Upgrade Those Neutrals
Your Neutral Monsters can be used with any splinter, as such, upgrading them first is key to getting more consistent results across all Splinters. Here are 5 of my favorite Neutral cards to upgrade. Either because they are cheap and affordable, or because they are crucial to empowering other builds.
As usual, I will be focusing more on cheap and affordable newbie friendly cards. These are not THE BEST Neutral cards period. They are the best that a new player can afford to invest in and upgrade, and ones that will help them significantly in Bronze and Silver battles.
NOTE: Some of these values may change after, as these were written in advance, and the rental market has another big upsurge. They still should be 'relatively' cheap compared to the rest of the rental market.
Mantoid
A 2 Attack Ranged Monster with Snipe, this guy is crucial for a lot of Bronze-Silver builds, upgrading him gives him more Health and more Speed, for this guy in particular, the Speed boost is the most important. A Level 3 Mantoid is quite useful for any mid-high mana build in order to get just a little bit more damage on the backlines.
Costs: Level 2/3 Normal $3.78/6.50, Gold Foil: $10.70
Renting: Level 2/3 Normal: 0.14/0.38 DEC / day, Gold Foil: 5 DEC / day
Sand Worm
A 5 Attack, 1 Speed, 5 Health Melee monster with Sneak, he attacks the backline at an astouding 9 Mana cost. However, he's worth it in High mana battles where he shines, pounding the backline. His first upgrade grants him +1 Speed, a significant upgrade for backline attackers, and his second upgrade gives him +1 Health. Having this guy upgraded to Level 2 will give you an edge in sniping the opponent's squishy backline.
Costs: Level 2/3 Normal $5/20, Gold Foil: $14
Renting: Level 2/3 Normal: 0.5/2 DEC / day, Gold Foil: 12.5 DEC / day
Battering Ram
An Opportunity attacker with very low mana costs, his first two upgrades grant him +1 Speed, and +1 Speed, making him, at Level 3, a VERY fast attacker which can absolutely screw over teams in low mana blast rounds, for instance. He's also a very useful 2 mana pick for when you need a little bit more backline attack power.
Costs: Level 2/3 Normal $2.50/7, Gold Foil: $7.40
Renting: Level 2/3 Normal: 0.3/5 DEC / day, Gold Foil: 5 DEC / day
Gelatinous Cube
He gains 1 Health after somebody dies. He gains 1 Health for every level he upgrades. Eventually, he will get Regenerate. This is a card you should invest in for late game. He will help you tank in No Melee battles across all splinters, and he's a very effective choice for Earthquake and Poison rounds where allies and enemies dying left and right could net him up to 11 additional health. Most importantly, he's still relatively cheap for a Neutral card.
Costs: Level 2/3 Normal $N/A/$37, Gold Foil: $18
Renting: Level 2/3 Normal: 1.87/0.7 DEC / day, Gold Foil: 7.85 DEC / day
Elven Defender
This one you likely won't use as much initially. He's an alright tank, nothing wrong with him, his 1st two upgrades give him +1 Armor and +1 Health. The reason why he's on this list is because 1: He's one of the cheapest Neutral cards, and B: At Level 5, long term I know, but he gets Shield, and suddenly becomes an amazing tank that can be used in place of almost any tank for any splinter.
Costs: Level 2/3 Normal $2/7, Gold Foil: $8
Renting: Level 2/3 Normal: 0.14/0.5 DEC / day, Gold Foil: 3.75 DEC / day
Upgrade Upgrade Upgrade
The benefit to upgrading these cards initially, is that they will benefit you hugely as you rent Level 2 and 3 summoners initially, building and leveling and growing. Eventually, you'll need them less and less, and you'll be able to rent them out, giving you passive DEC income.
Moreover, they will upgrade your ability to battle with any Splinter, help with all dailies, and make battling easier as you move up the ranks.
If you upgrade too far, don't worry, your monster fights at whatever max level your summoner can handle. You DO NOT need a Level 1, a Level 2, a Level 3, etc. That Level 3 will play as a Level 1 if you use him with a Level 1 Summoner.
Sign Up for Splinterlands now!
Never played? Interested in getting in on the action? Want to find out what all the fuss is about for these battles, or maybe you've seen a bunch about SPS? You can play the game 100% for free initially, without earning currency. If you like it, you pay $10 to get in on the action by buying a Spellbook! You'll make that 10 dollars back in less than a month at current prices. If you sign up, feel free to message or comment and I might hook you up with some free starting cards, or delegate a card to you for a week!
Join me on Splinterlands, if you use my link, I'll send you 100 DEC when you sign up and get a spellbook, (as long as you show up as referred) which should help you get started via renting! Also, feel free to message me, I can answer any questions, give tips, etc. I might even give you a card or delegate some to you for your first season! I also will be doing a monthly giveaway for my referrals for as long as I play! Last month, I gave my first referral a 1 month delegation of 3 Legendaries and Mylor, plus some other stuff for the month! This month I think I will be delegating a gold Serpentine Spy to somebody for the month of September and who knows what else!
