
Hoarding Like a Dragon: My Messy, Fun Guide to Farming Gems in Duel Links πβ¨
Hey there, Duelists! π Grab your preferred beverage (not that I'm implying that tea is inferior to energy drinks, I'm currently consuming something that makes me wonder why I ever thought blueberries were a good idea) and take a seat. Let's discuss the most important resource in Yu Gi Oh!
Gold? KP? Sorry, but no. I'm referring to the sparkling, pretty, soul-draining Gems π
If you're like me, you've frantically browsed the store, eyes widening at the prospect of buying a Structure Deck, only to remember with a heart-wrenching realization that you only have precisely 450 Gems, which buys you precisely nowhere near the amount of packs that you want. π’
But not to fear! Through my many, many failures and a few, few successes (including a Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my first try, don't hate me) I present to you my personal, disorganized guide to farming Gems! Let's dive right in!
1. Do your dailies.
It's boring, it's a chore,
but hear me out!
I used to skip a lot of them, simply because doing 5 monster summons from my hand every day is exhausting. And then I realized that in a week, the dailies I skipped would have gotten me a whole mini-box of Gems! π°
My Pro Tip: Combine your daily objectives!
Instead of just playing 3 Spell cards during a mission, do that during "activate 3 Spell Cards" and play a Pot of Greed or Monster Reborn while fulfilling the "win a duel" objective. The Anecdote: During last month's "inflict 2000 damage in a turn" mission I ended up building an entire deck of Magical Mallets and Card Destructions, due to how much I was focusing on dealing damage. I lost 3 consecutive duels to confused opponents, and then I hit a button that let me deal 2000 damage to my opponent, and I felt so good about myself, 30 Gems richer. πͺ
2. Do your stage missions.
If you're not completing stage missions, you're throwing away free pizza. π
When I was just starting out, I thought that beating the legendary duelists would get me all the rewards I needed, but no. The majority of your stage rewards come from fulfilling specific objectives, such as playing certain monsters or winning with a certain amount of Life Points remaining.
My Quirky Tip: I have a sticky note (yes, I'm old fashioned) that has the 3 hardest stage missions I haven't completed yet. When I log in, I always do one of them before doing anything else.
The Anecdote: Once, I spent 2 hours trying to win a duel with only Level 1 monsters. My deck was full of Kuribohs and Sangan. I looked so ecstatic when I finally won, my cat judged me. πΏ
3. Events.
Konami loves throwing events, and whether you like them or not, they're great places to farm Gems. Whether it's a Gateway, Tag Duel, or a crossover between Yu Gi Oh and Pokemon where Jaden and Yugi team up to battle an ancient enemy (it happened, believe me) , it's always a good idea to participate, even if you don't care about the special rewards. Events reward you for playing them, even if you do badly.
My Personal Rule: I never try to get #1 in the rankings. The people who do are insane, they most likely have a robotic arm and a third eye. π€ I usually try to reach the "top 10" or whichever prize is best for you. The Anecdote: During the last Duelist Kingdom event, I was exhausted from work, and I told myself I'd only do 3 matches. Then, I got on a roll and beat 10 different AIs who all made stupid mistakes. I ended up getting more points than I expected and I woke up the next day to find out I had enough Gems for a whole mini-box. Best. Nap. Ever. π΄
4. PVP: Win, or learn (mostly learn).
Ranked duels give you Gems, obviously, but they can be really hard to climb.
One moment, you're riding high on elation from your recent victories, the next, you get 1-shotted by a random deck. My Motto: "All wins and losses are lessons that teach you how to earn more Gems."
The Anecdote: Whenever I lose 2 ranked matches in a row, I switch to a meme deck (such as my all-time favorite Exodia control) to have fun and not think about how bad I played. This doesn't really help my Gem count, but sometimes I just need to take a break. It's healthy, okay? π
5. Patience is a Virtue (as is impulsiveness).
The sad truth about saving is that I am absolutely horrible at it. My Gem count resembles a rollercoaster that was ridden by a hyperactive squirrel. πΏπ’ Whenever there's a new set out with pretty art, my finger itches to buy it, even if I haven't saved up for it. My advice to you (and myself) is to save up for the sets you really want instead of the ones with cool art (but let's be honest, the pretty art is why we play this game). My confession: I bought a set just because the artwork had Dark Magician Girl giving me a wink. Did I get her? No. Did I get a ton of cards I don't want? Yes. Do I regret it? Maybe, just a little. Supporting the game is important too, after all. π
It's easy to get caught up in the rush of trying to earn more Gems, but don't forget why we play this game in the first place. Duel Links is all about the thrill of the chase, the joy of discovering new cards and finding the perfect deck, and yelling "IT'S TIME TO DUEL!" in an empty house. Don't stress when you can't do your dailies, don't get discouraged when you lose. Keep dueling, keep being silly, and eventually, that Gem count will start rising. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a new event to join and a sticky note reminding me to "Win a duel with a Fusion Monster". Good luck, everyone! May your odds always be in your favor (and may you never brick your opening hand). πβ¨
Happy Duelling! - Your slightly deranged friend πΎ