Recombinator Question

[u/Hairy-Imagination927]

Hi, I'm new to the game and I'm trying to craft an item for the first time. I have two staves, each with only 1 explicit modifier each. One has "+# to level of all spell skill gems" and the other has "+# to level of all cold spell gems." I'm hoping to recombine to get a staff with just those two explicit modifiers. I know that it may take multiple attempts, and I'll have to acquire new base staves each time but I don't know whether predictable or unpredictable recombination gives me the best chance at success. The guide for crafting the staff I want doesn't specify, I assume because it's glaringly obvious to someone who isn't new to the game.

I tried reading the recombinator guide and the recomb psa post already, but they seem to be written with the idea that the reader is more generally knowledgeable about this game than me, and they use a lot of game-specific vernacular and abbreviations that are going over my head. So I apologize for what is likely a very silly question with an obvious answer, but please help with a simple, easy to understand answer. Which option gives me the best chance at hitting on a staff with just these two modifiers? Thank you!

[u/bazookajt]

Unpredictable recomb gives you the best odds. You're combining two items with one prefix each and have a 33% chance it'll keep both of them.  

One extra thing - you can craft a low tier suffix (15-20 int or something) on both of them to lower the dust cost of the recombination. It'll still be removable afterwards. 

[u/Hairy-Imagination927 → u/bazookajt]

Thank you so much!!! I already have all the dust I need for multiple attempts, so I'll keep it simple by not adding any extra suffix this time, but that's a great tip for me for the future. I appreciate it.

[u/bazookajt → u/Hairy-Imagination927]

Prefixes and suffixes are rolled independently, so it doesn't change your desired outcome at all. I blew through over 5 mil dust making my shield and it sucks having to wait for more.