Drafting a Team
Drafting a team is the basic mechanic of battling in Splinterlands. Players have a limited time to create a team from their card collection, then that team is sent to battle against an opponent's team
Last updated
Drafting a team is the basic mechanic of battling in Splinterlands. Players have a limited time to create a team from their card collection, then that team is sent to battle against an opponent's team
Last updated
The battle process begins when you select the Battle Format that you would like to participate in on the Battle page, you can choose between the Wild or Modern battle formats.
Once you have made your selection, you can proceed by clicking on Battle.
First, you will have to wait a few moments as an appropriate opponent is found. Then you will be presented with a Match Begins screen that displays a countdown, the restrictions and rules of the battle, and your opponent's recent battle history. If you have selected the Wild battle format you will be matched with an opponent who has made the same selection, and only Wild battles will appear on their recently played teams display, the same applies to the Modern battle format, If you have selected the Modern battle format you will be matched with an opponent who has made the same selection, and only Modern battles will appear on their recently played teams display. The clock is already ticking, so after glancing at this information, accept the battle by clicking Create Team and you will be brought to the page where you will draft your team.
Once the drafting page appears, you'll see several things, as pictured below (for this example we have used the Wild battle format). On the left is your team line-up that is initially empty. On the top, you'll see the countdown timer, as well as restrictions and rulesets for the battle, and the allowed Elements. Just below are various filtration tools that will enable you to quickly sort through your collection and find the cards that you're looking for.
Finally, you'll see your playable Summoners for this battle. You must choose one to determine the units from which you can draft the rest of your lineup.
There are 3 different summoners in-game: Standard Summoners, Dual Element Summoners and Tactic Summoners. The image below displays cards playable in the Modern battle format, If you have selected the Wild battle format, the available card selection may vary. You can view the playable cards for each selection here.
Pick a Summoner and it will fill the left YOUR SUMMONER space. The cards that can be summoned by that Summoner will then appear on the screen.
These allow you to play with a single element and when you select it you will immediately see the cards available to choose from that element. If you pick Kelya Frendul then you will see all available Water + Neutral cards.
The exceptions in the Standard Summoners are those of the Dragon Element, where you can choose an extra element among those available and you can see the Dragon cards + the chosen element. Pick Quix The Devious + Another Element.
These were introduced with Rebellion Set and they allow you to play with a 2 elements (you can see both elements colors in the Card Backgroud and the icons in top right for the Rebellion Set) and when you select it you will immediately see the cards available to choose from that element. If you pick Prunda Undervesch then you will see all available Life + Water + Neutral cards available.
These were also introduced with Rebellion Set and they allow you to add an extra tactic step before starting the match. If you pick Akane then you will see the tactic screen when you have to select 1 of the available tactics and the units you want to use the tactic.
One by one, pick cards to place them in the YOUR UNITS column. The total mana of your team must fall within the mana cap that is listed above your lineup. You can rearrange the order of the team after picking units by dragging their name to the desired slot in the YOUR UNITS column.
When selecting your battle cards, please keep in mind that the use of starter cards (available only in Modern gameplay) can affect your earning potential.
That's it! You have until the timer runs out to select your cards and click BATTLE to submit your team.
If you have submitted your team before your opponent has submitted theirs, you'll need to wait until they are ready. Once both players have submitted their teams you’ll be taken to the Battle screen. First, your opponent will be displayed, then the battlefield will be organized with the teams you have both submitted and the details of the battle.
Once you click the Rumble! button, the battle will begin. You can control the battle's speed using the arrow next to the Pause button. The battle speed you select will be remembered for the next battle. You can also go back and begin the battle over, or skip to the results screen if you just can't wait to see who won.
Once you have submitted your team for battle, you can watch the battle whenever you're ready, or not at all. The timed portion of the battle is done once your team has been submitted, and the battle itself is technically a replay of the blockchain transaction even the first time you watch it.
While watching the battle is not part of the requirements for playing the game, it is highly recommended as you can learn a lot from doing so.
Be sure to Check out these amazing articles for a more in-depth look at some of the game mechanics that can give you the upper hand when drafting a team:
