In today’s blog, I’ll be sharing my thoughts and insights on Survival Mode, along with some of my ideas battle strategies. From what I’ve observed, most players rely heavily on Chaos Legion cards, as they are widely available, along with some Rebellion reward cards from the Glint Shop. Grinding these cards can be quite beneficial, and in some cases, they can even provide an overpowered advantage for your team lineup.
I haven’t tried Survival Mode yet because renting cards every season can be quite costly, especially when it comes to my favorite overpowered cards. Some players suggest that joining towards the end of the season...
Like on the last day, I think it could be profitable since defeated cards reset and become playable again in the new season.
Check more information about the mechanics style before playing the mode: https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@splinterlands/introducing-splinterlands-survival-mode
I’m considering investing this season to give it a shot, but I’m unsure if it will be worthwhile, especially since the lower leagues don’t make much in earnings unless you have a high SPS stake, promo cards, or consistently use gold foil cards in battles.
The newly introduced Survival Mode in Splinterlands is shaking up the battlefield, pushing players to think long-term, strategize effectively, and maximize their card utility. Unlike regular battles, where you can adjust your lineup after each match, Survival Mode requires you to rely on a single lineup across multiple fights—making every choice you deploy in the battle is important. If you're looking to dominate this mode, here are some of my ideas which I think are useful on this Survival Mode from my experience in modern format battle and inspecting history battle of player who played already in Survival Mode, a set of strategies to help you prepare, optimize, and adapt.
Preparing a Battle – Scouting & Lineup Adaptability
One of the best decisions in Survival Mode is whether to scout your opponent's previous matches and build a flexible lineup that can handle most of the card line-up overpower cards or counter them with taking advantage of the rule set given and utilize your unique useful ability. As you can see, the photo above the recent battle of survival mode, most of them are using Chaos Legion cards, so renting and using the other cards like untamed or some cards in wild can be flexible for your strategy in terms of the rule set given. You can utilize a lot of strategy if you have more cards at your disposal, ready to battle.
- Scouting Opponents: Checking battle histories can help you predict common strategies and counter them effectively. However, in a survival setting, opponents might change tactics as well.
- Adaptable Lineups: Building a balanced team with self-sustaining units is often a safer approach. Look for cards with self-healing, armor repair, resurrect, and sustain abilities to increase your lineup's longevity, and of course it should align well in rule sets given.
Also, I recommend you prioritize summoners that provide useful lasting ability buffs rather than one-time effects. Abilities like Triage, Repair, Healing, and Life Leech can make a possibility difference over multiple rounds.
OWNED VS. RENTED CARDS – Managing Your Deck Efficiently
Whether you're using your own collection or renting cards, managing your deck for effective use is important for success in Survival Mode. If you're playing with owned cards, prioritize versatile units with multi-functional abilities to ensure they remain effective across multiple battles.
For those renting, it's best to choose cost-efficient cards—many Chaos Legion cards are affordable yet highly adaptable, like me, I usually rent for modern cards, which for is enough to climb ranks and earn a decent amount of sps in the modern format battle...
Since only seasonal rentals are allowed in this mode, opting for long-term rentals can help reduce DEC/SPS costs compared to daily rentals while preventing frequent defeats or renting again those defeated cards abusing the daily rent of Survival mode so season rent is necessary. Lastly, selecting strong summoners that should align with rule sets and battle strategies to maximize their effectiveness.
*Renting gold foil cards can be beneficial as they boost SPS rewards while also providing competitive stats. *
Some tips & Recommendations to win more
I haven't played yet the survival mode but maybe in the future I will be participating especially if the market (price of cards) lowers, for now it quite a bit expensive and I'm quite busy of the moment and will share some of my ideas that may help you embark on this mode...
Winning in Survival Mode requires a well-planned strategy, and these tips of mine that I provided can hopefully help you stay competitive, which I experienced inthe modern format and history of players who played Survival Mode. Building your common use line-up strategy is important, so focus on tanks with healing, debuff resistance, and damage mitigation to ensure longevity across multiple battles. Optimizing unit placement can make a big difference, strategically positioning like Martyr units to boost allies or placing resurrected units correctly can provide a crucial second chance. Since you can’t adjust your lineup between battles, adapting to various rule sets, so consider using flexible damage types and counter-strategies like anti-magic or armor-based setups. Lastly, monitoring the trend meta will keep you ahead of the competition, stay informed on which summoners and abilities are proving most effective and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Emerging Meta & Trends in Survival Mode
With Survival Mode still fresh, players are quickly identifying dominant summoners and strategies that thrive in this format. High-sustainability teams, like Immortalis, which still overpower with Earth healers or Lily Shieldpaw utilizing Camouflage with Grimbardun Smith, and lots of healers in the backline, are proving effective for prolonged battles. Many are also leveraging Martyr and Resurrect mechanics, strategically triggering Martyr buffs multiple times to strengthen key attackers. Meanwhile, anti-magic lineups featuring Void Armor, Amplify, and Silence are rising in response to the prevalence of magic-heavy strategies. A great example of an overpowered pick in melee-focused rule sets is Eternal Tofu, which, when combined with the right buffs, can become an overwhelming force. To stay ahead, always test counter-strategies against popular tactics to keep opponents off guard.
This Mode brings an entirely new level of strategy to Splinterlands, making every decision, lineup, and ability choice** matter more than ever. Whether you're a seasoned player looking to refine your skills or a newcomer eager to test your endurance**, this mode offers a thrilling challenge.
These are my insights on Survival Mode and battle strategies, including the importance of assessing opponents if you're at a disadvantage, surrendering can help preserve key cards for the next season’s cooldown reset.
A Big Thanks! for supporting me, being here, and coming this far. I hope this blog about my thoughts of Survival Mode will help you gain idea and strategy before playing this format.
Credits:
Thumbnail Picture is Generated using Leonardo.Ai
Edited the Design photo Splinterlands Modern League using PicsArt
Screenshot In-game splinterlands
