Tag Archives: Mantastic PAD

10-Stone GFE Machine: Thoughts and Stats

Introduction

As part of the 4 year Puzzle and Dragons Anniversary event, GungHo is giving their North American and European servers the magical 10-stone Godfest Exclusive Rare Egg Machine. This machine was released to great fanfare in Japan some time ago as it guarantees a GFE on every single roll for double the magic stones. This means you will be acquiring 15,000 Monster Points from the troll Light Metatrons Metatron instead of 3,000 from sad Silvers. Naturally, this presents the question: to roll or not to roll?

Video commentary

A sample video of an IAP-Friendly JP player:

Rare Egg Machine background

The Rare Egg Machine (REM) is one of the more frustrating and exhilarating aspects of Puzzle and Dragons as it is essentially a form of gambling. To use the REM, you have to pay 5 Magic Stones and then you will be allowed to shake the golden dragon’s hand. After doing a little foreplay of either tummy rubbing or head patting, you will be awarded a special monster that can range in value/rarity from pointless to awe-inspiring. Sadly, what you get is completely random with the stronger rolls being far more elusive than the mundane.

How the 10-stone GFE REM varies

By comparison, the 10-stone GFE REM has double the price tag, but will never produce a silver or pantheon gold egg and will instead only awarded with a Godfest Exclusive monster. Godfest Exclusive monsters are only available during Godfests and are harder to acquire than the regular REM cards. Continue reading 10-Stone GFE Machine: Thoughts and Stats

Help! I do not have 2 Dark Kali for Ra Dragon

Introduction

Super Ultimate Ra Dragon 3265 has been released in JP and will be released in North America shortly. The delay in release can be advantageous as we have adequate time to prepare for his challenging evolution along with deciding how to team build the spiciest of all the fried chicken. I go into detail examining Ra Dragon as a whole in my previous post and I encourage you to read it in conjunction with this article HERE.

As the title implies, this post will be dedicated into discussing how Ra Dragon functions if you do not own two Dark Kalis Dark Kali (or any of her seasonal variations) as well as helping you decide if it is worthwhile to spend 300,000 MP to purchase him.

Video commentary

—video goes here—-

How Ra Dragon works

Ra Dragon is a rainbow leader who utilizes all 6 elements to deal up to 144x ATK. Furthermore, God type cards benefit from 2.25x HP / RCV and it is this added bulk that makes him powerful and relevant in an era of heart crosses. If you choose to use a non-God card, that monster will only be benefiting from a lackluster 64x ATK.

Leader Skill:
2x ATK when matching 4 elements. 3x ATK for each additional orb type. 8x with all 6 elements. 1.5x HP/ATK/RCV for God types
2.25x HP / 144x ATK / 2.25x RCV

Ra Dragon Scaling Leader Skill
# Elements 4 5 6
Multiplier 9x 56.25x 144x

As such, you should do your best to use God type cards, even if they have irrelevant actives as you can correct them with Skill Inheritance. Continue reading Help! I do not have 2 Dark Kali for Ra Dragon

Ultimate Ra Dragon: Review and Analysis

Introduction

The original 5 Monster Point Dragons were some of the most powerful cards in Puzzle and Dragons at the time of their release. However, Powercreep has not been kind to the majority of them with only Ra Dragon Ra Dragon staying relevant in today’s meta as a leader. Thankfully, GungHo has decided to release a new evolutions for all 5 of themi n hopes of resurrecting their viability. Unfortunately for North America, the evolution requirements for these MP Dragons will prove troublesome as the only way to currently acquire the Radar Dragons is to clear Arena 3 or the One Shot Challenges.

If you are considering the possibility of purchasing Ra Dragon or any other MP card, I strongly encourage you to refer to my MP Card Tier List for further explanation and analysis.

Video commentary

Evolution requirements

We still do not have the full details of any other card outside of Ra Dragon, but here are the current evolution requirements:

evo-req

Perhaps one of the main benefits of playing in North America is that we are given additional time to prepare for new evolutions as both of these require a large investment of resources.

Ultimate Evolution Ra Dragon

The Super-Ultimate Fried Chicken has now been electrified to even greater heights with his new evolution. Super Ra Dragon 3265 has had his leader skill and base stats buffed to allow him to better compete with the heart cross meta.

Ra Dragon
3265
God / Dragon
5,605 HP / 1,880 ATK / 340 RCV
1,050 Total
Bind Immune Bind Immune Skill Boost Skill Boost TPA TPA Time Extend Time Extend Skill Lock Resist

Active Skill:
+5s to orb movement for 1 turn
2 turns haste
13 turn CD

Leader Skill:
2x ATK when matching 4 elements. 3x ATK for each additional orb type. 8x with all 6 elements. 1.5x HP/ATK/RCV for God types
2.25x HP / 144x ATK / 2.25x RCV

Pros Cons
  • 2.25x HP / 144x ATK / 2.25x RCV
  • Very safe and consistent
  • Ample room for utility
  • Can build full bind immune team
  • Can overcome combo shields
  • Less ugly than before
  • Restrictive team building
  • Slow to play
  • Lackluster base active
  • No sub potential
  • Reliant on Gemstones
  • Still ugly
Ra Dragon Scaling Leader Skill
# Elements 4 5 6
Multiplier 9x 56.25x 144x

Continue reading Ultimate Ra Dragon: Review and Analysis

Heart Cross Matching Guide

Introduction

I have been playing Myr Miru since her release and is my go-to leader for end game content provided I do not need to hit outrageous damage on a regular basis. As such, I have a strong understanding of how to form heart crosses along with the strategies used to successfully clear various dungeons. Thus, I wish to take this opportunity to share my thought process when trying to form heart crosses while matching offensive orbs in conjunction. As with any combo/matching guide, everyone’s approach may vary and while my methods are successful for me, they may not be always work for you. In addition, all of my heart cross experience comes from Myr as the only other leader I own is Anaphon Cross Typhon who has no sub support.

I highly encourage you to check out my Cascading Combo Guide as I will be referencing strategies outlined there. I also regularly broadcast my Arena 3 clears on my Twitch Channel and it is a great way to see my gameplay and thought process live.

Video commentary

A written guide is great, but it may also help to see the video guide that goes alongside this article as you can see the heart crosses matched in real time.

What is a heart cross?

The heart cross mechanic is currently the strongest ability in Puzzle and Dragons as it combines a survivability and offensive component when matching exactly 5 heart orbs in a cross formation. This allows you to survive gravity/percent based attacks along with having the ability to deal spectacular damage. This has proven to be amazingly powerful as you combine the ability to stall along with burst potential provided you have at least 5 heart orbs present on the board.

Acceptable heart crosses

The following images will show you the acceptable patterns for forming a heart cross. You can only match exactly 5 heart orbs to trigger your leader skill and will have a shielding animation pop up on screen if done successfully.

heart-cross

shield-animation Continue reading Heart Cross Matching Guide

Awoken Hermes vs B/L vs B/D Hermes: Analysis and Comparison

Introduction

Hermes is one of the oldest monsters in Puzzle and Dragons and was my starter for Fantastic. He was once heralded as a powerful leader, but has lost his edge over time. However, with the release of his Awoken Awoken Hermes evolution, Hermes once again has leadership potential. In addition, with the awakenings buff, his B/L BL Hermes form has regained popularity and power. We are now faced with a challenging decision of which Hermes evolution is best for our monster box.

Video Commentary

At a glance

Awoken
A Hermes
B/D
Hermes
B/l
BL Hermes
Type  Devil / Attacker  God / Attacker  God / Physical
Stats  815 Total
2274/1998/564
 731 Total
2974/1898/164
 745 Total
3724/1498/204
Active Green Heart Arrow Water
2 turn water skyfall
8 turn CD
Green Heart Arrow Water
8 turn CD
Green Heart Arrow Water
8 turn CD
Leader
Skill
2x HP / ATK
Water,  3x ATK
match water/fire
2x HP / ATK
Water
2x HP / ATK
Water & Light
Awakenings Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost Water Row
Water Row TPA blue + orb blue + orb
Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost Water Row
TPA Water Row Water Row
Skill Lock Resist Skill Boost Skill Boost Water Row
Devil killer Water Row
Fits on
which
teams?
Awoken Hermes Hermes
A Sun Quan Sun Quan
Skuld ult evo Skuld
Ryune Ryune
I&I I&I
Bankai Andro Andro
3069 Sarasvati
Neptune Dragon Neptune
Ryune Ryune
I&I I&I
Bankai Andro Andro
3069 Sarasvati
Blue Sonia Blonia
Neptune Dragon Neptune
Ryune Ryune
I&I I&I
Bankai Andro Andro
3069 Sarasvati
What do
you get if
FedEX &
UPS merged?
I deliver
mail faster
than those
mortals
I’m a
Psychopomp
FedUP!

Awoken Hermes A Hermes

Awoken Hermes is the clear winner when it comes to base stats, active skill, and leader skill. Even with very low HP, this can be easily compensated through the numerous physical, HP heavy water monsters and the exceptionally high RCV will be greatly appreciated. The skyfall mechanic can be invaluable as it does increase your chances of additional water matches, but can also be used to override other colour debuffs caused by various bosses. Continue reading Awoken Hermes vs B/L vs B/D Hermes: Analysis and Comparison

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

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

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

Light Heaven’s Gala Facet
—-



Day 1
Indian 2 Archangel
3068 3069 3070 3071 3072 Uriel Gabriel Michael Raphael Lucifer
GFE
rodin Blodin Green Odin Urd Skuld ult evo Verd Ult Tsubaki Ult Sumire
Ult Kaede Baby Satsuki Kanna Red Sonia Blue Sonia Green Sonia Metatron dtron
Eschamali Scheat Australis Fenrir Viz Fenrir Gremory Ronove 2991
2993 2997




Day 2
Angel 2 Sengoku
Rozuel Famiel Ruel Ariel Lumiel 3101 3103 3105 3107 d-d-akechi
GFE
Metatron dtron Kali Dark Kali Ult Tsubaki Ult Sumire Ult Kaede Kanna
Baby Satsuki Ult Zuoh Ilm Sherias Roots Sherias Baldin Balboa Gremory
Ronove 2991 2993 2997 Gadius Typhon Ryune Saria
Sylvie Sherias Roots Sherias

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 3069 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 3071 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

I am now an Official Twitch Partner and have a Sub Button!

Introduction

I began streaming Puzzle and Dragons on June 14, 2016 and it was not without various hiccups and speed bumps. However, I kept playing with myself on camera with the help of Pancaaake and all my other Mods. Fast forward to today and I have managed to turn my streams into an incredible place to hang out and watch some high end and entertaining gameplay. And all this work has paid off as I am now an Official Twitch Partner and have a Subscriber Button!

Video commentary

—-video goes here—

Streaming schedule

I make my very best effort to stream four days a week at varying times to help my East Coast and European viewers tune in. All the following times are in PST and can also be found on my Twitch site:

  • Monday at 6pm PST
  • Tuesday at 6pm PST
  • Thursday at 3:30pm PST
  • Saturday at 2pm PST
Mantastic Icon Mantastic Social Media Mantastic Icon
FB icon Facebook twitter Twitter YT YouTube Twitch Twitch

What does Twitch Partnership mean?

Twitch is a free streaming website that allows any individual the ability to broadcast their favourite games for free for all of the world to enjoy. However, only a select few are able to gain partnership through consistent viewership, a steady streaming schedule, and an entertaining environment. Thankfully, I am able to piggyback off the success of my website and was able to quickly grow my channel along with creating a hip to the hop place to watch Puzzle and Dragons.

Partnered Twitch Streamers gain access to an enhanced support system, but on of the main perks is the subscriber button. A subscriber button allows viewers to subscribe for $4.99/month and this unlocks additional features set out by the broadcaster as well as providing another avenue of support for your favourite streamers.

In addition to anything I am able to create, all subscribers gain an ad-free viewing experience which means you do not have to turn off Ad-Blocker.

What I plan to do & your feedback!

For my channel, I have already created the subscriber badge (an extra shiny Mantastic icon) that will appear in my channel along with chat exclusive emotes that are pending approval. In addition, I have created subscriber-only redemptions via my Myracle Stone currency that reduces the cost on all Silver and Gold Egg rewards by 50%. The cost reduction was done to preserve the leader board rankings as if I granted subscribers an increased generation rate, it may throw it off. It also means you can spam !wukong twice as often.

However, this is just the beginning and I want your input as to what you would like to see for subscriber perks.

sub-button

Twitch & Amazon Prime

A new feature that was released this past month was the ability gain a free Twitch subscription via Twitch and Amazon Prime. In essence, if you have Amazon Prime, you are given Twitch Prime for free which not only grants you a special blue crown beside your name, but also a free monthly subscription to your favourite Twitch streamer. This subscription has to be renewed on a monthly basis which does allow you to change channels, but can simply be used on the same person over and over again. This is a great way to show your support and it may end up costing you nothing. More information can be found HERE.

A new way to support Mantastic PAD

As many of you may know, I struggle with extensive health issues as I have been on long term disability since July, 2014 due to a serious neck and back injury that leaves me in a constant state of pain. I spend most of my days either in intensive (and expensive) therapy and then recovering from said therapy. In addition, I have had eye surgery in September, 2016 in an attempt to remove what is almost certain to be a cancerous lump in my right eye. The surgery was unsuccessful and the lump remains inside; however, it is not growing which does reduce the chances of it being malignant but requires constant monitoring every few months.

All of this is taxing to say the least and I created Mantastic PAD as a way to help other people enjoy the game I love most. If you wish to read more about my health struggles, they can be found HERE.

I have monetized my website and despite the fact I will generate over 7,000 views a day this month and the previous 2 months exceeding 200,000 monthly views, it amounts to very little. One month of ad revenue equates to less than a single 30-minute specialist appointment ($100). It may not seem fair considering the amount of effort I do put into my content, but I honestly began this website as a way to help others and to also provide a healthier medium for my PAD obsession.

Thus, this subscriber button means a lot to me as it was another milestone to achieve along with providing my readers a more beneficial way to support all of my work. However, even if you do not subscribe nor have an Amazon/Twitch Prime account to spare, I would greatly appreciate it if you turned off ad blocker for my website. The difference may be small from a single person, but if all 200,000+ views did this, the impact may be astronomical.

If you wish to make a direct contribution, it can be done through my Twitch link as you are able to leave a message I can read. It will also allow me to credit you Myracle Stones if you swing by my stream; however, these can still be made anonymously.

Conclusion

I got a shiny new button! It kind of goes with my shiny ranking dungeon hats, but I was so happy to have received the email that confirmed my Twitch Partnership application. I am excited to take the next step in my streaming journey and I thank each and everyone of you for your continuous support. I also look forward to your suggestions on what you want to see as subscriber perks and also you turning off ad-blocker!

Happy Puzzling!

Sarasvati VS Super-Ultimate Dragon Rush Annihilation

Introduction

Sarasvati 3069 has historically been an orb-hungry glass cannon leader who was capable of delivering spectacular amounts of damage. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of low damage control and difficulty stalling due to no HP/RCV multiplier. However, over the course of the last maintenance, she was buffed to an easier to activate 100x leader who can now use a wider variety of subs along with stronger awakenings. I decided to take her for a spin in Super Ultimate Dragon Rush – Annihilation to showcase how her new leader skill functions as well as playing through end game content. You can read more about Sarasvati in my team building guide HERE.

Video clear

The key to success is properly managing your skyfall buff as it will get you killed on floor 3 and causes Ilsix to become more problematic as you have to carefully chip him down to under 30%.

Damage output is of less concern as essentially every floor dies when you match a row plus two water combos for 100x. Thus, the priority becomes survival and active management along with adequate heart orb generation.

Team used

3069 Blue Sonia BL Hermes Ryune Bankai Andro 3069
BL Hermes 3103 summer urd Blue Sonia

I chose to run B/L Hermes instead of Awoken due to the extra health provided along with not wanting to have the skyfall buff. I regularly interchange which Hermes I bring to a dungeon and will do a subsequent post soon explaining my thought process in more detail.

Conclusion

The leader skill changes made to Sarasvati greatly eases her activation requirements as you are no longer restricted to only 12+ water orbs for damage. Furthermore, by having the ability to sweep various floors with only 3 water combos opens up potential for a wider variety of subs along with being able to easily overcome combo shield mechanics. Hopefully this video was informative and helps highlight how to effectively use Sarasvati.

Happy Puzzling!

October 26th New Content Overview

Introduction

The recently concluded maintenance came with a few new evolutions, active/leader skill changes, and buffs to various cards. You should always read the full patch notes for a full breakdown of the changes as this post will be used to share my thoughts on how the new changes will impact players.

Video commentary

New evolutions

3072 Durga

Durga 3072 has been somewhat forgotten with amidst the crazy pace of powercreep as she was at one point a respectable 25x leader. However, the other rainbow counterparts all began receiving new evolutions and buffs which left Durga behind as she had a measly 4 awakenings and the same 25x ATK. However, with her new evolution, Durga has now achieved 9 awakenings along with a 56.25x ATK / 2.25x RCV leader skill for devil types. This is reasonable, but  you still have to bear in mind that this is a rainbow team which means your damage will be somewhat diluted due to matching other colours and your inability to effectively stack offensive awakenings outside of TPA or enhanced orbs. This buff was needed about a year ago and would have given Durga relevance, but she is still behind compared to easier to activate leaders who deal more damage.

However, with all that being said, Durga has gained more relevance as a sub (and assistant) due to the 9 awakenings and active skill buff. The dual TPA combined with high base attack makes her more appealing and the double SBR Skill Lock Resist will make her a somewhat dream Sephiroth Sephiroth sub.

Durga’s active skill now grants 2.5x ATK to Gods and Devils for 2 turns and can somewhat function like a Norse God with a lower cooldown. Just keep in mind the health reset. Continue reading October 26th New Content Overview

How a Haste System Works

Introduction

I made a quick tutorial on how a System team works and decided it would be best to have it as a stand alone article. I will most likely reference it in the future as a way to explain how haste is valuable in certain monster reviews.

How does a system work?

A system is a term given to a team that is able to utilize haste actives on multiple cards to repeatedly chain multiple actives together. This allows you to cycle your actives quickly as a turn of haste reduces the remaining cooldown of all over actives. Do note that haste will only help your team and not your partner’s subs. Thus, haste has diminishing returns in coop. The two most common systems rely on having cards with a 7 turn cooldown and a single turn of haste in varying amounts.

4 haste actives

The first team has 4 total cards (friend leader is included) that possess haste and a 7-turn cooldown. Your two other cards can be anything you like and will have their skills charged very quickly. In essence, you use one haste active every turn and would then be able to use your first active on your fifth turn again as the haste from the other three would have been able to recharge you. Thus, the cycle continues.

  • Turn 1: use haste #1
  • Turn 2: use haste #2
  • Turn 3: use haste #3
  • Turn 4: use haste #4
  • Turn 5: use haste #1
  • repeat

This system allows you to easily charge up your two other cards as their actives are not being used. This strategy is common on Xiang Mei Xiang Mei, Sumire Ult Sumire, Kaede Ult Kaede, and Awoken Cao Cao A Cao Cao with 4 Scarlet Scarlet Icon subs.

6 haste actives

A team consisting of 6 haste actives is not very practical, but is mostly worth mentioning to showcase how it functions. Essentially, you use 3 actives every turn and this will cause enough haste to loop back to using the original 3 by the third turn.

  • Turn 1: use haste #1, 2, and 3
  • Turn 2: use haste #4, 5, and 6
  • Turn 3: use haste #1, 2, and 3
  • repeat

This was mostly used by the Scarlet System Scarlet Icon and does not have too many applications currently. Mostly just something to keep in mind.

Conclusion

Systems a powerful way to cycle your actives and can transforms what appears to be a lackluster team/leader into a more formidable one.

Happy Puzzling!