“How much gold should I have in Stage 2?”
New TFT players ask this a lot. What they are really asking is:
How much interest can I sacrifice to spend on my board?
There is no universal answer like 20g or 30g.
Instead, ask:
Do I really need that interest?
If your board is strong enough to win, it can be more important to spend what you need and keep winning than to protect every point of interest.
Maybe you naturally hit upgrades and already have useful completed items.
If the board is strong, consider leveling even if it costs you some interest.
Wins give gold, and a win streak gives additional streak gold.
Sacrificing 1g of interest to strengthen your board can sometimes earn you more gold by preserving your streak.
Interest is not the only way to build an economy. If your board is already strong enough to win but you refuse to strengthen it just to protect 1g of interest, then lose, you may be wasting the strong opener you were given.
Every round you survive gives you base income, and interest can add more gold. The more HP you have, the more future rounds you are likely to survive and collect income from.
So HP and gold can be traded against each other.
Do not spend now and accept a loss
→ lose HP in exchange for keeping and growing your gold.
Spend now to strengthen your board
→ spend gold in exchange for winning and preserving HP.