The @Splinterlands team has just announced one of the most exciting and unique card releases to date: Yaba’s Pickle. With three foil types, limited-time availability, and exclusive distribution mechanics, this release isn’t just another drop, it’s a full-blown event.

As a new dedicated Splinterlands player, I’m all in. Here’s how I plan to maximize my chances of securing Yaba’s Pickle, hopefully in all its glorious forms.

This post is my Entry for the Splinterlands Community Engagement Challenge of the week with the topic: Yaba’s Pickle and the Arcane Event Series

I’m a small fish compared to all the big whales out there, but I’m trying my best to get as many copies of Yaba’s Pickle as possible. Here’s how I plan to do it:

Step 1: SPS Staking – Locking in My Eligibility

The first and possibly most cost-effective way to get your hands on a copy of Yaba’s Pickle is by being an SPS stakeholder. For every 1,000 SPS staked, you’ll be eligible to purchase 1 card when the snapshot is taken. Since there’s no exact date for the snapshot yet, my priority is to stake as much SPS as possible now to ensure I’m eligible for multiple purchases.

My goal with SPS Staking:

Have at least 50,000 SPS staked before the snapshot, allowing me to purchase 50 Pickles directly.

This method not only guarantees me a number of cards but also supports the ecosystem and earns me staking rewards. It’s a win-win.

My progress towards achieving my goal with SPS Staking:

So far, I have around 40,725.313 SPS staked, so I still need about 9,300 SPS to reach my target.

Honestly, I would’ve already hit that goal if my broker hadn’t blocked a withdrawal from another cryptocurrency. My plan was to deposit that crypto with the broker, convert it into SPS, and then stake it.

Unfortunately, I live in Germany, and due to overly strict regulations, even small transactions under $1,000 can take ages to process, especially when sending from a self-hosted wallet. Everything gets scrutinized multiple times. What a shame.

But I’m still hopeful it’ll go through in time before the snapshot.

Step 2: Potion Planning – Increasing My Odds for Gold and Black Foils

Every card purchased in the Exclusive Shop (Eligibility through SPS Staking) comes with a chance at being Gold Foil or even the ultra-rare Black Foil:
• Gold Foil drop rate: 2% (boosted to 4% with Alchemy Potions)
• Black Foil drop rate: 1 in 4,000 (boosted to 1 in 2,000 with Midnight Potions)

Important: Only the cards purchased in the Exclusive Shop have a chance to become either Gold Foil or Black Foil.
In the other phases of the event, you won’t have the chance to get both foil types, and Potions do not affect your odds in those phases.
So make sure to use your Potions when buying cards in the Exclusive Shop to boost your chances!

My goal with Potions:

Since I’ll probably be able to buy a maximum of 50 cards in the Exclusive Shop, based on the amount of SPS I have staked, I’ll only need 50 Midnight Potions (to boost my chances at Black Foils) and 50 Alchemy Potions (to boost my chances at Gold Foils).

My progress towards achieving my goal with Potions:

I’ve already secured both, so I’m fully prepared for the drop!

Step 3: The Gold Foil Arcane Raffle – Going All In

The second chance to get your hands on Yaba’s Pickle is during the Gold Foil Arcane Raffle.
For 200 Aura, 10 Vouchers, and 200 DEC, you can craft a Raffle Ticket that:
• Gives you a Regular Foil Yaba’s Pickle automatically
• Enters you into a draw to win one of 50 Gold Foil Arcane cards

There’s no ticket limit, which makes this my second major strategy tier. I’ve already started gathering Aura and Vouchers through gameplay and market activity. I plan to enter as many raffle tickets depending on how many resources I can gather in time.

The limiting factor in this case is my Aura, since I only recently started producing it and currently have just 3 Aura producing land plots. Right now I produce about 103 Aura/hr.

Each ticket is also an asset, it can be bought or sold on the non-card market, which gives some flexibility if prices spike or drop before the event ends.

My goal with the Raffle Tickets:

My goal with the Gold Foil Arcane Raffle Tickets is to accumulate at least 350 Yaba’s Pickle cards, since I’ll likely only be able to get around 50 cards during the first phase of the event through the Exclusive Shop and I need 400 total cards for a max level Yaba’s Pickle card in Regular Foil.

Of course, winning a Gold Foil Arcane card in the raffle would be incredible — but with so many big whales entering with far more resources, I’m keeping my expectations realistic.

My progress towards achieving my goal with the Raffle Tickets:

Right now, I’m producing around 103 Aura per hour, which equals about 2,472 Aura per day. Since the first phase of the event lasts for 30 days, and the Gold Foil Arcane Raffle begins 7 days after that, I still have at least 37 days (and potentially more) to produce as much Aura as possible.

That means I could generate roughly 91,464 Aura over the next 37 days. With that amount, combined with Vouchers and DEC, I should be able to craft around 457 Raffle Tickets, which would be enough to get me to a max level Yaba’s Pickle.

Beyond that, the raffle event continues for another 50 days. During those 50 days, I could generate an additional 123,600 Aura, which would allow me to craft about 618 more Raffle Tickets.

At the moment, I’m still debating whether I should spend all my Aura on Gold Foil Arcane Raffle Tickets, or save some of it for the third phase of the event, the Black Foil Arcane Auction. However, I believe my chances there are quite low, considering that the big whales will most likely dominate the auctions.
But more on that in a moment…

Step 4: Black Foil Arcane Auction – High Risk, High Reward

Only 20 Black Foil Arcane cards will be auctioned, and each will require Auction Points (crafted using 1000 Aura, 50 Vouchers, and 500 DEC). These points are the only bidding currency, and they go into escrow, meaning you get them back if you’re outbid.

Considering the fact that there are many big whales with significantly more resources than I have, my chances of winning in the Black Foil Arcane Auction are quite low.
Sure, I’d get my resources back if I get outbid, but maybe those resources, especially Aura, would be better spent on the Gold Foil Arcane Raffle instead.

Additionally, Splinterlands has already hinted that more events may take place simultaneously or in the near future, and these will likely require the same resources , especially Aura.
So after I’ve secured a max level Yaba’s Pickle, I might start saving up for those upcoming opportunities as well.

Another option is to craft Auction Points and sell them on the non-card market, since that’s also allowed.
I’ll keep an eye on the prices and decide later whether it’s worth doing or not.

Final Thoughts – Long-Term Vision

Yaba’s Pickle is a fun and quirky card with a playful reference to @Yabapmatt’s Runi, which is known for holding a pickle in its hand.

Yaba’s Pickle is also part of the Arcane Event Series, which might become a new cornerstone for high-value card releases. The integration of different in-game economies, especially the inclusion of land production resources, makes this one of the most dynamic events in Splinterlands history.

Landowners are finally seeing more utility for their produced resources, and I’m excited to see where this journey will lead in the future.

Whatever happens, I’m excited to be part of the chase. Whether I end up with a Regular Pickle or a Black Foil Arcane, one thing is clear: Splinterlands is taking things to a whole new level and I’m here for it.

Let the Pickle Hunt begin!