Rarities and reveal lines
Rarities · eight tiers · keycard glyphs, not stars
Rarity names are plant vocabulary, not collector vocabulary. “Standard Issue” and “Service Grade” are how kit and staff are described; “Restricted”, “Executive” and “Classified” are the keycard / authority ladder; “Archive” is the 2NIA records flavour; an “Executive Act” is an order from above. The rarity glyph on every card is a keycard chip, in the lore keycard palette.
The tiers
Section titled “The tiers”| Code | Name | Class | Role in the set | Deck-building effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Standard Issue | common | The roster: entry staff, basic kit, basic infrastructure. Every faction is playable from C alone. | none |
| U | Service Grade | uncommon | Role-defining staff (Reactor Operator, Senior Guard), key Facilities (Control Room), signature kit (D-23 STAR). | none |
| R | Restricted | rare | Named executives and units, executive acts, big Incidents (Hostile Raid). | none |
| RH | Restricted Holo | rare, holo-only print | Card designs that only exist in a holo finish: landmark Facilities and elite units. | none |
| X | Executive | ultra rare | One-per-server characters and set-defining effects (Plant Director). | none |
| AA | Archive Art | alt / full art | Alternate full-bleed artwork of an existing C–X card; same rules text, same number with an -AA suffix. | none |
| Z | Classified | secret | Face-down CLASSIFIED cards with Clearance Z. 2NIA-themed. Not on the visible checklist until first pulled server-wide. | max 1 copy each, max 2 Z per deck |
| P | Executive Act | promo | Issued by Directive codes and events, never in crates. Playable; own glyph. | none |
Rarity never gates deck legality except the Z copy limit, which exists for hidden-information reasons, not power.
Frame treatment
Section titled “Frame treatment”| Tier | Frame accent | Finish | Footer glyph |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | faction primary | matte | grey keycard chip |
| U | faction primary + thin accent rule | matte; 1-in-6 crates carry a random foil C/U (“Service Foil”) | green chip |
| R | faction accent doubled border | matte by default; foil variant possible; red “RESTRICTED” micro-stamp | yellow chip |
| RH | as R | always holo: rainbow sweep on the art window only, tilt-reactive | yellow chip with holo fill |
| X | ember full border | full-card holo, radial core glow behind the art, pulse on hover; serial number of the season print; two-star EXECUTIVE bar | red chip |
| AA | none — full-bleed, borderless | textured “document” holo; “ARCHIVE” stamp; artist credit enlarged | white chip |
| Z | Z purple border with redaction bars | dark oil-slick holo, chromatic aberration on tilt; redacted title bar; face-down REDACTED back in play | purple chip |
| P | cobalt border | matte with a cobalt foil stamp; “DIRECTIVE — event” stamp | blue chip |
Holo is an instance flag independent of rarity: RH, X, AA and Z prints are always holo; C/U/R holos are cosmetic. A holo print doubles a card’s value.
Reveal lines
Section titled “Reveal lines”Every line shown during a crate reveal is something the plant itself says. The readout climbs with rarity, so a reveal literally rises from nominal to meltdown.
| Tier | Main line | Readout | Sub-line | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | STATIONED | 1,420 K | You are currently stationed. | guarding-circle message |
| U | POWER ORDER COMPLETE | 1,750 K | Hold within the margin. 150 XP. | Power Orders |
| R | HAZARD PAY BILL IN EFFECT | 2,100 K | Core above 2,100 K. Hazard pay authorised. | Plant Policies |
| RH | REACTOR OVERHEAT | 2,400 K | The Reactor is above safe operating parameters. | 2,400 K alarm |
| X | REACTOR SHUTDOWN | 3,120 K | An official emergency has been declared. Emergency options are now available. | 3,120 K alarm |
| AA | UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES | — | Badge awarded. Civil Service Personnel record unsealed. | badge name |
| Z | COMPLETE SKALA FAILURE → REMOVED BY 2NIA | 3,120 K | There is no Zone C. It was recently hidden by the 2NIA. | Hostile Raid; Locations |
| P | EXECUTIVE ACT ISSUED | — | By order of the Department of Energy Executive. | Executive Acts |
Pack-level line, played once for the best card in the crate: C/U SHIFT COMPLETE; R and above POWER ORDER RECEIVED; X/AA TOP OF THE CHAIN (the badge for becoming Plant Director through XP). THE PERFECT SHIFT is reserved for the win screen.
Set 001 distribution
Section titled “Set 001 distribution”The full Critical Mass set is planned at 180 cards:
| Tier | Count | Share | Per faction (DOE / SECFOR / STRAT / WN / BLOX / NEUTRAL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C Standard Issue | 62 | 34.4 % | 10 / 8 / 8 / 9 / 7 / 20 |
| U Service Grade | 44 | 24.4 % | 8 / 7 / 7 / 7 / 6 / 9 |
| R Restricted | 30 | 16.7 % | 6 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 4 / 5 |
| RH Restricted Holo | 16 | 8.9 % | 3 / 3 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 3 |
| X Executive | 12 | 6.7 % | 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 |
| AA Archive Art | 8 | 4.4 % | 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 3 |
| Z Classified | 4 | 2.2 % | 4 NEUTRAL (2NIA) |
| P Executive Act | 4 | 2.2 % | 1 / 1 / 1 / — / — / 1 |
The 30 cards in circulation are 12 C · 8 U · 5 R · 3 RH · 1 X · 1 Z. The Shift Manager stays at R on purpose, so the DOE Power Order engine is not locked behind an ultra rare.