the Rebellion edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 2 achieved the most success, being a member of the victorious team for 2 games.
   • It could be educational to view @t4nk's battle, where they won using Anasth Soothsayer ^[1].
   • The lowest price for a Rebellion edition Anasth Soothsayer card is $0.87 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

Most winning monsters with at least 10 battles

(Excluding any monsters already featured in the "highest win rate" section above)

1. Naga Assassin - Dragon splinter
   Win rate: 72.73% [8/11]
   

   
   
   Naga Assassin is a Rare monster card from the Reward edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 8 had the most success, being a member of the winning team for all 8 games where Naga Assassin triumphed.
   • Naga Assassin did best when placed at the rear of the team, where it saw 6 wins.
   • If you want to learn from one of the best, study @leijun987's battle history, where they won 2 games with this card ^{[1, 2]}.
   • The lowest price for a Reward edition Naga Assassin card is $0.02 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

2. Coastal Sentry - Water splinter
   Win rate: 70.00% [7/10]
   

   
   
   Coastal Sentry is a Common monster card from the Soulbound Rewards edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 9 achieved the most success, being a member of the victorious team for 3 games.
   • Coastal Sentry performed ideally when used as the secondary tank (2nd slot) in the team lineup, where it saw 5 wins.
   • If you want to learn from one of the best, study @t4nk's battles, where they won 2 games with this card ^{[1, 2]}.
   • The lowest price for a Soulbound Rewards edition Coastal Sentry card is $0.07 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

3. Baakjira - Water splinter
   Win rate: 66.67% [8/12]
   

   
   
   Baakjira is a Legendary monster card from the Chaos Legion edition.
   The card at level 4 had the most success during the top Gold league (modern) battles today, being a member of the victorious team for all 8 games where Baakjira triumphed.
   • Baakjira performed ideally when positioned as the team's tank (first spot), where it saw 5 wins.
   • You may find it enlightening to watch @nickmann's previous battles, where they beat their opponent 3 times using this card ^{[1, 2, 3]}.
   • When paired with the Close Range ruleset, Baakjira earned 2 wins.
   • The lowest price for a Chaos Legion edition Baakjira card is $1.22 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

Summoners with highest win rate

1. Risqruel Drath - Fire splinter
   Win rate: 100.00% [1/1]
   

   
   
   
   Note that while this card has a 100% win rate, it is based on only 1 match.

   Risqruel Drath is a Legendary summoner card from the Rebellion edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 4 was used in one battle by @npieken, which it won.

   • The lowest price for a Rebellion edition Risqruel Drath card is $14.24 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

2. Eternan Brune - Fire splinter
   Win rate: 100.00% [1/1]
   

   
   
   
   Note that while this card has a 100% win rate, it is based on only 1 match.

   Eternan Brune is a Rare summoner card from the Soulbound Rewards edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 8 was used in a single battle by @brasileiracr7, which it won.

   • The lowest price for a Soulbound Rewards edition Eternan Brune card is $0.30 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

3. Pembrook Nymph - Water splinter
   Win rate: 100.00% [1/1]
   

   
   
   
   Note that while this card has a 100% win rate, it is based on only 1 match.

   Pembrook Nymph is a Rare summoner card from the Soulbound Rewards edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 8 was used in a single battle by @the-wizardman, which it won.

   • The lowest price for a Soulbound Rewards edition Pembrook Nymph card is $0.31 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

Most winning summoners with at least 10 battles

(Excluding any summoners already featured in the "highest win rate" section above)

1. Immortalis - Earth splinter
   Win rate: 73.33% [11/15]
   

   
   
   Immortalis is a Legendary summoner card from the Chaos Legion edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 4 had the most success, winning all 11 games where Immortalis triumphed.
   • It could be enlightening to see @serge100's battle history, where they defeated their opponent 2 times using this card ^{[1, 2]}.
   • When paired with the Maneuvers ruleset, Immortalis earned 2 wins.
   • The lowest price for a Chaos Legion edition Immortalis card is $4.08 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

2. Possibilus the Wise - Water splinter
   Win rate: 73.33% [11/15]
   

   
   
   Possibilus the Wise is a Legendary summoner card from the Chaos Legion edition.
   The card at level 4 had the most success in today's top Gold league (modern) battles, winning all 11 games where Possibilus the Wise triumphed.
   • You could take a look at @t4nk's previous battles to learn how they accomplished 2 victories with this card ^{[1, 2]}.
   • The lowest price for a Chaos Legion edition Possibilus the Wise card is $3.21 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

3. Grandmaster Rathe - Life splinter
   Win rate: 62.50% [10/16]
   

   
   
   Grandmaster Rathe is a Legendary summoner card from the Chaos Legion edition.
   In today's top Gold league (modern) battles, the card at level 4 had the most success, winning all 10 games where Grandmaster Rathe won.
   • To understand the strategy of an expert player, study @joubma's battles, where they won 2 games with this card ^{[1, 2]}.
   • The lowest price for a Chaos Legion edition Grandmaster Rathe card is $1.71 USD (Level 1) at the time of writing.
     
     

Splinters with highest win rate

1. Water
   Win rate: 60.87% [42/69]
   

   
   
   Water splinter had the most success against Water, beating its own element 21 times in today's top Gold league (modern) battles.
   • This splinter performed well with the Counterspell ruleset, where Water emerged victorious 4 times.
     
     

2. Dragon
   Win rate: 54.17% [26/48]
   

   
   
   Dragon splinter had the most success against Dragon, besting its own element 14 times in today's top Gold league (modern) battles.
   • This splinter matched well with the Four's a Crowd ruleset, where Dragon prevailed 4 times.
     
     

3. Earth
   Win rate: 53.33% [16/30]
   

   
   
   Earth splinter had the most success against Earth, besting its own element 7 times in today's top Gold league (modern) battles.
   • This splinter performed well with the Maneuvers ruleset, where Earth won 2 times.
     
     

Final thoughts

Please feel free to leave me feedback in the comments. If you are new to Splinterlands, then please consider using my referral link to get started! It is a ton of fun to play, and you can earn SPS and win NFT cards every day!

If you want to know where to buy or rent any of the cards listed in this report, I personally like Monster Market (not a referral link), a 3rd party marketplace that has a great user interface and pays you DEC back on purchases.

- Catotune