The PAD Harvest Ranking Tournament has gone live in North America and gives players a chance to play for lucrative rewards along with a 7% Crown.
As a twist, this Fixed Team will only have to face a one floor but is nearly impossible to kill in a single turn. In fact, killing in two turns is difficult and if players are able to do so, they are almost always going to obtain a Crown.
This article will explain my approach to this Ranking Tournament for clearing it in two turns.
Score breakdown
In Ranking Dungeons, players are scored based on the following:
Each Combo is worth 5,000 points
Each second remaining is worth 500 points
Hitting 40 Million damage is 10,000 points
Each active used to kill a floor (no combo made) is -5,000 points
In the near future, North American will be blessed with the Power Rangers Collab! This will be the second NA-exclusive Collab to come to us after the disappointing Voltron which was a reskin of a lackluster REM with some of the better/best cards removed.
With this in mind, hopefully GHNA does not follow that same path as it was a massive let down to the community. With that being said, we know nothing other than a the Red Ranger will be featured from their teaser video and everything up to this point is speculation.
This article will mostly serve as a place for me to put down my thoughts and to act as a medium for my readers to express their hopes/dreams for this event in the comments section.
The official teaser trailer/video can be found HERE.
Video commentary
–video coming soon–
Hopes for the Collab
For myself, I want this Collab to succeed as it can open the doors to future events if it proves successful. GungHo is a business and doing anything like this will cost money. As such, there has to be a positive enough player response for us to continue to receive meaningful events. Thus, there are a few things that I feel can help enhance the chances of Power Rangers being successful in North America. Continue reading It’s Morphin’ Time!→
The Monster Hunter Collab is in full swing and one of the more exciting features is the inclusion of the Male and Female Hunters. These cards are able to be evolved into a total of 12 distinct evolutions while also having the option of exchanging either 3 Evolved Male/Female Hunters for a Super Hunter.
This article will provide a brief summary of what each Hunter does and where how they can be used along with advice on whether the 3 Super Hunters are worthwhile.
One thing to keep in mind is that none of the Hunters have received buffs which potentially lowers their overall value as they will have harder time keeping abreast with current options. Furthermore, these are free/farmable cards so their power is kept in check.
Video commentary
–video coming soon–
Acquiring Hunters
During the current Monster Hunter event, players will receive one base Male Hunter in the mail and an earn an additional Male and one Female from clearing the Monster Hunter dungeons. As such, some players will be in possession of several Hunters. In addition to these free Hunters, each base form can be purchased for 200,000 Monster Points. These Hunters will only be available if players did not login/clear the dungeons last time as none of these were reset outside of a free Female Hunter.Continue reading Male & Female Hunter Review – November 2019→
The Monster Hunter Collab will be returning to North America for the third time in 2019 on Monday, October 7. This may feel like a bit of an overload, but it is one of the single best events to roll in for the vast majority of players.
This is because it is home to some of the most valuable Weapon Assists in the game along with tremendous value at the 5-star rarity. This helps lessen the pain of rolling a Gold Egg as some are chase cards due to their Weapon Assists and 60% resistance to Blind , Jammer , or Poison mechanics.
On the other hand, more veteran players may have less desire to roll as they may have already acquired most/all the 5-stars along with numerous dupes. This can make it challenging to continue rolling if already saturated.
The following article will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of all the featured REM cards to give players a better understanding of whether or not Magic Stones should be spent. With that being said, if you have rolled little or none at all thus far, it will almost always be a good idea to do so now.
Video commentary
—Video coming soon—
Fast Overview
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Overview
Monster Hunter Pros & Cons – October 3, 2019
Pros
Cons
Some of the best Weapon Assists in the game
Huge value at the 5-star rarity
Roll for the Resists
Dupes are usually welcomed
All cards can be Limit Broken/SA
Massive weighted stats
Puts the Dragons in Puzzle and Dragons
One of the prettier Orb Skins
All rolls cost 10 Magic Stones
High Monster Exchange cost
Large rolling pool
Harder to roll a specific card
Has come many times before
May already own the older cards so less motivation to roll
No cards have Voice Awakening
GH missed out on ROARS
Monster Hunter Collab REM
7 Star base
6 Star base
5 Star base
Monster Hunter REM Rankings – October 3, 2019
S
A
B
C
D
Order within each tier is random and not reflective of ranking
All icons show non-Weapon Assist form
Regardless of card’s ranking, you should always keep it if it is your very first time acquiring them.
I previously rolled in the Draconic Orchestra event along with the 7-Magic Stone Super Godfest and was magically blessed with both Phenom and Ina . These two can combine to make a truly Phenominal team that is able to waltz through the hardest content available despite being a blob-oriented leader.
The past meta was heavily defined by pure combos as they are simple to match along with having solid multipliers. By comparison, blob leaders tended to fall behind as their multipliers could not justify the harder/more orb hungry activation clause.
With that being said, Phenom x Ina throw all of that out the window as they come high Effective Health, built in Follow Up Damage, natural Resists, bonus combo count, and a strong sub pool.
This article will take a closer look at my own team composition along with my rationale for each card along with strategies for tackling Alt. Arena 2 (AA2). As such, not everything here will be relevant if playing through different content.
Video commentary
–video coming soon–
Alt. Arena 2 Clear
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Alt. Arena 2 mechanics
Alt. Arena 2 is currently the hardest dungeon available in North America (Alt. Arena 3 is coming soon) and offers lucrative rewards from a Monster Experience point of view due to a random Snow Globe + Rainbow Snow Globe Dragon as drops. In all honesty, Arena 5 is better to farm as it is faster, easier, and drops two Killer latents along with special events granting more Rank Experience (from the regular 4x EXP events). Continue reading Building a PhenomINAl Team for AA2→
The landscape of Puzzle and Dragons has changed and shifted over the years and we are currently enjoying an era of durable leaders who can naturally survive any preemptive in the game along with boasting solid multipliers.
A few months ago, the top teams were largely defined by pure combos but we are now starting to see blob-based teams take hold due to various new mechanics. For example, many of these can activate from fewer combos or their leader skill grants bonus combos for matching their specific pattern. Either way, this makes performing VDP + FUA is much easier which has become the norm in high end content.
This article will look at what makes a card powerful along with current trends I feel are playing a major role in shaping the PAD landscape.
Video commentary
–video coming soon–
Current trends
High Effective health
At this point in time, all strong leaders have a certain degree of Effective HP (HP multipliers or Damage Reduction) which enables them to naturally survive large preemptives without active skill intervention. This is important as eases team building requirements along with having the opportunity to stall should the need arise. Continue reading Meta Snapshot & Ways to Improve PAD→
The GungHo Collab is making a return appearance in a special 7-stone Machine that only features 6 or 7-star cards. This is a surprising turn of events as the original GH Collab featured lackluster 5-stars that clogged up the machine.
In fact, there is a 29.5% chance of rolling one of the 7-star cards with some of them being incredibly powerful. Unfortunately, the rolling pool is heavily bloated which means it will be difficult to snipe any one specific card. On the bright side, any 7-star card will require 5 trade fodder which includes 6-star GFE.
This article will outline the strengths and weaknesses of the GungHo cards to give players an idea of what each card has to offer and whether or not it is worth their Magic Stones.
Video commentary
—Video coming soon—
Overview
GungHo Collab REM Pros & Cons – February 21, 2020
Pros
Cons
Will return on a regular basis
Cards should be routinely buffed etc.
Massive rolling pool
Harder to acquire one specific card
GungHo Collab Lineup
7 Star base
6 Star base
5 Star base
GungHo Collab Rankings – February 21, 2020
S
A
B
C
D
Order within each tier is random and not reflective of ranking
Icons show highest evolution available which may or may not be their strongest form
Regardless of card’s ranking, you should always keep it if it is your very first time acquiring them.
Today marks the debut of the special 7-stone Super Godfest that features higher rolling rates, three new 7-star GFE, +297/level 99 on each roll, and a tough decision for players to make.
The official GungHo NA stream announced this special event along with the promise of the GungHo Collab returning soon but we also know Monster Hunter and eventually Heroine will be back at an undetermined time.
All of these events are quite lucrative and will fight hard for your Magic Stones. This is one nice aspect of being 2-3 months behind JP as we are better able to plan out our stone usage for events that provide us with the most value.
Regardless, this article will provide an overview of this Godfest along with the three new GFE cards.
Video commentary
–video coming soon–
2,500 Super Godfest overview
Most Super Godfests have a 10-stone cost to roll and by reducing it to 7 may make it more appetizing for players. Of course the rates have been lowered but are still higher compared to a regular Super Godfest when you calculate the percentage of a GFE per stone. Continue reading 2,500 Day Special Super Godfest + 3 New GFE Review→
The Super Ultimate Ranking Rush [1] – No RCV Ranking Dungeon has gone live in North America and gives players a chance to play for lucrative rewards along with a 7% Crown.
This will continue the notion of using Fixed Leaders but having players populate the subs themselves. This may give the illusion of a more level playing field but is sometimes more restrictive as certain cards are significantly stronger. With that being said, the most important factor in this Tournament will be Skyfalls due to the no RCV component.
This is good and bad as it opens up team building options but also has a certain degree of luck involved.
Regardless, article will summarize the two main strategies that can be employed by players to improve their chances of success.
157,852 run
–video coming soon–
Score breakdown
In Ranking Dungeons, players are scored based on the following:
Each Combo is worth 5,000 points
Each second remaining is worth 500 points
Hitting 40 Million damage is 10,000 points
Each active used to kill a floor (no combo made) is -5,000 points
The Shinrabansho Collab will be making what should be their final return to Puzzle and Dragons on September 9. This comes at a truly strange time as the current DBDC 2 Ranking Dungeon requires Sigma for optimal scoring but comes right after the Tournament finishes.
Regardless, the Shinrabansho Collab will bring numerous buffs to existing cards, new Weapon Assists, and a few new monsters to acquire. There are some powerful cards to be rolled in this event, including some 5-stars, but the main problem is the rolling pool is so heavily bloated that it will become harder to snipe any one specific monster. This may make it challenging to stomach for some players along with the cards having less than Waifu-level art.
With this in mind, I will be highlighting who I feel are the more notable cards in this event to give players a snapshot of what can potentially be rolled.
If you feel I have overlooked/left out any particular 5-star card, please let me know in the comments below and I will reply/edit the article accordingly.
Video commentary
–video coming soon–
Overview
Shinrabansho Pros & Cons – September 6, 2019
Pros
Cons
5-stone event
Gentler Monster Exchange rates
Some 5-star rolls are quite valuable
Large rolling pool
Hard to snipe a specific card (especially 5*)
Large variance in value for cards
I find the artwork to be ugly
Most likely the final return of this Collab
Shinrabansho Collab REM
7 Star base
6 Star base
5 Star base
+14 others
Shinrabansho Collab Rankings – September 7, 2019
S
A
B
C
+ many others
D
More 5-stars
All 7-star cards are available for trade within the Monster Exchange System.
Order within each tier is random and not reflective of ranking.
Regardless of card’s ranking, you should almost always keep it if it is your very first time acquiring them.