So you've fallen into the rabbit hole of horse girl racing. Honestly, it’s a trap. A beautiful, high-production, high-stakes trap where your carats (or jewels, depending on who you ask) disappear faster than a Gold Ship tantrum at the starting gate. If you’re playing the global version or sticking it out on JP in 2026, you’ve probably realized by now that this isn't your average gacha.
The math is brutal. In this uma musume spending guide, we’re going to look at why pulling for your favorite "waifu" is often a recipe for account suicide, and how you should actually be allocating those precious resources to keep from hitting a wall.
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The Support Card Trap
Most new players make the same mistake. They see a flashy new 3-star girl, they spend everything, and then they wonder why they can’t win a single Champions Meeting. Here is the cold, hard truth: characters are vanity; support cards are the engine.
You can have the best horse in the game, but if your support deck is trash, she will never reach those S+ or UF ranks.
Support cards are expensive because of the "Limit Break" system. A base SSR card (0LB) is often worse than a Max Limit Break (MLB) SR card. This is where the spending gets spicy. To make a card like Kitasan Black (Speed) or the legendary Almond Eye actually work for you, you usually need four or five copies.
If you aren't prepared to "spark" (hitting the 200-pull pity), don't even touch the banner. Pulling 50 times and getting nothing leaves you with "Clovers," which are basically the game's way of giving you a participation trophy that buys almost nothing of value.
Why Jewels Disappear
Managing jewels in this game requires the discipline of a monk.
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- The Pity Floor: You need 30,000 carats to guarantee a single card. If you have 25,000, you have zero. That sounds harsh, but RNG in Uma Musume is notorious for smelling fear.
- Scenario Tax: Every six months or so, the "meta" scenario changes. Whether it was MANT, Grand Live, or the more recent 2026 updates, Cygames usually releases a "must-have" card specifically for that training mode. If you don't pull it, you're essentially playing on hard mode while everyone else cruises.
- Daily Paid Pulls: If you do spend real money, the 50-carat daily paid pull is technically the best value. But it’s a slow burn. You’re playing the long game here.
How to Spend Without Going Broke
If you're a low spender or F2P, you have to be surgical. You basically skip 90% of the banners. You wait for the half-anniversary or the full anniversary. Why? Because that’s when the "Select Banners" or double-rate banners usually show up.
"I spent 60k jewels on the Christmas Oguri banner and only got one copy. I should have waited for the anniversary selector." — Every Reddit user, probably.
Focus on "Universal" Cards. Some cards, like Super Creek (Stamina) or Fine Motion (Intelligence), stayed relevant for years. In the current 2026 meta, look for cards that offer high "Training Efficiency" and "Race Bonus." If a card only works for one specific distance (like a Short-only Speed card), it's a luxury you probably can't afford yet.
The Real Cost of Competitive Play
Let’s talk dollars. A full pity is roughly $400-450 USD if you're buying raw carats without a sale. That is insane. Most "dolphins" stick to the Daily Carat Pack (the monthly pass) and the Rookie Starter Packs.
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The Daily Carat Pack is basically non-negotiable if you want to keep up. It gives you a steady stream of carats and, more importantly, it makes the "Paid-only" guaranteed SSR banners accessible during anniversaries. Those guaranteed banners are the only time spending feels "good" in this game.
Common Misconceptions About Spending
People think they need a full stable of girls. You don't.
You get a 3-star selector ticket at the start. Use it on a versatile unit like Oguri Cap or Maruzensky. These girls can run on multiple tracks and surfaces. Once you have a core team for Team Stadium, stop. Put every single jewel into the Support Gacha.
Also, don't sleep on SR cards. A Max Limit Break SR Marvelous Sunday or Sweep Tosho will often outperform a 0-1LB SSR. Spending your "Cleats" (the currency you get from duplicate cards) to buy SR/SSR tickets in the shop is one of the few ways to progress without opening your wallet.
Actionable Steps for Your Jewels
If you want to actually enjoy the game without the constant sting of "Gacha Despair," follow this logic:
- Hoard 60,000 carats. This is the "Safety Zone." It allows you to double-spark a banner to ensure an MLB card.
- Ignore the "New Character" notification. Unless it's your absolute favorite character of all time, the 3-star rate is a lie. You'll eventually pull them as "spooks" while you're chasing support cards anyway.
- Check the "Gametora" or "Umamusume Wiki" for future banners. Since the global version follows the JP schedule, you literally have a crystal ball. Use it. If a "God-tier" card is coming in three months, start saving today.
- Prioritize the "Scenario Card." Every time a new training scenario drops, find out which card is the "link" card. Usually, these cards provide unique bonuses that make training significantly easier.
The game is a marathon, not a sprint. If you blow your load on a random mid-year banner because the art looked cool, you're going to be miserable when the 2.5 or 3.0 anniversary power-creep hits. Keep your eyes on the prize, keep your carats in the bank, and remember: the best support card is often the one you borrow from a whale friend for free.