Short answer? Don't.

Don't spend any resources unless you have an actual reason for it. Save them until you need them, which is typically for fusions.

For your shards, wait until 2x weekends, and, if you're newer, wait until those overlap with fusions. For your gems, if you haven't got the ability to farm Minotaur 15, use them for masteries on champs you are sure you'll be using. Also, unlock all five slots in the training pit, and fully upgrade your gem mine.

Can you use gems to buy masteries somewhere?

Yeah - on the mastery screen, click on the scrolls, and it'll offer you the option to buy them for 800 gems.

But, make sure you know who you are using them for - don't waste them on just anyone.

Yes. for 800 gems you can buy all your masteries for any one given champion. This is a little more expensive than buying energy but can be easier on the patience. Best to plow through your first couple then use gems to buy your masteries later.

Good luck on your journey!

To clarify - you should use gems on maybe the first 2-3 of them. Once you're able to run 15, you're best off running it while leveling - the more people can have being leveled while doing Minotaur, the better.

And be aware that the price for unlocking masteries is allways 800 gems. If you do it on a new champ that has never seen the minotaur before or on a champ that has allready tier 5 masteries doesn't matter, the price is 800.

Let's say you have zero energy and a 4 champ mino team that can be used to get scrolls for the champ your building.  you can spend 680 gems for energy refills to get all t scrolls you need (saving 120), pick up about 1.3M silver and level the champ to level 45.  If you solo mino with 4 scroll champs you gain even more xp levels.

verses spending 800 gems and getting no silver or levels.

As far as wher you should spend the gems the daily shard pack, $10/month collect shards daily, is absolutely the best purchase in the game.  I purchased it religiloudly for a while.  You have to purchase it when availability, it's no good to wait till you need them.  You collec them daily so you have them when you need them.

I fn hate my auto correct and interface on this fourem lol

Dang! I knew I should have waited to use my gems. I spent most of them to level up the last spot in my sparring pit. 

Thank you so much for all the information, I appreciate it so much! 

Do you know where I can find info for fusions and how to utilize the fusion events? Currently, I'm missing one champ to fuse for one of them but as far as doing events and all that, I'm clueless...

Best place? This forum :)