Online mode

Notice regarding numerical figures on this page. All values originate from the server base configuration and codebase. The administrator may update them at any time: the wiki must display what the live server reports. If figures differ between here and your client, the server takes precedence.

1. Differences from Local Play

In story mode, rewards consist of card drops and Starchips, determined authoritatively by server-side logic.

The game engine determines duel rank (S/A POW, S/A TEC, or B-C-D), having executed the match. The dropped card and Starchips are rolled by a server service.

The roll is provably fair for players: the server publishes a SHA-256 commitment of the secret beforehand, and the awarded card derives deterministically from that secret combined with the duel ID.

2. Duel Drops

Each of the 39 opponents maintains three drop pools: S/A-POW, B/C/D, and S/A-TEC.

Card lists and drop weights for each pool are detailed under Opponents.

When publishing a configuration, the server enforces that weights in each pool sum to 2048, matching original retail disc math.

Drops are determined by rank tier and axis: low ranks draw from B/C/D; high ranks draw from either S/A-TEC or S/A-POW depending on playstyle.

If a custom pool for that reward tier does not exist in the database, the roll inherits the base pool.

3. Base, Repeated, and Mastered Tiers

Reward tiers depend on cumulative previous wins against that specific opponent within the current calendar month (America/Lima time zone).

Tiers advance based on prior victories: reaching the repeated threshold promotes the status to repeated, and crossing the mastered threshold advances it to mastered; prior matches remain at base.

There are three reward tiers: base, repeated, and mastered. Milestone victory counts are listed under Opponents.

Edge case detail: a victory that lands exactly on a threshold is still evaluated using the prior win count of the preceding tier.

Starchips awarded scale by rank (D to S) and axis (POW/TEC). Reward schedules are available under Ranks.

Prizes per match carry a hard ceiling, as do the total cards claimable per hour, day, week, or event. Current limits are published under Meta Changes.

4. Weight Diminishing at Three Copies

A notable economic rule: cards of which you already own many copies carry reduced drop weights compared to cards you do not yet own.

Eligible cards have their drop weights diminished once inventory counts reach the reduction threshold. The exact copy threshold and divisor are documented under Opponents.

Weight scaling applies proportionally: unreduced cards weigh more than reduced ones, using a shared global divisor.

On the server, a card’s scaling factor is 1 when already reduced, or the configured rule divisor when unreduced.

Server tests demonstrate this clearly: a card with few copies carries twice the relative drop weight of that same card once many copies are owned.

The formula does not simply multiply all weights by a uniform factor (which would leave odds unchanged); it renormalizes individual shares over the new sum.

In short: accumulating duplicate cards naturally biases subsequent drops toward missing cards.

5. Hourly, Daily, and Weekly Limits

Acquisition caps apply across hourly, daily, weekly, or event windows, measured in cards, Starchips, or reward-eligible duels.

Time windows are computed in the America/Lima timezone:

Publishing a new server configuration does not reset active hourly, daily, or weekly counters.

Once a cap is reached, dueling continues uninterrupted, but matches yield no card drops. Players are notified before beginning the duel, not after.

For ultra-rare cards, an additional weekly limit is enforced.

Numeric thresholds are not hardcoded in the client: each server instance declares them dynamically. The wiki reads them directly from live server endpoints.

6. Friendly Ranking

At launch, friendly battles (1v1 matches between players) are active.

Friendly duels track win-loss records and rank standings; wagered matches and ranked competitive modes arrive later.

Rank credit is determined strictly by the server upon logging replay records from match queues.

To qualify for rankings, duels must meet validation rules: minimum turn counts, minimum elapsed seconds, and a daily win cap against the same opponent account (to prevent win-trading). Successive matches from the same IP trigger an audit flag. That flag does not block matches: it simply flags them for review.

Operational parameters are adjustable from the admin console with audit logging; see Meta Changes.

Matches won by opponent inactivity or non-decisive match resolutions do not count toward rank.

Seasons default to monthly intervals, evaluated in America/Lima time.

Standings sort by seasonal wins (descending), then losses (ascending), most recent win, and account ID.

7. Card Trading

Card trading is enabled, requiring Starchip fees and meeting eligibility criteria.

Trade flow: both players join a shared trade room; each selects an offered card; both inspect both cards; both confirm; and the server executes an atomic transaction that deducts fees, transfers cards between trunks, and records ledger entries. If any check fails, the transaction is completely rolled back.

Trading Requirements:

Account level equals distinct campaign opponents defeated, incremented by milestones in online victories. It is calculated dynamically, not stored, preventing database tampering.

All trading parameters (fees, levels, cool-downs, caps) live in the server configuration.

8. Welcome Pack

A launch promotional pack: a booster of randomized cards complementing starter decks, accessible during an activation window; fully configurable from the admin console (card quantity, rarity weights, eligible pool) with full audit tracking.

Each account claims the pack exactly once, backed by provably fair mechanics: the server publishes the cryptographic commitment before opening and discloses the secret afterward.

Card counts, rarity distributions, and eligible entries are set by administrators; view Meta Changes.

Pack Rules:

• No internal duplicate cards within a pack.
• Welcome pack cards cannot be traded (treated like starter deck cards).
• Grace Period (configurable): users registering on the final day of a promotion retain hours to open their pack even if the event window closes.

The database blocks unobtainable cards, cards without shop prices, and designated ultra-rare cards from being placed in packs.

9. Starchips: The Server Currency

Starchips act as the server currency, tracked via double-entry ledger just like cards: your current balance represents the sum of all transaction records.

The balance is strictly bounded between 0 and 999,999.

Inflows and Outflows:

• Sources: Campaign and Free Duel wins → Password Shop; Event milestones → Booster Shop; Voided match refunds.
• Sinks: Card trade fees.

Card prices are listed on individual entries under Cards.

Essential policy: Starchips can never be bought or sold for real money; everything is earned strictly by playing.

10. Starter Decks in Online Play

The server distributes your starter deck when your account profile is initialized, letting you pick from three curated presets or the classic random roll.

Preset specifics and guaranteed support cards are outlined under Getting Started.

Validation checks ensure exactly seven groups summing to 40 cards total.

Each card group sums to exactly 2048 in weight.

The 40 initial cards enter the inventory ledger under account registration events.

11. What Works Today

Not every mechanic specified in architecture papers is currently live. The active feature set includes:

• Online authenticated sessions, 2-player matches, and friendly rankings.

• Card trading, including Starchip fees and validation rules.

• The welcome pack, backed by provably fair commitments.

• Starter deck presets, selectable during initial registration.

Pending features are listed below under Coming Soon.

Coming Soon

These systems are detailed in design specifications, but remain unreleased on production servers:

• Card Wagers (Ante). Proposed ante duel rooms allow placing cards at stake (random rolls, highest ATK, rarest, player choice, or Starchips); current server builds lack wagering logic.

• Ranked Competitive Mode. Until release, all 2-player matches run in friendly mode, accumulating win records and casual ladder placement.