🚀 Exploring the New Frontier in Splinterlands

Hello gamers! 🎉
It has been a while since my last Hive post, and I must be honest — I have been AFK for the best reason possible. The summer holidays arrived, and I have been on full-time dad duty with Lia 👶 and Vera 👧. Non-stop action, zero rest 😅… but also many moments that make you think “GG life”. 💖

Between preparing snacks, reading bedtime stories, chasing toys under the sofa, and enjoying my daughters’ favourite summer activity — swimming anywhere, whether in the pool or at the beach — I even found some time (or mana!) to continue studying for my Master’s 🎓, levelling up to become a high school Maths teacher.

There's a part of me that desires September to arrive to trigger some routines and another one that wishes that this summer never ends! (I hope many of you will find themselves in a similar situation...)

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💥 And then… Frontier arrived! BOOM! 💥

A few days ago, Splinterlands completely changed the game, and my mind went straight into mind-blown mode 🤯🔥. Let me explain my feelings related with new Frontier game mode in four clear points:

1️⃣ Free-to-Play + Real NFT Rewards

Once again, #Splinterlands has surprised the community with a fresh idea. Frontier is 100% free to play, and the rewards are tradeable NFTs (granting access everyone to the best #play2earn every from the first day).. 🎁💎 These are not just useless items — they are real assets you can own, trade, or use in battles. And there are no Soulbounds like in the Modern format. Imagine pulling a black foil card that you can send directly to your land!

12,500 PP compared to current prices could be worth around $150 in 5 Chaos Legion Gold Foil Legendaries for land. Yes… jackpots are back! 🎯

2️⃣ A Mass Reset for Everyone

This is like a season reset where EVERYONE starts from zero:

• New ranked system 🏅
• Brand new cards 🃏
• A fresh path for every summoner 🌍

It feels like a soft reboot — perfect for veteran players looking for a challenge and for new players who don’t want to feel behind. No more facing old pros with overpowered cards — now it’s all about skill and game knowledge.

3️⃣ Card Design with Purpose

The Foundations collection has higher mana costs and fewer abilities than Modern cards. This helps protect card value and prevent ability inflation. Every choice you make in battle becomes more important. 🎯

4️⃣ Battles Become Pure Strategy

With fewer abilities on the table, each match is like a small chess game. The summoner who understands the basics of Splinterlands — such as positioning, speed control, and mana management — will be the one to dominate the arena. ⚔️🧠

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Ranked progress

I am not yet a master of Frontier, but I am very happy with my recent progress — reaching Silver with level 1 summoners and only one at level 2 (Thalgrimore). In my opinion, the Death summoner has the best mechanics, and with the examples below I hope to help other players improve their own rank.

Best Defensive Combo

I really enjoy formations that can adapt to almost any situation. My favourite is the duo Nim Guard Captain in the front and Spellmonger protecting against Opportunity and Sneak attackers. This combination is devastating. If you learn this mechanic well, you already have half the victory in your pocket. I use it again and again with a high success rate.
Watch the full battle here.

The Strength of Death

Death is a great splinter with excellent tools for controlling the front line (units that usually target the main tank). Thalgrimore has access to Black Widow — an amazing 2-ranged damage card that can survive Sneak attacks — and Sorrow Harvester, whose 2 magic damage combined with Weaken can be devastating.
Watch the full battle here.

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Frontier to Brawls?

I would love to see Frontier battles introduced into Brawls. This format offers a balanced and skill-focused environment where every player competes on equalized terms (short collections), making it perfect for guild competition. Imagine Brawls where strategy and card positioning matter more than large collections — it could attract new members, give veterans a fresh challenge, and keep the action exciting for everyone. What do you think, Splinterlands community? Would Frontier Brawls bring a new spark to our guild wars? I’d be happy to hear your thoughts and ideas.