Cards and Gravity Training

I've already gotten some messages regarding a good strategy for card distribution and how gravity training works, and since both are basic, core elements of the game, I figured they would be good things to go into now.

Cards can be very important early on, and once you start getting gold cards, they can be helpful late as well. Once you hit level 19 as a player and once your characters hit level 50, you can start using cards. Every 15 levels after that you get another card slot. There have been some questions about what certain cards do and to what effect. I can share what the cards do, but I'm afraid some more tests are required to show to what effect one point increases the odds.

Here are a few of the not completely obvious card types.

CRIT-Semi-obviously increases Critical hit chance

CRTD-Counteracts enemy CRIT statistic

EVA-Gives chance to dodge attacks completely, taking no damage

ACC-Makes it less likely that the enemy will dodge

RES-Blocks an enemy attack for reduced damage, and then counters for reduced damage

BRK-Counteracts the RES stat in a way similar to ACC and EVA

As you can see, for all the special statistics, there is an enemy stat that can counteract it and make it less likely to occur. The 'active' special stats are CRIT, EVA, and RES. The 'passive' special stats are CRTD, ACC, and BRK, which should be used only if your other card slots are full or if you're trying to beat someone you know focuses on special stats.

That being said, there is an unspoken 'priority' of cards, that most top players abide by. If you observe top players or talk to them, you'll notice that the four core stats are the most prioritized, Attack being prioritized the most, then defense (if a blue or gold defense card can be gotten), health, then spirit. After that, most players use the active special cards to fill the remaining spots, based on your style of play. For defensive teams, EVA may be best. For offensive teams you may want CRIT, and for balanced teams you can do RES.

Again, this is not unanimous among all players, just a general trend, as well as suggestions. 

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Gravity Training is the only other way to date, with the exception of EVA and CRIT skills, to increase the special stats, albeit slowly. It unlocks the level after cards, at level 20, and can be applied to any character.

Gravity Training is a long term investment for sure. For 1.8 mil zeni a day (easily earned daily in hells gate), you can slowly work your way up the gravity ladder. For 8.2 mil Zeni a day (not as replaceable, but to a certain degree still is) you can increase it twice as fast. Every 30 levels, the price decreases back to just above what it was 30 levels prior, and you get a percentile buff to a base stat (usually a low % buff early, like 1% to SPI, but still). It's better used on one character to build them up stronger than they would have been by a couple hundred in each stat, and is useful for making those characters well rounded in both the active and passive special stats, so that they can both use those abilities and counteract them slightly better than they otherwise would have. Once you get to the end of the first cycle of gravity, your 4 core statistics will be almost +200, and special stats hovering in the 30s, which can be very helpful as an overall thing if you stay dedicated to it.

The good part about gravity is that you don't have to worry if you put it on the wrong character. If a hero is transferred, then the hero that is being transferred into gets the higher of the two gravity training levels between the two heroes involved in the transfer. So, if you heavily train someone you end up having to replace, you can move that gravity training over to his replacement.

Also, every time you complete a full cycle of gravity you get a special ability, listed in the gravity screen. In order to get the first boost (all of which are pretty great) you have to complete the first 240 stages, which can get pricey. If you stick with it, however, it'll pay off big time.

**NOTE:Gravity increases the END stat, not the BASE stat, so percentile buffs DO NOT affect stats earned through gravity**