I found this SMP where the story starts after a whole world gets destroyed and you get thrown into a new universe. It feels like survival but the war still follows you so it stays tense.
It is borderline anarchy so almost anything goes but hacks are not allowed. The big twist is a 3 lives system and if you lose all three you are done.
When you first join you get power gems to start off. There is also a shop system you can use with the shop command.
The world has custom structures and massive dungeons to explore. You can run into custom bosses and stronger mobs too. There are custom items and progression so you can keep grinding.
Build height goes up to Y 2034 so you can build super high if you want. More big updates are supposed to come later.
Broken SMP Survival With 3 Lives
GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IPBalanced Non OP Prison With PvE Lair
RiotBlockMC is a new Prison server that is still in beta and it is not the kind where you max out fast. The progress is slower and feels more fair so you actually have to work for it.
It has a balanced economy with classic rank progression and custom enchants that are meant to work for long term play. The server is being updated a lot right now and they say there is no pay to win stuff.
There is also a PvE area called the Wardens Lair where you fight mobs and loot dungeons to make money instead of only mining. The mobs scale in difficulty so it can get risky but the rewards are better.
They are testing the economy the mob difficulty and how fast progression should be. Progress made during beta will not be reset. It is Java 1.21+.GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IP