Hello! Recently I have published a post with some of my favourite Splinterlands commons from Chaos Legion. While I do not want to to these for every single rarity, as there is not enough Legendaries revealed yet to do so, I will continue with rares and then epics.

Just like in my post about commons, the same rules apply: I am considering the price, as well as power level, with the weight shifted towards power level. They will all be considered at the max level for Silver League in particular, as that is what I am gearing towards and what I want to max my decks for in the future of modern format. I feel like this is even more interesting than the post about commons, as there are simply no clear winners such as Deeplurker and Goblin Psychic were in that case. Obviously, I am not including summoners in here, as I assume you want them all at level 4 if you're going to care about maxed rares.

With all that said, let's dive in and see what I believe are the top 5 rares to pick up for playing the Silver League ladder and tournaments once general sale hits and prices plummet even more..

.. But first let me do a few honorable mentions:

• River Nymph and Venari Spellsmith - These two cards both get Amplify at level 4 and have similar stats. I believe that they are both good considerations to buy, but just slightly miss out on top 5. Especially Spellsmith is great, as it can work with Mylor as well as all other regions - while River Nymph only works with Water and Neutral.
• Time Mage - The extra attack and even more speed is quite big - the difference between 2 and 1 Magic just means you do SOMETHING to units with Void.
• Mycelic Slipspawn - Forcefield on a taunt could mean you survive another Sand Worm hit or an Enraged monster's attack. Definitely useful for those high mana battles.

1. Diemonshark

For me, Diemonshark is the clear winner here. This card is already one of the strongest rares in the set at level one - while it is fairly weak to magic and rather useless in a No Armor ruleset, it is a powerhouse in all other situations. Trample is a rare ability at a low level, so it is already a unique tool in your arsenal and the 13 total health with 4 speed? Just wow.

But wait! It only gets better. Diemonshark not only gets a 3rd point of attack at level 3, which makes the Trample that much deadlier, but also Enrage at 4 - which is still Silver League. Enrage heavily helps out against users of Magic, as it gets activated instantly and lets Diemonshark unleash a 5-attack hit on its next turn. This makes the card essentially the best Water first position monster in CL, especially against mixed attack teams.

2. Xenith Monk

Level 1 Xenith Monk is just a decent Little League tank - 6 health, a point of attack and a decent speed is all there is to this card. Really not so much to write home about. This changes heavily, however, the moment you start levelling him up.

Level 2 is pretty much as far as you NEED to get Xenith Monk, as that is where it gets the Heal ability. The self-healing is great for Little League tanking, as it will ensure it survives a fair amount of time. On top of that, it makes it great for Earthquake as well as Noxious Fumes. Finally, once it is level 4 it will have 7 health and 4 mana, making it an interesting choice as a tank or an off-tank in Blast. It is also Neutral, so you can play it nearly all the time, except in Taking Sides.

3. Tenyii Striker

This card is quite basic at level 1. Great Sneak monster, in the same way as Silent Sha-Vi that I described in my previous post about commons. It also has fantastic synergy with Tarsa, as she grants it a 3rd point of attack.

Tenyii gets Dodge at level 4. With 3 speed, Sneak AND Dodge on top of that, it might be my favourite Silver League Fire card overall. Not only is it a great Sneak attacker, it also doubles as a Sneak protector with the Dodge ability. It is definitely a powerful card.

4. Angelic Mandarin

I am very much biased for Water, as it is my favourite splinter, so it might be I am overestimating some of the cards from there. That said, I fully believe Angelic Mandarin is worth your money, especially with how cheap it is compared to some others on this list. Level 1 Angelic Mandarin is.. well, quite weak. Most of the time you'll either use Kulu Swimhunter or Igor Darkspear if you want a cheap Ranged attacker in Novice or Bronze.

Level 4 Angelic Mandarin though.. That's when it gets fun! Triage is rare at low levels and it works perfectly with what is likely my favourite way to play Water - with double tanks, having Wave Brood in the backline! Having only 1 attack at 4 mana is quite the drawback, but I firmly believe Triage makes up for it.

5. Cursed Windeku

Cursed Windeku terrorizes the lower leagues. When I play my Bronze account, I see it nearly every other match, as it is just so powerful at level 1. High health and thorns just synergize so well and it costs only 6 mana - meaning even in low-mana battles you can use it as a tank and have enough for some damage dealers.

As it grows through levels, Cursed Windeku gets 2 additional points of health and as I mentioned already.. it synergizes so well with Thorns! On top of that, the 3rd point of attack is a big breakpoint, especially meaning that it will now deal 2 damage against monsters with Shield.

I will just copy my outro from the previous post, as I believe it is simply true and applies here just as well.. Plagiarizing myself, wow:
I believe these cards are simply the best investments once general sale sells out. I think you will need to be fairly quick, as the prices will go back up pretty fast, with all the people who intend to hold packs like there's no tomorrow.