The Core Tokenomics of Splinterlands - A Study on DEC and VOUCHER 💸

Greetings Splinterlovers 💙

Once again, I'm back with a different post, but on the same topic as the previous one, as I want to explain all the tokens that form part of the game's economy. So, if you're in Splinterlands, you should know that there are two fundamental "Tokens" for navigating the game's ecosystem in general. These currencies are:

• DEC (Dark Energy Crystals): It serves as the main transactional token and one of the economic pillars of the entire game. It was previously the token received as a reward in qualifying battles, but was later replaced by SPS.

• VOUCHER: This token functions more like a utility token, but a "Premium" one, since you can use it to purchase exclusive assets in the game, basically items that you can only acquire with this token, a way of demonstrating commitment and confidence in what you want to purchase.

Knowing this means that they are not just coins; understanding their role is key to going from being a novice player to understanding the overall economy of the game. As I said in my previous post about the other two tokens relevant to the ecosystem, which are SPS and GLINT, if you want to learn more and not miss anything, you can read it HERE. Without further ado, let's get started:

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Tokens that drive the Splinterlands economy

The evolution of both tokens has been marked by considerable volatility. For example, DEC was originally conceived as an "Algorithmic Stablecoin," with the aim of maintaining a parity of 1000 DEC per $1 USD. However, as I mentioned earlier, its history has been marked by significant volatility, reaching quite high prices and vice versa, which highlights the challenges of maintaining "parity" in a market where volatility dominates. To combat this, the Splinterlands team has been creating many mechanisms that help DEC's tokenomics in a rather clever way, turning this token into a deflationary asset, which has really worked.

For its part, VOUCHER has transitioned from being a general discount token to an exclusive access token. This means that in the beginning, the $VOUCHER token was needed to access significant discounts on different assets that were in presale or general sale, such as packs from past editions, which was the most common use, since if you had this token, you could buy and acquire more "Packs" at a better price. However, today, its usefulness has been reoriented towards the purchase of high-value items or, in this case, "Exclusive Cards," such as the "Tasoshi Drakamoto."

This strategic repositioning of $VOUCHER prevents the cannibalization of DEC's utility and gives it a clearer and more precise market niche. In addition, the synergy between the two tokens has been strengthened to such an extent that they can now be exchanged within the game itself, which includes burn fees and liquidity fees that benefit the overall health of the economy and the utility of the tokens themselves.

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DEC VS VAUCHER

DEC (Dark Energy Crystals)

• What is it? The Dark Energy Crystal (DEC) is the main transactional token used within the Splinterlands game. Basically, the DEC's utility lies in serving as an asset with which you can purchase virtually any "item and/or asset" within the game, literally for any transaction, whether buying, selling, renting, or staking on "Land Plots" along with your workers. The DEC works for all of this.

• How do you earn DEC? You can earn DEC in several ways. The most common ones currently are:

• Selling or burning cards: If you have duplicate cards or cards you no longer need and don't want to wait to sell them, you can "burn" them to receive a certain amount of DEC in exchange, or alternatively, list them on the marketplace at a specific price, and you will receive DEC for that transaction.

• Renting your Cards: You can make your cards available to other players on the rental market and receive daily payments in DEC.

• What is DEC used for? DEC is not only earned in the manner mentioned above, as I said, it is used for practically everything, since it is also spent on everything you need to grow in the game:

• Buy cards and packs: It is the main currency for acquiring cards on the market or purchasing packs.

• Cards rental: To move up leagues or complete missions, you often need more powerful cards, so you can head to the card rental market and rent the ones you need, which is commonly paid for in DEC.

• Improve your guild: Contributing to DEC to improve your guild's structures gives you access to benefits such as more rewards or discounts.

• Buy potions: These potions help you find legendary cards, or failing that, gold foil cards that are currently "Black."

The DEC is the engine of the Splinterlands economy, making it a key asset for any player who wants to progress.

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VOUCHER: The Elite VIP Pass

What is it? The Voucher is a utility token in Splinterlands, but unlike DEC, it is not a currency that is earned by playing battles or completing missions. The Voucher is designed to reward players who have made a more significant investment in the ecosystem, and its main function is to give access to exclusive content and events.

How do you earn vouchers? The only way to earn Vouchers is by actively participating in the economy at a deeper level. They are distributed through a daily "Airdrop," meaning they are automatically given to players who do the following:

• Hacen Staking the SPS: SPS (Splintershards) is Splinterlands' governance token. If you have SPS and stake it, you receive a portion of the daily Vouchers Airdrop, proportional to the amount of SPS you have, so the more SPS you own, the more $VOUCHER you will earn.

• They own a "Node License": Validator node licenses are a way to support the game network. The owners of these licenses also receive a share of the daily voucher airdrop, or at least that's how it used to work. I'm not sure if this is still the case, because now the validator nodes and the SPS network are already up and running.

• What is the voucher used for? The voucher is very specific and highly valuable:

• Access to exclusive purchases: Its most important use is to purchase items that cannot be acquired with any other currency (special promotional cards that are published in the "Exclusive Store").

• Access to special events: Sometimes, vouchers are required to participate in special events or to obtain unique discounts on sales, at least that used to be the case, but for now I only see the "Exclusive Store."

In summary, while DEC is the everyday currency, the Voucher is the token that rewards loyalty and long-term investment in the ecosystem. It is the key to unlocking the most valuable and rare content in the game, making it a highly coveted asset for players. Although it currently only works for the exclusive store where we have only seen cards, I hope they add more "Assets and/or Items" to purchase with them. That would be great.

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Evolution of the Splinterlands Economy

In the past, DEC was the main reward for playing and completing daily missions. This system had an inflation problem, as a large amount of DEC was constantly being generated, so the selling pressure was quite strong on several occasions. Of course, there was also a lot of demand, but if anything happens in the cryptocurrency markets, it is that bearish trends are very prolonged.

To solve this problem and strengthen the economy in the long term, the Splinterlands team made a fundamental change: Now, the main game rewards, such as ranked battles, tournaments, and Brawls, grant SPS instead of DEC, making SPS the pillar currency for rewards within the entire ecosystem, with its own utilities and tokenomics, but ultimately combining into a robust long-term ecosystem.

What does this change mean for players?

• DEC becomes a utility token focused on "Burn": DEC is no longer constantly generated in the game; its value is now maintained by its scarcity and its use for specific purposes. As I mentioned, players obtain DEC mainly by selling cards or exchanging other assets, which makes it a burn and liquidity token.

• The VOUCHER maintains its role of exclusivity: Its function has not changed; it continues to be a reward for those who invest in SPS, and its purpose is to provide access to exclusive sales and items.

This change shows how Splinterlands is maturing as a Web3 game. Instead of rewarding simple activity with an inflationary currency, it now rewards long-term commitment and participation in the core ecosystem through SPS.

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Conclusion

As you have seen, DEC and VOUCHER are not just static assets, but pillars of a constantly evolving economy. DEC is the everyday currency, with a value that developers strive to stabilize in order to keep the game accessible. On the other hand, VOUCHER has established itself as a utility token for committed players, providing access to exclusive, high-value content. Their relationship, marked by market exchange and burn rates, is vital to maintaining a healthy and sustainable ecosystem.

For me, this "square" of tokens forms a very solid foundation in terms of economics. In fact, there is a reason why Splinterlands has prevailed all this time in a market of constantly changing narratives, which I think is pretty cool considering that it all started with a single "token." Look at how everything has evolved. I hope this post helps you understand everything about these tokens. If you have any questions that I can answer based on my knowledge, I will be happy to do so.