Category Archives: Game Meta

Game Meta, Meta Snapshots

A Closer Look: Super Follow Up Attack and Zela

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Introduction

Super Follow Up Attack (SFUA) has been in the game for quite some time now and was mostly a meme/joke upon the initial release. This is because it provided 2 pings of FUA damage but required 9 Heart orbs in a 3×3 Box. The initial thought process was that it could enable Row-based teams to still achieve a horizontal match, but Rows never took off and the higher orb count made it impractical compared to a regular Follow Up Attack (column of 5 Hearts).

As such, Super Follow Up Attack was mostly ignored outside of niche Ranking Dungeons where it awarded Style Points. With that being said, Super Follow Up Attack may be beginning to make a comeback due to the Leader Skills that rely on blobs to activate, the ability for it to be inherited via Weapon Assists , the ability to provide 2x ATK for the owning card, and Zela .

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Super Follow Up Attack

Super Follow Up Attack requires a 3×3 Box of Heart orbs to activate and will provide the owning card 2x ATK along with 2 damage of follow up pings. The primary use is for dealing with resolve spawns but will almost always require an active skill to work. Continue reading A Closer Look: Super Follow Up Attack and Zela →

Game Meta

Organizing My Monster Box

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Introduction

Numerous Quality of Life changes have occurred since my previous article detailing the Monster Box Folder System. As such, I wish to review how I now sort my Monster Box now that we have the Plus Bank, Evolution Gems, and various material stacking.

While you may have your own methods for sorting your Monster Box, it does not hurt to see how other players go about this. There is no “correct” way to manage your Box, but being exposed to new ideas may be of value.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Monster Box Folders

The default Monster Box has the folders turned off and it is highly advisable to turn them on right away. The Folders provide additional levels of customization and can greatly ease in finding cards within.

To turn Folders on simply follow these steps: Continue reading Organizing My Monster Box →

Game Meta, New Content Updates

Version 15.0 – Plus Bank, Tamadra Stacking, and Evolution Gem Review

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Introduction

Today marks the debut of Version 15.0 for North American players and with it comes numerous quality of life improvements; however, these changes comes with new interfaces that may require some adjusting. This article will summarize all the Plus Bank, Tamadra Stacking, and Evolution Gem (sometimes called Evolution Stone) mechanics along with how you can make the most of each new addition.

Full patch notes from GungHo NA’s Facebook can be found HERE.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Monster Enhancements

After updating to Version 15.0, players will now gain access to the Monster Enhancements tab. This tab will provide a more seamless way to accomplish various tasks that used to be (and can still be) performed by Power-Up Fusion. Continue reading Version 15.0 – Plus Bank, Tamadra Stacking, and Evolution Gem Review →

Game Meta, Videos

New Content Preview – GungHo Festival 2018

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Introduction

The GungHo Festival in Japan is a large event that also comes with numerous exciting changes for Puzzle and Dragons. When there are exciting updates/news in JP, I tend to do a First Impressions video for YouTube and due to the size/level of excitement for this upcoming update, I decided it would be best to share it on my website as well.

Video commentary

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Notable highlights

  • Red Starter Dragon becomes viable/amazing (Wood to a lesser degree)
  • Archangel Lucifer Awoken Archdemon Lucifer becomes a viable sub and God Killer
  • Myr becomes younger and viable
  • Weapon assist 5* GFE receive huge stat buff & +1 awakening
  • Vajrayaksas 3204 3206  become amazing button bases due to double Coop Boost and 3 SB
  • Plus Bank (saves box space)
  • Tamadra and latent Tamadra stacking
  • QoL changes to fusing pluses/awakenings
  • Evo materials changed to Rare Stones (can be exchanged for)

Conclusion

North America will be gaining access to all of these exciting changes/buffs in approximately 2-3 months time. This downtime is the only major problem I currently have with Puzzle and Dragons as some of the hype inevitably dies down. Regardless, this is an incredibly exciting update and players should not need to purchase additional Monster Box space along with NA gaining Evo material stacking this Tuesday.

Happy Puzzling!

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Game Meta, New Player Help

[Small PSA] Reminder on how Limit Breaking and Super Awakenings Work

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Introduction

GungHo NA ha released a massive amount of content last night that includes numerous changes to existing monsters that include new evolutions, Limit Breaking, and Super Awakenings.

This post is meant to be a gentle refresher on how Limit Breaking and Super Awakenings work. However, you can also read my full detailed guide HERE.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

New content

Full details of the new content released can be found through the following GHNA Facebook links:

Super Awakenings/Limit Breaking

New Evolutions

Limit Breaking

Limit breaking is the process of raising a monster’s level beyond 99 can is accomplished by fusing a Super Snow Globe. However, only certain monsters qualify for Limit Breaking and is indicated by their Max Lvl text being blue:

From the above image, Goemon on the left cannot be Limit Broken but Yamato (right) can.

Thus, if you fuse a Super Snow Globe into Yamato, you will allow him to push beyond level 99. Just be aware that the experience required to bring a card to level 110 is exceptionally expensive from a monster experience point of view.

Super Awakenings

Super awakenings are a special process that enables a card to gain an additional awakening. This can dramatically improve a monster’s viability and is worth pursuing provided you mean the following criteria:

  • Must be Limit Broken (does not need to be level 110)
    • Not all cards can be Limit Broken
      • Not all Limit Broken cards can receive a Super Awakening
  • Already be +297
  • Sacrifice a +297 for a random Super Awakening
    • Can be any combination of pluses as long as it adds up to 297
  • Works only in solo mode

Provided you have already Limit Broken a card, you should see a [?] box beside the monster’s original awakenings. If this is present, you will be able to fuse a +297 to unlock one of three Super Awakenings.

Conclusion

Limit Breaking and Super Awakenings are an expensive investment but can enable you to push further into end game content. However, always make sure a card qualifies for either mechanic before investing resources.

On a side note, Heroine REM Review will be released this weekend.

Happy Puzzling!

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Game Meta, New Content Updates

Version 12.6.1 Update – Super Awakenings

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Introduction

Version 12.6.1 comes with the highly anticipated Super Awakenings mechanic. These awakenings are a new way to add additional power onto some of your favourite monsters. However, you must first Limit Break your card, sacrifice a +297, and these special Awakenings only works in solo mode.

This article will explain the process, when to use it, and which awakenings tend to be more favourable.

As a forewarning, not every card can be Limit Broken and not every Limit Broken card can receive a Super Awakening.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Requirements

Super Awakenings will only be available to certain cards and those particular monsters must meet the following criteria:

  • Must be Limit Broken (does not need to be level 110)
    • Not all cards can be Limit Broken
      • Not all Limit Broken cards can receive a Super Awakening
  • Already be +297
  • Sacrifice a +297 for a random Super Awakening
    • Can be any combination of pluses as long as it adds up to 297
  • Works only in solo mode

Continue reading Version 12.6.1 Update – Super Awakenings →

Game Meta, New Content Updates

Assist Evolution Overview

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Introduction

The latest patch for Puzzle and Dragons has introduced us to the new Assist Evolution mechanic. This mechanic enables your assisting card to not only provide their active skill, but to also grant additional awakenings. As a result, monsters are now able to surpass 9 awakenings. The current roster of Assist Evolutions is small for the mean time, but future options can spice up your team building options.

Just be aware that once a monster achieves Assist Evolution status it cannot be reversed so choose wisely.

Video commentary

—video coming soon–

How to determine if you should make an Assist Evolution

The most important question to ask yourself before committing to an Assist evolution is to determine if it is your only copy of the card and how likely are you to use them as a sub/leader. This is important as the process cannot be reversed and you do not want to waste your resources and base card.

Points to consider when determining if you plan to use the card as a sub is mostly if they have valuable Killer awakenings. For the most part, subs are chosen for their awakenings and correct typing/base stats. This is because with Skill Inheritance, base actives are less important as they can be overwritten. Thus, the most potentially powerful awakening a card could have is Killers, especially if they have 2 or more (Killers mostly apply to more niche farming situations or Ch10’s etc.). Continue reading Assist Evolution Overview →

Game Meta, Random Thoughts

Meta Trends in Puzzle and Dragons

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Introduction

Meta is an abbreviation for Most Efficient Team Available and is essentially a term used to indicate if a card is currently strong in this day and age. However, the meta is not fixed and is ever evolving and changing. Thus, what may have been strong 6 months ago may have fallen out of favour due to new evolutions, awakenings, or new dungeon requirements.

This article will be examining the current state of affairs in Puzzle and Dragons and the direction I foresee the game heading.

Video commentary

—video coming soon

PAD is a Puzzling game at heart

No matter how long or how much Puzzle and Dragons develops, it will still be at core a puzzling/matching game. Thus, there are only so many boards one can solve/match before it can become tiresome. As a result, GungHo has introduced new matching requirements and larger board sizes.

New matching requirements constitutes anything that goes beyond matching a vanilla set of 3. At first we had mass attack and then awakenings were introduced along with a wide variety of leader skills.

However, there are only so many different twists you can impose on matching and there is a certain degree of recycling older styles over time. As a result, it is not uncommon to see similarities over the years in terms of the matching strategy. Continue reading Meta Trends in Puzzle and Dragons →

Game Meta

Tamadra PEM Carnival – Thoughts

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Introduction

The Tamadra Carnival is in full swing and offers players a guaranteed chance at either a Baby or Adult Tamadra. Each pull will cost 500 Pal Points and may be contesting with the Plus Egg Pal Egg Machine in terms of appeal and value.

This article will quickly look at the stamina value/efficacy for using this special PEM along with some sample rolling.

Video commentary/rolling

—video coming soon—

Stamina value

The purpose of the Pal Egg Machine is to save players time and stamina as the rewards are often found in tedious dungeons or those that do not have collateral benefits. At this present time, the strongest events are the Plus Eggs and now Tamadras as both have amazing and direct stamina savings (there will be a future PEM that features rare boss drops such as Orpharion parts but that is not for the average player). Continue reading Tamadra PEM Carnival – Thoughts →

Game Meta

7×6 Combo Guide and Strategies

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Introduction

7×6 teams are the way of the future and even though I was first against them, I cannot deny the sheer power and potency they bring. Dungeons are designed with a 6×5 board in mind and having an additional 12 orbs (or 4 potential combos) to work with can trivialize various encounters.

This article will illustrate how I approach a 7×6 board along with the tips and strategies I utilize. I want to stress that this is not the only way to approach a given board and is simply the method I employ. Thus, you can use one or up to all the listed points and incorporate them as you deem fit.

Video commentary

This video may be of more help due to it showcasing combos in real time
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6×5 strategies

I am well aware that this is a 7×6 board guide, but we still need to understand how a 6×5 board works, how it differs, and what strategies we can carry over. You can read more about it HERE.

Section 1, 2, 3 method

This is how I personally solve 6×5 boards and while your own experience may vary, I will be using this method for the purpose of this article. Continue reading 7×6 Combo Guide and Strategies →