Booster + Level Analysis

Nice summary. I play fewer episodes per day, can't quite do the 6 hours you do, but I have found very similar findings to yours @Pyrolight . If I had the patience then yes, I do believe a gold profit is possible while still winning the champions race. I did try paying for the 6 hours recently and wished I hadn't. (I paused playing in the middle of it as well, I can't play 6 hours nonstop). I found it a waste of gold. The 30 mins pre game boosters for 9 gold each were useful to keep my win streak, but when I did have to lose it, then my 20 lives from friends were enough to still win the episode race. There are per episode one or two blocker levels which require us to pay for extra moves. As you say, if you keep hold of a win streak too long the game will become more aggressive at trying to break it, but if I do pay up at points where the game wants me to, then it will usually allow me to regain my win streak pretty soon. This still hold true at the 4000-5000 level range I am playing. In practice I am losing gold in my game, but I think if I had more patience then I might still make a small profit, certainly if I just play one episode per day.

So I tried out my own boosters and level analysis this morning on episode 4671-4685.

My strategy was: Use hints and follow first move as recommended by game, use all three starting boosters for hard or worse rated levels and timed colour bombs and wrapped/striped for all levels, use single booster to keep win streak if I can see it will be successful, if I fail to keep win streak, try starting boosters on next attempt, use 10 gold to play on only if I see that it can be done with the moves offered.

I buy all the boosters at the best discounted rate for 20 boosters each.

I spent:

colour bomb x 30 mins = 9 gold

free wrapped/striped candy from daily treat machine 45 mins = free

fish boosters x 4 , (gained 1 back through Hungry Hatchling) = 3 x 1.95 = 5.85 gold

hammers/ hand switch/striped candies x 6 total (- 2 lollipops gained with Season Pass & Hungry Hatchling) = 4 x 5.5 gold = 22 gold

play on once = 10 gold

= 47 gold spent

I gained 45 by winning the episode race, so made a net loss of 2 gold but:

For some reason the Vault Event freezes up whenever I click on it, so I can't play it on my iPhone 6 at all (the same happened last time the event was on). Without this glitch I would have gained some lollipops through it (I have 15 keys and am on the gold vault!). So if the game was working as it should then I am sure I could have made a small gold profit.

I liked your theory about third slot starting boosters and tried a few legendary levels out to see if I find the same.

I certainly found on level 2639 this was indeed a pattern: Playing only fishes got me a lot more of them than if I also played colour bomb and wrapped/striped. In fact the level that finally gave me the lucky winning board I played fishes only, and it produced a whopping 9 of those!

However, not all levels follow the same rules. Level 2697 I played at least 30 times with varying combinations of starting boosters and NEVER got more than two fishes, nor ever a lucky board. No rule fits them all, but one rule is clear: If starting boosters don't work, don't keep wasting them at every attempt! Some levels you are clearly meant to spend gold or a UFO to pass.