Category Archives: Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts

State of the Game – April 2022

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Introduction

Puzzle and Dragons is a constantly evolving and changing game that has gone through numerous ups and downs. Presently speaking, PAD is in a great place due to the high volume of new content being released on a regular basis. Furthermore, we have a steady stream of free Magic Stones along with a wider variety of content to actually play.

With that being said I want to take a look at the current state of the game for April 2022 by providing my thoughts and commentary on this highly addictive game.

Due to continuous wrist problems, this article will have the meat of the content done via video but my commentary notes are all here.

Video commentary

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii cool people

Magic Stone Economy

  • Free vs Paid stones
    • 5 vs 10 MS REMs
  • IAP shifting more towards Bundles
    • Mitigates higher rolling cost by directly giving valuable card
  • Purtle spreadsheet
    • So many free stones acquired each month
    • +175 in March

Continue reading State of the Game – April 2022 →

Random Thoughts

Question Time With Mantastic – April 2022

7 Comments

Introduction

The general gist of Question Time posts are for players to ask various PAD-related questions that do not have a simple/Google-able answer or related article on my website. I do play other games and have often found myself having specific/unique questions about it but have no where to go and can imagine this may hold true for some of my readers. With that being said, there will be some restrictions on the types of questions I will be answering. If planning on commenting on a regular basis, it is advantageous to create a WordPress account to both receive notifications as well as giving me a point of reference as to who I am responding to.

Do’s and Don’t

download For the most part, almost any question will be answered, even some non-invasive Off-Topic ones; however, it is best to ask questions that require explanation/why/my personal opinion. The following examples are Fantastic types of questions to ask:
  • Of these options, what is the best Yusuke team I can make for Arena 3?
  • What direction do you think GungHo will take with the 4x HP leads?
  • Can Heart Cross teams be revived and if so, how?
x The following types of questions will not be answered by me either because it has a simple Google-able answer or shows a lack of effort on the reader’s part:
  • Anything that Google/Padx can answer
  • A link to your entire Monster Box and saying “make me a team”

Conclusion

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

Question Time With Mantastic – March 2022

24 Comments

Introduction

The general gist of Question Time posts are for players to ask various PAD-related questions that do not have a simple/Google-able answer or related article on my website. I do play other games and have often found myself having specific/unique questions about it but have no where to go and can imagine this may hold true for some of my readers. With that being said, there will be some restrictions on the types of questions I will be answering. If planning on commenting on a regular basis, it is advantageous to create a WordPress account to both receive notifications as well as giving me a point of reference as to who I am responding to.

Do’s and Don’t

download For the most part, almost any question will be answered, even some non-invasive Off-Topic ones; however, it is best to ask questions that require explanation/why/my personal opinion. The following examples are Fantastic types of questions to ask:
  • Of these options, what is the best Yusuke team I can make for Arena 3?
  • What direction do you think GungHo will take with the 4x HP leads?
  • Can Heart Cross teams be revived and if so, how?
x The following types of questions will not be answered by me either because it has a simple Google-able answer or shows a lack of effort on the reader’s part:
  • Anything that Google/Padx can answer
  • A link to your entire Monster Box and saying “make me a team”

Conclusion

I hope my readers use this opportunity to ask questions that will hopefully improve their overall game play and progression. Happy Puzzling!
Mantastic Icon Mantastic Social Media Mantastic Icon
FB icon Facebook twitter Twitter YT YouTube
Twitch Twitch discord Discord download Patreon
If you enjoy my content, please consider turning off AdBlocker for this website =)
Random Thoughts

Turning Spinners into Winners

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Introduction

Spinners or Roulettes are one of the better designed mechanics in the game simply because they can be overcome by strong Puzzling Skills. Of course, we can Lock the Board, have excessive Movement Time, Roulette Clear Super Latent, or make our own Spinner but the fact that they can be purely overcome via intelligent matching makes it a rewarding challenge.

For myself, I am confident in my own Puzzling abilities to turn Spinners into Winners and I wish to share my thought process of how I approach them.

Video commentary & examples

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What are Spinners?

Spinners or Roulettes are fixed positions on a given board that cycle/rotate between all 6 elements. For the most part, the vast majority of Spinners will be on a 1 second interval time which means it will take 6 seconds to fully cycle.

(Jammer Poison) Arrow Fire Arrow Water Arrow Green Arrow Light Arrow Dark Arrow Heart Arrow Fire Repeats

Just be mindful that Locked Orbs will not change in Spinners and can be a counter if overwhelmed. Continue reading Turning Spinners into Winners →

Random Thoughts

Stellar Stage of the Supreme (WoC3/SR3) Mechanics Checklist

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Introduction

Puzzle and Dragons is a tremendously deep game that has years worth of content waiting for players. Sadly, there is essentially no in-game information as to what mechanics, spawns, or what can actually happen in a dungeon which in turn creates a terrible guessing game.

Thankfully, we are eventually able to “solve” any dungeon with enough trial and error and for myself, what I find most helpful when trying to tackle a new dungeon is a Checklist of notable mechanics. From this Checklist, I will try my best to address all of the dangerous mechanics while prioritizing unavoidable abilities.

For Stellar Stage of the Supreme (Shura Realm 3), players must enter the dungeon with all Attributes which in turn provides another hurdle of team building. With that being said, cards who Transform and change their colours are allowed, as long as you enter with all Attributes present. Colour coverage can be achieved via main or sub attribute.

Link to my master Checklist article can be found HERE.

Video commentary

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How to use my checklists

With any dungeon, there are avoidable and unavoidable mechanics and it is important to address the unavoidable mechanics first. As such, there will be a priority-like system when looking at dungeon mechanics and you may have to forgo certain solutions depending on the depth of your Monster Box. Furthermore, certain teams/leaders may naturally counter specific mechanics. Continue reading Stellar Stage of the Supreme (WoC3/SR3) Mechanics Checklist →

Random Thoughts

One-Punch Man Collab REM Review – January 2022

5 Comments
Twitter Campaign

If we are able to get the above tweet to 10k likes, all players will receive a free 7/8-star card from the One-Punch Man Collab.

Introduction

The One-Punch Man Collab makes their debut in North America and features a 7 Magic Stone REM along with a host of new cards. Unfortunately, the bottom rarity comprises 75.8% of the rolling pool and I personally feel that they hold minimal value to developed Monster Boxes.

This is frustrating as I am always excited for new Collabs as they can often provide new solutions to various problems and usually encourage modest rolling. Sadly, One-Punch Man feels a little flat due to the overwhelmingly poor bottom rarity who lack Weapon Assists .

While there is still value to be found at the 7/8-star rarity, it may be challenging to justify too many rolls unless you are feeling exceptionally lucky. On the other hand, I highly encourage all players to Monster Exchange for 1-2 Garou as they are an outstanding mono Dark sub. You can read more about Garou HERE.

Due to increasing wrist pains, I have only done the overview section and will go into more detail via the Video Commentary. Continue reading One-Punch Man Collab REM Review – January 2022 →

Random Thoughts

Monster Exchange for 1-2 Garou from One Punch Man Collab

1 Comment

Introduction

The One Punch Man Collab features the “Farmable” Garou who is arguably one of the best Dark subs in the game and I encourage all players to acquire at least 1-2 copies. This is because they are able to function incredibly well on any mono Dark team due to their stellar damage output, 2 turn active which is valuable, and 6-star rarity which will grant bonus stats in the future Alt. MD2.

With this in mind, they are well worth the 5 Black Event Medals (25 Rainbow Event Medals :eventmedal:) to acquire and strong arguments can be made for acquiring a second and use both as subs for Alt. MD2 Blackbird teams as their stats will be greatly boosted due to their 6-star rarity.

Video commentary

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Garou

Pros
Cons
  • Huge personal damage
    • ()
    • High ATK stat
    • Dark sub attribute
      • Can deal meaningful damage
  • Cloud Resist
  • 2 turn CD
    • No Skyfalls
    • Water Unmatchable
      • Clears other Unmatchable debuffs
        • No negative interaction with Blackbird
          • Converts Water to Hearts
    • +4 Dark & Heal
  • Fantastic Blackbird sub
  • Incredibly well suited for MD2 and future Alt. MD2
    • Clears Unmatchable
    • 6* rarity receives huge stat boost in Alt.
  • Costs 5 Black Event Medals
    • Do not have to roll
  • Can only acquire via Black Event Medals
    • Needs 25 Rainbow Event Medals
      • Do not miss out

Conclusion

Make sure you get 1-2 Garou as they are valuable on any mono Dark team while also being exceptionally potent in both forms of MD2. It is quite refreshing to see a Farmable being a desirable card but I feel this may have been a miscalculation by GungHo of the future Alt. MD2 where 6-star cards have augmented stats.

Regardless of that, being behind 2 months from JP gives us the foresight in knowing Garou is an exceptional card for a future dungeon.

Happy Puzzling!

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Random Thoughts

Fairy Title / Dimension Guide (MD1/Alt. MD1) Mechanics Checklist

2 Comments

Introduction

Puzzle and Dragons is a tremendously deep game that has years worth of content waiting for players. Sadly, there is essentially no in-game information as to what mechanics, spawns, or what can actually happen in a dungeon which in turn creates a terrible guessing game.

Thankfully, we are eventually able to “solve” any dungeon with enough trial and error and for myself, what I find most helpful when trying to tackle a new dungeon is a Checklist of notable mechanics. From this Checklist, I will try my best to address all of the dangerous mechanics while prioritizing unavoidable abilities.

For the Fairy Title Challenge, players will be playing through the Alt. version which provides 4x HP & RCV for Healer or Devil type cards. To compensate for this buff, all Enemies will hit 3.5x harder.

As such, you will need to prioritize cards with these typings, especially if they are your Healing Solution via Enhanced Heart Orbs +heart. Having 1-2 cards without the correct typing still works as many leaders have up to 16x Effective HP. The biggest HP check is the Gems on Floor 10 who have Super Resolve (must tank 1 hit) and hit for a total of 2.1 million per turn.

Link to my master Checklist article can be found HERE.

Video commentary

–

How to use my checklists

With any dungeon, there are avoidable and unavoidable mechanics and it is important to address the unavoidable mechanics first. As such, there will be a priority-like system when looking at dungeon mechanics and you may have to forgo certain solutions depending on the depth of your Monster Box. Furthermore, certain teams/leaders may naturally counter specific mechanics. Continue reading Fairy Title / Dimension Guide (MD1/Alt. MD1) Mechanics Checklist →

Random Thoughts

Which GFE to Choose for your Weekly Medal Exchange – 10 Great Witches

10 Comments

Introduction

Today marks the third 7-star GFE to be handed out to all players for logging in and this round features all 10 Great Witches. But before I go any further, I want to stress that this particular Medal expires on January 9, 2022.

This is different compared to all the other Medals which have no expiration date so just be mindful of this fact. With that being said, I wish to highlight the notable cards and reasons why you should Monster Exchange for them.

Continuing my trend from the beginning of the month, I will be evaluating all the notable Medal options each time they are released.

Video commentary

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Schedule

Continue reading Which GFE to Choose for your Weekly Medal Exchange – 10 Great Witches →

Random Thoughts

Which GFE to Choose for your Weekly Medal Exchange – Valkyrie, Zeus, & Athena

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Introduction

Monday marks the second 7-star GFE to be handed out to all players for logging in and this round features Valkyrie Ciel , Zeus Giga , and Athena Non .

All three of these cards have received/will be receiving new and powerful evolutions which greatly increases their potential and value. Unfortunately, all of these spicy new evolutions are locked behind challenging dungeons which may be too difficult for the average player to clear.

With this in mind, I would not Monster Exchange for anything until you actually have the Evolution materials. Remember, once you have the Medal in your Monster Box, it never expires so you can simply sit on it until you know for certain that that particular card will be a massive boon to your Monster Box.

Continuing my trend from the beginning of the month, I will be evaluating all the notable Medal options each time they are released.

Video commentary

—

Schedule

Continue reading Which GFE to Choose for your Weekly Medal Exchange – Valkyrie, Zeus, & Athena →