Survival Mode Needs Saving
Tales from the Cryptmancer (@synist3r) recently dropped a video unpacking some of his biggest concerns facing Splinterlands right now — from inflated leaderboard ratings to the deeper problems with liquidity bots, Glint mechanics & Survival Mode.
It’s a solid listen & well worth your time.
But today, I want to zero in on just one piece of it.
Cool Format, Shame About the Execution
On the most recent episode of The People's Guild – Episode 142: An Azircon Conversation, we raised an uncomfortable but important question:
What happens if Survival Mode—after all this build-up—flops when it goes to a DAO vote?
Because – let’s be real – if nothing changes, that’s a real possibility.
So I wanted to take a minute and throw my two cents into the ring — not to again echo the frustration, but to offer a few practical suggestions that I believe could steer this format back on course.
Three Ways to Fix Survival Mode
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Reinstate league-based card caps
Let players compete in the league they choose — Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond — & cap cards accordingly. This brings back some structure & gives low and mid-level players a reason to show up and participate. Accessibility matters. -
Scale cooldown duration to league level
A Silver-league player shouldn’t be punished by the same rules that a Champion-level player is. Adjust cooldowns based on the league players compete in — so a Silver card’s cooldown behaves differently than a maxed-out Champion deck. -
Remove cooldown penalties outside of Survival
If a card is depleted in Survival Mode, it should only be unavailable for that format. Players should still be able to use those cards in Ranked, Brawls & Tournaments. Depleting cards across all formats only discourages engagement.
Of course, there are plenty of other ideas floating around—many of which could also help shape this into a more accessible & compelling format. These just happen to be what I would look to see come to the format.
I’m rooting for Survival Mode to succeed. But if we want it to serve the broader player base — & this is the key to its success in my opinion — we’re going to need to course-correct before it’s too late.
Let’s get it right.