There was another thread called "Leaderboards are not a fair competition" that was rather interesting but also somewhat contentious. The thread was closed, and we were told to post in the current leaderboard thread, but I don't see a current leaderboard thread, so I made one.
So, I don't want to continue the argumentative nature of the previous discussion, but since I never had a chance to weigh in, I did want to note a couple things or put in my 2 cents (or more).
First, there is a lot that we can all say about leaderboards, and the fact of the matter is that there is no way that Dragon Story, or any other game for that matter, can make *everyone* happy. Leaderboards are hard because it is the one event where players are pitted against each other, and also where only 1 in 10 people can obtain the final prize. It would be great if it were somehow a game of s****, although those without s****s would then never be able to win. There is some element of s**** (like knowing when to use your boosts to the best advantage, etc), and there is the element of how much time each player has to devote to the game, and then there are the two largest elements: luck (whether or not you can breed the required dragon to get yourself a ton of extra points) and money (how much or how little real money each person is willing to spend on the game). One person had a point: it is *not* *****ing if you get the breeding dragon early and can start doing quests right away, but it is one place that the element of luck comes into play, and if you aren't lucky, you do miss out on lots of potential LB points because you miss out on days of questing and don't get the point producing decor as soon. I guess luck is just a part of it, then, unfortunately. Another big part of luck is who is in the LB with you. Unfortunately, during the last few lbs, I've been placed with some of the "whales" who shell out money for massive points, which leads me to another point, and that is that now we have even more reason to get a ton of points in the LBs since we can now get global prizes. So those who have to take time to craft the dragon are also at a disadvantage to get the global rewards, and since food is part of that, they are in turn in a worse position for doing well in the SBs and the WEs. Just something to think about.
Another player expressed that the dragons aren't on his island just to look good, and that is certainly his prerogative, but it seems a little odd to me because if you are just keeping dragons that do well in tournaments, then why do you want to win the tournaments just to get dragons you may or may not keep? Like, why keep strong fighters to battle for dragons you don't want in the long run anyway? But that is just his style of play. I am a "completist," as Elsa called it, because my idea is to collect as many dragons as possible. My dragons are, indeed, just on my island to look good. I love the pretty ones and I love the cute ones. Unfortunately, there are some ugly ones, too, but even they stay on my island because I want the whole set. I am proud to display my especially pretty dragons. The prettier the dragon, the higher I feed him or her up! And the cutest ones tend to stay cute little babies, if possible.
There was also a mention of "sniping," and I do hate that feeling when you think you are going to win the final dragon, and then someone comes in at the last minute and earns a ton of points and surpasses me, leaving me with no dragon. However, that is just one strategy that people employ, and it isn't *****ing, and it isn't fun for those of us who lost out at the last second, but that is another way that luck and money play into the LB.
Finally, to make this post relevant to this specific lb, I do like the looks of all the dragons that are available (Afterlife, Trouble, and the prize dragon being Hocus Pocus). However, as others have expressed previously, I wish that there were more dragons to win during the LB and/or a free HABITAT!! That would be far more valuable than the 5000 food prize, even if it were just one of the little habitats that only holds a couple dragons.