Tag Archives: Mantastic Puzzle and Dragons

Meta Snapshots

[Meta Snapshot] Are 10-Magic Stone REMs Good for PAD?

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Introduction

Puzzle and Dragons is one of the oldest mobile games in the industry and has gone through countless changes. At this point in time, the meta largely revolves around rare Collab/Seasonal cards which are often best acquired through the Monster Exchange System with 6 and 7 star Godfest Exclusives being the most used fodder.

To a certain extent, the rolling side of PAD has become a game of acquiring as much Trade Fodder as possible to use during special events (tends to be “easier” compared to rolling the 2-2.5% for the specific card). To perhaps complicate matters further, forgone are the days of 5-Stone Godfests and most events now have 10-Magic Stone REMs.

From my own experience with other mobile gatcha games (Fire Emblem Heroes and Creature Quest), neither of them feature more expensive machines, they simply improve the rolling rates for better events while keeping the cost the same.

By comparison, PAD is flooded with more expensive machines that promise better cards overall but are they really a good thing in the long run?

This article will explore my thoughts on how 10-Stone machines are effecting the landscape of PAD for both non-IAP and IAP (In App Purchases) players.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

PAD REMs compared to other games

The only other gatcha games I have experience with are Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH) and Creature Quest (CQ).

I have played FEH for a couple of years, albeit casually as I mostly play it while using an exercise bike in the morning and I float around Tier 20 in Arena and Tier 23 in Aether Raids. I try to keep up with Powercreep but due to how generous the game is with non-orb resources, it is possible to keep somewhat abreast through lower rarity merges. Continue reading [Meta Snapshot] Are 10-Magic Stone REMs Good for PAD? →

Meta Snapshots

[Meta Snapshots] Old Pantheon Cards Should have Weapon Assists

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Preface

During the past few weeks while I have had an increase in health problems, I have had a modest amount of time to try and plan out new types of content to produce for your reading pleasure and have decided to pursue articles that discuss the current meta in Puzzle and Dragons and is more of a conversational piece as opposed to a Review.

My thought process is I wish to share various ideas that have been bouncing around my head or conversations I have had with friends and other PADdicts. These are easier and quite a bit of fun to write and would appreciate any feedback you have. Regardless, I wish to thank all of my readers for your continuous support and understanding these past few weeks.

Introduction

I have been thinking of ways to help revitalize older Pantheon cards and have come the conclusion that Super Reincarnated forms are not doing the trick. This is because they require both an exorbitant amount of Monster Experience along with modestly difficult to acquire Evolution materials for what usually amounts to an underwhelming card. While these cards do have merits to less developed boxes/newer accounts, the odds of those players being able to acquire them is slim and also runs the risk of being invalidated by rolling in Collab/Seasonal events.

I am well aware that GungHo is a company that needs to make money and by having the best cards being the rarest makes sense. With that being said, we are currently ‘enjoying’ an era where the best teams are mostly comprised of rare Collab/Seasonals and 7* Godfest Exclusives for all aspects of team building.

This is a far cry from several years ago when some Farmables and many Pantheon cards were considered valuable to own. Of course the rarer cards were still top tier, but at least we had more options overall.

Taking this into consideration, I still feel the best way to revive the Pantheon series is to give them Weapon Assists .

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

Current state of the game

At this point in time, the meta is largely defined by teams with High Effective Health who can also tap into reliable ATK activation along with an easier time for dealing with Void plus Resolve spawns. Building upon this, the two strongest abilities are 7×6 boards and/or Auto Follow Up Damage. Furthermore, we are also starting to see a greater shift towards solo play in difficult content as many teams rely on their Super Awakenings to overcome various spawns. Continue reading [Meta Snapshots] Old Pantheon Cards Should have Weapon Assists →

Alt. Arena 3

Tifa x Haohmaru Versus Alt. Arena 3

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Health update at end of article

Introduction

Alt. Arena 3 is considered the hardest dungeon in the game at this point in time and when it first came it out, it provided a great challenge to many players due to the revamped mechanics and health pools.

Despite having numerous lethal mechanics present, it can be cleared by a wide variety of teams but one important factor is consistency. Getting a single clear is great but being able to repeatedly farm this dungeon is invaluable from a rewards perspective.

For myself, Tifa x Haohmauru is my most consistent team due to the deep sub pool Light can draw from, 7×6, Auto Follow Up Damage, massive healing, and incredible damage potential.

At this point in time, 7×6 and Auto Follow Up Damage are the strongest leader skill mechanics and being able to utilize both of them will most likely solidify this leader pairing for a prolong period of time.

With this in mind, I wish to explore how I built my own team along with addressing the major hurdles that can be found in Alt. Arena 3.

Video clear

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Notable Alt. Arena 3 mechanics

Alt. Arena 3 is currently the hardest dungeon available in North America and will push many teams to their limits. As such, it is important to understand the key mechanics that must be addressed.

Continue reading Tifa x Haohmaru Versus Alt. Arena 3 →

Alt. Arena 3

Oprhen Versus Alt. Arena 3

32 Comments
Health update at end of article

Introduction

I wish to continue a new series of posts in which i share my successful Alt. Arena 3 clears for both the video and explanation/rationale for my sub choices. For this article, I wish to take a closer look at Oprhen as he is a powerful leader who does not rely on 7×6 or Auto Follow Up Damage to succeed.

Furthermore, Orphen offers a modestly unique play style as you must manage your health and is dependent on Zaerog Core for success. With that being said, his Effective Health can be difficult to manage and his largest weakness is healing to just above 50% and losing his massive Damage Reduction shield.

This is by far his largest weakness and players should become familiar with their healing output to better gauge how much health will be replenished. On the other hand, this team can pump out a ridiculous amount of damage and tanky spawns should never be an issue.

Video clear

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Notable Alt. Arena 3 mechanics

Alt. Arena 3 is currently the hardest dungeon available in North America and will push many teams to their limits. As such, it is important to understand the key mechanics that must be addressed.

Continue reading Oprhen Versus Alt. Arena 3 →

Godfest

Player’s Choice Godfest Results & Commentary

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Introduction

The 10-Magic Stone Player’s Choice Godfest (PCGF) voting has come to a close and the results have been calculated and the event will transpire from December 30 – January 5, 2020.

Depending on your current level of progress and how deep your Monster Box is, this event may have varying degrees of value. This is because Collabs/Seasonal cards have become key to own when pushing through challenging content and many cards from the Rare Egg Machine are starting to fall behind.

With that being said, there are still numerous strong cards to be rolled within Player’s Choice Godfest and this article will highlight my thoughts and opinions as well as providing commentary on the featured roster.

You can find the official GungHo Facebook posting HERE.

Video commentary

–video coming soon–

PCGF History & Seasonal Super Godfests

In the past, Player’s Choice Godfests were exciting events as Collabs/Seasonal cards barely existed or if they did, had middling value. As such, the best cards to be had came from the Rare Egg Machine and many of them were actually Pantheon cards. While it is impossible to know the rolling rates of the past, the fact that all of the cards you wanted could be found in a single machine made it worth saving up for. Continue reading Player’s Choice Godfest Results & Commentary →

Alt. Arena 3

Chidori Versus Alt. Arena 3

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Introduction

I want to try a new series of posts in which i share my successful Alt. Arena 3 clears for both the video and explanation/rationale for my sub choices. In this case, I wish to take a closer look at Chidori as she is one of the more powerful leaders who do not rely on 7×6 or Auto Follow Up Damage to succeed.

This is valuable but at the same time, I feel Chidori runs the risk of being pushed out as a leader moving forward due to the fact that she does not possess these mechanics and the next jump in Arena difficulty may push Chidori beyond her limits.

With that being said, I find she has a reasonably consistent time clearing AA3 due to the fact that she is so durable along with easy activation paired with copious movement time.

Video clear

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Notable Alt. Arena 3 mechanics

Alt. Arena 3 is currently the hardest dungeon available in North America and will push many teams to their limits. As such, it is important to understand the key mechanics that must be addressed.

Continue reading Chidori Versus Alt. Arena 3 →

Collab REM Reviews

Draconic Orchestra REM Review and Analysis – December 2019

74 Comments

Introduction

The Draconic Orchestra will be making a triumphant return on December 23 and has become significantly stronger since the last time. This is because all of the top rarity cards have now gained Weapon Assists along with several powerful and unique cards being available.

While this is exciting, players have to remember that this is a 10-Stone event which does make it more costly to roll and trade. Furthermore, there are only four bottom rarity cards in this entire Egg Machine who lack Weapon Assists. This will make it harder to justify rolling heavily in as dupes will start appearing earlier and in much higher quantities.

With this in mind, I feel it is still worth to roll a few times as having new cards is always valuable along with the off chance you hit a Diamond egg.

This article will outline the pros and cons for each cards to help players make a more informed decision as to whether or not they should roll.

Video commentary

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Overview

Draconic Orchestra REM Pros & Cons – December 22, 2019
Pros
Cons
  • Music theme
  • GungHo-made
    • Should have high chance of returning regularly
  • All cards have 2-3 unique evolutions
  • All 7-star cards have Weapon Assists
  • 10 Magic Stones per pull
    • Steeper Monster Exchange rates
  • Weapon Assists only on 7-star cards
  • Four 5-star cards
    • Will represent the vast majority of rolls
    • Don’t really want dupes of them
  • Event is top heavy
Draconic Orchestra REM
 7 Star base  
 6 Star base
 5 Star base
Draconic Orchestra REM – December 22, 2019
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 Draconic Orchestra REM Review and Analysis – December 2019 →