Cards
Weapon Cards:
The most optimal setup is Racial + Size cards due to how they are calculated. Of course, not everybody will have all the cards they need. In that case, you are free to use double racial or double size cards. Anti-element cards are also an option, but should be last on your priority list.
So for example, for PVP, having one Skel Worker + Hydra is a must.
Golem Card is not only a great placeholder card if you dont have the right cards to fight a specific monster, it also prevents your weapon from breaking in PvP.(
WARNING: This card will not protect your refining from failing).
There is a debate between this vs Boa Card. Short answer: Golem wins out in the end.
By the time most people will have enough MATK(Around 6k) to make Boa win out, cards from the later patches that will replace Boa(like Sageworm card) will have already been out.
For F2P players, using status cards in PvP would have more impact than using damage cards. Damage ticks from skills also have a chance to apply CC. Consider using cards like Requiem, Metaller, or Magnolia.
Headgear cards:Elder Willow should be 3-starred for general use.
Things change a bit in PVP. You need to have a Marduk Card, especially in small skirmishes. Otherwise, all it takes to shut you down, will be a Priest spamming Lex Divina to silence you, and the cooldown on Panacea will not be able to catch up.
To a lesser degree in PVP, anti-fear using Giearth Card is also useful. The great thing about this card, is that it’s useful even in PvE scenarios where the bosses/mini-boss causes fear. This is also apparent in Juperos Dungeon where the Wind Ghosts will Fear you right into the fire.
Facewear:Goblin Chief Puppet 1 or 2 is a must, especially for PvP or just grinding in general. When fighting Large Monsters you can opt for Eddga, but the cost is not worth it, unless you’re really trying to min-max your dps on large mobs.
Mouthwear:Angeling Puppet 1 or 2 Card is a must. It adds HP which means more survivability, and with what you now know when it comes to HP in PvP, the value you get from this card gets multiplied in PVP scenarios.
Backwear:Deviling Puppet 1 or 2 - 1 or PvE and 2 for PvP. People tend to underestimate the value of PvE and PvP specific stats. Do not make the same mistake. Having a huge gap in any of these stats significantly nerfs your damage and your damage mitigation.
Armor:Baby Desert Wolf is your general use card. It works well for any situation and doesnt cost a lot to max out.
Element Cards - These cards are useful for different situation depending on the element you’re facing. These cards are a must if you’re trying to tank end-game content and not die in one hit.Argiope gives you Poison Property.Poison, Shadow, and Undead element attacks deal less damage to you.
Sandman Card gives you Earth Property.
Earth and Wind element attack deal less damage to you.
Pasana Card gives you Fire Property.
Fire and Earth element attacks deal less damage to you.
Sword Fish card gives you Water Property.
Water and Fire element attacks deal less damage to you.
Angeling MVP Card gives you Holy Property.
Holy, Poison, Wind, Earth, Fire, Water, and Ghost attacks deal less damage to you.
Ghostring Card gives you Ghost Property.
Neutral attacks(including forced neutral attacks like Asura) deal less damage to you.
Evil Druid Card gives you Undead Property(
WARNING: This card will make Heal a detriment to you.)Poison, Shadow, and Undead attacks will deal less damage to you.
Cornutus Card makes your armor Indestructible so Mastersmiths and Biochemists cannot break your armor in PvP.(
WARNING: This card will not prevent your refines from failing.)
Dokebi Card gives you Wind Property.
Wind and Water attack deal less damage to you.
Off-hand:Anti-race cards are your go-to. The most important one being Thara Frog for PvP.
If you can get your hands on a Tirfing card, that works as well.Alice Card is a must have. Not only does it work for MVPs, it also works on other Boss Monsters like Juperos, Endless Tower and Tower of Nightmare.
Racial cards can be used accordingly depending on what Race you wish to mitigate.
Cloak:Frilldora is really good for general use. 2-star is enough, but you can choose to 3-star it if you want. Gives you Intelligence, MDMG Reduction, and even some VCT.
Eclipse, although a Mini Boss card, is actually a viable option since you can buy it from the Courage Shop in the Point Mall. Thus making it a viable damage mitigation option even for F2P players.
Element specific cards can be used accordingly depending on what element you wish to mitigate. This is usually done when facing a tough boss like Temple of Nightmare bosses.
Shoes:Some people debate on whether to go for Sohee or Verit. Sohee wins out in the end as it gives us 3% more HP than Verit when both are at 3-stars.
For people who have a more flexible budget, Cat o’ Nine-Tail is a good option as it offers more mitigation.
Accessories:Wraith Card 3-star is our best option.
Greatest General is a decent alternative as well.
WARNING: DO NOT. I REPEAT. DO NOT USE THIS CARD. We have a lot of sources for VCT and at higher levels of VCT, the diminishing returns are great enough that the VCT bonus this card has is rendered useless. This card was good during the first few weeks of the game as a placeholder, nothing more.
Smokie Card is good for PvP. Most people fight on auto-mode or have trouble switching targets. Using Hide resets their target-lock(like when a Paladin, Mastersmith etc. is on top of you trying to kill you). Hiding will automatically make them target somebody else, allowing you to either run away, or if it was a close fight, get the jump on them and kill them instead.
It’s also worth noting that at 3-star, this card gives you 1.5% MDMG, making it even more attractive.
