I have noticed some strategy disrupting changes this season in Splinterlands and decided to document what they are from my point of view.
The ladder has been brutal for everyone. Fewer people appear to be hitting 4,700 for Champion 1. Newer players are starting to understand the game better. I have averaged 59-60% win rates each season and while I used to finish around 4,600, I'm only managing 4,500 now.
The highest ranked champion players are still fine. This is because they have alpha and beta cards which usually have a small benefit over untamed and dice cards. They are still averaging 80% win rates since they have full use of all cards. For example, most of us don't have the 2 mana summoner cards (i.e Xia Seachan), nor can we rent all the cards we are missing (i.e. Selena Sky) for the smallest % of battles that they are used for. But each battle at the top matters, since a win only nets 3 points, while a loss can set you back 30 points.
The lower ranked champion players are nipping at the buds of the middle tier champion players because of the power of renting. For a few DEC they can grab powerful cards such as the Prince Rennyn and Spirit of the Forest combo. Finally, they are introducing new strategies with the new reward cards. The below is an example, where 3 legendary cards that almost never see any play are used with perfect synergy with the Health Equalizer rule setting.
The MVP of cards this season I would say is Almo Cambio. He saw little to no play but has been in rotation much more often now in the highest leagues.
Any questions or comments feel free to chime in!
whitebears