Sacred Relic Dragon Saga REM Review and Analysis – March 2020

Introduction

In a surprise announcement late Thursday night, the Sacred Relic Dragon Saga Rare Egg Machine will be debuting in North America starting on Friday, March 27 and is home to only Transforming cards.

As mentioned in my previous articles, GungHo will be pushing the Transform meta as these cards are stronger compared to previously available options due to the Skill Boost Skill Boost hurdle that is required. As such, many team compositions are drastically changing in order to accommodate these new and powerful cards.

Furthermore, we will now have a more diverse set of Transforming cards in this event as some are all-or-nothing (like Yugi ) or those that provide Skill Boosts/Effective Skill Boosts and then Transform into something powerful (like Fortress Dragon ). I want to stress that cards who help you Transform and then Transform themselves are particularly powerful because they no longer have “wasteful” Skill Boosts any more.

In regards to the Sacred Relic Dragon Saga series, this is a brand new GungHo-owned even which means it should return on a regular basis (like Dragonbound & Dragon Caller (DBDC)) which means there is no “rush” to roll these cards.

With that being said, this is a debut event which mean the first several rolls should be unique for the most part. Furthermore, these cards are also at the height of their power which tends to be the case for any first-time event as it would not make sense to release cards who are already outdated.

One other nice aspect to this Rare Egg Machine event is that because all cards can Transform, there is no Limit Break/Super Awakenings. Thus, these cards have a lower investment cost compared to most other monsters. Sadly, this also means duplicates are lackluster as none of these cards have a Weapon Assist nor can they be inherited.

Regardless, this article will summarize each card’s strengths and weaknesses to give you a better understanding of what is in store within this event.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Overview

Sacred Relic Dragon Saga Pros & Cons – March 27, 2020
Pros
Cons
  • All cards Transform
    • Transforming cards tend to be stronger overall
  • Not all cards are all or nothing
    • Some have reasonable awakenings in Base form
  • Low investment
    • No Limit Break/Super Awakenings
    • No Skill Up required
  • Debut event
    • First several rolls should be new
  • GH event
    • Should return on a regular basis
  • Duplicates are less valuable
    • No Weapon Assists
    • No card can be inherited
  • Small rolling pool
    • Easier to acquire Duplicates
  • Monster Exchanging is costly
Sacred Relic Dragon Saga REM
 7 Star base (2% each, 10% total)
 6 Star base (7% each, 28% total)
 5 Star base (15.5% each, 62% total)
Sacred Relic Dragon Saga REM  Rankings – March 27, 2020
S
A
B
C
D

All 7-star cards are available for trade within the Monster Exchange

Order within each tier is random and not reflective of ranking.

Icons only show their Transformed evolution

Regardless of card’s ranking, you should almost always keep it if it is your very first time acquiring them.

Limit Breaking

Limit Breaking is the process of leveling a card beyond level 99. This will unlock more weighted stats along with the potential to receive Super Awakenings. These additional awakenings can add significant power, but only function in solo mode.

Any card that can qualify for Limit Breaking will have their level displayed in blue and feeding a Super Snow Globe will push them beyond the level 99 cap.

You can read more about Super Awakenings HERE.

Monster Exchange

The Monster Exchange System has mostly eliminated the need to roll in most events as players can simply trade in for a card of their choice. This is often done during lackluster events to avoid spending Stones on poor bottom rarity cards or to snipe a specific card if luck is not on your side.

Weapon Assists

Weapon Assists are a special evolution for select cards that will be used exclusively as inherits. This form retains the same base stats as the original form, but will also transfer over all awakenings on the Weapon Assist card and this occurs if the Awoken Assist  is present.

My approach to Collab rolling

Rolling any Rare Egg Machine is a gamble and it becomes a matter of maximizing your rate of returns in an event.

This translates into rolling when the bottom rarity has high value as those will be the most common cards. Furthermore, I may utilize the Monster Exchange system to acquire the higher rarity cards if they will significantly advance my progress. As such, I tend to look most closely at the 5-star pool to determine if it is worth rolling in.

This is just my own personal approach and everyone has different goals/motivations so take this section with a grain of salt.

7 Star base

All 7-star base cards can be acquired via the Monster Exchange System with each trade costing five 7-star GFE or other 7-stars from this event

Base Grigory – S

Active: For 10 turns, Fire and Wood orbs are more likely to appear by 15%; Changes to [5967] for the duration of the dungeon (18 -> 18 turn cooldown)

Leader Skill: 6x ATK when matching Fire and Wood [1/36/1]

Awakenings: TPA TPA TPA TPA
Super Awakenings: –
Typing:
Physical / Dragon
Available Killers: Machine Killer Healer Killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 703 (-)
HP 4642 (-) / ATK 1150 (-) / RCV 25 (-)

Grigory (Transformed)

Active: For 1 turn, bypass void damage shield effects; Change all orbs to Fire, Wood, and Heal orbs (10 -> 10 turn cooldown)

Leader Skill: [Disable Poison & Mortal Poison orb effects] 2x all stats for Physical type; 10x ATK when matching Fire and Wood; 1000000 additional damage when attacking with 2 or more Fire or Wood combos [4/400/4]

Awakenings: TPA TPA TPA TPA TPA TPA TPA Skill Lock Resist
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Physical / Dragon
Available Killers: Machine Killer Healer Killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1401 (-)
HP 9285 (-) / ATK 2253 (-) / RCV 65 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • Transforming grants 10 turns of Skyfalls
  • Yugi but for Physical
    • 4/400/4
    • Immune to Poison
    • Can asymmetrically pair
    • Auto Follow Up Damage 2 Fire or Wood combos
    • No combo requirement
  • Powerful active
    • Ignores Damage Void
    • Tricolour board
  • Easy activation
    • Just requires one Wood & Fire combo
  • Massive TPA TPA potential
  • PAD Christmas Tree is a powerful inherit
    • 99 turns Fire & Wood skyfalls
  • Restricted to Physical cards
    • Relatively shallow pool
    • Can roll subs from this event
  • Personal damage tied to TPA
  • May face issues with repeated Void spawns

Grigory is the first card within the Sacred Relic Dragon Sage Rare Egg Machine and is reasonably similar to Yugi in that both leaders share the same multipliers, immunity to Poison, and the ability to provide Follow Up Damage with certain matches.

As such, it should be no surprise that Grigory will be a powerful leader and his main hurdle will be finding enough viable Physical cards in order to Transform right away. Thankfully this event is home to numerous cards that help Transforming temas with Duval  and Polowne providing a total of 10 Effective Skill Boosts. Despite Polowne not being Physical, this is still feasible due to the utility she provides and a lack of personal damage. Furthermore, it is possible to asymmetrically pair with him which would further lower the Skill Boost requirements.

In regards to play style, Grigory has a wonderfully easy activation as he only requires a single combo of Fire and Wood to fully activate his ATK multiplier. This should be relatively easy and possible from most given boards along with having beautiful synergy with his own massive TPA TPA potential. While this is powerful, Grigory can further improve his prowess as he can deliver 1,000,000 Auto Follow Up Damage when matching Fire and Wood.

Grigory also owns a powerful active in both Base and Transformed states. His Base form is able to provide 10 turns of Fire and Wood Skyfalls which can help with activation for the next 10 turns while his Transformed state provides a tricolour board along with the ability to ignore Damage Void for a single turn. This Void Damage Void greatly helps his killing potential as Grigory’s damage is all tied to TPA and not VDP . As such, Grigory will trivialize which ever spawn he uses his active against due to the board changer (and almost guaranteed Auto Follow Up Damage) but also means he will require a solution for multiple Void spawns. As such, it would still be wise to have a strong VDP solution present.

As a whole, Grigory is a powerful leader who will become more viable moving forward as future Physical cards are released.


Base Deena – S

Active: For 10 turns, increase orb move time by 1 second; Changes to [5969] for the duration of the dungeon (18 -> 18 turn cooldown)

Leader Skill: 5x ATK when 7 or more combos [1/25/1]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist
Super Awakenings: –
Typing:
Dragon / Attacker
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 702 (-)
HP 2083 (-) / ATK 1955 (-) / RCV 308 (-)

Deena (Transformed)

Active: Create 3 Water orbs; Lock all orbs (1-> 1 turn cooldown)

Leader Skill: 2x HP for Attacker type; 7x ATK when 7 or more combos; 3x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 2+ Water combos [4/441/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist 45 45 Devil killer
Super Awakenings: –
Typing:
Dragon / Attacker
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1401 (-)
HP 3773 (-) / ATK 3505 (-) / RCV 968 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • Outstanding personal damage
    • 2 VDP
    • 2 7c 45
    • Devil Killer Devil killer
  • Incredible active
    • Perfect Spinner counter
    • 1 turn board lock + 3 Water orbs
  • Valuable sub or leader
    • Fasca pairing
  • Bunny costume
  • 18 turns to Transform

Deena is the second card within the Sacred Relic Dragon Saga REM and is capable of becoming a powerful leader or sub after Transforming due to her outstanding active, awakenings, and leader skill.

Deena’s awakenings make her one of the best solutions possible for VDP as her offensive awakenings grant her 25x personal damage (2.5*2.5*2*2) which jumps to 75x against Devils. This is pretty magical overall and she even has an L for additional utility. Furthermore, her active skill is simply a thing of beauty as it is on a 1-turn cooldown that generates 3 Water orbs AND locks the board. This means she is the single best counter to Spinners while also potentially solving activation requirements for mono Water teams every turn. Just be aware that you may not always receive 3 Water orbs if you fail to clear most of the locked orbs.

With this in mind, she is a stellar sub on any mono Water team but can also function as a potent leader, especially if paired with Fasca as both share the Attacker restriction. While Deena does require 2 Water combos to activate, it should not be an issue due to the fact that she can make 3 every turn along with having a 7×6 board.

As a whole, I feel Deena is one of the strongest cards released due to the sheer utility and power she offers as both a leader and sub. As such, I feel she will have tremendous staying power moving forward as I feel it will be difficult to top her sub potential for any mono Water team.


Base Alynna – S

Active: For 6 turns, recover 40% of max HP; Changes to [5971] for the duration of the dungeon (12 -> 12 turn cooldown)

Leader Skill: 1.5x HP & ATK for Wood Att.; Increase orb movement time by 3 seconds; 11x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 2+ Wood combos [2.25/272.25/1/43.75%]

Awakenings:  Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost Skill Boost
Super Awakenings: –
Typing:
Dragon / Healer
Available Killers: Dragon Killer Machine Killer Healer Killer 37 
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1401 (-)
HP 3408 (-) / ATK 2765 (-) / RCV 1523 (-)

Alynna Transformed

Active: Remove all binds and awoken skill binds; Change the top row to Wood orbs; Lock all Wood orbs (4 -> 4 turn cooldown)

Leader Skill: 1.5x HP & ATK for Wood Att.; Increase orb movement time by 3 seconds; 11x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 2+ Wood combos [2.25/272.25/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist Skill Lock Resist +heart +heart 45 45
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Healer
Available Killers: Dragon Killer Machine Killer Healer Killer 37 
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1401 (-)
HP 3408 (-) / ATK 2765 (-) / RCV 1523 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • Strong Base form
    • Same LS in Base form
    • Same weighted stats in Base form
    • Base form has useful awakenings
  • Natural Cloud Resist
  • Enhanced Heal +heart orbs + high RCV
  • Strong active
    • 4 turn CD
  • Reasonably strong LS
  • LS requires two separate Wood combos
  • Damage Reduction tied to 2 Wood combos
    • Harder time stalling

Alynna quite unique as her Base form shares the same Leader Skill and weighted stats as her Transformed state along with valuable awakening to help Transform. This provides an additional layer of safety but at the same time lowers some overall potential.

As a general statement, Transforming cards who have worse awakenings and a higher cooldown in their Base form tend to be stronger overall. Thus, Alynna’s additional perks and relatively short 12 turn cooldown holds her back compared to the other 7-star options as a leader due to her Leader Skill being on the weaker side.

This is because she requires 2 Wood combos to fully activate both her ATK multiplier and Damage Reduction. This hinders her stalling potential along with VDP as one now requires 12 Wood orbs. Furthermore, she features no 7×6 or Auto Follow Up Damage and makes her feel less powerful as a overall.

Thankfully, Alynna is is able to function as a powerful mono Wood solution as she will help you Transform due to her 3 Skill Boosts Skill Boost and much faster cooldown. Furthermore, Alynna’s new active provides a row of Wood and full Bind and Awoken Bind clear on a fast 4-turn cooldown. In addition to this, she has reasonably strong damage potential along with massive RCV along with 2 Enhanced Heal orbs +heart.

One thing I want to mention about Alynna is that I feel she will be setting the pace for future strong subs as she has strong awakenings in her Base form, high value active once Transformed along with powerful awakenings. This somewhat puts to shame non-Transforming subs and I would not be surprised if we started to see more and more cards follow this template.


Base Dyer – S

Active: For 10 turns, increase combo count by 1; Changes to [5973] for the duration of the dungeon (18 -> 18 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 6x ATK when matching 4 or more colors [1/36/1]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / God
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 705 (-)
HP 2820 (-) / ATK 1610 (-) / RCV 303 (-)

Dyer Transformed

Active: For 1 turn, bypass void damage shield effects; For 1 turn, reduce damage taken by 50% (8 -> 8 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x all stats for God type; Increase orb movement time by 3 seconds; 10x ATK when matching 4 or more colors; 50000 additional damage when matching 4 or more colors [4/400/4]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist 45 45
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / God
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1402 (-)
HP 5020 (-) / ATK 3110 (-) / RCV 833 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • Powerful Rainbow leader
    • 2/20/2 alone
    • Valentine’s Ideal pairing
    • Akine pairing
  • Auto Follow Up Damage
  • Bonus orb movement time
  • Powerful base active
    • Void Damage Void
  • Comically high personal damage with 10 combos
    • 20x against all spawns
  • Restricted to Gods for multipliers
  • 10 combos is inconsistent
  • No natural Damage Reduction outside active

Dyer is a wonderfully powerful Rainbow leader once Transformed as he along provides 2/20/2 multipliers along with Auto Follow Up Damage for matching 4 or more colours. This greatly reduces the stress when using full Rainbow board changers as you will now always be able to safely kill Resolve spawns. Furthermore, Dyer’s new active provides a Void Damage Void on a fast 8-turn cooldown. As such, he is able to solve the two largest hurdles for Rainbow teams while also offering solid multipliers.

With this in mind, players do not have to always pair with a friend’s Dyer as one can use their Akine (who shares God requirements) for a 3/600/3 team with Auto Follow Up Damage and solutions for Void spawns. Unfortunately, this does not solve the issue of tapping into Dyer’s high personal damage as he only receives 20x when hitting 10 or more combos which is difficult on 6×5.

With this in mind, it is possible to pair with Valentine’s Ideal but this means you would ideally be running Gods who have either Dragon or Balanced typing. This can cut down on potential subs but at the same time, possibly addressing the 10 combo issue as Valentine’s Ideal features +2 combos with a No Skyfall clause. Furthermore, this pairing also provides Damage Reduction to counter 100% Gravities.


Base Hermei – A

Active: Change all orbs to Light and Dark orbs; Changes to [5975] for the duration of the dungeon (12 -> 12 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP & ATK for Dark Att.; Increase orb movement time by 4 seconds; 8x ATK and increase combo by 1 when matching Light and Dark at once [4/256/1]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Devil
Available Killers: God Killer Machine Killer Healer Killer 
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1404 (-)
HP 5235 (-) / ATK 3445 (-) / RCV 573 (-)

Hermei Transformed

Active: For 1 turn, 3x RCV; For 1 turn, 3x ATK for Dark Att.; Lock all Dark orbs (4 -> 4 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP & ATK for Dark Att.; Increase orb movement time by 4 seconds; 8x ATK and increase combo by 1 when matching Light and Dark at once [4/256/1]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist  
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Devil
Available Killers: God Killer Machine Killer Healer Killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1404 (-)
HP 5235 (-) / ATK 3445 (-) / RCV 573 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • Strong Base form
    • Same LS in Base form
    • Same weighted stats in Base form
    • Base form has useful awakenings
    • Provides 2 SB Skill Boost & SBR Skill Lock Resist
  • Viable Yugi pairing
  • Adds +1 combo with Light & Dark match
  • Powerful active
    • Burst & RCV buff
    • 4 turn cooldown
  • L & Tape
  • Lower multipliers
  • No Damage Reduction
  • Low personal damage without 3×3 match
  • Opposite of a pretty girl

Hermei is the final 7-star card within the Sacred Relic Dragon Sage REM and follows a similar template as Alynna in that he has a more powerful Base form that helps with Transforming along with a reasonable Leader Skill.

With this in mind, it would be best to pair him with a Yugi friend as he is a Devil along with his Leader Skill only requiring one Light and Dark combo to activate. As such, this should be relatively easy to do and the +1 combo from Hermei is valuable for the notoriously lower combo Yugi. A given board tends to have 7-8 combos and matching a row of Dark bumps this down to 6-7 possible combos on average. Thus, the +1 combo will help trigger any subs who have the 7 Combo 45 awakening.

In addition to this, Hermei’s active is quite powerful as it provides 3x RCV and 3x ATK for a single turn on a 4-turn cooldown. This dual nature helps ensure at least one component does not go to waste along with potentially solving your healing problems. This is because a Yugi pairing would result in 4x HP & 2x RCV which means you can potentially tank several turns in a row and then fully restore your health.

While all of this is powerful, one must remember that Hermei’s multipliers are on the “lower” end (especially for Transforming cards) and his own personal damage is fully tied to matching a 3×3 Box of Dark.


6 Star Base

Base Elsha – A

Active: Charge all allies’ skills by 3 turns; Changes to [5977] for the duration of the dungeon (14 -> 14 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 9x ATK and increase combo by 2 when matching 5 or more connected Water and Light orbs at once; 2x HP & ATK for Water Att. [4/324/1]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Skill Boost Skill Boost
Super Awakenings:
Typing: Dragon / Healer
Available Killers: Dragon Killer Machine Killer Healer Killer 37 
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 989 (-)
HP 3045 (-) / ATK 1408 (-) / RCV 1210 (-)

Elsha Transformed

Active: Change all orbs to Water and Light orbs; For 1 turn, increase orb move time by 2 seconds (10 -> 10 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 9x ATK and increase combo by 2 when matching 5 or more connected Water and Light orbs at once; 2x HP & ATK for Water Att. [4/324/1]

Awakenings: Time Extend Time Extend 45 45
Super Awakenings:
Typing: Dragon / Healer / Attacker
Available Killers: Dragon Killer Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer 37
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1205 (-)
HP 3045 (-) / ATK 2488 (-) / RCV 1210 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • 6 Effective Skill Boosts Skill Boost
    • Akin to Fortress Dragon
    • Provides Haste
  • 3 Team RCV
    • High personal RCV
  • Bicolour board
  • Active does not produce Hearts
    • Requires Auto Follow Up
  • No SBR Skill Lock Resist

Elsha is the first 6-star card within the Sacred Relic Dragon Saga REM and has a kit akin to Fortress Dragon . This is because both cards provide 6 Effective Skill Boosts Skill Boost and Transforms after use. This is valuable as it allows the newly Transformed card to feature stronger awakenings (Skill Boosts are “dead awakenings” after entering a dungeon). For Elsha, she is able to provide three Team RCV awakenings which can greatly improve your healing potential, especially on Attacker-oriented teams.

This has the most applications on Fasca teams as even the 4x RCV from her may not feel significant if every Attacker has abysmal RCV. In addition to this, Elsha’s new active will provide a bicolour board of Light and Water orbs which can be quickly solved into any desired pattern. Unfortunately, the exclusion of Hearts means players must carefully choose when to use this or rely on Auto Follow Up Damage.

Finally, players should be aware that neither form of Elsha provides SBR Skill Lock Resist.


Base Reeta – B

Active: Unlock all orbs; Change all orbs to Fire, Water, Wood, Light, Dark, and Heal orbs; Changes to [5979] for the duration of the dungeon (18 -> 18 turn CD)

Leader Skill: [No skyfall] 3x ATK when there are 6 or fewer orbs remaining; 3x ATK when matching 4 or more colors [1/81/1]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune 45
Super Awakenings: 
Typing: Dragon / Balance / God
Available Killers: God Killer Dragon Killer Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer Balance killer 37 
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 602 (-)
HP 2438 (-) / ATK 1310 (-) / RCV 288 (-)

Reeta Transformed

Active: For 3 turns, reduce damage taken by 35%; For 3 turns, 1.5x ATK for Balanced and God types (6 -> 6 turn CD)

Leader Skill: [No skyfall] 20x ATK when there are 6 or fewer orbs remaining; Reduce damage taken by 50% when matching 4 or more colors; 1 additional damage when matching 4 or more colors [1/400/1/75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune 45 physical killer Healer Killer
Super Awakenings: 
Typing: Dragon / Balance / God
Available Killers: God Killer Dragon Killer Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer Balance killer 37 
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1205 (-)
HP 4868 (-) / ATK 2510 (-) / RCV 648 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • 6 turn active
    • Sped up via Skill Charge
    • Provides 35%  Damage Reduction for 3 turns
    • 1.5x ATK boost
      • Can have 100% up time
  • Full Jammer Resistance
  • Wood is sometimes awkward for Rainbow teams
  • 18 turns to Transform
    • On the longer side for what it does

Reeta has the potential to be an interesting sub on Rainbow teams as she is able to potentially provide a continuous loop of her active when utilizing Skill Charge If able to proc this every turn, players can enjoy 100% up time on her active which provides 35% Damage Reduction and 1.5x ATK for God and Balance types.

While each component is relatively small, the fact that it can be looped is valuable along with possibly providing a somewhat awkward colour for Rainbow teams.

Furthermore, she does provide 100% protection against Jammers along with 2 seconds of orb movement time.

As a whole, Reeta is an interesting solution for Rainbow teams who want additional bulk and damage output.


Base Duval – A

Active: Delay enemies’ next attack by 3 turns; Changes to [5981] for the duration of the dungeon (14 -> 14 turn cooldown)

Leader Skill: 5x ATK for Physical and Dragon type; 4.5x ATK when matching 4 or more connected Fire orbs [1/506.25/1]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Skill Boost Skill Boost TPA
Super Awakenings: –
Typing:
Dragon / Attacker
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 993 (-)
HP 3086 (-) / ATK 3423 (-) / RCV 0 (-)

Duval Transformed

Active: Change the far left column to Fire orbs; For 1 turn, 2x ATK for Physical and Dragon types (6 -> 6 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 5x ATK for Physical and Dragon type; 4.5x ATK when matching 4 or more connected Fire orbs [1/506.25/1]

Awakenings:  TPA TPA TPA TPA Skill Lock Resist
Super Awakenings: –
Typing:
Dragon / Attacker / Physical
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1212 (-)
HP 5273 (-) / ATK 3423 (-) / RCV 0 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • 6 Effective Skill Boosts Skill Boost
    • Provides 3 turn Delay
  • Full Blind immunity
  • 4 TPA TPA with high ATK
  • Fast charging active with Burst + column
  • Has 1 SBR Skill Lock Resist
  • Reliant on TPA for damage
  • 0 Base RCV

Duval is another card to provide 6 Effective Skill Boosts Skill Boost while also Transforming after using his 3 turn Delay. As mentioned above, these types of subs are quite powerful as they are able to provide the Skill Boosts required along with changing their kit post-Transform. Furthermore, Duval comes with a Skill Bind Resist Skill Lock Resist which can further alleviate team building restrictions.

Building upon this, Duval also owns a Super Blind Resist  along with high ATK and 4 TPA TPAWhile the Blind Resist is always helpful, the TPA can be limiting for most teams, but thankfully, Grigory provides a perfect home for Duval.

This is because Grigory favours TPA matches and Duval’s ability to help him Transform helps ensure he is a desirable sub. With that being said, Duval’s value does hinge on his ability to tap into TPA which has little merit on blob-style teams. With that being said, Duval may stil be a vital part on mono Fire Transforming teams moving forward.


Base Shivnia – A

Active: For 2 turns, reduce damage taken by 50%; Changes to [5983] for the duration of the dungeon (12 -> 12  turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP for Devil type; 4x ATK when below 50% HP; 4x ATK when matching 6 or more connected Dark orbs; 1 additional damage when matching 6 or more Dark orbs [4/256/1]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Skill Boost
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Devil
Available Killers: God Killer Machine Killer Healer Killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 983 (-)
HP 3700 (-) / ATK 2225 (-) / RCV 503 (-)

Shivnia Transformed

Active: Reduce HP by 50%; Change the top row and the bottom row to Dark orbs (6 -> 6 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP for Devil type; 4x ATK when below 50% HP; 4x ATK when matching 6 or more connected Dark orbs; 1 additional damage when matching 6 or more Dark orbs [4/256/1]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist God Killer Dragon Killer
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Devil / Attacker
Available Killers: God Killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer Devil killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1203 (-)
HP 3700 (-) / ATK 3325 (-) / RCV 503 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • 2 Skill Boosts Skill Boost in Base form
    • 50% Damage Reduction for 2 turns with active
  • Same LS in both forms
  • High personal damage
    • VDP
    • 3 <50%
    • Dragon Dragon Killer & God God Killer Killers
  • Active generates 2 Dark Rows & -50% HP
    • Synergy with her own awakenings
  • Auto Follow Up Damage with 6 matched Dark orbs
  • Must be below 50% to function

Shivnia is the final 6-star card within the Sacred Relic Dragon Saga REM and has the ability to function as a powerful Damage solution or leader.

In their Base form, they are able to provide 2 Skill Boosts along with having a fast 12-turn cooldown. This can help alleviate some Transforming woes but their Base form shares the same Leader Skill and the same amount of HP.

Once Transformed, they gain access to numerous offensive awakenings including 8x personal damage with any match when below 50% HP. This can be further bolstered via VDP and her Dragon Dragon Killer and God God Killer Killers. Furthermore, their Devil typing means they can be used as a Yugi sub but juggling your HP may or may not be difficult.

As a leader, Shivnia is able to provide 4/256/1 and Auto Follow Up Damage with 6 or more connected Dark orbs. This is easily achieved via their 6-turn active that reduces your HP by 50% and makes a row of Dark at the top and bottom of the board. These orbs can be left as is, saved, or rearranged into a 3×3 Box. With this in mind, I feel Shivnia may be a desirable card for some Farming builds assuming you can have enough time for 6 turns of charging up.


5 Star Base

Base Lampeid – S

Active: Delay enemies’ next attack by 2 turns; Changes to [5985] for the duration of the dungeon (12 -> 12 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x all stats for Dragon and Attacker type; 7x ATK when matching 6 or more connected Water orbs; 50000 additional damage when matching 6 or more Water orbs [4/196/4]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Skill Boost Water Row Water Row
Super Awakenings: –

Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 904 (-)
HP 2868 (-) / ATK 2835 (-) / RCV 150 (-)

 Lampeid Transformed

Active: For 3 turns, 3x ATK for Water Att.; Remove all awoken skill binds (10 -> 10 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x all stats for Dragon and Attacker type; 7x ATK when matching 6 or more connected Water orbs; 50000 additional damage when matching 6 or more Water orbs [4/196/4]

Awakenings: Water Row Water Row Water Row Water Row Water Row Water Row
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1004 (-)
HP 3868 (-) / ATK 2835 (-) / RCV 150 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • 2 SB Skill Boost in Base form
    • 2 turns Delay
    • 4 Effective Skill Boosts
  • Powerful mono Water leader
    • Auto Follow Up Damage
    • Easy to activate
    • Numerous asymmetrical pairings
  • Full Poison Immunity
  • Restricted to Dragon & Attackers
  • Lower ATK multiplier
    • Somewhat offset via Water Row
  • Low weighted stats

Lampeid is the first 5-star card within the Sacred Relic Dragon Sage Rare Egg Machine and is a surprisingly powerful leader. This is somewhat unusual from the bottom rarity of any event but Lampeid is able to lead a 2/14/2 team for Dragons and Attackers while also having 50,000 Auto Follow Up Damage when matching 6 or more connected Water orbs.

While the ATK multipliers are on the lower end, Lampeid is able to function as our best Auto Follow Up solution for Water teams and is worth pursuing as he has numerous viable pairings.

Generally speaking, it is best to try and pair Auto Follow Up with 7×6 leaders as you are then able to enjoy the two strongest mechanics and with this in mind, Minaka and Fasca are two fantastic pairings.

With Minaka you have a wider range of viable subs as you can use any Dragon or Attacker cards but is a weaker pair compared to the Transforming Fasca. With Fasca, you will be restricted to only Attacker types but this is still doable as your only activation requirements are to match 6 or more Water orbs and hit 8 combos. Both metrics should become much easier to achieve on a 7×6 board and my own Chidori x Fasca team can simply have Lampeid used instead of Chidori as Lampeid comes with 2 Skill Boosts Skill Boost in his Base form and has Super Poison Resist :

Chidori x Fasca – AA3
HP Badge
Card
SA 45
Inherit
(5591)

(4145)

(4897)

(5625)

(4015)

(5618)
Latent
Devil killer Devil killer

Devil killer Devil killer
x4 Devil killerDevil killer
Devil killer

Devil killer Devil killer

In essence, you can roll a wonderfully powerful leader at the bottom rarity which is fantastic to say the least.


Base P’numas – C

Active: For 1 turn, 2.5x ATK for Attacker type; Changes to [5987] for the duration of the dungeon (3 -> 3 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP & ATK for Wood Att.; 2x ATK on the turn a skill is used; 4x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when 7 or more combos [4/256/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Lock Resist Skill Lock Resist Skill Lock Resist
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 906 (-)
HP 2083 (-) / ATK 2658 (-) / RCV 498 (-)

P’numas Transformed

Active: For 1 turn, reduce damage taken by 50%; Changes to [5986] for the duration of the dungeon (3 -> 3 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 2x HP & ATK for Wood Att.; 2x ATK on the turn a skill is used; 4x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when 7 or more combos [4/256/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Lock Resist Skill Lock Resist Skill Lock Resist  
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Attacker
Available Killers: Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 106 (-)
HP 3083 (-) / ATK 2658 (-) / RCV 498 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • Swaps between both forms with active
    • 3 turns to change offensive awakenings
  • Cloud Resist
  • Three <50% awakenings
  • Novel mechanic but impractical

P’numas is a truly interesting Transforming card as they will simply swap between their two forms with their 3-turn active. Doing so will grant +1,000 HP in their Transformed state but will also alter their offensive awakenings.

In P’numas’s Base form, players will have 3 >80% awakenings but their Transformed state will have 3 <50% instead. While this concept of swapping between two forms sounds cool, it is impractical overall as teams will want only one or the other for offensive awakenings.

Perhaps if you are wanting a triple <50% card P’numas may be valuable but at the same time, this is nothing new or novel and feels underwhelming when compared to the other cards in this event.


Base Lisheilla – B

Active: For 4 turns, reduce damage taken by 35%; Changes to [5989] for the duration of the dungeon (12 -> 12 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 4x ATK and reduce damage taken by 50% when matching 5 Heal orbs in a cross formation; 4x ATK and increase combo by 1 when matching Wood and Light at once [1/256/1/75%]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist Time Extend
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Balance
Available Killers: God Killer Dragon Killer Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer Balance killer 37
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 907 (-)
HP 3008 (-) / ATK 2263 (-) / RCV 460 (-)

Lisheilla Transformed

Active: Reduce awoken skill binds by 5 turns; Change all orbs to Wood, Light, and Heal orbs (6 -> 6 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 4x ATK and reduce damage taken by 50% when matching 5 Heal orbs in a cross formation; 4x ATK and increase combo by 1 when matching Wood and Light at once [1/256/1/75%]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist Skill Lock Resist Time Extend    
Super Awakenings: –
Typing: Dragon / Balance
Available Killers: God Killer Dragon Killer Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer Balance killer 37
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1007 (-)
HP 4008 (-) / ATK 2263 (-) / RCV 460 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • 2 SB Skill Boost in Base form
  • Full Jammer Resist
  • 4 Team RCV
  • Fast charging active
    • 5 turn Bind & Awoken Bind clear
    • Tricolour board w Hearts
  • Middling sub overall
    • Light has many strong options

Lisheilla is able to provide 2 Skill Boosts Skill Boost in their Base form which can help alleviate Transforming requirements overall and once she is Transformed, players will enjoy a fast charging Bind & Awoken Bind clear with a tricolour board changer.

The main appeal for Lisheilla is her active as it is able to generate a board of Wood, Light, and Heart orbs along with 5 turns of Bind & Awoken Bind clearing. For the most part, this is universally helpful but at the same time, Lisheilla is not providing that much else overall.

This is because she features Super Jammer Resist  which tends to be less valuable compared to Blind and Poison along with no offensive awakenings and low weighted stats.

As such, she will primarily be used for her active and while it is strong, may not be justification enough to run as a sub.


Base Polowne – S

Active: Charge all allies’ skills by 2 turns; Changes to [5991] for the duration of the dungeon (12 -> 12 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 1.5x Rank EXP [1/1/1]

Awakenings: Skill Boost Skill Boost
Super Awakenings: 
Typing: Dragon / Balance
Available Killers: God Killer Dragon Killer Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer Balance killer 37
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 906 (-)
HP 2940 (-) / ATK 2090 (-) / RCV 583 (-)

Polowne Transformed

Active: For 1 turn, bypass damage absorb shield and att. absorb shield effects (8 -> 8 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 1.5x Rank EXP [1/1/1]

Awakenings: Skill Lock Resist   Time Extend Time Extend
Super Awakenings: 
Typing: Dragon / Balance
Available Killers: God Killer Dragon Killer Devil killer Machine Killer Healer Killer physical killer Balance killer 37
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1006 (-)
HP 3940 (-) / ATK 2090 (-) / RCV 583 (-)

Pros
Cons
  • 2 SB Skill Boost in Base form
    • 2 turns Delay
    • 4 Effective Skill Boosts
  • Utility galore
    • 3 Team HP
    • L
    • FUA
  • 8 turn Fujin active
    • Also counters colour absorb
    • What the fujin
  • Grants 1.5x Rank experience
    • Alternative to Ganesha 3071
  • May set a bad precedent for Damage Absorb spawns
  • No offensive awakenings
  • Low weighted stats

Polowne is the final card in the Sacred Relic Dragon Saga Rare Egg Machine and is a wonderfully powerful card to own. This is because once Transformed, Polowne becomes a strong utility sub while also having an 8-turn Damage Absorb and Colour Absorb Void. This means Polowne is an 8 turn Fujin which is ridiculous to say the least.

The only reason why this is possible is because Polowne is a Transforming card which means her new active must be significantly stronger to compensate for the extra hassle of Transforming. As such, players will now have access to an incredibly fast charging Damage Absorb Void active which is now mandatory for playing through almost any dungeon.

In my previous article, I strongly advocate against Damage Absorb being in the game as it is the worst designed mechanic because the only way to overcome these spawns is to use a specific active. There is no other way around this as Damage Control is a thing of the past along with cards having massive personal damage multipliers.

As such, my main fear now moving forward is that now that all players have had access to a reasonably easy to acquire Damage Absorb Void card who has an 8-turn cooldown. Thus, GungHo may turn around and start populating future dungeons with more and more Damage Absorb spawns because we have a way to counter it.

I do not like this possible path but at the same time, cannot undervalue how important it may be to own Polowne, considering her bottom rarity status. For this reason alone, it is a good idea to do at least several rolls within this Egg Machine.

Do I plan to roll?

I do plan on rolling within the Sacred Relic Dragon Saga Rare Egg Machine as it is a debut event along with containing numerous powerful cards. This event also helps further solidify the Transforming meta as players can acquire both leaders and subs to populate their new teams that cannot be replicated otherwise.

As such, doing at least 10 rolls should be reasonable overall as that should not result in too many dupes while also helping ensure one acquires Lampeid and Polowne .

For my dream 7-star card, I would love to own Deena for both her bunny outfit and incredible offensive potential. Furthermore Deena is able to function as a powerful leader and stellar sub. With that being said, it is her sub potential that makes me most excited as subs tend to be powercrept at a slower rate overall and it will be hard to top Deena.

Elsha is my dream 6-star card as she is able to provide 6 Effective Skill Boosts Skill Boost along with having a powerful bicolour board afterwards along with three Team RCV . All together, Elsha will help with current and future Transforming teams along with her Base form’s active being Haste which can stack with other Haste or Delays. Despite the fact that I feel Duval is a stronger 6 Effective Skill Boost card in a vacuum, I have less places to fully take advantage of him at this point in time.

Finally, my 5-star dream roll will have to go to Polowne as her 8-turn Damage Absorb Void active is incredible as most other Fujin-style actives take 19 or so turns to charge up. Owning Polowne will help ensure I am adequately prepared for future content in case GungHo releases repeated spawns with the otherwise impassible Damage Absorb.

I chose Polowne over Lampeid because subs tend to have more staying power overall but at the same time, I will probably acquire both within my rolls anyway.

My Dream Rolls
7*
6*
5*

The above chart are the cards I would love to acquire from each rarity if I could choose one for my Mantastic account. This is my own personal opinion based on my Monster Box, goals and whether or not I have dupes.

Conclusion

The Sacred Relic Dragon Saga Rare Egg Machine is a brand new event to come to North America and will heavily push the Transforming meta due to high Effective Skill Boost cards and powerful new leaders and subs.

Due to the fact that all cards within this event can Transform, they all require minimal investment as none require Skill Ups, Limit Break, or Super Awakenings. Unfortunately, Transforming cards cannot be used as Inherits and no Weapon Assists are available for any monster within this event. As such, duplicates are less desirable as it will be hard to use more than 1 copy on a given team.

Let me know what you think about the Sacred Relic Dragon Saga REM in the comments below along with who you rolled.

Happy Puzzling!

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On a side note, I want to be the first player for 400/400 Best Friends (I was the first for 300/300) and if you want to help me reach my goal, leave your ID and user name in the comments below and I will send a friend request =)

115 thoughts on “Sacred Relic Dragon Saga REM Review and Analysis – March 2020”

  1. Thank you for the, yet again, wonderful review. I would Best Friend you if given the chance. My ID is 384.831.475. User name PaPa San.

    Like

    1. Thanks for the review! I’m impressed with the strong utility on the 5* slot! I hope we see this more in the future.

      I’d send a BF your way, if needed.
      385,919,420

      Like

        1. Thanks for the awesome reviews and analysis of the characters. Having played for 5 years the game has changed a lot which keeps it interesting! I’d love to add you to my friend list and even best friend (I still have the selection). My ID is 307972273. Username foulspawn. Looking forward to seeing more of your reviews!
          Thanks!

          Like

  2. I was just wondering. Is Cherney worth trading for? It’s kind of surprising to see a new 5o1e monster in this point in time, and I’m no entirely sure if I should trade for them or not.

    Like

  3. Do you think Denna is worth trading for a Minaka/Velkhana main? Seems like it would solve a lot of problems for the team, especially given the color typing. Also my ID is 355,600,405, username is ArcticMeow.

    Like

    1. Deena will be a possibly the best choice for virtually every mono water team and can also function as a potent leader so if you feel it will greatly advance your progress, go for it

      Also, sent request =)

      Like

  4. Last time, I made the mistake of not BFing you in a timely fashion and you deleted me =[

    Would like to try again, Mantastic!! 390,265,277 – hmu!

    Like

  5. One special thing to note about Shivnia: She’s excellent for Training Arena 2 and is fairly cheap after you get her to build for. Very user friendly unlike many other TA2 swipes.

    Like

  6. Been waiting for the NA equivalent to Coco for a while, this REM has me super excited!

    I’d also love another BF so…
    IGN: Mythe
    ID: 368,823,496

    Like

    1. I’d love to have Mantastic as a BF. I already have Fantastic. My ID is: 381 918 494.

      Thanks again for all the great work! Love reading your posts.

      Like

      1. I didn’t think you’d still be adding friends so, if it’s not too late:

        Tenzil
        352878315

        I main Yugi, BBJ, and Ina.
        I’ll take either account. It would just be fun to be your friend!

        Like

  7. So this was a really successful day for me.
    Rolled the following cards
    7*: 2x Gregory, 1x the green one, 1x the yellow
    Very happy about the red and yellow. I hope to get some red physical in the future.

    6: just the black card, I hope ti get a Duval.

    5: 2x the blue guy, 2x the green guy, 1x the yellow.

    So give me a Duval and I am 100% happy!

    Like

      1. No, still not rolled. I have really shitty Gregory team right now.

        Greg, Revo Leilan, Mai Valentine, Revo Oroshi, Belial, Gregory.
        At least I can play with myself because of my 2nd Greg.
        But hey, I heard Red Guan Yu will get a good Pixel with 3 SB, Grandis will be or free and even not a physical Awoken Shiva Dragon will have 6 SB.
        So he will be played in the near future.

        Like

  8. Thank you for your insights and guidance as usual.

    Here is my info for BF:
    User ID: 377,552,296
    Username: xmul

    Havent roll in this event as I don’t feel lucky yet…..

    Like

      1. Apologies it was late and I forgot to free some slots. You should be able to send invite now.

        I will do so rolls today and hope the RNG god blessed me.

        Like

  9. I’ve done 4 rolls and got Lisheilla, Polowne, Lampeid, and Deena! Working on the Odin story for more easy stones to try my luck more. I think.

    My ID is 340,237,351, BF is ready. IGN keoten

    Anyone else feel free to add, too. I main Yugi

    Like

  10. When at first I rolled nothing but golds I was a little sad. Then I looked at them closer and saw your reviews and was pretty okay with them.

    Then I kept rolling repeat golds and I’ve looped back to being sad.

    Pad name is corksoaker from the old snl skit
    Number is 312, 348, 436

    Like

  11. 371 337 496

    I plan on trying your setup to do Vidar. Would you have thoughts on changes you may have made to your Akine team to make it an easier run?
    Also, how would you suggest approaching 3p since SA are also gone?

    Like

  12. Hi Mantastic, I always look forward to your articles and advice. Please friend me, I also need a new BFF!
    Thanks,
    Vikingirl
    393 425 310

    Like

  13. Got a Grigory, so his sub pool is any fire or wood physical? What latent does he need? Which one is the best assist monster for him? They’ve made this game too complicated, I basically haven’t played for two years, just do daily login… wanna catch up but no way to start… 😦

    Like

    1. Fire would be preferred

      Latents are based on dungeon you intend to play but his selection is poor so either SDR or Machine if playing colo2

      Assists vary based on dungeon

      Like

  14. Interesting, I pulled both Lampeid and Polowne in my free/1roll and didn’t think much of them, but as always you’ve given me insight that I needed. Thankfully (again, from your advice) I dont sell or trade unless I have at least 3 dupes

    May roll a few more times before going back to hoarding

    ID if you like: 375 342 425

    Like

  15. Aiyu
    ID: 378824367

    Been reading your guides and watching you on twitch. Very helpful! Hopefully I’ll can add you as Best Friend 🙂

    Like

  16. Have you researched or tested any Dyer team pairings other than Akine/V Ideal? Yami Marik seems very promising.

    Add me if you have room for friends 387462256

    Like

  17. Recovery seems to be an issue with Marik x Dyer. High rcv subs like SRhorus or uruka might have to be prioritized to make it work.

    I forgot to mention I can still use my best friend selection 🙂

    Like

    1. I have not been able to play around with Marik x Dyer as I lack both cards =( But higher RCV solutions that you mentioned would def help healing

      Also, sent request =)

      Like

  18. Thank you for another helpful review! I look forward to reading your articles since I started pad almost 3 years ago. If you still have space, I would like to befriend either of your accounts.
    Acc1: 348,422,306
    Acc2: 334,429,455

    Like

      1. Thanks for responding, and keep up the amazing content! Congrats on reaching the goal – I’ll try to be faster next time 🙂

        Like

  19. Can Deena work as a sub on non-transform teams?

    I’m thinking of like, an average team with 8-12 SBs, for arena-style content.

    Like

    1. For sure! She would be much easier to Transform if all the other cards do not need to (probably have higher SB overall)

      Generally speaking, if a mono water team can use Deena (not type restricted), she should be used

      Like

  20. Pnumas would be cool when 3 of his aw would be offensive like 2x7c and 1VDP and the other on utility with the 1 of the null poison, jammer or blind aw something like that but that would be to OP for a sub alone but the idea on itself would be good

    Like

    1. Yeah that may have been more interesting but at the same time, a lack of SB harms your chance for transforming other cards so he has to be that much stronger to justify it

      Like

  21. Although I personally only have them available anymore on new collabs, I could see P’numas maybe being utilized as an S-rank leader. Not sure if the count is done at the beginning or end of the dungeon, but could just switch right back to the 5* at the end if needed. And having one of the 1* beans from the starter dragons as a sub will allow a skill use each turn for his LS activation purposes.

    Like

    1. That’s an interesting idea but I feel unless they make S-ranking harder, the usual approach of someone like Valkyrie Ciel with no subs/1 FUA sub works

      Like

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