My quest to inspire more players to own Splinterlands Land continues.
Recently, I was able to assist a player and a fellow Filipino hit a milestone: owning 50 Land Plots in Praetoria! It has been a long, hard grind looking for plots in his preferred region where his Keep is located.
Finally, he can now call himself a Land Baron.
A Bit Of A Background
@garute is an avid Splinterlands player and has been invested in the game since August 2021, right around the same time I started playing. We had crossed paths often while playing Gold League Ranked Battles and Tournaments.
I had a strong feeling he was from the same country I was from just based on his in-game name.

In case you were wondering, garote (pronounced gah-roh-teh) is the Filipino term for garrote, a method of execution by strangling.
In my home province, we sometimes interchange the letters O and U and we’d say garute (gah-roo-teh) instead.
I saw a post a while back that he was looking for a Runi and that he needed help acquiring one. I offered my assistance and after a few messages back and forth, we found out that we're both Filipino and even hailed from the same hometown!
Coincidence??

Achieving His Goal Is Achieving My Goal
If you have been following my previous posts, you would know that I am very passionate about this project.
I have explained my approach in reinvesting my Land earnings by acquiring more Land. I also recently posted a couple of tutorial-like articles explaining where to start with land and how to continue on with harvesting resources even if you do not own a grain-producing plot.
You can find one of these articles
HERE.

One of the things I have had a good amount of success with is looking for and executing mutually-beneficial land plot trades specifically for ones in my main regions.
This is how we were able to hit
@garute's goal: he purchased a few plots I wanted off the market in exchange for some of my plots in Region 119, Lonshire.

A Growing Community
Aside from Garute, I have also convinced other members of the community to allocate some of their Ranked, Tournament, and Survival Mode earnings into land.
As of today,
@elrmapa and
@elrmapa own 108 and 22 plots respectively. Demon19 is on her way to owning 50 plots, also seeking that coveted title
Land Baron, or in her case,
Land Baroness.

I convinced these two to buy the cheap plots in Region 46, Thalos, when these were listed on the market sometime last week. At $12.50 each with starter packages and already built worksites, I knew these were great deals!
I mentioned in one of my articles the cost of clearing a natural common plot:
Now we see the added value of obtaining/purchasing plots that already have worksites. It saves us time and resources.
You can speed up this process by assigning more workers or by consuming Time Crystals. 150 Time Crystals in today's prices is about $9.75.
Effectively, these $12.50 plots cost only $2.75 since you don't need to clear the plot anymore and can immediately start production on them.
I even topped up some credits to snag a bunch of these undervalued plots for myself!

Leading By Example
Instead of just building a community, why not lead it as well?
This was the question I kept asking myself when I realized it wasn't only the common and rare plots that were listed on the market, but the whole tract!
I thought I was already set with my land holdings at the time and did not feel like I needed more.
I already had set up my headquarters in Region 50, Ia'telda, and I was happy to have secondary bases in other regions.

Using
@beaker007's tool, we can see that my tract produces an abundance of Grain while Wood is my secondary resource.
I was good with this setup. All other resources, I can get from other tracts or other regions. In case I need Grain there, I can just transport from Region 50.

Yes, yes. I know. I need to lower my Keep production. Diminishing returns beyond 30kPP. Will adjust this in the future. 😜
When the two realized that I had already bought the remaining cheap plots in Region 46, Thalos, they both mentioned they were interested in acquiring more.
With no hesitation, I sold them some plots for the same price I got them for. Essentially, I just held onto the plots for them until they were ready to purchase.
They were delighted to expand their holdings. I was glad they continued to build.
I liked the feeling of being able to help. I wanted to build more. I wanted to acquire more.
I need to Keep the momentum going.
The Big Trade
Seeing some of the remaining plots on the market were being bought by others, I knew I had to do something if I wanted to own more in this region. This way, I am in the same location as my friends.
The problem is that I was running out of dry powder.
@goldmatters has already Welcome to the Family'd the only Legendary plot in this tract.
Same with
@goldmatters with an Epic Plains.

I had an idea. I knew someone wanted to acquire more plots in my other region.
What if I trade away highly sought-after plots in Region 114, Tostrington, for identical plots that were on the market?
Sound familiar? This is the same type of deal I made with Garute.
After some thought, he realized this was a win-win scenario. We both get what we want.
Who is this someone, you ask?
He's none other than
@emakulator, another big land holder, and he has been looking for more plots in Region 114, a region where he has multiple Keeps in.

We started planning our trades, making sure it's fair on both sides. It was easy with the Epic plots - there were 4 on the market, and I owned 4.
It was a bit tougher for the Magical Plots but we got it done anyway.
After we agreed on the terms of the trade, I pulled the trigger on purchasing the Keep and the remaining plots on the market. (There goes my tax return!)

Not long after this transaction, I had a chat with isaac77nft and he also agreed on a Plot-for-Plot trade. He didn't mind where he landed as long as he got a similar plot to what he just bought. Luckily, I had the same exact one in another region.
He is now a resident of Area 51, Ritrough, within the reach of
@aftersound's Keep! In return, I gained an Epic Plains, providing a bit of sustainability in my new region!


Even though my friends and I do not own all the plots here, I was still able to secure critical parcels of land in this tract.
I now have 2 Keeps across 2 tracts. One is for myself and the other is for building a Community with.
LFG.

Just over 2 weeks ago, I had a bit over 250 plots owned. Today, I am just shy of 300 plots.

Keep 'em comin'.
Future Prep: Gearing Up For Conclave Arcana
What excites me the most with the upcoming new set is the growth potential of Land.
Land resources will be used to repair Conflict Wagons and to craft potions for greater chances of Black Foils when opening new packs!
The images below were shared during the most recent town hall:
Now, the following images below were shared by
@cryptomancer in the Land Barons channel.
(Get to 50 plots, y'all!)

Regarding Conflict Wagons, our very own McCOO
@davemccoy shared the following on X:
With all this info, even though nothing is final yet, I will continue to acquire more plots while also producing more natural resources in anticipation of these use cases.
My main source of Wood and Grain would be Region 50. Stone will be harvested in my new Region 46. Some Iron would be from different regions. In case I need more of a certain resource, I'll utilize the Trade Hub to get them.
I also have a stockpile of Research tokens that I have accumulated before the Land 1.75 update.

While we still do not know how much of these resources will be needed to obtain lab permits, craft potions, or repair/build wagons, I know I'll be somewhat ready for what's to come.
The question is... Are you? 😜
Summary And Final Thoughts
I'm having a great time getting more Splinterlands players get exposure to Land as I believe this is a fundamental component of the game.
It's also great to see more and more players get interested! Just in time before the release of the new set!
Not only do you get scarce assets that could increase in value over time, you also get some earning potential in selling/trading resources to other players who need them.
Have you read the Land
Whitepaper yet? We are still very, very early in the game.
I have now helped 2 Land Barons step into the light. Another one is on her way out of the shadows.
Who's next?
In some parts of the world, fees earned from harvesting resources and LP transactions, no matter how little, can make a difference.
@dantrin, another fellow Filipino, is an example of someone who stays focused on his Land game and is already able to reap its products if he wanted to.
He's a Land Baron, too!

So, what you think? Still not sold on Splinterlands Land?
What would make you change your mind? What would make you want invest more in case you already have started your Land journey?
I'd like to hear your thoughts!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this article. I hope I was able to provide valuable information and impart some ideas that can help you decide your next steps. I have grown my Splinterlands assets over the years and I plan to keep on building!
Whether you prefer the exhilaration of playing battles, the calmness and idleness of building your digital real estate, or just the fun of collecting these fancy images of collectible cards, I am hopeful that you enjoy your time here in Praetoria!
If you have questions, comments, or feedback, please let me know! Let's all learn and grow together and set each other up for success! VoNak! Together We Thrive, Kapamilya!
Interested in Splinterlands? Feel free to use my Referral Code and I can help you get started. You can also find me on X or message me on Discord.