Unicorn On Strike! -- Fighting the Emerald Blocker

[SANDSCApe]

Okay, the time for full disclosure has come. Last weekend, I discovered (by extending my Dragon Story breeding knowledge) an absolutely fail-proof way to clone Emerald Dragons.

Sorry, I couldn't put this information out here before an Electric-Nature was introduced, and I figured I would have less than a week until it did. I hinted at what I was doing here and there, but if I came right out with it, TeamLava might have brought that Thunderhawk and Eagle Beagle much sooner to put an end to this.

Until today, any breeding of Emerald Dragon with Lightning Leopard would result in nothing but Emerald Dragon. It was my ULTIMATE EMERALD BLOCKER BYPASS. It was also my ultimate silent protest. While TeamLava sought under-handed ways to make this creature more rare than ultra-rare, I did my subversive little part to make it a whole lot LESS rare.

I had 3 Emerald Dragons before I started this foolishness. 3 was enough, and I'm probably gonna have to eventually get rid of some of the insane flock I've generated this week.

Still I will keep using this combo, knowing that it will now default to Electric-Natures.

[SANDSCApe]

Now for all who have Unicorn but no Emerald: after you breed your first easy Electric-Nature (most likely the common one), why not hook your Unicorn up with THAT? Only 3 possibilities. Hey, you never know - they may do that 45-hour dirty dance.

[zenobia42]

Until today, any breeding of Emerald Dragon with Lightning Leopard would result in nothing but Emerald Dragon. It was my ULTIMATE EMERALD BLOCKER BYPASS. It was also my ultimate silent protest. While TeamLava sought under-handed ways to make this creature more rare than ultra-rare, I did my subversive little part to make it a whole lot LESS rare.

So your protest against TL for making the emerald so much more difficult for all to get, and especially for people who only got a unicorn recently (and for those of us who haven't a unicorn yet but still trying) and therefore have zero emeralds... was to make 8 emeralds for yourself? I guess I am just not thinking hard enough but how does silently giving yourself 8 of them, and telling those who have none yet how to do it once it is too late to perform the trick, help them? Or punish TL / make them more likely to reverse the blocker? If anything, I would think that, if they are blocking more and more based on the total number of emeralds out there, increasing the total count by 5 would more likely make them think they need to go back to 5 hours rather than back to the original 20 seconds. I am not criticizing - I trust that your intent was entirely noble and selfless - but I am afraid I just don't get it.

[Snowfall0]

5 hour pandas?! Seriously?! Five minutes would be bad enough. 1 hour, maybe I'd be okay with that. But 5? Come on! Most of us can try 2-3 times a day, just to get a ridiculous common.

[SANDSCApe]

So your protest against TL for making the emerald so much more difficult for all to get, and especially for people who only got a unicorn recently (and for those of us who haven't a unicorn yet but still trying) and therefore have zero emeralds... was to make 8 emeralds for yourself? I guess I am just not thinking hard enough but how does silently giving yourself 8 of them, and telling those who have none yet how to do it once it is too late to perform the trick, help them? Or punish TL / make them more likely to reverse the blocker? If anything, I would think that, if they are blocking more and more based on the total number of emeralds out there, increasing the total count by 5 would more likely make them think they need to go back to 5 hours rather than back to the original 20 seconds. I am not criticizing - I trust that your intent was entirely noble and selfless - but I am afraid I just don't get it.

Right. I'm more than a little crazy. Not to mention rebellious. I don't like being told that I can't do something I should be able to do. This was between TeamLava and me. I did my bit before on behalf of those who had no Emeralds. When I invited those with more than one Gem animal to join me in the passive protest of breeding Skygers and Frostfangs with their Unicorns (to mirror what TL was doing to new Unicorn owners), I didn't see any rush of support. It was every player for himself. What's more, I got torched like crazy for breeding a Unicorn too easily and too soon, and was repeatedly accused of only wanting to breed more Emeralds myself when I started my Unicorn strike.

Well the heck with all that. I retreated into my cave for a couple days and had a freaking epiphany.

Now, like I said, I didn't NEED more Emeralds. And leaving off from breeding for my missing animals to replicate these Emeralds non-stop all week became downright boring. But I'm not suffering, and I make no pretense to having noble objectives. TL spitefully found a way to prolong what was already a tedious process of countless Panda fails. I found a way to do it with no fails at all. Now if I never breed another new animal that isn't common, you won't hear me complain.

I may become stinking rich in this game as a result of my stunt (if I can just stop spending it away). I've decided I can live with the crazy wealth and sleep soundly at night.

Okay, that's not really true. I scarcely sleep - takes a while for the Pepsi-RedBull combo to wear off - but I do rest fairly peacefully. Eight Emerald Dragons won't change that.

[chalupa2030]

So your protest against TL for making the emerald so much more difficult for all to get, and especially for people who only got a unicorn recently (and for those of us who haven't a unicorn yet but still trying) and therefore have zero emeralds... was to make 8 emeralds for yourself? I guess I am just not thinking hard enough but how does silently giving yourself 8 of them, and telling those who have none yet how to do it once it is too late to perform the trick, help them? Or punish TL / make them more likely to reverse the blocker? If anything, I would think that, if they are blocking more and more based on the total number of emeralds out there, increasing the total count by 5 would more likely make them think they need to go back to 5 hours rather than back to the original 20 seconds. I am not criticizing - I trust that your intent was entirely noble and selfless - but I am afraid I just don't get it.

My sentiments exactly. Well said! Good post.

[55lee55]

More power to you Sand! I still don't have the elusive Emerald Dragon that you have been breeding like white lab rats

I thought I would stop at my herd of eight Aurora Pegasi and try your trick for the Electric/Nature with the Unicorn, because there are less possibilities with each match. Once again my luck won out and I bred the two new Electric Hybrids one after the other. Because none of them come close to the Aurora Pegasus for income, I bought two new green habitats and am trying for that Emerald dragon several different ways so I don't get bored breeding. I am very impressed with the income from the Pegasus so I am taking your advice and fattening my herd up, rapidly filled out my Album once more (alas minus the Emerald, but I love the looks of the Aurora Pegasus so while I am still trying for the Dragon, I am, as you said in your earlier post, pulling in the same amount of $ for less food with my herd. My largest challenge is planning ahead for battles, because I do want one each of at least Level 10, although in battles the Epics are not showing me their worth so I am unsure if I will aim for more than a strong battle herd, a strong income herd, and at least one of every critter, except the Emerald. I am breeding for it if it happens, but am working more on my Pegs, because I can afford them now! I don't feel a big necessity to achieve that single impossibility anymore in order to enjoy the game.

Thanks for explaining the breeding strategies to me because I am not a DS player so FFS is all new except for the minimum DS I played once to earn gems for a different game. At first I wanted to like this game but finished everything possible except the Unicorn ( this was even before the Emerald appeared) in the first few days of playing.

I was ready to quit as there was nothing left to do and no room to do it in and everything was ridiculously expensive.

Then TL came out with more critters and battles and expansions and the game began to make sense and became interesting. It is still way too expensive and it is obvious that there will be a class stratification in this game based on financial considerations mostly concerning if a player has or has not obtained the big moneymaking animals, because when your animals make money in the hundreds, and you need it in the hundreds of thousands and millions, you can collect and breed and feed all day every day, but until you get the moneymakers, you will stagnate where you sit.

But in my case, thanks to Sand's suggestions, I am enjoying this game more every time I play it, because I am earning the $ fast enough to keep the game interesting, to see that I will be able to expand and afford to clear the rubble after I expand to continue playing.

I hope everyone finds either the Unicorn and Emerald Dragon, or builds a high earning herd, because the battles are a blast and the animals are a lot of fun, especially watching them grow up. I imagine that once we get more real estate opened up on different levels, and encounter different challenges, that this game will maybe even tie for my favorite TL game!

I was ready to give up last week, and now I am enjoying the updates, maybe because there are updates and things are moving. Speaking for myself, I am thankful that Sand helped me understand some things I didn't understand before and that TL is moving on with this game. I see the potential moving toward the reality, so even though the road is bumpy, I am glad I stayed a little longer and put a bit more effort into it when I did.

[SANDSCApe]

Lee, I'm delighted whenever I can help someone enjoy the game more, especially if I see them becoming disillusioned. More power to YOU, Castle Story lady!

I have two other forests playing on the same device as my main forest. One is my daughter's forest (Vash-Naroom), and the other is my little exploring project (Forest Gump). They are not struggling for coins, but they play much more slowly and leisurely than Satyr Sanctuary. If people play with the cards they are dealt, and pace themselves according to their resources and luck, the game will be fun for everyone. I don't think it was meant for all players to move forward at exactly the same pace with exactly the same stuff. How boring would THAT be!

Zenobia & Chalupa, I suggest you email TeamLava and give them a piece of your mind. They may appreciate your sentiments (or give you canned responses like they do to me). It's their game. I'm just playing it.

This morning, I put my Level 4 Emerald Dragon back in the Garden with her Level 4 Lightning Leopard partner again, this time expecting the common Thunderhawk. Instead, 44:59:59 ... Huh? What? Again? I challenge any player out there to tell me why I shouldn't keep doing this.

[chalupa2030]

You got another unicorn? Or Emerald? You are one lucky lady!!

[SANDSCApe]

You got another unicorn? Or Emerald? You are one lucky lady!!

You can't breed a Crystal Unicorn from 3 elements, so it has to be another Emerald Dragon. I'm lucky in some ways; downright unlucky in other ways.

Who else do you know who can't breed any Nature-Fire except Fairy Ferret?

How many players do you know (except me & HugPete) whose Unicorn was locked up? (LOL) I had to look at that unhatched baby in storage with her image darkened and a black strip over her face that said "Level 15" while I struggled to raise money and climb three levels so I could build a home and bail her out. Treated like a convict before you're even born! That has to leave a mark. Now look what her children are up to.

But really, my biggest share of luck is being able to enjoy myself no matter what.