ICE CAVES - Scratchcards are a great way to make money and win neggs, but more
than often you can pull a loser.
Buying Scratchcards from the kiosk One of the first things you
notice about scratchcards is the price, 600 NP. This puts off most people but
if you look at the prizes its not bad. If you buy scratchcards from the kiosk
you will get a random one, rather than your own choice, this means you could
buy a rare scratchcard for 600 NP and sell it to make a fortune!
Prizes Three of a kind, except blanks, will win you a prize!
If you're unfamiliar with the prizes here's a list:
10,000 = 3 of these will win you 10k NP!
5,000 = 3 of these will win you a cool 5k NP!
2,500 = 3 of these will get you 2.5k NP!
^ = 3 of theses will put your active pet up 1 level!
Snowball = This is pretty obvious, you win 3 snowballs!
Negg = This is also obvious, you will win a negg!
50,000 = 3 of these will win you a great 50k NP!!
Jackpot = This is usually won on Icetravaganza Scratchcard; you will
win whatever the jackpot is!!
Quiggle = 3 of these win you a quiggle toy or maybe a Kiosk Wocky Plushie!
Buying scratchcards over the marketplace If you search for scratchcards
over the Shop Wizard you'll see that some scratchcards are worth way more than
others, this is because of the chance and odds of winning the top prizes. Icetravaganza
Scratchcards for instance are worth over 85k on the Shop Wizard, this is because
they have the highest chance of winning the jackpot or other valuable prizes.
Certain Prizes for Certain Scratchcards Because some scratchcards
are rarer than others, the prizes are gonna be different. I have been playing
scratchcards for a long time and I now know a thing about the different prizes,
here's a list of them:
Race to Riches - 10k, 5k, 2.5k, Snowballs, Quiggle toy
Terror Trove - 10k, 5k, 2.5k, Snowballs, Quiggle toy
Faeries Fortune - 10k, 5k, 2.5k, Snowballs, Level up
Peak O Plenty - 10k, 5k, Negg, Slight Jackpot Chance, Level up
Icetravaganza Scratchcard - 50k, Negg, High Jackpot chance
The Jackpot
The Jackpot increases every time a scratchcard is bought and only decreases
when it is won. The Jackpot doesn't have a maximum but doesn't usually go higher
than 500k and usually averages at about 100-150k. As I have mentioned the Jackpot
can play a major part in the pricing off scratchcards, the better the chance
Neopians have of winning it the more expensive the scratchcard. Some people
spend most of their money on an Icetravaganza scratchcard in the hope that they
win the jackpot, they have a high chance of course but if they fail they have
wasted a ton of money, this is the bad side of scratchcards.
Is there a strategy to win?
No, scratchcards are a game of luck, although you may find a pattern that is
particularly lucky for you. My "strategy" is to look for vertical or horizontal
lines of the same prize; this is because for a long time I thought you could
only win prizes which were in the same line!
So are they good or bad?
You can never tell whether a scratchcard is gonna be good or bad, you may scratch
2 Jackpot squares on the first go and then get 4 blanks! If you really want
to know whether they are worth it or not lets weigh up the facts...
Good Things
· You can win rare items and lots of money for 600 NP
· You can buy from the kiosk for 600 NP and sell them in your shop for more
· There is a chance that you will win on every card As you can see the good
things about scratchcards all involve making money, which is great! However,
as you'll see in the Bad section you can also lose money.
Bad Points
· You can only buy one for 600 NP from the kiosk every 2 hours
· Buying scratchcards from the marketplace can be expensive
· You can only scratch 6 squares out of 9, this means there is always a big
chance you won't win
· Even if you win a prize its not always worth it, for instance winning snowballs
or quiggle toys can usually mean you don't recoup your money
So do you recommend them?
I would only recommend them if your patient and can spare your money. It can
take a few scratchcards till you actually win something valuable, which is at
least 1200 NP. You should also be patient because you can only buy scratchcards
for cheap every 2 hours; otherwise you will have to fork out a least 200 NP+
per scratchcard! Another point is that at certain times of the day the Kiosk
is closed for a while.
Conclusion Scratchcards can make you a load of neopoints in
rare items and prizes but are also expensive and can become addictive. Remember,
each scratchcard has 3 of one prize and therefore is a winner; of course you
only get to scratch 6 out of 9, so there is a fair chance you will lose. There
is no way to cheat on scratchcards and no winning strategy it is complete luck,
so is buying them, you cannot fix which card you will get. To get the best prizes
you have to pay more to buy a scratchcard with better odds, these can cost over
85k, but if you get the jackpot, usually of around 100k, its worth it. However,
scratchcards are not worth wasting all your money on.
Happy Scratching!
Marketplace Prices
Here's a quick rundown of the prices! (They may have changed this I wrote this)
· Race to Riches Scratchcard - 850 NP
· Terror Trove Scratchcard - 890 NP
· Faeries Fortune Scratchcard - 1,400 NP
· Peak O Plenty Scratchcard - 10,700 NP
· Icetravaganza Scratchcard - 86,000 NP | 
