Tag Archives: Akechi

11 Million Downloads Celebration Godfest Review and Analysis

January 13, 2017 Mantastic 59 Comments

Godfest basics

When making the decision to roll or save your magic stones, you need to determine if the featured pantheons can benefit or compliment your teams. Chasing for one specific monster is unwise as you will most likely be disappointed and should ideally have Godfests that overlap with many target cards. Remember all monsters that come out of the REM will qualify for Skill Inheritance so do not be too hasty when selling dupes. For a more detailed team building help, please refer to my full list Popular Leader’s and their Full Sub List Post. Lastly, to find more information about a specific pantheon or monster, refer to my Master List to better refine your search. If you are considering to purchase a Four Gentlemen card, please read my Review and Comparison HERE.

Introduction

To mark the 11 million downloads in North America, GungHo is throwing a modestly more special Godfest to mark this occasion. We have been experiencing 4x GFE for quite some time now and with only a smattering of 5x to try and entice us. However, these increased rates do not appear to be any more special than Godfests of old due to the significantly larger REM pool. It is my understanding (I could be wrong) that with each new pantheon (or GFE) added, the rates to roll a particular card go down. Thus, the increased rates are merely there to keep abreast with this “inflation.”

Regardless, this Godfest features a reasonable line up along with +33 to each roll (+11 to each stat).

Gala of Flame
—- — — — Day 1	Heroes	Egyptian 2

	GFE

— — — — Day 2	Norse	Sengoku

	GFE

Video commentary

—video goes here—-

Day 1

Day 1 features both the powerful Heroes pantheon and poorly aging Egyptian 2. Continue reading 11 Million Downloads Celebration Godfest Review and Analysis →

Godfest

Thoughts on Player’s Choice Godfest Results

December 14, 2016 Mantastic 130 Comments

Introduction

~~6 Star Godfest Exclusive~~ Player’s Choice Godfest results have been officially announced and will take place this Friday starting at 12am PST. All rolls will feature +44 to a random stat and only the voted GFE will be featured (which means no Sonias/Metatrons etc.). This post will cover my thoughts and opinions of the voted cards along with who I felt should have made it in, but failed to make an appearance.

Video commentary

—video goes here—

The results

Unlike previous Player’s Choice Godfests, GungHo did not have a running tally of the leader board and many votes probably went to waste on the top winners.

Player’s Choice Godfest December 2016
1-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21-25

For the most part, the voting makes sense with the featured cards as the majority of them have a place in the current (or near future) meta. However, what is most shocking is the fact that 11 six-star Godfest Exclusives were voted in.

Implications of 11 six-star GFE

From the data collected by me in the previous December PCGF, you have a disparagingly low chance to roll a six-star GFE.

Player’s Choice Godfests should be used to acquire the best pantheon cards available and by having 44% of the featured monsters being nearly unobtainable, we have essentially defeated the purpose of a PCGF. Six-star GFE are best acquired during a 5x GFE event or the special 10-stone REM (if it returns). I understand that those events do run the risk of other GFE appearing, but if we want 11 six stars, you are quite likely to roll them anyway. Six-star GFE will greatly lower the chances of rolling a featured monster and will most certainly add to the disappointment of higher silver egg rolls.

Voting in 11 six-stars is an unhealthy indication for the state of Puzzle and Dragons. Too many teams desperately require these elusive cards to function and without duplicates of the same six-star, their team is significantly weaker. It is not a bad thing to have six-star GFE as a top tier leader, but when you require nearly a full team to be optimal, then we have a problem. However, GungHo appears to be continuing down the path of six-star supremacy as the new evolutions for the 5 MP Dragons does not advance the current rate of Powercreep for leaders, only brings Ra Dragon on-par or marginally better than the best heart-cross leaders. In addition, the best Ra Dragon team consists of 3/4 six-stars. Continue reading Thoughts on Player’s Choice Godfest Results →

Godfest

Spook-Tacular Celebration Godfest: Archangel, Indian 2, Angel 2, & Sengoku Review and Analysis

October 30, 2016 Mantastic 31 Comments

Godfest basics

Introduction

I am not sure what is scarier: The title of the Godfest or the featured pantheons.

Heaven’s Gala
—- — — — Day 1	Indian 2	Archangel

	GFE

— — — — Day 2	Angel 2	Sengoku

	GFE

Video commentary

Day 1:

The Indian 2 pantheon has undergone numerous changes due to the release/announcement of their new evolutions. Prior to this, they were mediocre at best with few uses at the time. However, their new forms breathe life into their viability as leaders. North American players already have had a taste of the power of Sarasvati and her fire and water cousins also bring a fresh spin on the mono-combo leader skill to help add diversification to your boxes. In addition, Ganesha has become one of the most desired cards in the game due to the additional rank experience awarded after clearing a dungeon. Overall, they are quite powerful and now worth rolling for if you are missing them.

On the other hand, the Archangel pantheon is aging badly as their viability is being pushed out by stronger options. Uriel, Gabriel, and Michael have for the most part stronger counterparts from the Hero Gods while Lucifer has not been relevant for a long time. The main appeal is Raphael who possesses one of the most unique actives in the game that allows you to cheese your way through what would otherwise be lethal floors.

Overall, Day 1 could have been so much stronger if they had paired Indian 2 with something better. Both days feature Kaede and the newer Godfest Exclusives so it is harder to make generalizations for which day has better GFEs.

Continue reading Spook-Tacular Celebration Godfest: Archangel, Indian 2, Angel 2, & Sengoku Review and Analysis →

Godfest

Spice of Life Godfest: Eygptian 1, Mechanical 1, Arch Demons, and Sengoku Review and Analysis

October 14, 2016 Mantastic 50 Comments

Godfest basics

Introduction

The Spice of Life Godfest promises to warm your heart with a dash of Nutmeg and Six-Star Godfest Exclusives. The weather outside may be frightful, but our rolls will be delightful. Day 1 features the iconic Egyptian 1 and the newer Mechanical 1 series while Day 2 offers the Arch Demons and new ultimately evolved Sengoku series. In addition, each day features a varying array of Godfest Exclusives.

Gala of Tides
—- — — — Day 1	Egyptian 1	Mechanical 1

	GFE

— — — — Day 2	Arch Demons	Sengoku

	GFE

Video commentary

Day 1:

Day 1 features the old, but iconic Egyptian 1 pantheon who has received several new evolutions through the PAD Cross collaboration. Unfortunately, these evolutions do not bring them back to their former glory days of power and simply offer a more viable alternative than their current Awoken Evolution. You can read more about the PAD Cross review HERE. On the other hand, Awoken Isis is still one of the most desired cards while Awoken Ra remains a push-button staple.

On the other hand, the Mechanical 1 series is relatively new and has also received powerful ultimate evolutions. These new evolutions attempt to categorize them as better subs or leaders, but 95% of the time, the evolution with the God Killer awakening will be superior unless you need the sub colour for a specific team. Sadly, the Mechanical 1 series are a bunch of heart breakers in heart-cross meta which does diminish their overall value.

The featured Godfest Exclusives may feel lackluster as they do not include Kaede or Dark Kali who are both somewhat instrumental to some of the top tier teams.
Continue reading Spice of Life Godfest: Eygptian 1, Mechanical 1, Arch Demons, and Sengoku Review and Analysis →

Random Thoughts

+80 Box Space, I mean Version 9.4.2 Update Review

October 12, 2016 Mantastic 28 Comments

Introduction

Upon waking up today, thousands of Puzzle and Dragoners were greeted with an additional 80 box space and team cost that came with the 9.4.2 update. In this article, I wish to highlight all the noteworthy changes along with how I feel they will impact our PAD life.

You should always refer to the official patch notes as I may gloss over certain updates etc. This can be found HERE.

Video Commentary

New evolutions

9.4.2 comes with new split evolutions for Spica, Mitsunari, and Akechi that better defines them as either leaders or subs.

Spica

Unless you love the art work or in desperate need for the sub colour, the Wood/Water Spica is the strongest option as she comes with a wonderful God Killer and dual Skill Boost awakenings. Spica may have new found usage (despite the Heart Cross meta) as a sub for Machine Athena due to her Machine typing. She is also phenomenally pretty.

Mitsunari

Mitsunari is an often forgotten card as he struggled to find a team to call home. Even his leader form of Wood/Dark is lackluster due to the active skill clause. Thus, we lose the mask and bring 4 wood row awakenings with an active that converts the whole board to wood, dark, and heart orbs along with 2 turns of haste on a 13 turn cooldown. This can be useful as either an inherit for mono wood or dark teams or as a stellar sub on wood teams that are row based.

One interesting option for using Mitsunari is on Awoken Liu Bei teams if you are struggling to farm up numerous Dios as a Mitsunari + Liu Bei active results in a full board of wood orbs. However, this does take more time due to pressing an additional button and going through the haste animation. Conversely, you can also use Mitsunari as a means to help overcome combo shields with his tri-colour board active.

Akechi

Akechi is regarded as one of the strongest dark cards in the game due to his overwhelming active that forms dark and heart orbs along with enhancing all dark orbs. This combines two mechanics into one and allowed for spectacular burst damage when used in conjunction with Haku . In addition, it also means you can save a sub slot as you combine an enhance and orb change. Unfortunately, Akechi’s own base stats and awakenings were lackluster until his new ultimate evolution!

Most players will have already evolved him into his D/D as he now brings a spectacular 4 dark row awakenings and 750 base stats. Amusingly, the other Akechi evolution allows him to achieve 64x ATK with a 5o1e and dark+light match. However, this is impractical as your choices of board refreshes are limited and you are almost always better of going with the D/D evolution. Continue reading +80 Box Space, I mean Version 9.4.2 Update Review →

Godfest

One True Pairing Godfest: 3 Kingdoms, Egyptian 2, Samurai, & Norse Review and Analysis

June 29, 2016 Mantastic 21 Comments

Godfest basics

Introduction

The One True Pairings Godfest coincides with the June Bride REM and gives players a challenging decision to make as where to spend their Magic Stones. This Godfest features a diverse array of powerful leaders and subs along with the soon to be Awoken 3 Kingdoms Pantheon. We have also just had the highly anticipated Awoken DQXQ who should be some indication as to the power the 3 Kingdoms have in store for us. It is just unfortunate they are being paired with the lackluster Egyptian 2. For Day 2, the featured Norse Pantheon contains some of the most desired mono colour subs along with fantastic leads in their own right. Lastly, the Samurai series features some of the strongest actives in the game who are phenomenal as an assistant for Skill Inheritance.

Light Gala / Midnight Gala
jjj Day 1	3 Kingdoms	Egyptian 2
jjj Day 1
jjj Day 2	Samurai	Norse
jjj Day 2

Day 1:

The Three Kingdoms are finally starting to get their awoken evolutions, but are still considered some of the strongest subs in the game with only an ultimate evolution. This is because they combine fantastic awakenings, unique active skills, and great synergy for their respective teams. However, with all that being said, their Awoken Evolutions are starting to be released and will hopefully find their way to North America soon that will cause a dramatic shift in the meta and powercreep. Overall, the Three Kingdoms are one of the strongest pantheons and are worth pursuing.

On the other hand, the Egyptian 2 pantheon is in an awkward place in today’s meta. They are a relatively new pantheon, but old enough to not have kept pace with the rate of powercreep. Furthermore, none of these cards have an awoken evolution (and probably will not for some time) and this further diminishes their value. Relatively speaking, they make reasonable subs for their respective teams, but may be outclassed by other options.

Rolling in Day 1 will mostly be for the coveted Three Kingdom gods who all have a solidified place on their respective teams. If only we had a better pairing than Egyptian 2.

Continue reading One True Pairing Godfest: 3 Kingdoms, Egyptian 2, Samurai, & Norse Review and Analysis →

Godfest

Player’s Choice Godfest June 2016: Review and Analysis

May 30, 2016 Mantastic 69 Comments

Introduction

Player’s Choice Godfest is one of the most anticipated times of the year for all Puzzle and Dragoners. It is a time where the community collectively votes for the most popular gods and is a great way to help populate your monster box with numerous strong cards. In my previous post, I compared PCGF and 4x Godfest Exclusive (GFE) events and came to the conclusion that it is better to roll PCGF for newer accounts/players missing numerous key cards.

Which Godfest to roll?
	PCGF	4x GFE
Frequency	2 times per year	Random
Benefits who?	New accounts/less developed boxes Great way to fill in the numerous gaps in your monster box Those who are not chasing MP or 6* GFE	Veteran players Focus is MP and 6* GFE Those with very developed monster boxes

However, with the promise of 4x rates for all the featured monsters, my approach needs some tweaking. Due to not knowing the true rates of any godfest, we cannot do any mathematical comparisons; however, the 4x rates should imply the featured GFE (and most importantly 6* GFE) are at a similar hit rate. You may still get less MP per stone spent as numerous non-GFE are also featured, but if you are chasing the featured 6-stars AND the other featured gods, this may be the best time to roll. Furthermore, each monster comes out with a +50 to a random stat and this will help you achieve +297 faster. However, take these predictions with a grain of salt as I do not know the rates and can only guess.

In addition, all of these monsters qualify for Skill Inheritance so please do not hastily sell or feed them off without taking a moment to think if they can benefit your various teams. I also strongly encourage you to read my Advanced Strategies post on Skill Inheritance to gain a better understanding on how to make the most of your active skills.

Lastly, if you wish to read about virtually any other REM monster not listed below, please refer to my Master List which will direct you to the appropriate page.

Overview of featured Gods

The voting for North America was done rather well as we managed to include nearly all the top tier cards while having some forethought into voting in cards that will become relevant with the release of the 4 Gentlemen 300k MP cards and new Awoken evolutions.

Top Voted Monsters in Descending Order

Some things that jump out: Continue reading Player’s Choice Godfest June 2016: Review and Analysis →

Monster Analysis

Chinese Celestial, Sengoku, Mechanical 1, & Mechanical 2 Pantheon Analysis

May 2, 2016 Mantastic 10 Comments

Please refer to the Master List for directory to the other pantheons and their analysis.

Take a look at my Popular Leaders and their Full Sub List post for inspiration on team building ideas. If contemplating on purchasing a MP Dragon, please check out my Monster Point Dragon Purchasing Check-list Guide.

Keep in mind all of the following monsters qualify for Skill Inheritance so do not be too hasty in selling dupes.

Chinese Celestials
jjjjjjjjMonsterjjjjjjjjj	Notes
Awoken Leilan Physical / Attacker —- All + haste 9 turn CD	Leilan has legs to die for along with being a mono red powerhouse with a healthy mixture of offensive and utility based awakenings. She can also be effectively comboed with other orb changers to create fire heavy boards. Unfortunately, the 2 top fire teams, Awoken Shiva and Shiva Dragon seldom use Leilan due to no two prong attack awakenings or god typing. Hopefully with a release of more based teams she will see a resurgence in popularity. Lastly, Leilan can form a system on Ilm teams. As a leader, Leilan forms a 12.25x ATK team with 51% damage reduction from Fire, Wood, and Light enemies. Has situational uses, but is usually used as a sub.
Awoken Karin Dragon / Attacker —- All + haste 9 turn CD	I have a borderline irrational love for Karin and probably stems from my favourite colour being blue, dragons, and a pretty girl all rolled into amazing one monster. Fanboying aside, Karin is most at home on the various mono-blue powerhouse leads such as Blue Sonia and Awoken I&I / Ryune . Karin’s active, while powerful, is somewhat overshadowed by other water full board changers as she does not generate hearts and most likely needs to be used in conjunction with another orb changer to ensure sufficient water rows. As a leader, Karin forms a 12.25x ATK team with 51% damage reduction from Water, Wood, and Dark enemies. Has situational uses, but she is mostly used as a sub.
Awoken Meimei Physical / Attacker —- All + haste 9 turn CD	Meimei was once the primary wood board changer and she still reigns strong today. Her awakenings are more powerful than Verdandi and Sylvie and only loses ground due to not manufacturing heart orbs. Meimei can be used to great success on Sylvie / Freyja , Awoken Bastet , and Spica teams. Furthermore, multiple Meimei ‘s can be used to form a “Meimei System” with Zuoh as a lead. As a leader, Meimei forms a 12.25x ATK team with 51% damage reduction from Wood, Light, and Dark enemies. Has situational uses, but she is mostly used as a sub.
Awoken Sakuya Dragon / Healer —- 20% Gravity + 3 turn bind clear 10 turn CD	Sakuya has gone through a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs over the course of her PAD career. She is still currently one of the strongest leaders (and now subs) in her awoken form as she can scale up to 100x damage at 10 combos. The main pitfalls of using Sakuya are a high skill cap, damage inconsistency/orb troll (as it is a scaling and high skill multiplier), and dependency on Light Kalis or other board refreshers. It is still possible to play Sakuya effectively without board changers, but it is becoming harder in today’s meta. Lastly, without any HP/RCV multiplier, it may be challenging to recover after attacks or when stalling. All that negativity aside, Sakuya is still an amazing leader and has been my go to team for over 2 years and have used her to clear numerous Challenge 10s. Sakuya ‘s uses as a sub are now wide and varied as she combines both a gravity and 3-turn bind clear while being bind immune. Furthermore, she essentially outclasses Light Metatron in nearly every aspect as a sub.
Awoken Haku God / Healer —- All + haste 9 turn CD	Awoken Haku was once a critical dark sub to own due to her utility and active. Thankfully, other options have opened up, but should not diminish her value. Furthermore, her exceptionally high base recovery dramatically increases your healing potential on many dark teams. Even without any awakenings, Haku can still warrant a slot on your team due to her utility and explosive combo potential with Akechi . Haku can also find a home on Yomi Dragon , Awoken Yomi , and Awoken Anubis teams. Lastly, her D/D evolution has the devil typing and can be successfully used on Awoken Pandora teams. As a leader, Haku forms a 12.25x ATK team with 51% damage reduction from Fire, Water, and Dark enemies. Has situational uses, but is usually used as a sub. For further reading on determining which Haku evolution is right for you, please read my Haku Evolution Path Guide.

Continue reading Chinese Celestial, Sengoku, Mechanical 1, & Mechanical 2 Pantheon Analysis →

Godfest, Monster Analysis

March 31st & April 1st Godfest Breakdown and Analysis

March 29, 2016 Mantastic 22 Comments

If we continue to receive very early warnings about upcoming godfests from PuzzledragonX, it may be feasible to do my own breakdown of the featured pantheons. I guess that if I start doing these regularly, I would already have the templates already made. Regardless, I am going to try something new with these posts and let me know what you think in the comments below.

For a more detailed team building help, refer to my full list HERE.

Gala of Flame
jjj Day 1	Chinese Celestial	Sengoku
jjj Day 1
jjj Day 2	Mechanical 1	Mechanical 2
jjj Day 2

Day 1:

Day 1 features some of the most coveted monsters in Puzzle and Dragons. The Chinese Celestial have always been a powerhouse pantheon and has undergone numerous buffs and evolutions to stay relevant. Perhaps this is because all 5 are pretty girls or because they are one of the oldest sets of gods, but regardless, they are fantastic to own and make some of the best subs for their respective mono-colour teams. On the other hand, the Sengoku series are much newer and do not posses an ultimate evolution. This is beneficial as their significant power will dramatically increase with augmented stats and awakenings.

Chinese Celestial
jjjjjjjjMonsterjjjjjjjjj	Notes
Awoken Leilan —- All + haste 9 turn CD	Leilan has legs to die for along with being a mono red powerhouse with a healthy mixture of offensive and utility based awakenings. She can also be effectively combo-ed with other orb changers to create fire heavy boards. Unfortunately, the 2 top fire teams, Awoken Shiva and Shiva Dragon seldom use due to no two prong attack awakenings or god typing. Hopefully with a release of more based teams she will see a resurgence in popularity. Lastly, can form a system on Ilm teams. As a leader, forms a 12.25x ATK team with 51% damage reduction from Fire, Wood, and Light enemies. Has situational uses, but is usually used as a sub.
Awoken Karin —- All + haste 9 turn CD	I have a borderline irrational love for Karin and probably stems from my favourite colour being blue, dragons, and a pretty girl all rolled into amazing one monster. Fanboying aside, is most at home on the various mono-blue powerhouse leads such as Blue Sonia and Awoken I&I / Ryune . Karin’s active, while powerful, is somewhat overshadowed by other water full board changers as she does not generate hearts and most likely needs to be used in conjunction with another orb changer to ensure sufficient water rows. As a leader, forms a 12.25x ATK team with 51% damage reduction from Water, Wood, and Dark enemies. Has situational uses, but she is mostly used as a sub.
Awoken Meimei —- All + haste 9 turn CD	Meimei was once the primary wood board changer and she still reigns strong today. Her awakenings are more powerful than Verdandi and Sylvie and only loses ground due to not manufacturing heart orbs. can be used to great success on Sylvie / Freyja , Awoken Bastet , and Spica teams. Furthermore, multiple ‘s can be used to form a “Meimei System” with Zuoh as a lead. As a leader, forms a 12.25x ATK team with 51% damage reduction from Wood, Light, and Dark enemies. Has situational uses, but she is mostly used as a sub.
Awoken Sakuya —- 20% Gravity + 3 turn bind clear 10 turn CD	Sakuya has gone through a roller coaster ride of ups and downs over the course of her PAD career. She is still currently one of the strongest leaders (and now subs) in her awoken form as she can scale up to 100x damage at 10 combos. The main pitfalls of using are a high skill cap, damage inconsistency/orb troll (as it is a scaling and high skill multiplier), and dependency on Light Kalis or other board refreshers. It is still possible to play Sakuya effectively without board changers, but it is becoming harder in today’s meta. Lastly, without any HP/RCV multiplier, it may be challenging to recover after attacks or when stalling. All that negativity aside, is still an amazing leader and has been my go to team for over 2 years and have used her to clear numerous Challenge 10s. ‘s uses as a sub are now wide and varied as she combines both a gravity and 3-turn bind clear while being bind immune. Furthermore, essentially outclasses Light Metatron in nearly every aspect as a sub.
Awoken Haku —- All + haste 9 turn CD	Awoken Haku was once a critical dark sub to own due to her utility and active. Thankfully, other options have opened up, but should not diminish her value. Furthermore, her exceptionally high base recovery dramatically increases your healing potential on many dark teams. Even without any awakenings, can still warrant a slot on your team due to her utility and explosive combo potential with Akechi . Haku can also find a home on Yomi Dragon , Awoken Yomi , and Awoken Anubis teams. Lastly, her D/D evolution has the devil typing and can be successfully used on Awoken Pandora teams. As a leader, forms a 12.25x ATK team with 51% damage reduction from Fire, Water, and Dark enemies. Has situational uses, but is usually used as a sub.

Continue reading March 31st & April 1st Godfest Breakdown and Analysis →

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Godfest basics

Introduction

Video commentary

Day 1

Introduction

Video commentary

The results

Player’s Choice Godfest December 2016

Implications of 11 six-star GFE

Godfest basics

Introduction

Video commentary

Day 1:

Godfest basics

Introduction

Video commentary

Day 1:

Introduction

Video Commentary

New evolutions

Spica

Mitsunari

Akechi

Godfest basics

Introduction

Day 1:

Introduction

Overview of featured Gods

Chinese Celestials

Day 1:

Puzzling those Dragons