Category Archives: Monster Analysis

Monster Analysis

[Review] Cotton & Ney Buffs, New Ryune & Sylvie Evo, and More

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Introduction

Last night, GungHo NA dropped a large update to existing characters that include huge buffs to all the Neys  and Cottons  along with Mega Awoken Evolutions for Ryune  and Sylvie .

These changes give players the opportunity to further their progression as Cotton has now become an incredible powerhouse while Ryune can act as an end game leader that is somewhat similar to Beach Barbara & Julie .

In addition to this, GungHo NA also announced that all players will receive 1 special pull at an NA-exclusive machine where one of the five 7* GFE (aka Witches     ) will come out!

All of these changes/announcements are making PAD incredibly exciting and November promises to be the best month to date. If you wish to read more about the upcoming November event including the free 100 Magic Stones, please refer to my previous article HERE.

Official notes on all the buffs and evolutions can be found on GungHo NA’s Facebook HERE.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Voice awakenings

The Voice  awakenings grant certain cards the ability to have a voice line when using their active skill in a dungeon. While this is a cosmetic effect, some players may feel upset that it takes up an awakening slot. Thankfully, it does not actually take away from the monster’s original power as GungHo has condensed either Skill Boost Skill Boost, Time Extend Time Extend, or double 50% bind Immunity Bind Immune into their stronger form   . Continue reading [Review] Cotton & Ney Buffs, New Ryune & Sylvie Evo, and More →

Team Building Guides

Team Building for Yusuke

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Introduction

Yusuke  is the newest craze to come to NA Puzzle and Dragons as he is one of the best leaders in the game along with being an amazingly powerful sub. Furthermore, he will be one of the most widely available cards due to the fact that he is available to trade in for via the Monster Exchange System (can read more about that HERE).

These factors have led us into a throwback to Dark Athena 3193 era as a large chunk of player’s friend list may now be populated by Yusuke.

This article will summarize my thoughts and rationale for building a Yusuke team; however, team building is more about countering the dungeon mechanics and somewhat removes the notion of “perfect set ups.” As such, I find it best to understand how each sub functions as well as Yusuke’s strengths and weaknesses.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Sample gameplay

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 Yusuke at a glance

HP: 4,035
ATK: 1,820
RCV: 410

Active: Reduces cooldown of other skills by 1 turn. Removes lock status on orbs. Change all orbs to Water & Light orbs (13 turn CD)

Leader Skill: Light attribute cards HP x1.5, ATK x1.5, RCV x1.5. All attribute cards ATK x4 when reaching 7 combos or above. All attribute cards ATK x2.5 when reaching Light & Water combos

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Boost Skill Boost Skill Lock Resist Time Extend 45 45  Continue reading Team Building for Yusuke →

Team Building Guides

Team Building for Blue Sonia

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Introduction

Blue Sonia  is the first of what is presumed to be Mega Awoken evolutions for 6-star Godfest Exclusives (GFE). While most meta leaders tend to recycle the same pool of subs, Blue Sonia utlizes a completely different set of cards along with a interesting twist on Tank-oriented teams.

This article will summarize my thoughts and rationale for building a Blue Sonia team. However, team building is more about countering the dungeon mechanics and somewhat removes the notion of “perfect set ups.” As such, I find it best to understand how each sub functions as well as Blue Sonia’s strengths and weaknesses.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

 Blue Sonia at a glance

HP: 7,080
ATK: 1,959
RCV: 0

Active: Bind Recovery for 3 turns. Removes lock status on orbs. Change all orbs to Water & Dark orbs (15 turn CD)

Leader Skill: Dragon type cards HP x1.5, ATK x1.5, RCV x1.5. Increases time limit of orb movement by 2 seconds. All attribute cards ATK x5, 25% all damage reduction when attacking with Water and Dark combos at the same time

Awakenings: Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost 45 45   Continue reading Team Building for Blue Sonia →

Monster Analysis, Monster Points

Amen, Mut, & Khonsu Review and Analysis – New 750,000 MP Cards

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Introduction

Three new and somewhat exciting cards have been added into the Monster Point shop: Amen , Mut , and Khonsu . All three of them will cost 750,000 Monster Points and will be a sizable investment for the average player. As such, it is wise to make sure you can actually benefit from them and avoid buyer’s remorse. However, all 3 will have a unique Weapon Assist evolution which enables them to contribute awakenings if assisted.

With that being said, GungHo NA will be announcing the winner of the MP Shop Survey will be revealed on Friday, April 20th during their official Twitch stream. The winner will cost 1,000,000 Monster Points and will only be available for a limited time. Thus, it may be best to wait until you see what the winner is as it may influence your purchasing decision.

This article will summarize Amen, Mut, and Khonsu’s viability and how you can make the most out of their presence.

Video commentary

–video coming soon

750,000 MP

750,000 Monster Points is still a large amount despite the fact that we have been given large amounts of the past year. As such, many players will only be able to purchase a single card and you wish to gain as much value from this card as possible.

Assist Evolutions

All three of the new cards are able to Continue reading Amen, Mut, & Khonsu Review and Analysis – New 750,000 MP Cards →

Monster Analysis, Pantheon Analysis

Celtic Series Overview

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Introduction

The Celtic Series is the newest Pantheon to be added into the Rare Egg Machine. This means they will be rotated throughout the REM but will be Highlighted upon their initial debut until the next Godfest.

With the Rare Egg Machine Renewal, all Pantheon cards, former 5* GFE, and miscellaneous junk will rotate on a regular basis but will Highlight specific cards during non-Godfest events. However, the Celtic Series are all 6* base cards which means they will have middling rolling rates during Godfests as they will lose their Highlighted status.

Despite boasting 1.4% rolling rates right now, it is not worth pursuing them at this point in time and it will be better to wait for a Godfest to have the chance of acquiring 6* GFE alongside of the Celtic Series.

Unlike some 6* Pantheon cards, the Celtic Series do not possess an Awoken Evolution and retain their active skill. Thus, it is advantageous to evolve them.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Celtic Series overview

 Brigid

Continue reading Celtic Series Overview →

Monster Analysis

Greco-Roman 3 Review

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Introduction

The Greco-Roman 3 series is a new Pantheon consisting of 6-star base cards. This means they will harder to roll than other Pantheon cards but are compensated by powerful actives and awakenings.

While the series has 5 different cards, you essentially have 10 different monsters as the active skill dramatically changes from base to Awoken form.

This article will summerize my thoughts on the series as well as provide advice as how to maximize their performance.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Two distinct forms

The Greco-Roman 3 Pantheon is similar to the Samurai 2 in that their base and Awoken form dramatically changes their usage.

Base form     

The base form of the Greco-Roman 3 Pantheon all possess a 4-elemental board changer (that makes hearts) along with 1 turn of colour absorb void. This means you are able to bypass encounters like Noah Dragon a bit more more easily as you can void/ignore the colour absorption mechanic. Continue reading Greco-Roman 3 Review →

Monster Analysis, Monster Point Dragons, Monster Points

Red Myr and Light Hera Dragon Review

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Introduction

Red Myr  and Light Hera Dragon  have both been released in the Monster Point shop for 750,000 MP. This places them in Dark Athena 3193 territory and are 2.5x more expensive than the regular MP cards. As a result, players are wondering if either of these two new cards are worth their price tag and what factors should be taken into consideration when making a purchase.

This article will summarize my thoughts on these two new monsters along with how I approach purchasing a MP card.

On a side note, I have successfully moved into MOMtastic’s home and content should begin to roll out once again on a regular basis.

Video commentary

—video coming soon—

How I value MP cards

Before I even look at Red Myr and Light Hera Dragon, I want to establish my internal checklist for evaluating a MP card’s worth and this will greatly influence my opinions on whether or not to pursue a purchase.

When thinking of a purchase, I ask myself the following questions: Continue reading Red Myr and Light Hera Dragon Review →

Monster Analysis

Ney Review and Analysis

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Introduction

The Monster Bootcamp Part 2 Godfest will feature Ney’s  debut and she will be the first Godfest Exclusive to have 5 distinct evolution paths. Ney is unique in that she is able to change her primary element, active, and leader skill to better suit your monster box. As a result, she will be the most flexible card to own as she can fulfill countless roles.

This article will provide an overview of her different evolution paths to better help you determine the best course of action.

Video commentary

—video coming soon–

Who is Ney?

Ney is a brand new 6-star Godfest Exclusive that has 5 unique evolution paths that will alter her usabiltiy across different teams. This also means she will be able to be fully utilized by essentially every single Monster Box and will be a major boon to own.

However, due to her rarity and 5 different forms, you will be somewhat pressured to collect them all. Thankfully, having a Godfest Exclusive with this much flexibility is a great thing as she will almost never go to waste. By comparison, Dark Kali Dark Kali is a phenomenal card to own, but her own viability is restricted to her narrow focus and not all players can fully capitalize on her strengths. As a result, all the Ney-sayers towards new Godfest Exclusives should be somewhat content with the introduction of Ney as she will not go to waste.

As a result, Ney will debut on my tier list as S. Continue reading Ney Review and Analysis →

Monster Analysis, New Evolutions

New Split Evolutions Review/Era of Follow Up Attack – August 16, 2017

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Introduction

The Norns comprise three older Godfest Exclusives: Urd , Skuld , and Verdandi  who all possess powerful board changers but have slowly fallen out of favour due to the inability to successfully use on current meta teams. However, with the release of their new split evolutions, they gain dramatic improvements to their capabilities as a sub due to the addition of 7 Combo 45 and Follow Up Attack  awakenings.

These two awakenings are some of the most powerful ones currently available as it can dramatically shift your playstyle and strategies when playing through challenging content. Furthermore, both 7 Combo and Follow Up Attack help comprise what I like to call the “Holy Trinity” of powerful awakenings with Guard Break  being the third.

In addition, all the Sonias  received their own split evolutions along with Denebola  and Zuoh .

This article will examine the Norns new found viability as well as providing advice on how to maximize their potential. In addition, I will touch upon the other new split evolutions to better aid you in your decision making of which one to pursue.

Video commentary

—video coming soon—

The Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity of awakenings (45  ) are the three most powerful traits a monster can have. However, due to their relatively young age, they are not commonly seen across many cards. Thus, cards that do possess at least one will gain significant value while we wait for cards/evolutions to trickle in from JP. Continue reading New Split Evolutions Review/Era of Follow Up Attack – August 16, 2017 →

Monster Analysis, New Evolutions

New Evolutions August 3, 2017 Review

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Introduction

Last night, GungHo NA/EU did a surprise release of numerous new evolutions for existing cards that now present players who own the cards to make some tough decisions as to which path they pursue.

For the most part, these new evolutions follow a different path compared to the existing ones and you must choose either option A or B. For the most part, most of these paths are relatively balanced and it is up to you to decide whether or nor the new form is worth pursuing.

This article will examine the pros and cons of the new forms compared to the existing evolutions to better help you decide which route to pursue.

Video commentary

—video coming soon—

Foreword on evolutions

Puzzle and Dragons possesses one of the more complex evolution trees for video games as some monsters have convoluted paths.

Generally speaking, a Reincarnated evolution will be the strongest form a card can assume, but it must go through an Awoken evolution beforehand. Reincarnated and Awoken forms have different base skills compared to their starting evolution and is often stronger by comparison but may also have no natural skill up available. However, the Reincarnated form gains 1,000 weighted stats, a significantly more powerful leader skill, and triple typing. Continue reading New Evolutions August 3, 2017 Review →