Introduction

I’m not someone who’s too keen on spending money on micro-transaction. I’ll spend some money on Shadowverse, but not too much. I want to be competitive, and I’ve been reasonable so. However, with the release of Tempests of the Gods decks have become a lot more expensive due to the increased rate of legendary. As such, I’m writing this as an excuse to do math.

The purpose of this article is to provide a baseline suggestion on what to spend crystals on, so that each player can adapt these numbers to their own personal collection. Since all the math was done on the fly, I’ll correct any discrepancies found.

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Methodology

The aim of this article is maximising competitiveness with the least amount of crystal spent possible. It’s not possible to account for fun, as cool as Deepwood Anomaly might look. This is based off of the current meta decks that have emerged, and prioritise cards that can be reused in multiple decks, and this number has decreased. A card’s fun factor is NOT considered here, only whether or not it’s being used in competitive decks.

There are 2 avenues to spend your crystals: packs and pre-built decks. Which should you choose? That’s what I aim to answer. The math here works off of the average 470 vials per opened pack, and only accounts for the probability of getting Golds and Legendaries, as any lower rarity isn’t really worth considering due to their relative cost.

I’m only considering viable decks worth playing in this meta, along with some personal opinions. Suggestions is taken here, as well as possible revisions for future changes. Decks which I consider worth investing in are: Tempo Forest, RoachBolt Forest, Aggro Sword, Midrange Sword, Daria Rune, D-Shift, Earth Rite Burn, Ramp Dragon, Aggro Shadow, Midrange Shadow, Aggro Blood, Midrange Vengeance Blood, Aegis Haven, generously. Other archetypes either haven’t proved themselves with enough data yet, or aren’t performing.

Packs

Credits to u/rebenbaum

Every pack averages 470 vials unless it pulls an usable cards. These cards are listed below. Assuming a pack costs 50 crystal, the average is therefore: 9.4 vial/crystal. Every pull has a chance of getting cards that don’t need to be immediately vialed, which is also listed below.

The competitive average assumes either 1 good gold or 1 good legend (thus saving the need to craft those cards).

Standard:

Golds: Urd, Wind God, Rhinoceroach, Foul Tempest, Fire Chain, Phantom Howl, Righteous Devil, Will of the Forest, Diabolic Drain, Alwida’s Command, Death’s Breath, Themis’s Decree, Revelation, Silver Bolt, Temptress Vampire, Genesis Dragon, Frontguard General, Mordecai the Duelist, Dimension Shift. 19/69

Legends: Ancient Elf, Merlin, Soul Dealer, Cerberus, Tsubaki, Dark Dragoon Forte, Queen Vampire, Lucifer, Aurelia, Prince of Darkness, Moon Al-mi’raj. 11/24

Chance of an above average pack: 18.72%

Competitive average: 16.6 vial/crystal

2. Darkness Evolved:

Golds: Elf Girl Liza, Timeworn Mage Levi, Vania Vampire Princess, Elf Knight Cynthia, Elena’s Prayer, Winged Sentinel Garuda. 6/23

Legends: Crystalia Tia, Dark Angel Olivia, Odin, Enstatued Seraph. 4/9

Chance of an above average pack: 17.85%

Competitive average: 16.2 vial/crystal

3. Rise of Bahamut:

Gold: Breath of the Salamander, Shadow Reaper, Tribunal of Good and Evil, Fangblade Slayer, Selwin’s Command, Homecoming, Amelia Silver Paladin, Pact with the Nethergod, Sadistic Night, Professor of Taboos. 10/24

Legends: Albert Levin Sabre, Sahaquiel, Whitewolf of Eldwood, Daria Dimensional Witch, Bahamut, Nepthys. 6/9

Chance of an above average pack: 28%

Competitive average: 20.28 vial/crystal

4. Tempests of the Gods:

Gold: Little Soulsquasher, Galretto Devil of Love, Grimnir War Cyclone, Captain Lecia, Blood Moon, Rahab, Jungle Warden, Crystalia Aerin, Mutagenic Bolt, Judge of Retribution, Immortal Thane, Soul Dominator, Earthshock Ogre, Magic Girl Melvie. 14/24

Legendaries: Belphegor, Sybil of the Waterwyrm, Hulking Giant, Elf Queen, Demonlord Eachtar, Ouroboros, Maelstrom Serpent, Israfil, Heavenly Aegis, Zeus, Gawain, Roland. 11/16

Chance of an above average pack: 36.25%

Competitive average: 24.30 vial/crystal

As you can see, Tempests of the Gods is the pack to buy under a control situation, meaning you own absolutely no gold and no legendary whatsoever, and is looking to build a variety of decks. Naturally these numbers do not reflect the readers’ personalized collection, and should not be considered in a vacuum. That said, the way the numbers are working out, it’s highly suggested to buy the Tempests of the Gods pack with your crystals, due to a large amount of playable golds and increased legendary rates.

Pre-built Decks

Each of these cost 500 at first, and then 750 for the next 2. It’s important to note that you can vial your silvers and bronzes which you already has to give yourself more value.

Forestcraft: Rhinoceroach, Elf Girl Liza, Ancient Elf, Crystalia Tia, Elf Knight Cynthia = 9400 vials.

> 18.8 vial/crystal first purchase

2. Swordcraft: Alwida’s Command, Frontguard General, Aurelia= 5100 vials.

> 10.2 vial/crystal first purchase

3. Bloodcraft: Vania, Righteous Devil, Queen Vampire, Temptress Vampire, Revelation = 6700 vials.

> 13.4 vial/crystal first purchase

4. Havencraft: Winged Sentinel Garuda, Themis’s Decree, Moon Al-mi’raj = 5100 vials.

> 10.2 vial/crystal first purchase

5. Runecraft: Timeworn Mage Levi, Fire Chain, Dimension Shift, Merlin = 5900 vials

> 11.8 vial/crystal

6. Dragoncraft: Dark Dragoon Forte, Genesis Dragon = 4300 vials

> 8.6 vial/crystal

7. Shadowcraft: Foul Tempest, Phantom Howl, Cerberus, Death’s Breath, Mordecai the Duelist = 6700 crystals

> 13.4 vial/crystal

Very straightforward in my opinion.

Conclusions

Naturally, a player would buy what they’re missing, and there are limits to the extent of calculations I have available to account for this. However, under this rough assumption of a controlled environment, it’s easy too see that packs, if bought with the daily bonus, are generally a better idea than pre-builts, unless it’s Shadow, Forest, or Blood to bolster a beginner’s collection. Tempests of the Gods packs are generally the best thing to spend crystals on, after one purchases the Forte leader bundle. Naturally pack purchases are random and pre-builts are not. Assuming worst case scenario for pack purchase: 4.7 vial/crystal is the average of opening a pack without any usable gold or legendary and without the daily deal, one can see why the pre-builts might be better in comparison. It’s up to the players to make their own decisions. It is their money, after all.

Thanks for reading.