What is the current “status” of “GLADIUS” cards in Splinterlands today—are they currently in use?

Best regards Splinterlovers 💚

I’ve been talking for practically a week now about what “Guilds” are, how to join them, their buildings, the importance of each one, an explanation of the Frays, and how to prepare for these types of battles based on your deck’s level and your personal playstyle. On another note, one topic I want to address—and one I haven’t discussed much—is the “GLADIUS” cards. But since these cards have been in the game for quite some time now, I’ve been asking myself a question—and in fact, it’s right there in the title of this post: What is the current status of the GLADIUS cards, and are they actually being used these days?

Well, in this post I want to answer that question: what is their actual strategic use in the game and in the current state of Splinterlands? I believe this set is showing signs of “stagnation,” and there’s a need for a new GLADIUS set with something more disruptive—something that shakes up the game and makes players fight to get them— as well as what new ability could have the same impact that “Bloodlust” had when it was first released, back when the GLADIUS cards were introduced.

So, if you want to know all about this and get many more details, stick around until the end of this post—it’s going to be really interesting, especially since I’ve come up with some great ideas about the “GLADIUS cards.”

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Absolute Mastery in “Gladius Cards” Brawls and Strategic Use in Ranked Matches and Tournaments

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In Guild Battles, also known as “Brawls,” GLADIUS cards remain the undisputed kings of these battles, This is because of how battles are formed within guilds; as I explained, these Brawls divide members into combat positions called “Frays,” and the vast majority of these allow the use of GLADIUS cards through the “Unleash” tactics of the “Barracks,” one of the guild’s buildings.

In this context, not having an advanced Gladius deck—though this depends on the “Guild’s” level— I mean its “Tier”—is equivalent to putting you at a massive disadvantage against the rival guild. Therefore, when a team fields a unit from the GLADIUS SET of the appropriate level against an opponent who doesn’t have any, the advantage clearly lies with the team that does, especially due to the power that unit can wield thanks to its innate ability called “Bloodlust.”

Now, there’s something else you need to understand: it’s not limited to “Guilds,” since the system has evolved over time. As a result, right now they can be used in “Ranked Battles” and “Tournaments,” which is what I’d like to explain next:

Strategic Use in Ranked Matches and Tournaments

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Outside of Brawls, GLADIUS cards are not natively enabled in regular ranked battles in Modern, Wild, or Survival formats; however, this depends on two key factors, which are:

• The “Are You Not Entertained” Modifier/Rule: When this rule is in effect during a battle, the system allows both players to summon a GLADIUS card to their lineup, which is great because you can take advantage of its power (Bloodlust)—one of the strongest abilities even today.

• Summoners/Archons with “Conscript”: Specific summoners with the Conscript ability allow you to summon a GLADIUS card into battle even in ranked formats, tournaments, etc.

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NOTE: When all these conditions are met, the so-called Gladiators enter the battlefield and their impact is still quite significant, although I must be clear: there are currently many ways to counteract the effect of “Bloodlust.” In lower tiers like Bronze and Silver, a GLADIUS card with Opportunity or direct spell attacks can win a match in as few as three turns if it manages to accumulate bonuses to its stats by defeating enemy cards.

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Stagnation and the Need for a New GLADIUS SET

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Despite the great power of the Gladius set, the reality is that it faces a very clear challenge: the passage of time and a lack of renewal. I believe the “Brawls” need a refresh.

Furthermore, since its release, the Gladius set has remained static while the main sets have evolved and will continue to grow as time goes on, In fact, if we stop to think about it, we’ve seen the release of Chaos Legion, Rebellion, and the current era of Arcane Conclave and Escalation—all of which have introduced incredible mechanics like Bloodline Dominion, Selectable Tactics, Apex Strike, Relentless Strike, Reflexes, and Decoy—while the famous Gladiators have maintained exactly the same 32-card lineup.

This lack of updates has two negative consequences for the economy and the gameplay of the guilds:

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• Merit Saturation Among Veteran Players: Long-time members of high-level guilds accumulate hundreds of thousands of Merits without any real incentive to spend them, since they’ve already maxed out most of their Gladius cards years ago. The only remaining option is to burn duplicates to earn GLINTS and spend them in the shops.

• Predictability in Brawls: Since only the same old cards are available, Brawl lineups have become repetitive, so experienced players already know by heart the best Gladiators for each element and how to counter them using modern abilities like Dispel to nullify Bloodlust, or attackers with Apex Strike and Relentless Strike that pierce defenses regardless of bonuses.

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NOTE: Splinterlands urgently needs a new release of Gladius cards exclusive to guilds—something like a “Gladius II” or an arena expansion that would completely revitalize interest in Brawls, reignite donations of crowns and DEC to guild buildings, and bring back the excitement of opening Gladius Cases for both veterans and new members.