Category Archives: Monster Analysis

Monster Analysis

Top Farmable PAD Cards – October 2019

20 Comments

Introduction

Puzzle and Dragons is one of the longest mobile games on the market and has evolved and changed over the years. Initially there was a heavier emphasis on Farmable monsters (those that can be acquired outside the Rare Egg Machine [REM]) but this is somewhat on the decline due to the differing rate of Powercreep between REM and farmable.

With that being said, there are still some invaluable Farmable cards and I wish to highlight those that I feel are the most valuable at this point in time.

Just bear in mind that this list is compromised of my own personal opinion and should be used as a starting point, not as absolute truth. There will be some cards I value or undervalue compared to you and if you feel I have missed someone or grossly miss-evaluated a card, let me know in the comments below.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

How I classify a Farmable monster

Any card that comes from either a dungeon drop, Monster Points, Pal Egg Machine (PEM), or Monster Exchange I consider a Farmable monster. Essentially, the idea is you do not need to spend Magic Stones or Real Life money to acquire (eg. Collab Orb Skin cards are not Farmable).

These cards may require a higher level of investment to fully max out but it is worth the cost considering Magic Stones are not required.

Overview

I have grouped the various Farmable cards into rough categories. It is possible for some cards to bleed over into other pools so use this as a starting template for where you can use them.

Best Farmable Monsters – October 2019
Sub (non-farming)   3264
Assist/inherit
Skill Boost Tengu
Leader  
Sub (farming) Ult Zeus Dios

How valuable a card is will be dependent on your own Monster Box and goals

Order is not reflective of value Continue reading Top Farmable PAD Cards – October 2019 →

Monster Analysis, New Evolutions

July 29 New Evolutions & Buffs

13 Comments

Introduction

Monday night saw the release of several exciting evolutions along with various buffs to existing cards as was promised on the GHNA stream. The other key/major announcement is the the highly anticipated return of the Final Fantasy Collab which will be coming soon (my guess is next Monday).

Regardless, this article will provide my thoughts on the more notable buffs/changes that were released last night.

Official posting can be found HERE.

Fenrir Viz Solo Arena 5

–video coming soon–

New evolutions

Mega Awoken Skuld

Active: Delay enemies for 1 turns; Unlock all orbs; Change all orbs to Water, Wood, and Heal orbs (12 turn CD)

Leader Skill: 5x ATK for Water Att.; 2x HP for Wood Att.; 3x ATK and reduce damage taken by 25% when matching 5 orbs in L shape [4/225/1/43.75%]

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune   Skill Lock Resist
Super Awakenings: 45 
Typing: Machine / God
Weighted Stats (Limit Break): 1100 (1320)
HP 6175 (7410) / ATK 1911 (2293) / RCV 301 (361)

Pros
Cons
  • Massive effective HP
    • 4x HP / 43.75% Damage Reduction
  • High personal damage with L
  • LS triggers from any 5 orbs in L
    • Easy to activate from any board
    • Not tied to combo count
  • SA can cover FUA if needed
  • HP tied to Wood cards
    • Not really needed for all cards
  • L’s are clunky
    • Lower combo count
    • Harder to VDP

Skuld follows the trend of tremendously durable cards due to her massive Effective HP. She combines both 4x HP and 43.75% Damage Reduction which is only tied to any L (5) match of orbs. This gives her significantly higher consistency compared to Fatalis as both her Damage Reduction and maximum multiplier can be fulfilled from any given board. Continue reading July 29 New Evolutions & Buffs →

Monster Analysis

Male & Female Hunter Review

27 Comments

Introduction

The Monster Hunter Collab is in full swing and one of the more exciting features is the inclusion of the Male and Female Hunters. These cards are able to be evolved into a total of 12 distinct evolutions while also having the option of exchanging either 3 Evolved Male/Female Hunters for a special new Hunter.

This article will provide a brief summary of what each Hunter does and where how they can be used along with advice on whether the 3:1 Hunters are worthwhile.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Acquiring Hunters

During the current Monster Hunter event, players will receive one base Male Hunter in the mail and an earn an additional Male and one Female from clearing the Monster Hunter dungeons. As such, some players will be in possession of several Hunters. In addition to these free Hunters, each base form can be purchased for 200,000 Monster Points. Continue reading Male & Female Hunter Review →

Monster Analysis

Rex, Sara, & Luna Trading Advice with Spring Fest Medal

60 Comments

Introduction

Starting on Wednesday, April 10, North American Players will be given 1 Spring Fest Medal to trade via the Monster Exchange system to acquire one new 7* Godfest Exclusive (GFE). For this event, Wandering Ancient Dragon Knight – Rex , Crimson Lotus Warrior, Echidna – Sara , and Dark Blade Divine Queen, Hera – Luna will all be available but only 1 may be acquired via the Spring Fest Medal.

This is quite exciting as players will be able to choose the best card for their Monster Box; however, all three of these new cards will be available in the upcoming Super Godfest. Furthermore, with the inclusion of a special IAP bundle, players are also able to acquire a random 7* GFE.

With this in mind, players who plan on purchasing the IAP bundle or roll in the upcoming Super Godfest should wait to exchange after all has been done. This is to avoid rolling a duplicate after trading as cards tend to have significantly more value if it is the only copy you own.

This article will summarize each card’s strengths and weaknesses to help players determine which is the best GFE to choose.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Monster Exchange

Starting Wednesday, April 10, players will be able to trade in a free Spring Fest Medal for one of the three new Fest Monsters via the Monster Exchange system. This is a one time trade and cannot be reversed, thus it is best to wait until after rolling in the Super Godfest or if purchasing the special IAP bundle to ensure one does not acquire a dupe card. Continue reading Rex, Sara, & Luna Trading Advice with Spring Fest Medal →

Godfest, Monster Analysis

Dracoblader Godfest + New GFE (Sericha & Kio) Review

22 Comments

Introduction

This coming Friday marks the debut of two new Godfest Exclusives (GFE), Sericha and Kio , along with a regular 5-Magic Stone Godfest. For the most part, this Godfest should be skipped as it will feature lackluster rates due to the non-Super status and mostly exists to bait players into trying to roll the two new cards.

As a whole, the two new Godfest Exclusives are wonderfully powerful and unique but will have significantly less applications for the average player. Their main strength comes from their Weapon Assist forms as they are able to transfer awakenings that were never available before.

This article will be focusing on the strengths of the two new Godfest Exclusives, Sericha and Kio.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Do not roll in the Godfest

Low rates combined with the eventual return of Monster Hunter and YYH Collab means players should be saving their Magic Stones.

New Godfest Exclusives

The two new Godfest Exclusives may seem strange at first due to the mediocre value of their evolved forms and some players being unaware of how powerful the Weapon Assists are. Continue reading Dracoblader Godfest + New GFE (Sericha & Kio) Review →

Monster Analysis, Monster Exchange

Farm a Servant, Assassin

14 Comments

Introduction

The Fate Collab is now in full swing and while Rare Egg Machine portion is reasonable, the Farmable Servant, Assassin  is an incredibly valuable card and should be acquired by most players.

The reason for this is that he functions as both a double row generator along with possessing a special Button nuke.

Servant, Assassin can be acquired through either 5 Rainbow Event Medals :eventmedal: or by heavily grinding the Fate event dungeon. Either way, one can find Servant, Assassin in the Monster Exchange Event tab for the duration of the Fate event.

Video commentary

—video coming soon–

Servant, Assassin at a glance

 Servant, Assassin

Active: Change 2nd row from the top & 2nd row from the bottom into Wood orbs. Inflict damage equal to ATK x200 to 1 enemy. Affected by enemy element and defense. (15 turn cooldown) Continue reading Farm a Servant, Assassin →

Godfest, Monster Analysis

Samurai Series 3 Review + Thoughts on 10 Magic Stone Samurai Super Godfest

17 Comments

Introduction

Continuing the trend of 10 Magic Stone Godfests is a special event that also acts as the debut for the Samurai Series 3. These new cards are the first 7-star pantheons to be released which will begin to pave the way for even rarer non-Godfest Exclusive (GFE) cards.

This may feel frustrating as a whole as new and powerful cards are being released while older pantheon cards sit idle in developed boxes. Regardless of how one may feel towards new high rarity cards, this is an impressive event overall due to the higher total rates for both GFE and the Samurai Series 3.

All cards in this Godfest will come out at 7-star, max level, max awoken, and +297. For the most part, these collateral benefits are largely wasteful as only new players gain meaningful value as all those perks are easily farmable. Despite the doubled Magic Stone cost, it is still a better event to roll in compared to regular Godfests.

Official GungHo posting can be found HERE.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Samurai Series 3

The Samurai Series 3 all feature identical Leader Skills (except for specific colour activations) that yield 6x ATK and 25% Damage Reduction when matching 2 specific colours. This would have been underwhelming but all of the Samurai Series 3 cards are able to boost Rank Experience by 1.5x. Continue reading Samurai Series 3 Review + Thoughts on 10 Magic Stone Samurai Super Godfest →

Monster Analysis

[First Impressions] Great Witches Weapon Assist Evolutions – Madoo, Reeche, & Zela

9 Comments

Introduction

The North American server is 2-3 months behind Japan and while this is can be problematic, it does give us a chance to fully prepare for any new content coming to Puzzle and Dragons.

The First Impression series is a type of video I produce on my YT YouTube channel and lets me voice my opinions on newly announced content.

For this video, I gave my initial reaction to the Great Witches Weapon Assist  evolutions along with the precedence it sets along with what I feel makes a strong Weapon Assist.

Video commentary

—

Weapon Assist forms

All Weapon Assist forms are able to transfer over sizable stats due to their high weighted stats.

Madoo:  Fire Row Fire Row Fire Row Fire Row  Imp HP

Reeche:  TPA  Imp HP

Zela:  Wood Row Wood Row Wood Row Wood Row  Imp HP

General thoughts

Weapon Assist  evolutions enable the card to transfer over awakenings when inherited on another monster. The Weapon Assist retains the same base stats and active skill while also permanently committing them to an inherit as the process is irreversible.

For myself, I look for three things in a Weapon Assist: beneficial awakenings, a useful active skill, a long cooldown to act as a better skill delay buffer.

With this in mind, Reeche’s Weapon Assist is the big winner of the three released as she covers all the criteria. This is because she is on-colour and can provide massive stats to Beach Fujin  which means she can take the 7 Combo 45 Super Awakening to bring her personal damage up to 8x.

The main concern I have for this trend of continuously buffing 7* GFE is that GungHo is raising the Powercreep for rare cards. In the past, many teams were locked behind 6* GFE which made many of them inaccessible to the average player even if they had some of the cards.

Over time, the need use 6* GFE has declined and most are now used as trade fodder for rare Collab cards. While owning a 7* GFE is nice and is not mandatory, the fact that GungHo is continuously buffing them (Super Awakenings, Weapon Assist) is somewhat alarming when you consider how little love is given to Pantheon cards. I understand that this is a business but when you realize that the majority of teams run little to no Pantheon cards is alarming.

Conclusion

The Weapon Assist forms the Great Witches gives them even more value and flexibility. With that in mind, it would not be wise to convert any into a Weapon Assist if it is the only copy you own as they provide a great amount of value in their base/evolved forms. Furthermore, the Weapon Assists would also act as a deterent for using them as Trade Fodder for 10-stone events.

Let me know what you think about these Weapon Assist evolutions in the comments below.

Happy Puzzling!

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Monster Analysis, Monster Exchange

Farm a Eugeo

34 Comments

Introduction

The Sword Art Online Collab is now in full swing and while Rare Egg Machine portion is lackluster, the Farmable Eugeo  is an incredibly valuable card and should be acquired by most players.

The reason for this is that he functions as a superior Meridionalis  from a speed-farming perspective along with possessing an invaluable active skill.

Eugeo can be acquired through either 5 Rainbow Event Medals :eventmedal: or by heavily grinding the SAO event dungeon. Either way, one can find Eugeo in the Monster Exchange Event tab for the duration of the SAO event.

Video commentary

—video coming soon (when I get over this cold/sore throat)–

Eugeo at a glance

Eugeo

Active: Change top-most row & bottom-most row into Water orbs. Increases time limit of orb movement by 150% for 2 turns. (15 turn cooldown) Continue reading Farm a Eugeo →

Monster Analysis

New Fest Exclusives – Valkyrie – Ciel, Zeus – Giga, & Athena – Non Review + Trading Advice

40 Comments

Introduction

With the most recent update, North American Players will now have the chance to acquire 3 new Fest Exclusive cards: Valkyrie – Ciel , Zeus – Giga , and Athena – Non .

Generally speaking, having new high rarity cards being released is irrelevant for the average player due to the low chances of rolling them, but between December 12 – December 31, all players will be able to receive 1 of these new cards of their choice through the Monster Exchange system.

This is quite exciting as players will be able to choose the best card for their Monster Box; however, there is a strong possibility that all three of these new cards will be available in the upcoming Player’s Choice Godfest (PCGF) so it would be best to not exchange until after rolling.

This article will summarize each card’s strengths and weaknesses to help players determine which is the best one to choose.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Monster Exchange

During the December 12-31 event, players will be able to trade in a free PAD Appreciation Medal for one of the three new Fest Monsters. This process is completed via the Monster Exchange system. This is a one time trade and cannot be reversed, thus it is best to wait until after rolling in PCGF to ensure one does not acquire a dupe card. Continue reading New Fest Exclusives – Valkyrie – Ciel, Zeus – Giga, & Athena – Non Review + Trading Advice →