Effective Magic Stone Usage
Introduction
Magic Stones 
are the premium currency of Puzzle and Dragons. In this article, we’ll discuss the different ways to use , things to consider before using , and how to obtain Magic Stones!
This is another articles that’s going to be aimed at new or inexperienced players; though players who are new to the PAD Online community and don’t know proper Magic Stone management can still benefit from this article. If you’re new to Puzzle and Dragons, click here for a brief introduction and other useful resources.
I chose to write this article immediately after the intro to PAD article due to it’s importance; Magic Stones are a very, very, valuable resource and should be handled with care before use. I personally view them as valuable as actually real world money as, other than in-game rewards and first time clears of dungeons, the only way to reliably obtain Magic Stones are through buying them with real world money.
The Two Mindsets: NIAP vs IAP
Since Magic Stones are mainly obtained via in-app purchases, a large majority of the player base relies on the freebies GungHo gives us through various events, while others do spend money and see it as their primary method of acquiring stones. This leads to two different subsets of players; NIAP and IAP.
NIAP stands for “Non In-App Purchase”, meaning that the player doesn’t spend any money on the game at all; whereas IAP stands for “In-App Purchase”, meaning the player does spend money (regardless of the amount) on the game. Both options are fine to choose, some players don’t have the funds to sink into a mobile game or even see the purpose of doing so, while others simply do. You should know that it’s completely possible to reach the end game of Puzzle and Dragons completely NIAP, this game does not require investment in order to succeed and is not a “Pay to Win” game by any means.
The reason it’s important to distinguish these two groups is simply because both groups will need to spend their Magic Stones differently from one another; NIAP Players should be more careful and stingy with stone usage, while IAP Players can be more liberal with what they spend Stones on.
IAP vs Whales
For those who don’t know, with many games with In-App Purchases, there exist a group of players who spend a lot of money on the game… and I mean a LOT. I personally, as an IAP player, have dropped close to two hundred dollars in a single month for one event in PAD, and I can guarantee you that is nothing when compared to whales. The remainder of this article is more directed toward NIAP players, and normal IAP players while excluding a whales perspective; as their views on spending money on the game should be ignored.
Here’s a handy chart to find out how “Whale” you are!
Below is a list of what Magic Stones can be used for, and what both NIAP and IAP players should do in that situation.
What Magic Stones are used for
Rare Egg Machines
Normally, there’s just the normal Rare Egg Machine that’s available at all times, however what’s available within that machine can change, and its featured lineup changes weekly; this machine is the one that features Godfest, an event that occurs twice every month with rare cards that are only available during that time period. In addition, there’s often one (sometimes two on rare occasions) additional Rare Egg Machine that can have limited time cards to obtain in it.
Non In-App Purchase
Save stones for Godfests, and wait till a Godfest pops up that will have maximum value for your box. If you want help determining this visit one of the online communities and ask for advice!
In-App Purchase
Roll as much as you’re comfortable with, but still keep your box in mind; dupes can be useful but getting more variety is generally better.
Increasing Box Space
Box space in PAD can fill up fast, so it’s important to keep tabs on how much space you have free at all times.
Non In-App Purchase
Buy box space as you need it. A comfy amount would be between about 50. (We used to recommend 100 but after recent changes keeping that much is somewhat unnecessary).
In-App Purchase
I personally have about 100 open box space at the moment (I am a IAP player), but depending on what you’re running and how new you are, you may want to have more than that (maybe 200).
Increasing Friend Space
Friends are your resource for selecting Friend Leaders (go figure), so having more friends means more options.
Non In-App Purchase
I don’t feel NIAP players should invest in friend space much if any at all; just remove players who don’t long in after more than a day or two to make room for new friends.
In-App Purchase
Really depends on how much you’re willing to invest, I currently have 65 Friend Slots, and a few remain open because I haven’t had a need to find new friends for leaders and I’ve been around for multiple Best Friend resets, so I can bother my best friends for whatever I need. However your situation may be different.
Stamina Refresh
You can use a Magic Stone to instantly recharge your Stamina bar at any time, and any excess stamina you had from before the refill will be added onto your maximum temporarily; though your stamina won’t begin recharging until you use enough stam to fall below your maximum once more.
Non In-App Purchase
It’s not recommended to use stones to refresh stamina, as a NIAP players, you roll less in the REM and stones you burn for stam refreshes could be put to use to get more pulls for more cards. If you run out of stam, just do something else for a while and wait for it to recharge.
In-App Purchase
Don’t refresh your stamina until you have around 200+ max stamina and you’re farming a Guerrilla like Gem Temple, or another valuable resource such as pluses from descended dungeons (during certain events).
Continues
When your HP falls to 0, you lose. When you lose, you’ll often see a message asking if you’d like to use a Magic Stone to continue. Doing so wil refill your HP bar and remove all effects currently effecting you.
Non In-App Purchase
No. Under no circumstances should you stone to continue in a dungeon. By the time you get to dungeons where it’s actually worth stoning to continue, they will cost enough stam that using a stone to refill your stam bar would be more valuable.
Special Note: Time Limited Dungeons such as One Shot Challenges or Monthly challenge 8, 9, and 10 are exempt from this rule. If you are able to progress through most of these dungeons and die near the end, it’s logical to drop one, maybe two stones on completing the dungeon as you’ll get a stone for a reward and the additional rewards are worth the trouble.
In-App Purchase
Still not recommended, but if you do ensure it’s near the end of the dungeon and you’re confident you can clear it without dying again.
Please note, that the IAP section is my own thought process and can vary from player to player; IAP players are encouraged to make their own decisions and do what they are comfortable with. That said, NIAP players are also open to do what they wish, however I strongly urge you to heed my advice above.
Scenarios
Below are a series of scenarios where players will have the chance to spend Magic Stones. Each scenario will have multiple possible answers, and the correct answer will be hidden by a spoiler. Click on the spoiler to see the answer!
1: A set of easy, low stamina dungeons you can complete will be leaving soon and will reward multiple Magic Stones, but you don’t have the stam for them… should you stone for stamina to complete them?
B: No, I need to save as many stones as I can.
2: You’re on the first floor of Challenge 10 for your monthly quests, and you made a small mistake which caused a loss and you don’t have enough stam to try again. Should you stone for a continue?
B: No
3: You recently got a new card who’s a powerful leader and you need to add new friends who run leaders who synergize with yours, but you already have 50/50 Friend slots filled… what should you do?
B: Remove friends who don’t use the leaders I want when I see them on my friend list.
C: Remove friends who haven’t logged in for an extended period of time (1 day or longer), or use leaders I don’t need
D: Buy more friend space, everyone on my friend list logs in daily and has good leaders.
4: It’s the final day of a Descended special event, and completing the annihilation difficulty floor of the new Descended will grant you a
B: Stone to continue, I used all of my actives, but I want to try anyway!
C: Don’t stone, I’ll just give up on this medal.
D: Don’t stone, I’ll stone for stam and get three more attempts!
5: You have 100 stones you’ve been saving up and the collab you’ve been waiting for has just rolled around! How should you spend your stones?
B: I don’t have a lot of box space, but if I run out I’ll get some space.
C: Drop 10 stones on 50 box space to make room for my 18 new cards and then some space for skill up materials from the collab dungeon.
6: You’re hosting a room in multiplayer for Challenge 9 and accidentally get a loss on the final floor, but you and your partner were having an easy time otherwise, what should you do?
B: Stone for a continue, my partner knows I’m IAP and will expect it since it was my mistake.
C: Stone for a continue, I’m not IAP, but my partner will expect me to makeup for my mistake.
7: A new collab has arrived, but it’s a 10 stone Egg Machine… what should you do?
B: Research the collab by visiting the various communities and see if it’s worth rolling on.
C: I need Monster Points, so I’ll roll a lot and sell what I don’t want.
8: You keep trying and failing while attempting to solo Arena 3, and you do everything right but something keeps going wrong, do you…
B: Stop trying, and look into the dungeon on PDX; it may require better cards you don’t have yet.
C: Stone for stamina and keep practicing; you won’t get better if you just stop trying!
In the end its your game file and what you do won’t affect other players, just have fun and enjoy the game!
Featured Image Credit: Momo!
Thinking Tamadra art: Reni!