RE: Splinterlands Enhancements IV: Lower-Level Play I: Forced Growth
Thank you for commenting!
Yes, many players will opt in to having a level 8 max card (that's the whole point since even diamond and championship players will want them for bronze, silver and gold tournaments) -- but where did you get the 10 combined cards? The number of cards is identical to the normal number of cards (the only difference is that I had to interpolate for the rarer cards). Are you perhaps mistaking the ability gain chart for the card cost chart?
Also, once a player wants to competitively play diamond and above, the reduced physical characteristics will make the force-grown cards unplayable (remember that they have the only the normal speed, armor and health for their level -- I've added a chart with the interpolations for rarer monsters -- MINUS random subtractions for being force-grown). They will simply not be able to compete at the highest levels and players will need to grow a new non-force-grown monster/hybrid from scratch (basically a level 8/6/5 card sink for common/rare/epic and 8 or 9 cards for legendary).
I certainly misunderstood and looked at the chart wrong with my first read.
So basically you want cards to have all the functions of a max level card at level 8 but this would mean that specific combined card wouldn't be able to be combined any further leaving it being a hybrid of a max card and gold card.
Interesting but such cards will dominate Gold and below levels. I have no clue how that would affect the meta or player base overall but I do enjoy reading the ideas of others.
If its more fun and competitiveness you're after at the lower leagues, seperate leagues would provide that.
I'm not sure that they would dominate. Remember that their speed, armor & health will be lower than that of equal level monsters. A fighting monster may get thorns or heal earlier -- but it will do so at the cost of its physical attributes. In most cases, I believe it will be a relatively equal trade.