Miracle Merchant is a new card set game for iOS and Android by Arnold Rauers. The game gives you a chance to play as the apprentice of a master alchemist creating potions for “thirsty customers.” As such, you can also think of this title as an alchemy game or a crafting game, where you create potions by combining different ingredient cards. All the cards in each game you play are procedurally generated — in other, simpler words, that means they’re randomly generated, ensuring that no one game plays exactly the same as the next one. That makes this game a true test of skill, and as you complete more games and finish more daily tasks, you’ll be able to collect more potions — currently, there are 41 of them for you to collect.
If alchemy, crafting, and mobile card games are your cup of tea, then this game should certainly appeal to you. But we should warn you that despite the seemingly simple premise, the learning curve here is a bit challenging. Chances are you won’t be able to pick up things right away. But you need not worry any further, because our Miracle Merchant beginner’s strategy guide is here to help you mix the right cards, and collect as many potions as possible in the game.
1. It’s All About The Ingredients
As is the case in any game with alchemy or crafting mechanics, it’s very important that you use the right ingredients at all times. That means you have to be using at least one card requested by your customers in each potion that you make. Not using one of those cards will either kill your customer (seriously) or have them refusing to pay you, and once that happens, your game is over.
Take note that each customer in Miracle Merchant has a preferred ingredient, and if you use these ingredients, you will get additional coins, which is basically the same as additional points. And as a bonus tip, you should always be looking for special marks on each of the cards. These are boosts, which mean you can earn additional coins if they’re positioned at the right place.
2. The Art Of Booting, And Why You Should Learn It
If you feel as if you’re losing control over your deck, you might as well boot a customer or two. But there’s a strategy behind the whole booting thing, which includes looking ahead and seeing what the next customer wants. That might leave you in a worse situation than the one you were in previously, so take good care, and make sure you’re planning ahead before you go ahead and boot a customer.
3. Beware Of Evil
Yes, that sounds pretty obvious if you come to think of it, but in the context of the game, you might want to think twice before boosting an Evil card. You might have to do that from time to time, assuming they’re among the preferred ingredients for your customers, but once you proceed with that boost, you will always lose some points, instead of gaining them. That said, you will also have to consider the different effects available at your disposal, and if it’s safe to do away with evil cards in a given round. But at the end of the day, that’s pretty much all there is to it when it comes to evil cards — they’re not good for your score.
4. Sometimes, Evil Can Be Good
While the word “Evil” suggests bad things regardless of how you play these cards, there is an upside of sorts to having these cards. And you don’t need to get rid of them right away if you notice one of them in your deck. You will always have some customers that are specifically asking for evil potions. The powerful ones are those which you need to consider getting rid of as smartly as possible, though there are those whose effect isn’t as significant, and may also be helpful if you mix them with something else and end up making a customer happy.
5. In The End, You Just Want To Have The Best Possible Score
Miracle Merchant is a solitaire-style card game, and not your typical card battler or CCG/TCG. That means you can play the game by yourself, but in games such as this, you have to be aware of where you’re playing your cards, and aware of the effects that may change the surrounding cards. Always have your customers in mind before anything else, and think of ways to please them.
6. Evaluate Everything, And Don’t Rush Into Daily Tasks
Finally, at least as far as this beginner’s guide goes, we would advise you to evaluate what you’ve done in any given game, and take a good look at the potions you’ve created so far. You can head to the main menu and access an easy, convenient list of all the potions you’ve created in the game. This is important, as there are some quests that may ask you to make a certain kind of potion; the list could actually guide you in completing them.
However, while still on the topic of quests, we should also caution you against jumping into daily mode and taking on the daily tasks. You need to be well-versed in the game before switching over to daily, and once you’ve honed your skills, you’ll certainly have a much better chance of topping the leaderboards. You want to play this game by playing the right cards and having a smart strategy, and not by going through things as quickly as possible, without bothering to learn the fundamentals and how things work.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our Miracle Merchant tips and tricks. If you know additional tips or tricks, feel free to let us know below in the comment area!