So I was wrong. You get the golds by completing the drops. THE PROBLEM STEMS FROM being unable to complete the damn drops. I'm up to 5 crystals spent refilling stamina and nothing to show for doing so. I am hesitant to invest more into this particular event with what appears to be a rather low payout (at least for me).
I guess the kind of good thing is that I already have my almost perfected team, and none of those golds really look like they'll add anything to my lineup.