Player’s Choice Godfest December 2018 Review + Commentary

December 12, 2018 Mantastic 33 Comments

Introduction

Player’s Choice Godfest (PCGF) is a special event where players are allowed to vote on their favourite cards to be featured in a Godfest. Historically speaking, PCGF has become an underwhelming event pre-disclosed rolling rates due to the fact that Godfest Exclusives (GFE) were always voted in and had abysmal rolling rates. With that being said, things have taken a turn for the better with this current format featuring the top 25 GFE and top 25 Pantheon cards with any GFE having a 33% roll rate.

Of course there is a catch as all rolls will cost 10 Magic Stones with GungHo trying to sweeten the deal by having all rolls come out at +297, Max Level, Max Awoken, and their 7-star form (evolved/Awoken if possible). While this is frustrating due to the inflated cost and arguably redundant collateral benefits, this is the way of the future for high-value Godfests.

Based on the JP-server and their events, this format of 33% GFE for 10 Magic Stones will become the norm so we will have to get on board at some point. Thus, the decision of whether or not to roll comes down to your own Monster Box and how well the line up can benefit you.

In addition to presenting the line up with commentary, I will also include a reaction table to the voting for various categories such as most surprising, most over-hyped, and more.

The Player’s Choice Godfest will feature the three new Fest Exclusives, Valkyrie – Ciel , Zeus – Giga , and Athena – Non . In addition, players are able to Monster Exchange a special token for any one of these three cards and this exchange should be done after rolling to avoid the possibility of acquiring dupes. More information can on the new Fest Exclusives can be found on my previous post HERE.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Featured cards

The Player’s Choice Godfest is split into two parts with each one lasting a week. While they technically feature the same monsters, the rolling rates for each part are different with the Highlights having 2x the rolling rates compared to non-Highlights for GFE. Continue reading Player’s Choice Godfest December 2018 Review + Commentary →

Monster Analysis

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

December 11, 2018 Mantastic 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 →

Guest Writers

PAD NA Tier List (Updated 12/10) & Why Tier lists are not Facts- By InSomnia

December 8, 2018 Insomnia(Kevin Li) 25 Comments

Introduction

Hello everyone, InSomnia here, and welcome to my North American tier list. Everything listed here is based solely on content that is available in NA. I will update this post on my website here whenever there is a change or shift in rankings due to a buff directly to the lead or buffs to key subs of that lead. New releases will also be added.

Anytime a new lead is added to the list, I will accompany it with a review of the lead that goes over the basics and gives you an idea on why they are at that tier. Each lead that is on this list will be accompanied with a short overview of the card as will include a link to the PADX page of the card so you can see the card for yourself. This article is very simple and is written with the mindset that you have played this game for a while and understand what the “meta” is as well as any special terms or abbreviations. It is also written under the impression that you understand how to basic teambuild and how different styles of leads are played. If you are unfamiliar with anything, simply ask and I will do my best to explain it to you. This has been your disclaimer

Finally, before you start reading, please understand and read this disclaimer quoted from SetsuPAD: “Don’t take these ratings as fact; I encourage you to simply take them as a starting point for discussion to figure out which leads are actually the best for your specific situation” Essentially what this means is just because a lead is top tier on this list, it may not be top tier for you. Everything listed is under the assumption that you have the most ideal team possible. You may own a lead in SS tier and a lead in A tier, but the A tier might be the better lead for you because your box has the subs to support it better than the SS tier lead.

I wrote something about this awhile ago here. I also want to link a more recent article covering the same topic written by Kennori of PDX Academy here(which in my opinion is much more well written and deserves more credit/recognition). Before you begin reading, I want to make a few things absolutely clear. I’m making this tier list because I think they are interesting and fun; however, as you read in Kennori’s article, it is pretty pointless. All a tier list can do is show you the strongest leads in the game with the most optimal subs and in the hardest dungeons (primarily Alt. Arena). It’s always best to build around a dungeon. However it is not bad for a team to cover a little bit of everything, but if you are struggling to clear a dungeon, think about changing your team to better match the dungeon. This sometimes does mean changing leads that better suit the dungeon. This can be because of certain absorb spawns, enemy HP/damage, dungeon mechanics, or even dungeon length. With that out of the way, let us begin.

Tier list by InSomnia

North America Leader Tier List – December 10th, 2018
SS
S+
S
A
HM

HM = Honorable Mention Continue reading PAD NA Tier List (Updated 12/10) & Why Tier lists are not Facts- By InSomnia →

Ranking Dungeons

Courage Ranking Dungeon Score Tracking

December 3, 2018 Mantastic 9 Comments

What is this?

I plan to pin the current daily NA Ranking Dungeon chart compiled by pandaa for the duration of the Ranking Tournament. Due to the fact that I am usually not awake at Midnight, it may take some time for the new current day to be added.

Generally speaking, NA tends to start significantly higher than JP on non-fixed teams as we are able to see the top strategies right away. This leads to much higher scores early on, but also a faster plateau as players hit their maximum potential. With that being said, NA should be able to score higher on non-fixed teams due to the fact that we have more time to prepare and have the winning strategies already made.

On the other hand, being 2-3 months behind JP provides little benefit for Fixed Teams as the strategy is to usually just puzzle your way through.

Use these charts as a rough guideline for your own scores and possible rewards.

Due to Matching Bonus, NA will have approximately 1.5k more points than JP with the exact same score

Current day NA cutoff for Crown: 132,358
JP Crown: 132,808

Current day NA cutoff for Magic Stone & Courage: 116,454
JP Xiu Min and Magic Stone: 116,700

Corresponding article detailing teams and strategies are coming soon.

Happy Puzzling!

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Godfest

10-Stone Seasonal Godfest Review – December 2018

December 2, 2018 Mantastic 35 Comments

Introduction

Starting on Monday, December 3rd, North America will be enjoying a 10-stone Seasonal Godfest. This special Godfest will last for 1 week and be broken up into two parts with each part featuring a different line up.

Furthermore, all rolls will come out at 7-stars (evolved and Awoken if possible), +297, max Level, and max Awoken. This is akin to the previous Voice Godfest in that each roll will cost 10 Stones so it would not be a far stretch to assume that the rolling rates should be similar (around 33% chance for any GFE/Seasonal card).

If that is the case, this would be a wonderful event as these rates would be hard to beat; however, the actual roster this time around feels less potent simply because the Seasonal cards featured do not come from 10-Stone machines with several of the Seasonal cards having lower value. Of course, the inclusion of Beach Barbara & Julie will be tempting for players who missed her the first time around.

North America has just received another 100 Magic Stones plus 52 from the special Anniversary Quests along with various log-in bonuses. As such, players are most likely saturated with Magic Stones and are hungry to spend them.

In terms of other high-value events on the near horizon, the Player’s Choice Godfest (PCGF) should be happening soon. Historically speaking, PCGF has been an underwhelming affair simply because the rates were abysmal for GFE. With that being said, the most recent PCGF occurred prior to disclosed rolling rates and GungHo has improved the chances for these types of events. Furthermore, it is quite likely that the NA PCGF will debut the new 7-star GFE who come with Orb Skins (cosmetic changes to orbs) and will probably mirror the rates of the JP debut Godfest.

Taking all of this into consideration, it is hard to say which event is better to roll in: Seasonal Godfest or PCGF and we will not know the rolling rates of either until they go live along with the PCGF roster.

As such, the decision of whether or not to roll comes down to your individual Monster Box needs but generally speaking, high value Godfests are used to acquire as many GFE as possible. From there, the GFE are used as trade fodder for seasonal/collab events such as the Full Metal Alchemist (Edward ) which overlaps with Seasonal Godfest.

One last point to consider is that there is nothing on the horizon in terms of high value event after PCGF as NA is 2-3 months behind JP and no other major event has been announced.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Featured cards

The Seasonal Godfest is split into two parts with a different set of cards being featured but no information on Highlights or rolling rates has been disclosed. Generally speaking, Highlighted cards have a higher chance of being rolled compared to non-Highlighted cards of the same rarity: GFE or Pantheon. Continue reading 10-Stone Seasonal Godfest Review – December 2018 →

Collab REM Reviews

Full Metal Alchemist Collab Review and Analysis – December 2018

December 1, 2018 Mantastic 32 Comments

Introduction

The Full Metal Alchemist (FMA) Collab make an exciting return to North America on December 3rd and features Limit Breaking/Super Awakenings for all cards as well as sizable buffs to the 6-star cards. Furthermore, all of the 6-star cards will have the option of being converted into a Weapon Assist to further diversify their value.

Upon the initial release, Edward stood head and shoulders above the crowd as an end game leader. With his new set of buffs, he is still considered top tier, but not as game breaking upon his debut. Part of the problem with all FMA cards is that a large part of their power comes from Super Awakenings which are disabled in coop mode.

As a whole, the Full Metal Alchemist Collab features high value in all of the 6-star cards (10% Rolling Rate) so there is some merit in rolling with dupes being useful due to the Weapon Assist. With that being said, it may be better to utilize the Monster Exchange System to acquire Edward and ignore the event in order to spend Magic Stones on high value Godfests.

As always, the decision of whether to roll or not to roll will still come down to individual preference and how much you value the cards or franchise.

Video commentary

—video coming soon—

Overview

Full Metal Alchemist REM
6 Star base
5 Star base

Full Metal Alchemist Rankings – December 1, 2018
S
A
B
C
D

Order within each tier is random and not reflective of ranking

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

Continue reading Full Metal Alchemist Collab Review and Analysis – December 2018 →

Team Building

Team Building for Puzzle and Dragons in 2018 with Yusuke, Beach Barbara & Julie, Dark Metatron, & Edward

November 30, 2018 Mantastic 46 Comments

Introduction

Team building in Puzzle and Dragons is an invaluable skill as it enables players to examine a dungeon and determine the best approach possible. Over the course of many years, the strategies used for team building have changed as it is largely defined by the types of mechanics players will face and what tools are currently available.

Presently speaking, the top tier teams are those that have high amounts of effective health (whether through HP or damage reduction) in order to withstand outrageously large preemptives or attacks. Unfortunately, just using a strong leader is not enough and having the right subs, inherits, and latents is mandatory to success.

Nowadays, players are able to better customize their teams to counter dungeons as we now have access to more inherits, latents, weapon assists, specialized awakenings, and more counters to common mechanics.

This article will be focusing on how to build a team to counter the dungeon at hand instead of specifically saying one must use XYZ team to succeed. In addition, I will be presenting some generic team building ideas for some of the more popular leaders today.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

PAD is a Puzzle game

This may seem like a redundant statement, but Puzzle and Dragons requires both orb matching skills as well as planning for the dungeon. All mechanics have some sort of counter and it is up to the player to determine the most efficient way to do so without compromising the overall team composition. Continue reading Team Building for Puzzle and Dragons in 2018 with Yusuke, Beach Barbara & Julie, Dark Metatron, & Edward →

Random Thoughts

Best Friend Reset is Coming Back and How to Improve your Chances of being Selected

November 30, 2018 Mantastic 77 Comments

If you have not used your BFF token or hit 150, 250, or rank 500, you will lose them after the next maintenance

Introduction

After the next maintenance, all players will be able to select a new Best Friend (BFF) along with the various Rank Machine resets. This is amazing as it has been over a year since the last Best Friend Reset and many players may be new to this feature at this point in time.

Best Friends are a vital part of your PAD experience as it will enable you to expand the leaders available as well as gaining additional Pal Points.

This article will explain the Friend and Best Friend System along with how you can improve your chances of being selected by strangers as well as how to form BFF Triangles.

This time around, I plan to go for 300/300 Best Friends on my Mantastic account as i am sitting at 279. If you wish to Best Friend Mantastic or Fantastic, please leave your ID number, your in game name, and which account you want to Best Friend.

Official GungHo NA post can be found HERE.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Finding Friends

The first step to Pal Point domination is to find friends to populate your list. As you rank up, your friends list will max out at 50 players. You can add 5 additional friend slots for 1 magic stone, up to a maximum of 300 friends. Continue reading Best Friend Reset is Coming Back and How to Improve your Chances of being Selected →

Ranking Dungeons

Chariete Ranking Dungeon Score Tracking

November 26, 2018 Mantastic 5 Comments

What is this?

On the other hand, being 2-3 months behind JP provides little benefit for Fixed Teams as the strategy is to usually just puzzle your way through.

Use these charts as a rough guideline for your own scores and possible rewards.

Due to Matching Bonus, NA will have approximately 1.5k more points than JP with the exact same score

Current day NA cutoff for Crown: 142,850
JP Crown: 142,458

Current day NA cutoff for Magic Stone & Chariete: 122,000
JP Xiu Min and Magic Stone: 123,400

Corresponding article detailing teams and strategies are coming soon.

Happy Puzzling!

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Collab REM Reviews

Dragonbound & Dragon Caller REM Review and Analysis – November 2018

November 18, 2018 Mantastic 72 Comments

Introduction

The Dragonbound & Dragon Caller (DBDC) Rare Egg Machine returns to North America on Monday, November 19 and comes with numerous buffs, new cards, and Monster Exchange options.

As a whole, the DBDC REM is arguably the highest value collab/seasonal machine in the game despite the 10-stone cost due to the incredible value at the bottom rarity. This is important as nearly every roll will have value to a given player assuming it is their first/second time acquiring that card.

Generally speaking, the DBDC cards are highly specialized and are able to fulfill their respective role incredibly well. While this means one may not be using them all the time, they are sometimes vital to own for specific content/mechanics as it is hard to replace them otherwise.

For the most part, I would encourage all players to roll in this event assuming they do not own many/most of the bottom rarity cards as they are unique and can help one progress through new content. With that being said, for players who have rolled in the past 2 events, the chances of rolling something new are quite low and may be better skipping as a whole.

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