Promotion (merging)
Promotion · Refit · Upgrade · Revision
Personnel are promoted through the plant’s XP ladder; equipment is refitted; facilities are upgraded; procedures and incidents are revised. The UI word for all four is Promotion. Mechanically it is merging: copies of the same card are consumed into one target instance, which gains a level.
The rules
Section titled “The rules”- You merge copies of the same card ID into one target instance you own. Reaching level n consumes the copies listed below. Consumed instances leave your inventory for good (they are recorded, never deleted).
- Fodder must be level 0, not locked in a pending trade and not merging. The target must not be merging or trade-locked.
- Time is per instance. A merge runs for the level’s duration; other instances of the same card, and other cards, can merge in parallel. Only one merge per instance at a time.
- A merge cannot be cancelled once started.
- Gains are rolled when the merge starts (with a published seed commitment) and applied when you claim completion.
Levels
Section titled “Levels”| To level | Copies consumed | Cumulative copies | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | instant |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 15 min |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | 30 min |
| 4 | 4 | 10 | 1 h |
| 5 | 5 | 15 | 2 h |
| 6 | 6 | 21 | 4 h |
| 7 | 8 | 29 | 8 h |
| 8 | 10 | 39 | 16 h |
| 9 | 12 | 51 | 32 h |
| 10 | 16 | 67 | 48 h |
Level 10 from scratch costs 67 copies and just under five days of timers.
| Type | Per level |
|---|---|
| Personnel | +1 HP per level; +1 ATK every 2 levels |
| Equipment / Facility / Procedure / Incident | +1 power per level — the engine reads power as +1 to the card’s printed numbers: +1 HP/ATK bonus for equipment, +1 Integrity for facilities, +50 K per point for HEAT / COOL procedures and incidents |
Effective stats of an instance = the definition’s stats + its modifiers; the frame highlights the changed numbers.
Chance rolls
Section titled “Chance rolls”Each merge rolls four independent chances:
| Roll | Chance | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Holo | 5 % | Print STANDARD → HOLO |
| Alt | 1 % | Print → ALT (the alt art if one exists, otherwise an ALT foil treatment) |
| Clearance up | 3 % | Clearance override one tier lower on the ladder (E→D→C→BS/BA→A→Q, never Z). Only meaningful on cards with a requirement |
| Rarity up | 2 % | Rarity override one tier up (C→U→R→RH→X→AA, never Z or P) |
Overrides are per instance and shown on the card: the frame and treatment follow the override, the definition is untouched, and the value uses the effective rarity.
An in-progress merge can be completed immediately for 5 XP per remaining minute (rounded up). A level-10 merge rushed from the start is 14,400 XP; rushing the last ten minutes is 50.
In the UI
Section titled “In the UI”On a card’s inspect page, instances show level pips (0–10), effective stats and any overrides. PROMOTE opens the Promotion sheet: pick the target (best instance preselected), fodder auto-selected (swap any), the level ladder with time and cumulative copies, the chance table, confirm. Level 1 reveals instantly; higher levels show a timer card with the Rush cost. Completion flips the card, lights the pip, and any rolled upgrade slams in with the reveal-line treatment: PROMOTION COMPLETE · LEVEL n. The collection grid shows each card’s highest level as a pip badge, and the nav shows an attention dot when a merge is ready.
Trading promoted cards
Section titled “Trading promoted cards”A promoted instance is worth more — +15 % of base per level — and it trades as one item. You cannot use a promoted instance as fodder; fodder must be level 0.