I've been wondering, when grinding, what produces electrum quicker, speed or masteries? Most people will answer speed without a thought, but maybe we actually should think about it. So I'm just going to throw a little math around to compare. Granted, these numbers may not actually be applicable to any current decks, but unless someone has the stats needed to make the comparison, we'll have to stay hypothetical.
This comparison is of a speed deck and a mastery deck against AI3.
The speed deck's stats:
Game length: 1 minute
Games per hour: 60
Average profit: 5 (based on what I've experienced using the shrieker rush deck)
Games per slot win: 10 (I'm not sure what the actual stats for this are, but I actually think this number may be "high," in that it actually takes more games on average than 10 to win a card... that's just from what I've read on the forums... the fewer games it takes though, the better this deck does in comparison)
The mastery deck's stats:
Game length: 3 minutes (I'll also include an example at 4 minutes, just in case anyone says 3 is too fast)
Games per hour: 20
Average profit: 30 (it is specifically designed to get an EM every game, but I'll do another comparison at 25 for those who say 40 every game is impossible (that's about an 80% mastery rate with a reward of 17 or 18 in the other 20%)
Games per slot win: 10
So let's say they play for an hour. So let's multiply the games per hour by the average reward, then add in how many cards won (we'll go with an average of 30 electrum refunded in the bazaar).
The speed deck:
60*5=300 300+(6*30)=480
So 480 electrum in an hour.
The mastery deck:
20*30=600 600+(2*30)=660
660 electrum per hour
So you're making 1/3 to 1/4 less per hour using a speed deck (it's actually 3/11 according to the numbers, but I'm allowing for a little wiggle room). The actually percent is about 72% of what this example makes.
The mastery deck at 25 profit per game:
20*25=500 500+(2*30)=560
Still more... 1/7 less, or about 86% of what this example makes.
The mastery deck at 4 minutes:
15*30=450 450+(2*30)=510
Still more than the speed deck, but the difference is negligible (1/17 less per hour this time... it changes to 1/9 at two hours though... just under 89% of what this example makes... that's only because at one hour I gave it 2 cards in 15 games, but at 2 hours it goes back to 1 card every 10 games, so that's 3 cards won).
The mastery deck at 4 minutes and 25 profit per game:
15*25=375 375+(2*30)=435
Finally less than the speed deck. This version makes 3/32 less, or about 90% of what the speed deck makes. It makes only 30 less per two hours though.
So, which is better? If you're optimistic and take the first example, the mastery deck is the way to go. If you use the second or third example of the mastery deck, you'll only do slightly better with it... it might add up over time, or it might not because the numbers aren't exactly concrete in real world application. If you use the last example, the speed deck is better, but the amount is probably still negligible.
Like I said though, this is all hypothetical. If people post the stats needed along with their deck, we could probably come up with something a little more accurate.
