Modes — Ranked, Casual, Training
Play · Ranked · Casual · Training
From the Play lobby you choose a deck and a mode. A deck must be yours, valid (40 cards, one bloc plus Neutral, copy limits) and built from the current playable catalogue. You can be in one queue or one match at a time; a match in progress shows a resume banner.
| Mode | Opponent | Rated | Pairing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked | Another operator | Yes — Elo, see the Plant Security ladder | Closest rating within ±150; the window widens by 50 every 10 seconds of waiting |
| Casual | Another operator | No | First come, first served |
| Training | The NAMS Training Officer | No | Instant; no queue |
Ranked
Section titled “Ranked”- Only matches ended by Meltdown, Perfect Shift, concede, timeout or disconnect touch your rating. A match cancelled by a Game Master never does.
- Each side uses its own K-factor: 40 for your first ten rated games, 32 after. Deltas are therefore not always symmetric.
- Your record stores rating, peak, wins / losses / draws and streak. The leaderboard shows the top 100 public profiles with their lore rank tier.
- Pairing runs on enqueue and every 2 seconds.
Casual
Section titled “Casual”Same rules and clock, nothing recorded but the match history. Use it to test a deck or to play a friend without either of you climbing or falling.
Training
Section titled “Training”The Training Officer runs a fixed DOE + SECFOR + Neutral roster (three copies of each card, one of each UNIQUE) built from the published catalogue at match time. It thinks for a fixed 900 ms — there is no clock in the tutorial, and a normal 90-second clock in Training. The tutorial’s arena lesson is a Training match with a deterministic opening hand and the Shift Supervisor script on top.
The shift clock
Section titled “The shift clock”90 seconds per shift in every mode with a human opponent, including the Roster Review. On expiry the shift ends with default answers to any open prompt; the third consecutive timeout forfeits. Disconnection gives a 60-second grace; if both players are gone the match is a draw.
Concede
Section titled “Concede”Allowed at any time. In Ranked it counts as a loss.