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

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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.

Cards who did not make it in

These are my personal opinions and should be taken with a grain of salt. These are also pantheon cards who have a better place in PCGF than six-stars. Another thing to take into consideration with PCGF is trying to vote in pantheon cards who have poor cards alongside them. This way, you can avoid the lower value rolls and only focus on the desirable ones.

Minerva

Minerva was part of the first wave of Reincarnated Gods and has proven to be a powerful leader. She can pair with Ilm to form a powerful 60x ATK / 2.5x RCV team that passively reduces damage by 50% from fire, light, and dark monsters. Furthermore, dual Minerva teams are able to cheese end game content like Arena 3. She is also a regular pantheon God. Perhaps she is not as popular due to the fact that duplicates of her have low value.

Ganesha

Ganesha has proven to be a phenomenal leader as he is the only one who can boost your rank expereince gained. However, this is for more end-game oriented players and many of them already own Ganesha (except me) and duplicates have low value.

Sarasvati

Perhaps Sarasvati was forgotten amidst the hype of all the new released cards and heart-cross meta, but she still fulfills the glass cannon role better than nearly any other card availabe. She is one of the easiest 100x leaders and can unleash explosive damage when stacking rows. You do not need her for every single dungeon, but when you require amazing burst damage, she is your go-to girl.

Despite all of that, you could probably replicate similar damage levels with a fully invested Liu Bei team and be less scared about mechanics and matching. However, Sarasvati is still a pantheon monster and we could have done with more of them being featured. Duplicates are also of low value for Sarasvati.

Cao Cao

Cao Cao is a powerful monster who forms a reasonably strong team that has similarities to Liu Bei, outside of no Dios equivalent, and that has put a damper on his popularity. However, he is one of the strongest bases for Skill Inheritance on mono-fire teams as he can be transformed into a hard bind clearer who has a powerful base active. Due to the popularity of Krishna , I thought we would see a Cao Cao make an appearance.

Venus

Considering how powerful Myr is and the sheer potential for the future Reincarnated Venus, I am surprised she was not voted in. Venus is perhaps one of the strongest bases for Skill Inheritance (outside of Orpharion who is unobtainable for 99% of the PAD population) on mono-light teams due to her powerful awakenings, 4-turn base cooldown, and high weighted stats. Perhaps the low value of duplicates also applies here.

Indian 1

The Indian 1 pantheon has always been strong leaders that were just a little too weak to ever break into the top of the meta. Even with their reincarnated evolutions, they still fall short of the best despite the fact they are very powerful. Despite having 4x RCV, they can never truly shine due to no HP component because leaves them vulnerable to mechanics and forces you to bring a shielding sub. Lakshmi and Parvati also have less intuitive leader skill mechanics and this may also put a damper on their popularity.

Shiva is largely outclassed by Krishna, but he has the advantage of speed and ease of activation and is mostly lacking due to no HP multiplier. Lakshmi is a powerful 100x row leader, but again has fragility issues and a dangerous vulnerability to binds. Finally Parvati is also less popular (which I do not see why) and may be attributed to a lack of SBR and tankiness.

Shielding monsters

Out of the 25 voted cards, not a single shielding option can be found. This is probably testament to the heart-cross meta along with tankier teams being released, but it is interesting to see the direction PAD is taking. Most notably, Raphael did not make an appearance as his shield is arguably the strongest in the game as it completely voids all damage for 2 turns.

Thoughts on the voted monsters

As mentioned above, the votes make sense in terms of featured monsters, it is just a shame we are flooded with six-stars instead of pantheon cards. The votes also reflect a strong desire for both the leaders and subs that compromise end game teams.

Kaede

I am not surprised that Kaede took the top spot. She is a top tier leader who is very difficult to team build as you require at least 2 duplicates to maximize efficiency. It is this luxury that places her out of reach for the average player and contributes to her number one spot. Furthermore, two Kaede are key subs for Ronove .

Gremory

I am well aware that Gremory is powerful, but I did not realize she was the second most popular card in North America. Gremory teams are powerful, but she is on the decline in terms of overall power due to the active skill clause. However, she is well positioned to be transitioned into a sub role if a stronger dark leader should emerge.

Dark Kali

Ra Dragon will always appear to be strong and desired as indicated by his new evolution and inclusion of L/L Kanna on his ideal team. Thus, Dark Kali will always have a place in the meta and numerous duplicates are strongly encouraged for Skill Inheritance as both a buffer for skill delays and providing a full board change.

Acala

Acala is part of the new Wisdom King series and is on par with Krishna in terms of the strongest pantheon leaders available. Acala provides 2.25x HP / RCV along with a blistering 1,640x ATK when matching 3 colour crosses. This level of damage allows you to bypass PreDRAs with ease while providing enough damage control for absorption bosses. Her main drawbacks are a vulnerability to binds along with an issue with combo shields. However, she still has no ultimate evolution and I look forward to her future.

Liu Bei

Puzzle and Buttons. Not surprising to see the king of coop being voted in.

Eschamali

I would have been surprised to not see Eschamali voted in as she has been a fan favourite for a long time. In addition, she still makes a dream sub for the future Yomi Dragon evolution.

Ilm

Ilm was voted in at number 7 and she requires Minerva (who was not voted in) for optimization. Probably testament to the disparity in rarity between the two. In addition, Ilm has value on Xiu Min / Tifa along with future benefit if NA receives the Heroine REM.

DQXQ

DQXQ is one of the best starting leaders who is capable of transitioning into a powerful leader that can tackle some end game content. What makes her a fantastic leader for newer players is the ease of damage, the ability to teach you combos, and being able to farm all of her awoken materials. Late game, DQXQ transitions into a Myr or mono light sub along with providing perfect board synergy with Apocalypse .

Kanna

Kanna is one of the ideal Ra Dragon subs as she provides bind immunity and 4 TPA awakenings for massive burst damage. Outside of this, she makes a modest leader in her dark form and L/L has potential on a TPA-oriented Myr team. Her main drawback is an underwhelming active.

Krishna

Krishna is the strongest fire leader available and is capable of clearing end game content. He is still vulnerable to binds and gravity-based attacks, but has a relevant spot in the meta. If you wish to read my team building guide, it can be found HERE.

Wukong

Like DQXQ, Wukong has a valid place on mono light teams along with Myr . Wukong can act as a soft bind clearer, but his main downside is a lack of full board synergy for heart-cross teams.

Sherias Roots

Sherias Roots is still a powerful rainbow leader, but he is now outclassed by the new Ra Dragon . This is due to a lack of an HP multiplier and a vulnerability to binds. However, Sherias Roots has one of the most powerful actives and can provide his skill to other rainbow teams or be used as a sub. Perhaps in a future evolution he will gain a God typing and become desirable on Ra Dragon if the dungeon has no binds.

Pandora

Pandora is still a capable leader, but her focus has begun to shift towards a sub-oriented role. Her active has synergy with Mitsunari , Batman , and Zuoh . In addition, Pandora will almost always be used on mono-dark teams that are row oriented as she provides wonderful awakenings and active. Furthermore, with two viable evolutions to choose from, you can easily customize to fit your needs.

Isis

Isis still retains her spot as the best water/wood option on many rainbow teams and will probably hold that title for the foreseeable future. If her reincarnated evolution removes the wood typing, many players would not even hesitate to keep her in her awoken form for her colour coverage. What makes Isis so strong is her bind immunity and 3-turn cooldown that allows you to easily inherit another skill.

Ronove

Ronove was the only 5-star GFE to be voted in and his sole purpose is forming a powerful 144x ATK / 57.75% damage reduction rainbow heart-cross team. Despite requiring a luxurious team for full optimization, many players have found ways to overcome this by running a variety of subs as he does require all elements for easier activation. His main drawback is a vulnerability to binds, but he also is lacking an ultimate evolution that may address that in the future.

Sanada

Sanada has one of the most powerful actives for fire teams as he has amazing synergy with Urd to produce a 2/3 enhanced fire, 1/3 heart board. Duplicates are also ideal as you can inherit him onto other cards if you require different awakenings. Finally, with the anticipated release of Fire Gremory for Christmas, Sanada has even more value on a heart cross team.

Akechi

Akechi has remained popular since his release due to the power of his active skill. He can beautifully combo with Haku or Zuoh to produce a 2/3 enhanced dark board. In addition to his ideal home on row-based teams, D/L Akechi will find popularity on the future Yomi Dragon teams.

Paimon

Paimon is another 6-star to be featured and acts as both a powerful leader or sub on mono-light teams. His 4 orb enhances help add passive damage to your teams along with having high weighted stats. He is also lacking an ultimate evolution so that is something to look forward to.

Red Odin

Red Odin has always been a luxury push-button card to own. However, his value has diminished through coop, but he is still the fastest option for those wishing to maximize their time efficiency. Furthermore, with a future split evolution in the works, we may find a bit more use for him.

Andromeda

Andromeda functions wonderfully in today’s meta as she is able to generate water and heart orbs along with having the capacity for soft bind clearing. In addition, her God typing will have value on the future Neptune Dragon teams.

As a side note, 0apie will be jumping for joy with her being voted in.

Rozuel

Rozuel may seem like a strange choice to be included in the PCGF, but she is actually one of the ideal subs on Ronove as she covers the awkward Fire and Water elements along with acting as a bind immune card. However, for those who do not own Ronove, she will have lower usage.

Ra

Ra has been a favoured push-button monster for a long time and is easier to acquire than Red Odin. He also has the niche ability to overwrite time debuffs and his short cooldown makes him easier to transfer to a different monster. Furthermore, with his future Reincarnated evolution, he gains a significant boost to his offensive capabilities along with covering the awkward wood slot.

Orochi

Orochi is still the strongest inheritable delay as he can prevent a boss from attacking for 4 turns while only being on a 15-turn cooldown. If you wish to gain a 5th turn of delay, you can leave him in his other forms, but must wait 20 turns for activation.

Scheat

Scheat is a little surprising as she is a heart breaker in a heart-cross meta. Furthermore, her 5 TPA awakenings and low base attack provide little value on row oriented teams. Despite all this, her active skill is one of the strongest inherits possible (provided you do not need heart orbs) and I feel that is her main reason for being included. However, she is mostly a poor choice as she is low value and simply takes a spot for a pantheon monster who could be more easily rolled.

Dantalion

I fail to see the hype and inclusion of Dantalion. He does not fit onto any current team as his active is too low impact for Shiva and Krishna along with lacking a fire heart-cross leader. Maybe with a new card or evolution he will gain viability, but for now, he is wasting a slot in the Player’s Choice Godfest.

With that being said, Dantalion may have more value on the future Christmas Gremory as his enhanced orbs add damage diversification to a row-heavy team. Unfortunately, from the released information, Christmas Gremory will be an elusive 8-star Collab roll.

Korea’s PCGF

For comparison, here is the voted monsters for Korea who also has 11 six-stars, but differing pantheon choices:

Conclusion

The voting for this year’s Player’s Choice Godfest was reasonable for the most part. Most of the votes made sense and the main drawback is a heavy inclusion of six-stars.

How do you feel about Player’s Choice and who do you hope to roll?

Happy Puzzling!