It has been about a month since the new Reward Stystem in Splinterlands went live so here is a bit of a review on how things have worked out so far and if things have been improved or not...

My Prior Expectations

My main fear for this new reward model was that there was going to be no sustained demand for the Gold Foild cards similar to what happened with the Foundation Cards (Link) who dropped by 90%+ since I dumped them 3 months ago and I would argue are still overvalued.

Foundation Summoner Prices 3 Months Ago

Foundation Summoner Prices Now

If the prices of Reward Items that can be sold (Gold Foils, Unbinding Scrolls) mirror the Chaos Legion Oversupply, they likey will inflate the card supply even more which should bring down values of the other cards along with them as there is no point letting your bot play in Wild buying the more expensive cards.

Reward Card Values 1 Month Later

I made a screenshot of the values of Gold Foil Reward cards when they first were introduced to the supply and again today around 1 Month later.

Gold Foil Reward Card Valued 21/10/2025

Gold Foil Reward Card Valued 27/11/2025

A month ago, the average price of the first row Common Gold Foil Cards was 0.51$, right now a month later they are actually holding up quite nice at 0.44$ on average!
The cheapest Rare Gold card used to be 1.78$ while right now that is 1.31$

So overall I would say they are holding up quite well and the rewards that they offer from playing the game are actually not that bad and with Gold Foil epics selling at 5$+ and Legendary cards at 50$+ there is a decent chance for anyone to catch a "jackpot".

However, I do see them gradually continue to decline in value as more whales will eventually have them at Max Level while the supply and selling pressure will keep coming.

Unbinding Scrolls Values

The unbinding scrolls also hold some value and so far I earned 71 Commons, 19 Rares1 2 Epics, & 1 Legendary Scroll.

I haven't though about what to do with them yets but right now, they are worth 1.136$ + +1.216$ + 0.630$ + 1.699$ so roughly 4.5$. I can see the prices of these scrolls also trending down as more of the whales who are likely the only buyers complete their collection. Just as a reference a Max Level Common card would go for 6.4$ while the cheapest older card at max level is selling for just 1.594$ at the moment. So likely, the best course of action is also just to dump these assuming they will become worth less in the future. Unbound cards also only give a very marginal benefit over soulbound cards.

The Big Improvements!!

1. The New Battlefield

This change was long overdue as the old battlefield which was in place pretty much since the start just looked aweful. This update brings some animation also and looks so much better than the previous...

2. Real Prizes

It's nice to have real rewards again even though I still doubt that won't continue to trend down in value.

3. SPS Rental Demand

People now see to value Glints a lot more which also became harder to earn which pushes many to increase their Staked SPS mainly by renting more which currently gives a +3.23% increased APY on those who hold SPS

4. Gold Potions Get Some Value

Potions used to be and still are somewhat non-rewards but the Alchemy Potions now have gotten an upgrade as they double the chance to get a real reward from chests. In just a month, I already halved the Alchemy Potions I owned and it feels like only a matter of time before I run out.

The Not So Good Things

1. Raising The Bar

Basically, the bar got moved up once again, as you just get way less chests for the glints it used to cost and the chances to draw a gold foil also going down drastically to just 1% when you use a potion. Where I used to be able to max buy the first batch, it now is just a lot less.

2. Fortune Draw Lottery

I don't really like this system as it feels more like a cost where the whales get all the benefits and the smaller to medium players get screwed over. So far I haven't won anything even though I entered all of them. In case I do get lucky I will likely change my opinion but at 238 Entry tickets out of 241k it feels like almost impossible.

3. Still The Same Core Issues.

I have addressed the core issues of Splinterlands many times before and nothing really changes as it still remains a game where you either make it your full-time occupations or you set a bot and don't care as there isn't really much to do aside from some Brawls. The issue of declining Asset prices hasn't been solved, and I also don't see that many new players coming in. The only moment new players really came in was when Frontiers mode with the Foundation Cards were introduced as for a brief moment it was possible to earn something in Splinterlands without really making an investment.

Weekly Splinterlands Earnings

I continue to track my weekly Splinterlands Earnings which come in the form of SPS from different modes along with the staking rewards.I now also include the sold Golden foil cards but also subtract the entry cost for Wild and the cost to enter the lotteries.

Basically there was a peak in the first week of the new reward model as I used up Glints that I saved to draw a bunch of cards and sold the golden ones which included one Epic. Ever since, my average earnings have actually been lower compared to before (even though the 4.5$ from the scrolls has not been counted. So I would say average earnings right now are just slightly higher but also depend more on luck week-by-week.

Conclusion!

While the new Reward System certainly has been a step in the right direction, the danger remains that it sooner than later starts fading down when the demand becomes lower than the (over)supply. I still believe a completely new game mode like Draft Mode is needed to properly Fix Splinterlands Link which I don't see happening anytime soon. I have gotten in a mildly optimistic state though and also think it's a major achievement that Splinterlands is actually alive while the rest of the Play2Earn space has totally gotten destroyed.