What Ifs....

Since the start of the year, prices for one of the oldest trading card games have been climbing steadily. I still remember buying my first packs of Pokémon more than twenty years ago and how I wish I’d never opened them. Just a few weeks ago, the game celebrated its 30th anniversary, and card prices have surged even higher. Demand continues to rise, and it makes me wonder what Splinterlands could borrow from Pokémon’s playbook to achieve similar success.

Onboarding remains one of the toughest hurdles for digital trading card games. As many gamers and developers know, making Splinterlands easily accessible to the public is no simple task. Over the years, the team has tried various strategies to attract new players. The latest approach such as rewarding existing players for bringing in newcomers has shown promise. Even the free‑to‑play model using Foundation cards in the Frontier format has, in my view, been a major success.

The demand for Splinterlands cards in my opinion is not weak, but lack of supply. Many cards continue to be held onto due mainly in part that the values have lost a lot of value and or players simply believe in the game to hold onto the cards for much longer.

The charts above show steady daily activity, yet onboarding and market capitalization continue to trend downward. Could introducing a lottery for free spellbooks or welcome gifts help attract new players?

Another idea worth exploring is dynamic transaction fees. For example, if daily trading volume falls below a certain threshold, posting and transaction fees could drop to encourage more activity. Conversely, when trading volume spikes, fees could rise slightly to balance annual revenue targets. This kind of adaptive system might stimulate both buying and selling.

Now in its eighth year, Splinterlands has the chance to create its own “Pokémon‑style” frenzy around major milestones. The upcoming 10th anniversary could be a perfect opportunity to release legacy card reprints, drawing past players back into the fold. Imagine special collections or classic‑mode gameplay restricted to legacy sets—nostalgia made playable again. Long‑time fans could relive the early days while celebrating how far the game has come.

The most exciting part is that Splinterlands is decentralized. Rules can be revised, or even removed, through community voting. The future isn’t written yet, and with the success of TCGs like Pokémon as inspiration, Splinterlands has plenty of room to grow and innovate.

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