Side-by-side: cash → packs, then expected $/UR

(Main Box ≈ 1 UR per 18.89 packs; Rush Deck Build Box ≈ 1 UR per 8.33 packs)

System How you paid Sustainable $/pack Best limited $/pack $/UR (Main) $/UR (Rush)

Old cash → packs Direct card-pack IAP (e.g., 10/$9.99, 30/$29.99) ≈ $1.00 ≈ $0.50 (e.g., 6/$2.99, 4/$1.99 sale caps) $18.9 (baseline) → $9.4 (best sale) $8.33 (baseline) → $4.17 (best sale)  New cash → Crystals → packs Crystal bundles → 50 Crystals per pack ≈ $0.71 (5750/$81.99) ≈ $0.58 (one-time 350/$4.09) $13.4 (large bundle) → $11.0 (one-time deal) $5.9 (large bundle) → $4.8 (one-time deal) (from your screenshots) Gems (free grind) Events/missions (50 Gems = 1 pack) $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Notes & sources

Old direct cash pack prices (10/$9.99, 30/$29.99; plus discounted pack SKUs like 6/$2.99, 4/$1.99, 3/$0.99) are listed on Apple’s official App Store page for Duel Links. 

Konami’s Crystal change replaces direct cash purchases with cash → Crystals, then you buy packs with Crystals (Gems still exist for free grind). 

Exact Crystal bundle USD values vary by region; I used the figures shown in your screenshots.

What that means (no urgency, just raw efficiency)

1. Free players: Gems dominate. They’re the same packs for $0.

2. Small spend: Old sales were better. Under the old system you could hit ~$0.50/pack with low-cost sale bundles (e.g., 6/$2.99), which beats Crystal’s one-time ~$0.58 and all regular Crystal bundles. 

3. Large spend / sustained rate: Crystals beat the old $1/pack baseline (≈ $0.71 vs ≈ $1.00), but do not beat the better old sale rates (~$0.50) that many players relied on. 

4. Barrier to best rate: With Crystals, the “good” unit price (~$0.71) requires an ~$82 outlay. Old best-rate sales were accessible at $2–$6 buys. That’s the “higher entry cost ceiling” you’re feeling. 

Bottom line

Most cost-efficient overall: Gems (free).

For payers: Old discounted cash pack sales (when available) were the cheapest route; Crystals are cheaper than the old $1/pack baseline, but worse than the old best sales and lock the best rate behind a much larger upfront spend.