Question Time with Mantastic – December 2019

Introduction

The general gist of Question Time posts are for players to ask various PAD-related questions that do not have a simple/Google-able answer or related article on my website. I do play other games and have often found myself having specific/unique questions about it but have no where to go and can imagine this may hold true for some of my readers.

With that being said, there will be some restrictions on the types of questions I will be answering.

If planning on commenting on a regular basis, it is advantageous to create a WordPress account to both receive notifications as well as giving me a point of reference as to who I am responding to.

Do’s and Don’t

download For the most part, almost any question will be answered, even some non-invasive Off-Topic ones; however, it is best to ask questions that require explanation/why/my personal opinion. The following examples are Fantastic types of questions to ask:

  • Of these options, what is the best Yusuke team I can make for Arena 3?
  • What direction do you think GungHo will take with the 4x HP leads?
  • Can Heart Cross teams be revived and if so, how?

x The following types of questions will not be answered by me either because it has a simple Google-able answer or shows a lack of effort on the reader’s part:

  • Anything that Google/Padx can answer
  • A link to your entire Monster Box and saying “make me a team”

Conclusion

I hope my readers use this opportunity to ask questions that will hopefully improve their overall game play and progression.

Happy Puzzling!

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108 thoughts on “Question Time with Mantastic – December 2019”

  1. Hi Mantastic! How do you think the meta is shifting along/What play style do you think will be revived/opened and be popular to PAD players? Just a couple months ago, it seemed like it was x2 hp, at least x196, and x1 RCV. Now it seems as if the meta is now autofua. It’s such a dramatic change that I wanted your opinion on it.

    Like

    1. Autofua is by far the strongest mechanic a leader can have as it trivializes many spawns

      Aside from that, blob/easy to activate is important and the tifa 7×6 with tonnes of RCV is coming out in Water for Orchestra event

      I feel each colour having autofua and something like Tifa is the current trend

      Like

  2. M(F)antastic, do you think we’ll be getting a 1 million MP offering anytime soon in the store? My MPs are building up, but I don’t want to spend them if we’re due for a major new monster to purchase.

    Like

  3. Hi!
    I am not sure what to trade: Fagan Rei or Zaerog Core.
    Biggest problem is that I rokled Fagan Rei and still have the medal.
    Let me think about it!
    For Core I have VNey, Nees and Phenom as my best dark dragon subs. Other good subs are Hiei, Planar, Akuma and DZeta.
    Looks like a good subpool.

    Fagan with Fagan equip could be played with Diao Chan with Li equip, Revo Viper Orochi, Lotta Lotta. Unfortunately I do not own a fire dragon with more then 2 Skill Ups (except pink ranger), so maybe Takamimusubi could help. With badge thats a total of 17 skill ups, I could help with up to 2 other awoken assists with skill ups.
    Diao Chan could lead with 7×6 and shield, Orochi could delay to buy time. Sound hard but nearly legit, right?

    So with these facts, what would you buy?

    Like

    1. The delay from orochi certainly helps and assuming the first floor can be delayed, it can work. Also, why the diaochan lead? Fagan needs 22 turns for transform and basically that for swap

      If you can get fagan up after a delay, it can work

      Like

  4. You mention that the light subpool is heavily saturated with good subs and I can see how a lot of them fit this category, however, you mention Diochan as well and while I can see what value she brings with the blind awakenings and a short CD for inheriting, is there anything else I’m missing?

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    1. She can be 4 SB (forgoing bind immunity) but the 2 turn active has so many applications in things like AA3

      A tiny time buff overwrites debuffs from Verse and Scarlet, the 2 turn awoken bind clears Hamal 2/3 from Baron

      Main idea is 2 turn cd is powerful and she can inherit something of value and use that fast

      For myself, I use her with Yellow Ranger Weapon for AA3 and it is pretty wonderful

      Like

  5. Hey Mantastic.

    With GH giving away an (as far as I know) unprecedented number of stones, which do you think is more likely – back to back to back collabs or maybe the first 20-stone machine?

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    1. Don’t give them ideas!

      I do not feel a more expensive machine should come out, I already dislike the idea of 10-stone costs (have an article on this in the works)

      If anything, more events like you said or a special one-time machine that costs say 30 Stones and you roll a random 6/7* GFE. That is about the same ratio as SGF but you always get something

      Like

  6. When do you predict the Fujimi Fantasia Bunko collab to arrive? I’m trying to save up some stones for it last minute bc most ppl assumed it would be JP-exclusive. I’m also expecting FFB to heavily compete with Draconic Orchestra when it comes to stone use… D:

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    1. Impossible to guess but you will have at least a week (since neither are coming on Dec 2) which is 35+ Stones

      My guess one will start on the 9 and the other on the 16 with christmas right after

      Like

  7. What are some good subs for a non-system Nakoruru x Raoh team?

    My monster box isn’t very good and the only workable subs I am aware of are Ranger Slayer, Morrigu, Baldin, HMyne, Hanzo (from Samsho), Eir, and Nohime. And how good is the upcoming Luo from Draconic Orchestra for this kind of team?

    Like

    1. Without a System, you can build it more traditionally and the main weakness you will need to cover is healing

      This can be solved via 2 Kuroyuris or enhanced heart orb subs and the others can be supplemental orb changers

      Pairing with Nakoruru is strong for sure but will still require a healing solution

      Remember, a system is 4 actives so your friend Raoh is 1.

      Like

      1. Thanks, that seems surprisingly easy! I don’t own any Kuroyuri though so I was thinking Eir or Cruz could be decent heal sticks depending on the dungeon.

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        1. Those can work for sure. Having perfectly optimized teams is only truly needed for the hardest of end game content.

          Leader skills are so strong now that you can get by with less ideal compositions for the vast majority of dungeons

          Like

            1. AA3 is the hardest regular dungeon at the moment. Various limited time challenges can also pose a problem but they tend to be shorter in length so it can be easier to counter their mechanics

              Like

  8. What is your current advice on latent awakening selection? Are all of the older ones to be ignored; just skill drain resist and killers being the useful ones anymore?

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  9. Right now she is my main Fujin base for A5. And maybe that’s why I don’t see the use because of her not being used until floor 12. I like her, just didn’t expect her to be so highly rated.

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  10. Sorry for perhaps the stupid question, but what determines what Helper your friends see from you on their friends list just before entering dungeons?

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      1. Sorry to keep on this, but I don’t understand. When I’m to choose a helper from a friend to enter a dungeon, I don’t see any teams, just a single card from each of them.

        And for best friends, I see a few options from them. What determines which of their cards I see?

        Like

        1. It’s just as Mantastic said, but specifically, you only see the leader of the teams as a helper.

          So all friends see the leader of your slot 1 team with the red circle symbol.

          They also see the leader of the team you’re currently using, which has the green triangle symbol.

          Your best friends see the leader of your slot 2 team, with the blue triangle symbol.

          This applies to what helpers your friends see from you, and to which helpers you see from your friends.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Omg, those colored shapes explanations helped me immensely. I now realize all my friends have been seeing crap characters as my leader, as I’ve always put in my “training” team on Slot 1. Thanks!

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            1. Same anon as before here. No problem!

              If you ever forget what each specific coloured shape means, just tap on Others > Help > Useful Info > Team Symbols (it will take a bit of scrolling), and it will show basically what I just said.

              Like

  11. How much difference do you think the device (tablet/phone) matters in this game? Can I blame my poor performance in ranking dungeons on my cheap phone, or is it just that I’m not very good.

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    1. Comes down to personal preference. Some players prefer the larger screen but others find it problematic

      For myself, I struggle more on 7×6 for my phone due to the size (its relatively small to begin with)

      Like

  12. Hi it’s me Applesauce/Jontheapple. As a big fan of Myr, I have a very important and original question to ask that I totally did not steal from your post. (Actually tho, I do want the answer to this question…)

    Can Heart Cross teams be revived and if so, how?

    Like

    1. The main issue with Heart Cross is the Heart requirement

      This is somewhat orb hungry but bigger issues are a lack of Effective HP without the Cross, difficulty in doing FUA, and worse when you need to FUA, VDP, and cross

      Things that can help are 7×6 and auto follow up damage along with some passive HP all the time

      Like

  13. Hi Mantastic,

    Thinking about your article on Zaerog Core with leader swap using Uruka lead. It makes sense to have both Nerg and Kuroyuri on this team for orb generation and healing. I am finding that healing is necessary to allow constant Zaerog activation without putting your health at critically low levels.

    So a Kuro loop with 1 Nerg has less orb generation but allows for stalling vs 2 Nerg plus 1 Kuro gives tons of orbs but is more risky in terms of not being able to heal effectively.

    I tried a team of B/D Uruka (avidya saber assist, 7c SA), Zaerog (Dragonbound Li assist, VDP SA), 2 nergs with aerith and uroboros tatto assists), and 1 kuroyuri with dark cecil assist) which gives full poison and blind resist + tape and cloud resist. This team easily swept Training Arena 1 (even with mistakes), but I played badly and died from poison skyfalls on A5. I could have stalled this out easily with a second Kuro.

    Thoughts on either variant of this team or other subs for Kuro and Nerg that solve this?

    Like

    1. I haven’t had a chance to play around with him and one big issue I do see is a lack of healing options as there are few Dragons with Enhanced Heal Orbs

      This makes me thing that using Eir may be okay since she is not for damage any way. This would only use 1 sub slot instead of 2

      I am going to roll a bit and exchange tonight on stream and will have a better chance to build a team then =)

      Like

  14. Hello mantastic, do you think a fagan Team with:
    Nergigante (vraska assist )
    Lajoa (Akuma assist)
    Lajoa
    Whaledor
    Fagan
    with skill charge badge
    Will work for Arena content ?
    I m counting 22 skill charges with all colors, could this team be strong enough? Or am I missing something important?

    Like

    1. Should work for sure and depending on the arena, you may need certain resists etc

      One thing that would be better is Akuma assist on Whaledor as you can have the fujin active ready on time

      Like

  15. Would it be possible for you to make an updated MP spending guide? I have 1 million MP and I’m not solid what to spend them on if anything

    Like

  16. When in ranking dungeons is there any dungeon setting you should turn off or on to make your team faster or is do those setting not apply in ranking dungeons.

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    1. Sadly my health is not improving

      I had a series of unsuccessful procedures at St. Paul’s Hospital these past several months and will begin a new treatment in Jan 2020 as a cancellation opened up and I was bumped up by a month

      So I now have procedures scheduled for Jan-April 2020

      Like

  17. Who is a better blue leader out of Ukyo, Cherun, or Blue Ranger (other options/suggestions welcome). I’m basically trying to build a blue row team thanks to zordon dupes + charlotte and Meridolias rolls. Right now the other two slots are reeche and blue cotton. My blue box isn’t too great but those rows are insanely easy damage. Any thoughts about equips or something to make the team more viable or suggestions about what direction to focus on for building that team out while waiting for Orchestra for that sweet blue tifa?

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    1. Waiting for Minaka will probably be your best bet. With that being said, I feel Ukyo will make for a wonderful pairing due to damage reduction and basically the same activation requirement.

      For myself, I may use Blue Ranger due to less options

      Like

  18. Hi, what tablet do you play PAD on? I searched google for a bit and this website but haven’t found anything. I play 7×6 tifa x dkarin and am looking to get another tablet as my LG G pad just took a dump on me tonight.

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  19. How to keep up a good supply of Spirit Jewels? Assist evolutions use up so many of them, and it feels inefficient to run the 50 stamina Spirit Jewel Rush for 3 jewels at a time.

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    1. I am in a unique position as I generate more pal points than anyone else due to 300/300 best friends. So I just roll the PEM

      With that being said, Spirit Jewel Rush is probably going to be the easiest way for the average person unless I am forgetting something

      Like

    1. Bastet is a pretty reasonable Wood leader and Haku can be a large TPA stick

      With that being said, the only Pantheon card I find myself running on a regular basis is Diaochan due to Super Blind Resist, 2 turn CD with a useful active, and L unlock

      Like

  20. What stylus do you use and/or recommend?

    I occasionally use a cheap one with a rubber (probably not actual rubber) bubble thing as the nib. I find they don’t last very long before the ‘rubber’ becomes scuffed and I get awful performance since the material stops gliding and starts gripping the screen. Makes most comboing almost impossible.

    Ideally I need a reasonably cheap one – can’t afford something crazy like the Apple Pencil…

    Like

    1. Had the same issue with rubber tips.
      Microcenter used to have fabric tipped stylus for less than $5.00.
      other vendors may have something similar.

      Like

  21. How often do you have to stone for stamina at higher ranks? Does it become a significant source of stone usage? I ask bc I’ve recently reached rank 800 and it seems my days of easily chaining rank ups are numbered.

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    1. I only do so on stream and it does become more “efficient” due to more stamina but it is basically impossible to rank up on one bar of natural stamina for myself unless I do ganesha/saline swapping a5

      Like

  22. Hi Mantastic – I love your optimal board compilation page. I think you should include a set of Amen bi-color boards. Very useful for annihilation dungeon farming (espcially the 8-22 7c board).

    Like

  23. Jabberwock Descended just came out in NA. It seems to me like Jabberwock’s assist evo might be really good for people using a Raoh team with Nidhoggs due to it having bind immunity, all three resists, and its active generates red and purple, even though its attribute is blue. Any opinions on Jabberwock?

    Like

    1. it is quite strong for sure! Just be aware that the -HP is -5,000 HP which translates into 20,000 HP with two Raoh (4x HP)

      As such, I would only use it if I can safely lower my HP for preemptive thresholds etc

      Like

    1. I cannot attest to the Raoh System but I know it is quite consistent

      With that being said, I find my Tifa x Haohmaru team the best option for myself as it is 7×6 + auto follow up damage

      Like

  24. Though you’ve said it might be worth it to get Fagan Rai even if you only play single player if you can charge him up in one turn, you need VERY specific cards in order to do this. He takes 22 turns to charge, so you need five or six skill ups per sub to be fully charged going in, but there’s literally only three dragon cards that have five+ skill ups: the new zaerog, Valeria, and Whaledor. These cards don’t cover green, so in reality, you’ll have to take one card with only four skill ups. The other cards then all have to have six skill ups each to make up for it. Making it, as far as I can tell, undo able (because Valeria is the only card that has six, but you need to cover all the attributes too) unless there are assists to make up the difference in skill ups. The resulting team I can figure out that covers all these conditions with the max possible number of skill ups is something like two Valeria, Whaledor, and Nergigante, but even then that still only has 21 skill ups if I counted right. Would you say my thoughts on this are correct?

    Like

    1. One thing you have not considered is Skill Boost Weapons.

      We have access to more and more of them and they are starting to come with various perks. Eg. Lina Inverse’s also has Tape Resist

      Using these will help secure 22 SB and can give some flexibility in subs. Either way, Valeria is pretty much needed and covers Fire

      Like

  25. Hi Mantastic, do you have a strategy for gems? E.g. I make gems from dungeon drops (usually from running monthly challenges) but only if I have fewer than 3 of that gem (can be a big time sink figuring out which ones can be sold). But some gems are evo mats for a lot of things: e.g. Valk and Canopus so it makes sense to keep more of them. One time I ran out of Angelion gems so I made 5. Not clear any of this is optimal. Making gems on demand is frustrating when the desired descend is not available for days.

    Like

    1. I mostly just make Gems as I acquire them or as Box space is needed but it all depends on what you are in need of and what needs to be evololved

      I rarely find myself without the needed gems but that could be from playing so much over time

      Like

  26. Hey there. I’ve been gone from pad for a while and have only done up to a2. What actives/awakening would I need for each of the higher arenas?

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  27. It looks like the jp stream announced a new subscription service for PAD which gives extra features and benefits. Any thoughts on it coming to NA? Would you think of doing it? Seems extravagant to me, but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the extra benefits involved.

    Like

    1. I looked a bit at it and it is most certainty worth while if you are someone who does IAP

      While the individual day rewards are mostly benefiting new players, the Magic Stone : Dollar ratio is better compared to an 85 pack

      Like

  28. I have a fully evolved Qilin, but is she any good ? I’m not seeing a strategy with her, and that’s even assuming I bring her CD down.

    Like

    1. She’s supposed to be the evo material for Super Reincarnated Leilan/Mei Mei/Sakuya/Haku.

      So like, she has a Fujin-style active, but you should probably use any other REM monster with a Fujin-style active.

      She’s also one of those no-skyfall leaders that need you to have few orbs remaining to get a high multiplier. She gives 30x attack, which is super high but with no shield or HP multiplier, it’s either no good or damage overkill for most dungeons.

      That said, C9 monthly Quest dungeons tend to need teams with absurdly high damage with little emphasis on survivability, so I guess she could have a niche use there if you have nothing else.

      Like

      1. She’s useful in MNoah farming teams (coop) in Jabberwock descended for swiping two floors that have absorbs, cuz she also creates a blue column.

        Like

  29. Hey Mantastic.

    A question about 2 player mode. It seems there’s no monster experience at this mode, I have played dozens of dungens and never seen any monsters level up at both accounts. Could you confrim my suspicion?

    Like

  30. I notice that some people keep base form Zela on their ZKitty teams. Is there any reason for this?

    My evo Zela always does more damage than my base Zela, so I’m thinking of making my other Zela the evo form too.

    Like

    1. I often use Ilmina.com to begin narrowing a search and here is a very basic result: https://ilmina.com/#/ADVANCED_SEARCH/%7B%22splitMainSubAttribute%22%3Atrue%2C%22mainAttributes%22%3A%7B%22Dark%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%22subAttributes%22%3A%7B%22Fire%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%22rarityDirection%22%3A%22%3E%3D%22%2C%22rarityValue%22%3A%226%22%7D

      Filters Dark main, Fire sub with 6* rarity or higher (to weed out trash drops)

      From this remaining list, things like Halloween Madoo, Ranger Slayer, HMyne, Planar, Ren, and Lord Zedd all stand out

      Like

  31. hey mantastic, sorry if this is a dumb question, but what’s the in-game godfest survey thing about? and what do you recommend to pick?

    thanks

    Like

    1. It’s the survey for what monsters you would want to be in the lineup of the upcoming Super Players Choice Godfest.

      You get to pick one pantheon card, one 6-star Godfest exclusive, and one 7-star Godfest exclusive.

      You only get to vote once, and you can’t change your vote.

      Like

  32. Is there a big difference between IAP and NIAP PAD life? What are the biggest improvements to PAD gameplay that comes with being IAP?

    And yeah, I know this can be highly variable bc whales exist. I guess I’m mostly wondering about “average” IAP players who like, occasionally buy the collab bundles or the $7 special bargain set… nothing over $50 at once.

    Like

    1. I would say there is but it all depends on the scale

      For myself, I only IAP when given gifts etc which usually is bargains and maybe the occasional full 85 stone pack. This lighter IAP means you can roll across more events and pick up the stronger lower rarity cards (eg. Samurai Shodown & Fujimi)

      For those who spend significantly more, they tend to have almost most of the top rarity cards and can trade or simply roll more

      Like

  33. I was wondering, will there ever be an event where we can trade 25 rainbow medals for a vote GFE again? I’ve been hoping for the mention for that but it doesnt seem to be happening any time soon. What do you think?

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  34. How much powercreep has to happen before we get weapon assists with a full hazard resist? Weapon assists with multiple full hazard resists? Or is that too OP for any meta?

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    1. Wouldn’t surprise me if they did. They already have 4 Resist cards so a Super is only pushing it to 5.

      Also, GH will probably invest more awakenings to counter new mechanics and the focus may shift to that

      Like

      1. Hm, you’re right now that I think about the Meryl Mujina & Neun weapon assist. I guess I’m just surprised that the hazard resists are getting powercrept so quickly.

        That said, I’m glad we’re moving on to cards having a large number of hazard resists, trying to get decent coverage for them was pretty hard without a really good monster box. Now we can finally use weapon assists for their actives or passive damage awakenings.

        Like

        1. With enough returns of MH and easy access to Trojan Horses, it is much easier to fully resist mechanics

          Of course, the spicier options are harder to roll but they do make a big difference (eg Aerith and Fatalis Weapons)

          As for inheritance options, I find them so much more satisfying as we can actually use what we want!

          Like

  35. How to deal with feeling bored with your current leaders?

    Currently, I’m mostly using B&J bc they can easily tackle diverse content with few exceptions. When they fail, I use my NY Artemis paired with a friend ZKitty.

    I also have Ranger Slayer, evo Nakoruru, Tifa, Fatalis, and DZeta, but I don’t use them much bc I lack good subs for them. In contrast, my B&J team has base and evo Suou, plus base Nakoruru; and my NY Artemis x Zkitty team has 2 Zela, which makes for much greater ease of use.

    So I guess I have trouble picking up my other leaders bc it feels like unnecessarily ‘downgrading’ and making things hard for myself, when what I actually want from other leaders is a competent team with a playstyle that fills the weaknesses of my most reliable leads. I know lots of veterans use weaker teams just for the challenge, but I’m somewhat new and just trying to keep up with the newest content is the challenge for me.

    Is this ‘leader fatigue’ a common experience? How to get out of it other than chase new OP cards (which probably won’t work out bc I’m NIAP)?

    Like

    1. You can always “catch up” on Powercreep by hoarding trade fodder and being ready for the next big thing

      I try to mix it up with different leads for challenging content or just today I made an efficient True Training Arena team with Orphen which led to Zaerog hitting Damage Cap

      You may need to find new/unique goals to strive towards

      Like

      1. Thanks. I guess I could learn 7×6 color crosses in the mean time, it seems like a fun play style. That would occupy me for a while bc I’ve seen ppl even do FUA + triple cross + cascade VDP with it.

        Like

    1. If you want, sgt502 has a clear video on their YouTube channel.

      What specific difficulties do you have with the dungeon though?

      Like

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