Well, I never grind, and I don't really start playing cards until I get Ifrit. I played a few games on my way to the Fire Cavern, but I didn't win any of them. Forced a bunch of draws, which surprised me considering some of these people had a lot better cards than the seven you start out with.
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"Why must we always choose between certain death and probable death?"
"I'm in an epic battle to the death, FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF!"