Contents
00

Please Read Before Continuing

This whitepaper is provided for informational purposes only. It describes the intended design and mechanics of Ratty Arcana and is subject to change without notice. Nothing in this document constitutes financial, investment, legal, or tax advice.

Forward-Looking Statements. This document contains forward-looking statements regarding intended features, systems, and timelines. These statements reflect current intentions and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual outcomes may differ materially due to technical, regulatory, market, or operational factors.

No Investment. Ratty (the token) is a utility token intended for use within the Ratty Arcana ecosystem. It is not marketed or positioned as an investment product. Participation in Web3 features does not constitute an investment and carries no expectation of profit. Token value is not guaranteed and may go to zero.

Jurisdiction Restrictions. Participation in Web3 features, including NFT pack purchases, token transactions, and Sit-and-Go tournaments, may be restricted or prohibited in certain jurisdictions. It is the sole responsibility of the participant to determine whether their use of these features complies with applicable local laws and regulations.

Age Requirements. Gameplay and account creation requires users to be at least 13 years of age. Participation in Web3 features, including token transactions and NFT ownership, requires users to be at least 18 years of age, or the age of majority in their jurisdiction, whichever is greater.

Smart Contract Risk. On-chain assets including NFT cards, packs, and Ratty tokens depend on smart contract integrity and the continued availability of the Immutable zkEVM network. Smart contracts may contain vulnerabilities despite audits. The team assumes no liability for losses arising from smart contract exploits, network failures, or blockchain deprecation.

Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Use of Ratty Arcana is subject to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy available on the official website at rattyarcana.com. By accessing Web3 features, users acknowledge that wallet connection and on-chain activity may be subject to additional terms.

Regulatory uncertainty exists across all Web3 products. The team has sought legal counsel on token structure and design. This document is not a prospectus and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to invest in any security.

01

What is Ratty Arcana

Ratty Arcana™ is a tarot-forged trading card game, a strategic, collectible experience built on the bones of occult symbolism, layered over a dual economy that serves both free-to-play players and on-chain collectors equally.

The game draws from the symbolic architecture of tarot: four elemental suits, Major Arcana archetypes, and a cosmic mythology refracted through original worldbuilding. Every card is an archetype. Every deck is an argument about how the world works.

The core philosophy is simple: play the game free, own the art. Gameplay is never paywalled. On-chain card ownership is a parallel layer for collectors, never a prerequisite for competition.

The Four Suits

All gameplay is organized around four elemental suits. Each suit represents a distinct worldview, a tactical identity, and a symbolic domain.

Embers  ·  Will · Becoming · Ego · Fire
Tides  ·  Emotion · Subconscious · Cycles · Water
Daggers  ·  Thought · Division · Truth · Air
Spoils  ·  Material · Survival · Gain · Earth

Power through play. Spending through expression. These two principles govern every design decision in Ratty Arcana. Finishes never affect gameplay. Gameplay is never gated by spending.

02

142 Cards. Six Types. One Universe.

The Origins Set, Prima Materia, contains 142 cards across six types. Each type has a defined role, a defined place in your loadout, and a defined set of construction rules. Deckbuilding is a core skill layer.

The Full Card Pool

TypeCountBreakdown
Minor Arcana564 suits × 14 cards (Ace–10 pips + 4 courts each)
Major Arcana22The 22 archetypes. Strategic, high-impact effects.
Aspects2010 Demons + 10 Mystics. Your battlefield entities.
Primordials10Maharát (5 variants) + Adirát (5 variants).
Utility30Tinctures, Gems, Relics, Incense. Tactical support.
Orbs4Fire, Water, Air, Earth. Consumable energy.

Deck Construction

Every player builds a 50-card Main Deck, selects a separate 6-card Aspect Deck, and places one Primordial in the Primordial Chamber outside the deck entirely. Total loadout: 57 cards.

ComponentCountRules
Minor Arcana14Singleton. One per rank (Ace through King). Player chooses suit. No duplicate ranks.
Orbs16Unlimited copies. Any mix of Fire, Water, Air, Earth.
Major Arcana5Singleton. Up to 5 different Majors. No duplicates.
Utility15Multiple copies allowed (up to 3 of any single Utility card).
Aspects6 (separate deck)Singleton. All 6 must be different.
Primordial1 (separate chamber)One variant. Revealed simultaneously at match start. Player 2 chooses which Primordial becomes active. The unchosen Primordial enters the bottom of its owner's main deck.

Players draw 7 cards to open. No mulligans. Fate dealt the hand. With 16 Orbs in a 50-card deck, an opening hand statistically contains two to three Orbs. Utility and Major Arcana require no Orbs, so gameplay begins immediately regardless of hand composition.

The Orb System

Orbs are the consumable energy system. To play a Minor Arcana, select Orbs from hand, pay the cost, and resolve the effect. The card and its spent Orbs both discard. Orbs do not persist. Any Orb type can pay any cost. Matching the Orb element to the card's suit triggers Resonance, a bonus effect that rewards elemental alignment without requiring it.

Orb variants introduced in expansion sets are real cards, not cosmetic skins. They appear in packs, are collectible, and may carry different artwork, names, or flavor. But all variants of the same Orb type function identically. A Ritual Ember Orb and a base Ember Orb produce the same resource. New Orb art is a collectible card, not a visual override. Orb cards also follow a special rotation rule: they are legal in both Contemporary and Legacy formats forever, regardless of which set introduced them. Orbs never rotate out.

Aspects: Demons and Mystics

The 20 Aspects form a separate deck. Players choose 6 before each match. At match start, 1 becomes Active, 2 become Passives, and 3 wait in the Aspect Deck. All attacks and damage flow through the Active Aspect. When an Active dissolves, a Passive steps up and a new Aspect is drawn from the deck. Lose all 6 and you lose the match.

Each Aspect has four stats: HP (health), Power (damage modifier), Guard (damage reduction), and Flow (healing modifier). Demons skew toward Power. Mystics skew toward Guard and Flow.

Demons  ·  10 Aspects · Shadow · Power-skew
Mystics  ·  10 Aspects · Light · Guard and Flow-skew

The Primordials

Two Primordial entities exist: Maharát (the God King, 5 variants) and Adirát (the God Queen, 5 variants). Each player selects one variant before the match and keeps it face-down until reveal.

At match start, both players reveal their Primordials simultaneously. Player 2 then chooses which of the two becomes the active battlefield Primordial. This is meaningful strategic compensation: Player 1 has the first turn; Player 2 controls the opening global effect.

The unchosen Primordial is placed face-down at the bottom of its owner's main deck. It becomes a drawable card. If drawn during play, the owner may hold it in hand or play it on their turn. Playing a Primordial from hand replaces the current active Primordial: the opponent's active Primordial is sent to their discard pile, and the played card becomes the new battlefield effect. Only one Primordial is ever active at a time.

This creates a mid-match swing mechanic. A player who lost the Player 2 choice can reclaim the global effect if they draw and deploy their own Primordial. Holding it in hand is also valid: the opponent knows the threat exists but not when it will land.

Primordials apply global effects to both players equally regardless of who controls them.

03

How Matches Are Won and Lost.

Matches are 1v1, player-built decks only. Target match length is 13–20 minutes. A chess-style clock governs each player's total time. When it runs out, the match is over.

Determining the First Player

At the start of each match, both players roll an Oracle Die, a six-sided die. The player with the higher result becomes Player 1 and takes the first turn. On a tie, both players roll again until the result differs. Oracle Die appearances may be customized from a player's collection but do not affect roll probabilities.

Win Conditions

Primary

Aspect Elimination

Dissolve all 6 of your opponent's Aspects. The most definitive win condition. Requires sustained pressure and strategic targeting.

Secondary

Deck Out

Your opponent is forced to draw from an empty deck. A valid alternate path, often enabled by Daggers suit disruption and attrition builds.

Clock

Time Loss

Each player has a 15-minute personal time bank. If a player exhausts their time, they lose. No stalling. No grinding opponents out on clock.

Match Progress Rewards

Match outcomes award progression points toward crucible earning. Decisive wins are rewarded most. Losses still grant minimal progress to keep less experienced players moving forward.

ResultPoints
Aspect elimination with 3+ Aspects alive5
Aspect elimination4
Deck out win3
Timeout win3
Loss1

Game Modes

Friend Match

Friend Match allows players to challenge others directly through the friend list using any saved deck. These matches exist purely for social play and experimentation. They grant no progression rewards and do not affect ratings, ladder position, or any competitive system. No crucibles, no Glim, no Ratty. This ensures the mode cannot be used for farming or boosting.

Realm Progression

Realm Progression is the primary matchmaking mode. Select a deck, press Play, and be matched against opponents of similar rating. All players begin in the Aries Realm at a starting rating of zero. Wins increase rating. Losses decrease it. Rating determines advancement through the twelve Zodiac Realms.

Upon reaching a new Realm, its rating floor locks. A player's rating may fluctuate within the Realm but cannot fall below the floor during the season. This protects progression and prevents experienced players from dropping into lower skill brackets.

Each Realm contains milestone rewards earned through rating progression: crucibles, Glim, and cosmetic items. Milestones reset at the start of each season. The system is designed so that unclaimed milestone rewards are automatically granted at season end.

RealmSymbolRealmSymbol
AriesLibra
TaurusScorpio
GeminiSagittarius
CancerCapricorn
LeoAquarius
VirgoPisces

Ranked Ladder

Ranked Ladder is the elite competitive mode, unlocked upon reaching the Libra Realm, the midpoint of the twelve-Realm progression arc. Libra represents sufficient competitive familiarity to enter a seasonal leaderboard environment. Once unlocked, players compete in a track separate from Realm rating. Ladder performance determines qualification for Seasonal Championships and Year-End Championship events. Full Ranked Ladder detail is in Section 07.

ModeProgressionPurpose
Friend MatchNoneSocial play and testing
Realm ProgressionRating, crucibles, questsPrimary matchmaking and progression
Ranked LadderSeasonal leaderboardHigh-level competitive play

Every match feeds three concurrent progression axes simultaneously. Realm Rating governs skill progression and milestone rewards. Ranked Ladder governs competitive seasonal ranking and championship qualification. Season Pass governs cosmetic progression. All three advance from the same matches played. They are parallel tracks, not competing systems.

Special Modes

Special Modes are alternate rule environments accessed through a separate queue. They exist outside of Ranked play, do not affect ladder progression, and are designed to surface new gameplay ideas that may eventually influence permanent mechanics.

Only one or two modes are active at any given time to keep matchmaking concentrated. Modes rotate on a scheduled cadence and may return periodically. Player-built decks are required in all modes. Ratty Arcana does not include official prebuilt-deck competitive formats.

ModeRule Change
Double Orb SurgeOrb cards generate twice their normal resource value
Arcane VolatilityAll damage values are doubled
Resonance StormSuit resonance thresholds are reduced by one

Special Modes may grant light rewards: Glim, crucibles, and occasional cosmetic items. Rewards are intentionally modest. These modes are supplemental variety, not a path to replace competitive play.

Ranked stays standard. Everything else experiments. The integrity of the core competitive format is never diluted by special rules.

04

Four Finishes. No Gameplay Difference.

Every card exists in up to four finish tiers. All are functionally identical. No finish confers any competitive advantage. Finishes are purely visual, prestige, and collection value.

Common
Base Edition

Standard card art. Accessible through the starter deck and F2P packs. The foundation every player starts from.

Elevated
Enhanced Edition

Refined border treatment and sheen. Available via the Wild Slot and Avatar Slot in both F2P and NFT packs.

Illuminated
Premium Edition

Holographic treatment with special alternate art. Low frequency in both pack types. The F2P ceiling finish.

Transcended
NFT Exclusive

Legendary treatment, unique artwork, on-chain only. Never obtainable through F2P. The collector ceiling.

FinishF2P PackNFT PackWeb2 Burn (Glim multiplier)
Common
Elevated
Illuminated
TranscendedNoYields Remnants (NFT only). See Section 06.

F2P cards and NFT cards are separate ownership types, not separate games. Both play on the same server against the same opponents. A player can hold both in the same collection. The pack type determines ownership. It determines nothing about gameplay.

05

Glim. Crucibles. Packs.

The Web2 economy is the primary game experience. A player can participate for years and never need Web3. Glim is earned through play, spent on packs and cosmetics, and replenished by burning duplicates.

Glim Currency

Glim is the core F2P currency. It is earned by opening crucibles and by burning duplicate cards. It is spent on packs, cosmetic packs, and curated archetype decks. Glim is in-game only. It cannot be withdrawn, traded, or converted to Ratty.

Starter Onboarding

New players complete a tutorial and immediately receive a starter deck. Players choose from roughly 3 starter archetypes at signup. The starter deck covers approximately 30–40% of the full card pool. Early reward crucibles and initial pack resources arrive quickly so the deck never feels stale. Players can compete from day one.

Crucible System

Players earn crucibles by playing matches. Wins grant a crucible directly. Losses accumulate progress toward one. Players hold up to 3 crucible slots. Crucibles have no timers. They open instantly and stack in a vault inventory. Crucibles are the primary source of Glim and bonus rewards.

CrucibleFrequencyReward
Cinder CrucibleMost common100–130 Glim + small bonus
Fragment CrucibleCommonLore fragments + Glim
Gilded CrucibleCommonCosmetic roll + Glim
Volatile CrucibleRare110–150 Glim + premium roll
Hallowed Crucible~1 in 200500–1200 Glim + bonus reward

A typical session yields roughly 3 crucibles and approximately 315 Glim. One pack costs 300 Glim. Most active players open about one pack per day. Heavy play can push two to three packs per day. Duplicate burns supplement this further.

Pack Structure

Every F2P pack contains 10 items: 8 gameplay cards, 1 finish slot, and 1 avatar slot.

SlotContentsNotes
4 slotsMinor ArcanaCommon only
2 slotsUtility cardsCommon only
1 slotOrb card (random Orb type)Common only
1 slotMajor Arcana (75%), Aspect (20%), Primordial (5%)Common only
1 Wild SlotAny gameplay card, finish rollCommon 80%, Elevated 17%, Illuminated 3%
1 Avatar SlotAvatar guaranteed, finish rollCommon 80%, Elevated 17%, Illuminated 3%

Both the Wild Slot and the Avatar Slot carry independent finish rolls using identical odds. The Wild Slot is the only source of Elevated or Illuminated gameplay cards in F2P packs. All other gameplay slots produce Common cards. Both prestige slots can hit on the same pack, making top-tier openings rare but real.

Pack Finish Odds

Each pack contains two independent finish rolls: the Wild Slot (any gameplay card) and the Avatar Slot (cosmetic). Both slots share identical odds within each pack type. Finish tiers never affect gameplay power.

Free-to-Play Pack Odds — Wild Slot & Avatar Slot

FinishOddsAverage
Common80%~1 in 1.25 packs
Elevated17%~1 in 6 packs
Illuminated3%~1 in 33 packs
Transcended0%Not available

NFT Pack Odds — Wild Slot & Avatar Slot

FinishOddsAverage
Common73.5%~1 in 1.36 packs
Elevated20%~1 in 5 packs
Illuminated6%~1 in 17 packs
Transcended0.5%~1 in 200 packs

Expected Finish Distribution Per 100 Packs (200 total rolls)

FinishF2P ExpectedNFT Expected
Common160147
Elevated3440
Illuminated612
Transcended01

Transcended finishes are exclusive to NFT packs. F2P players can still obtain Elevated and Illuminated finishes through normal gameplay progression. The highest prestige tier remains meaningfully rare within the ecosystem.

Ratty Arcana does not implement a pity counter or guaranteed drop protection. Pack openings are purely random. Collection progression is supported through a generous daily pack rate, duplicate burn supplementing Glim income, and curated archetype decks available in the Glim Shop. The randomness is intentional: it preserves the excitement of pack opening and keeps the collectible economy honest.

Duplicate Burn (Web2)

Duplicate gameplay cards in the Web2 economy convert into Glim when burned. Burn value is determined by finish tier only. Card type, suit, and category have no effect.

FinishBurn Value
Common1× base
Elevated3× base
Illuminated9× base
TranscendedNot applicable in Web2

Burn values are calculated as a multiplier of a base Glim value assigned to a Common card. The base value is adjustable and will be tuned during live economy balancing. These burn values apply only to Web2 duplicate gameplay cards. Avatars, cosmetic items, and NFT cards are outside this system. NFT cards follow the separate Remnant conversion system.

Progression Layers

Ratty Arcana includes multiple overlapping progression systems designed to reward regular play while keeping gameplay access open for all players.

Daily Quests

Daily quests refresh every day and reward short play sessions. Typical objectives include playing a number of cards, triggering suit Resonance effects, winning a match, or dealing and healing a specific amount of damage. Rewards: Glim and crucibles.

Weekly Challenges

Weekly challenges require more sustained play and reset once per week. Examples include winning multiple matches, eliminating a number of Aspects, or completing matches using cards from specific suits. Rewards: larger crucibles and cosmetic items.

Season Pass

Each season includes a Season Pass with two parallel reward paths. The Free Track is available to all players and grants crucibles, cosmetics, avatars, and other account-bound rewards across the progression track. The Premium Track is an optional upgrade that unlocks additional cosmetic rewards along the same path, including alternate card frames, battle boards, avatar accessories, and special cosmetic effects. The Season Pass never provides gameplay advantages. All gameplay cards remain obtainable through normal progression.

Season track rewards include crucibles, cosmetics, and Glim payouts. The track does not grant packs directly. Packs are obtained primarily by spending Glim.

Gameplay access is easy. Prestige finishes are hard. Most gameplay cards can be obtained within roughly one month of active play. The long-term chase is Elevated and Illuminated collection completion, not power.

06

Ratty. NFTs. On-Chain Ownership.

Ratty Arcana includes an optional Web3 layer built around on-chain ownership and competitive rewards. Participation is entirely optional. Players who choose not to engage with Web3 can access the full gameplay experience without disadvantage. For those who opt in, Ratty functions as the core ecosystem currency and NFT cards provide tradable collectible ownership. The Web3 layer is intended to support a long-horizon ecosystem measured in decades rather than short-term speculation.

Ratty Token

Ratty is the core Web3 ecosystem currency. Total supply is hard capped at 100,000,000 tokens. No additional Ratty can ever be minted after genesis, as enforced by the smart contract. There is no ICO and no token sale.

Ratty functions as a utility token within the Ratty Arcana ecosystem and is used for NFT pack purchases, tournament entry, Sit-and-Go buy-ins, and Ratty Shop spending. It is not marketed or positioned as an investment product.

Ratty may be transferred between players and traded on decentralized exchanges. The Ratty Arcana game client does not sell Ratty directly.

Acquiring Ratty

Players may obtain Ratty through three primary channels.

Competitive Rewards. The primary in-game source. Ratty is distributed from the Rewards Pool through Sit-and-Go placements, Seasonal Championship rewards, and Year-End Championship prizes. Competition is intended to be the main entry point into the Web3 economy.

Marketplace Activity. Players who own NFT cards or cosmetics may trade them peer-to-peer for Ratty on supported marketplaces. These transactions circulate existing tokens between players and do not introduce new emission.

Decentralized Exchanges. Ratty may also be acquired externally through decentralized exchanges. A portion of the Liquidity Reserve may be used to seed initial liquidity pools pairing Ratty with other digital assets, enabling open market trading. Additional liquidity may be contributed over time by ecosystem participants who choose to supply liquidity to these pools.

Token Allocation

PoolAllocationPurpose
Treasury Vault60%Long-term ecosystem sustainability and adaptive emissions
Tournament Fund15%Discretionary events, esports initiatives, and community competitions
Rewards Pool10%Automated competitive payouts
Developer Allocation10%4-year vesting with 1-year cliff
Liquidity Reserve5%Initial DEX liquidity

All token allocations are created at genesis and distributed to their respective pools at launch. No additional Ratty tokens can ever be minted, as enforced by the smart contract.

The Rewards Pool and Tournament Fund serve distinct functions. The Rewards Pool handles automated, rule-based competitive payouts that run continuously through normal gameplay. The Tournament Fund is reserved for discretionary events: developer-run competitions, community tournaments, esports initiatives, and partnership events that fall outside the regular competitive calendar.

Emission from the Treasury Vault is adaptive rather than fixed. Treasury releases are tied to ecosystem activity metrics including active player counts, tournament participation, marketplace volume, and ecosystem development needs. Additional safeguards are intended to apply: emissions are released gradually, subject to a maximum annual cap to be defined and disclosed prior to launch, with transparency reports published on a regular cadence. This adaptive structure is intended to support long-term sustainability better than rigid emission schedules while avoiding discretionary token dumping.

NFT Packs

NFT packs mirror the F2P pack price: 300 Ratty per pack. Pack structure is identical to F2P packs with one key difference: the Transcended finish tier becomes available in both the Wild Slot and Avatar Slot at 0.5% each. Both prestige slots use the NFT pack odds table.

NFT packs are on-chain assets. Opening a pack consumes the pack NFT and mints the contained cards. Unopened packs are intended to remain accessible indefinitely and may be opened at any time, subject to smart contract and network availability.

Pack sales are time-windowed rather than mint-capped. Packs remain purchasable as long as at least one card identity from that set remains legal in Contemporary play. When the final identity from a set rotates into Legacy, new sales of that pack stop. Any previously minted packs remain openable forever.

Ratty Spend Split

When Ratty is spent on ecosystem actions such as NFT packs, the tokens are distributed across multiple system pools rather than accumulating in a single sink. This keeps tokens circulating through competitive systems while gradually removing a portion of supply through burn.

DestinationShareOn a 300 Ratty Purchase
Treasury70%210 Ratty
Tournament Fund15%45 Ratty
Rewards Pool10%30 Ratty
Burn5%15 Ratty

NFT Card Burn Loop

Burning NFT cards does not produce Ratty tokens. Doing so would create a token faucet and encourage farming behavior. Instead, burned NFT cards generate Remnants, which are exchanged for randomized reward containers called Remnant Crucibles. The economy loops internally rather than extracting into Ratty.

Remnant generation scales with finish tier, maintaining the same 1/3/9/27 scaling structure used throughout the finish system.

Finish BurnedRemnants Generated
Common10
Elevated30
Illuminated90
Transcended270

Remnant Crucibles

Remnants are exchanged for Remnant Crucibles at a rate of 100 Remnants per crucible. Opening a Remnant Crucible generates a randomized reward.

RewardProbability
Cosmetic NFT40%
NFT Pack25%
Battle Board NFT15%
Tournament Ticket10%
Forged Cosmetic8%
Radiant Cosmetic2%

Remnant Crucibles never produce Ratty tokens. This prevents token farming loops and ensures Ratty flows primarily through competitive play.

Ratty Circulation

Ratty enters active circulation primarily through competitive rewards distributed from the Rewards Pool. Once distributed to player Passport wallets, tokens circulate through tournament entry, NFT pack purchases, and peer-to-peer marketplace trades. The economy is designed to be utility-driven rather than speculative.

The flow operates across three layers:

Layer 01 — Emission
Ratty enters player wallets through competitive rewards: Sit-and-Go placements, Seasonal Championships, Year-End Championship prizes.
Layer 02 — Circulation
Ratty moves between players through tournament entry and payouts, NFT pack purchases, and peer-to-peer marketplace trades. External DEX activity extends circulation beyond the game client.
Layer 03 — Sinks
Ratty is removed from immediate circulation through tournament ecosystem allocation, treasury capture, pack purchases, and burn. Sinks prevent idle accumulation and maintain spending pressure.

The economy is self-circulating, not self-sustaining. Sinks remove Ratty from active play over time, which means the Rewards Pool must continue distributing through competitive events to keep the loop alive. The design goal is steady controlled emission, strong utility, and moderate sinks.

Token Circulation Loop

The full Ratty economy can be understood as a single loop. Ratty enters through competition, circulates through ecosystem activity, and returns to the system through sinks and treasury capture.

Source
Treasury Vault
Adaptive emission
subject to annual cap
Distribution
Rewards Pool & Tournament Fund
SNG · Championships
Esports · Community events
Player Wallets
Competitive earnings land here
Also accessible
via DEX
Circulation
Tournament entry · NFT pack purchases
Peer-to-peer
marketplace trades
Sinks
Treasury capture · Ecosystem allocation · Burn
5% burned per
pack purchase
Loop continues via Rewards Pool emission

Web3 is a layer on top of the game, not a condition of entry. Collectors gain ownership, provenance, and market access. Players gain a strategic card game. Both experiences are complete. Neither requires the other.

07

Ladder. Sit-and-Go. Championships.

The competitive stack runs deep. Realm Progression and Ranked Ladder for daily play, a seasonal leaderboard, Sit-and-Go brackets, Seasonal Championships, and a Year-End crown. Every tier serves a different kind of player. Rewards are prestige-based: cosmetics, titles, recognition. Never gameplay power.

Ranked Ladder

Ranked Ladder unlocks upon reaching the Libra Realm, the midpoint of the twelve-Realm progression arc. Once unlocked, it operates as a separate competitive layer with its own seasonal leaderboard. The ladder resets each season. Seasons last four months, creating three competitive seasons per year.

Ladder performance determines eligibility for Seasonal Championship qualification and Year-End Championship events. Season-end rewards include exclusive cosmetics, leaderboard titles, seasonal badges, and tournament entry tickets.

Global Leaderboard

A global leaderboard tracks the highest-performing players each season based on ranked performance. Top finishers receive unique cosmetics, elite seasonal titles, and leaderboard recognition. Leaderboard placement is a prestige track separate from gameplay progression.

Sit-and-Go Tournaments

Sit-and-Go tournaments are 8-player single-elimination brackets resolving over three rounds. Web2 and Web3 SNGs operate under different economic logic because Glim and Ratty serve fundamentally different purposes.

Web2 Sit-and-Go (Glim)

Glim tournaments are closed-loop reward systems. Entry Glim is redistributed as gameplay rewards. There is no treasury routing, burn, or token economics applied to Glim. The goal is engagement and progression, not currency scarcity management.

PlacementReward
1stHallowed Crucible + cosmetic item
2ndVolatile Crucible
3rdGilded Crucible

Web3 Sit-and-Go (Ratty)

Web3 tournaments include an ecosystem fee because Ratty has a fixed capped supply and requires treasury recycling for long-term sustainability.

Value
Entry300 Ratty or ticket
Total Collected2400 Ratty
Prize Pool2100 Ratty
Ecosystem Allocation300 Ratty

Web3 Prize Distribution

PlacementReward
1st1200 Ratty
2nd600 Ratty
3rd300 Ratty

The 300 Ratty ecosystem allocation is distributed per the standard Ratty spend split: 70% Treasury, 15% Tournament Fund, 10% Rewards Pool, 5% Burn. This keeps the Ratty economy circulating and sustainable long-term.

Web2 economy: engagement loop. Web3 economy: scarcity and treasury management. Glim tournaments redistribute value. Ratty tournaments manage token supply.

Seasonal Championship

At the end of every four-month season, a Seasonal Championship is held for qualified players. The field is 256 players. Qualification is earned through top Ranked Ladder placement or Sit-and-Go leaderboard points accumulated during the season.

The tournament uses a two-stage format. Stage 1 is 8 rounds of Swiss play, sufficient to resolve clean standings across a 256-player field. Stage 2 advances the top 16 records into a single-elimination bracket. Tiebreakers for identical records are resolved using Opponent Match Win percentage, Buchholz score, and game win percentage, in that order. Rewards include exclusive cosmetics, special avatars, elite seasonal titles, prestige badges, and Ratty prizes for Web3 participants.

Year-End Championship

The Year-End Championship is the pinnacle competitive event, held once per year. Participants are drawn from top finishers across all three Seasonal Championships and yearly leaderboard standings.

The format mirrors the Seasonal Championship structure: Swiss qualification rounds followed by a Top 16 single-elimination bracket. The winner of the final match is crowned Year-End Champion. Rewards include Transcended avatars, Transcended cosmetics, major Ratty prize pools, and permanent elite titles.

The competitive progression arc is a clear pyramid:

Year-End Championship
Seasonal Championships
Seasonal Ladder
Sit-and-Go Tournaments
Realm Progression

Tournament Cosmetic Rule

When a Web3 player wins a cosmetic tournament reward, they must choose one format: the account-bound version, or the NFT version. Not both. This prevents immediate extraction and resale of tournament rewards while preserving collectible NFT prestige. Web2 players always receive the account-bound version.

08

Expression Has No Ceiling.

Cosmetics are horizontal. They add identity, personality, and visual depth without touching gameplay power. The guiding principle: as many cosmetic categories and spending outlets as possible, across both Glim and Ratty.

Avatars

Every pack contains a guaranteed avatar slot. The base set targets 40–50 avatars with personality-driven designs, not generic rats. Avatar characters draw from the world of the game: Demon rats, Mystic rats, Major Arcana rats, suit-themed characters. Avatars come in all four finish tiers: Common, Elevated, Illuminated, and Transcended.

Avatars can be customized with accessories including sunglasses, chains, pets, and other additions. Accessories create strong individual player identity and are available as shop cosmetics and rare crucible drops.

Battle Boards

Matches take place on Battle Boards, the physical surface where Aspects, cards, and interactions occur. Battle Boards are cosmetic items selected from a player's collection before entering a match. They define the visual style of the battlefield: surface texture, platform geometry for Aspects, decorative elements, and animation accents.

Battle Boards have no effect on gameplay mechanics. At launch every player receives a default base board. Suit boards (Embers, Tides, Daggers, Spoils) are available in both the Glim and Ratty shops. Tournament and championship play unlocks rare and limited-run prestige boards. Boards support small fidget interactions during opponent turns, ambient and immersive, no gameplay effect.

Realm Environments

Each match is framed by a Realm Environment, the cosmic backdrop representing competitive progression through the Zodiac Realm system. While Battle Boards represent player identity and personal style, Realm Environments represent where a player stands in the competitive hierarchy.

Realm Environments govern the sky, lighting, atmospheric effects, and distant background elements surrounding the battlefield. They are purely cosmetic and do not alter gameplay. When two players enter a match, the active Realm Environment is determined by the higher Realm achieved between the two players.

Example
Player A: Gemini  ·  Player B: Cancer
Active Environment: Cancer Realm

This lets lower-ranked players occasionally experience higher-tier environments while keeping the visual representation of progression legible and meaningful.

RealmEnvironment Theme
Aries Crimson dawn sky and rising energy
Taurus Earth-toned horizon with steady golden light
Gemini Twin winds and shifting cloud formations
Cancer Moonlit tides and reflective celestial waters
Leo Radiant solar glow and warm golden sky
Virgo Pale crystalline sky with ordered geometry
Libra Balanced twilight horizon and soft starlight
Scorpio Deep crimson night and shadowed constellations
Sagittarius Vast starfields and distant cosmic horizons
Capricorn High mountain sky and ancient celestial stone
Aquarius Electric auroras and flowing cosmic currents
Pisces Dreamlike nebulae and an ocean of stars

The visual layer stack from background to foreground: Realm Environment (sky, atmosphere) → Battle Board (player cosmetic) → Gameplay Layer (Aspects, cards, effects).

Cosmetic Categories

CategoryPrimary SourceNFT Version
AvatarsPacks (rarer tiers), crucibles, tournamentsYes
Avatar AccessoriesShop, crucibles, eventsYes
Avatar BordersShop, ranked rewards, tournamentsYes
Battle BoardsShop, tournaments, achievementsYes
Oracle DiceShop, cosmetic boxes, eventsYes
Deck BoxesShop, special/limited releasesYes, as separate NFT
Card BacksShop, paired with deck boxesYes, as separate NFT
Card FramesShop, eventsYes

Deck boxes and card backs can be paired as a cosmetic set in both Web2 and Web3. In Web2, they are also available individually through drops and the shop. In Web3, they are always separate NFTs, tradeable independently, and can be paired across different sources.

Arcane Fibers

Arcane Fibers are a cosmetic-only resource earned when cosmetic rewards produce duplicates. Duplicate relics unravel into Arcane Fibers, the mystical threads used to weave new expressions of identity. They cannot be used to acquire gameplay cards, packs, crucibles, Glim, or Ratty. They exist entirely within the cosmetic layer.

When opening a Gilded Crucible or cosmetic reward, new cosmetics are added to the collection normally. Duplicates convert automatically into Arcane Fibers. Cosmetic rewards always retain value.

Cosmetics in the Arcane Fiber system follow their own four-tier rarity ladder, distinct from card finishes:

Cosmetic RarityFiber Value
Mundane5 Fibers
Tempered20 Fibers
Forged60 Fibers
Radiant200 Fibers

Accumulated Fibers are spent directly on cosmetic items:

CostReward
50 FibersCosmetic box reroll
200 FibersRandom Forged cosmetic
500 FibersSeasonal cosmetic item
1000 FibersRadiant cosmetic

Arcane Fibers cannot be traded or sold. They give players a long-term cosmetic chase loop that runs parallel to pack opening and seasonal rewards, ensuring duplicate pulls always contribute toward something desirable rather than disappearing.

Power through play. Spending through expression. No cosmetic category will ever touch gameplay. This is the line that never moves.

09

Contemporary. Legacy. Slot Replacement.

Ratty Arcana uses a slot replacement rotation model, not traditional whole-set legality windows. The active competitive format evolves through individual card identity replacement, not calendar-based set rotation.

Format 01

Contemporary

The active competitive format. Contains only the current active version of each card identity. When a new version of a card is released, the previous version immediately exits Contemporary and moves to Legacy.

Format 02

Legacy

All versions of all cards from all sets are legal. No restrictions. The format for collectors, historians, and players who want the full breadth of the card universe across every era.

Prima Materia is the Origins Set of Ratty Arcana. It introduces the initial 142-card identity pool and serves as the baseline for all future identity replacements. As expansions release, identities are replaced slot by slot. Nothing is erased.

Rotation in Ratty Arcana is identity-based for legality, but set-based for pack availability. These are two separate systems and should not be conflated.

Legality Rotation

When an expansion introduces a new version of a card identity, the previous version exits Contemporary and becomes Legacy-legal only. The new version becomes the active Contemporary version. This happens on a per-identity basis, not per set. A single expansion can rotate some identities while others from the same original set remain active.

Pack Availability

Rotated cards do not immediately disappear from pack availability. A set's packs remain purchasable as long as at least one card from that set still holds an active Contemporary slot. Only when every identity from a set has been replaced does that set fully exit circulation. At that point, packs from that set are no longer sold. Any unopened packs already owned can still be opened indefinitely.

Practical Example

Prima Materia launches with 142 cards. Expansions begin replacing identities over time. After several sets, suppose 65 identities from Prima Materia have been replaced by newer versions. The remaining 77 still hold their Contemporary slots. Prima Materia packs remain purchasable. When the last active Prima Materia identity is finally replaced, the set fully exits Contemporary and packs are no longer sold. All previously owned unopened packs remain valid forever.

Scarcity

Scarcity emerges from packs leaving circulation, collectors holding unopened stock, and secondary market dynamics. It is not created by identity rotation alone. A rotated card identity can still be obtainable from packs as long as its original set has not fully exited Contemporary.

EventTriggerEffect
Identity RotationNew version of same identity releasedPrevious version exits Contemporary. Enters Legacy permanently. Packs may still be available.
Set Exits CirculationAll identities from set replacedPacks no longer sold. Owned unopened packs remain valid forever.
New Set ReleaseEvery ~4 monthsNew versions enter Contemporary. NFT packs go live.
LegacyPermanentAll versions of all cards from all sets legal forever.

Orb Exception

Orb cards are permanently legal in both Contemporary and Legacy formats regardless of which set introduced them. Expansions can add new Orb variants with different art and flavor without disrupting the resource system. Players can use their preferred Orb art in any format, in any era. Orbs never rotate out.

Expansion Cadence

Seasons run 4 months, with 3 seasons per year. Each expansion contains 42–45 cards. Roughly 40 are identity replacements for existing slots. Two to five are additions: new identities, new slots, or special new cards growing the total universe. This allows the card pool to grow slowly toward 200+ and beyond while keeping the active Contemporary pool stable and manageable.

Legacy Set Conversion

When a set fully transitions to Legacy status, the system performs a final minting pass for any card identities that never produced an NFT version during the set's active lifecycle. This preserves a complete historical record while generating rare collectible artifacts tied to the set's conclusion.

For each unminted identity, exactly two copies are minted with a special Legacy Edition numbering format: #1/2 and #2/2. These are the only NFT versions of that identity that will ever exist. No additional copies can be created.

CopyAllocation
#1/2Ratty Arcana Treasury
#2/2Rewards Pool Wallet

The Treasury copy functions as a permanent historical artifact. The Rewards Pool copy may be distributed through special events, tournaments, or ecosystem rewards. Legacy Edition NFTs are identifiable through their #1/2 or #2/2 numbering, Legacy set designation, and special visual markers distinguishing them from standard mint outcomes.

Every identity has a permanent record. Unminted cards are not lost when sets rotate. The end of a set's lifecycle produces artifacts that link future players to earlier eras of the game.

10

Deck Builder. Collection. Profile.

The player tools suite is a core feature, not an afterthought. Build decks, track collection progress, review match history, and represent your identity on the board and in the community.

Collection Manager

The Collection Manager provides a complete view of a player's card library. Every card identity in the game is visible regardless of ownership. Cards not yet owned appear as greyed entries, making collection progress clear and specific acquisition targets obvious. Players can filter by suit, card type, finish tier, and owned vs. unowned.

Deck Builder

Players have 20 deck slots, displayed in a visual layout rather than a flat list. The builder includes real-time legality validation so players always know if a deck is tournament-legal before entering a queue.

Every deck generates a shareable deck code. When importing a code for a deck a player doesn't fully own, the deck loads and displays normally. Missing cards appear greyed out and marked for acquisition. The deck can be saved as a collection target and used for proxy play in the meantime. This lets players learn from top-level builds before completing a collection, and set clear goals around specific deck targets.

Deck Identity

Deck boxes and card backs can be assigned per deck slot, giving each build a distinct visual identity in the deck menu. A Daggers control deck and an Embers aggro deck can look completely different before a single card is played.

Match History

Players can review recent matches through the match history interface: opponent name, result, match duration, and date. A record of competitive activity for players tracking their improvement over time.

Player Statistics

Each account tracks key performance metrics including total matches played, win rate, ladder rank history, and tournament placements. These sit on the player profile alongside cosmetic display and serve as a long-term record of competitive presence.

Player Profiles

Every player has a profile displaying their selected avatar, active cosmetics, current rank, and featured achievements or badges. Profiles are the primary identity layer in the game, visible to opponents in match introductions and on leaderboards.

Social Features

Basic social tools support friendly competition: friend list management, direct challenge matches, and spectator mode for watching friends play. These exist to encourage community engagement without becoming a second game system.

Card Trading

Web2 cards are non-tradeable between players. This preserves a fair progression environment, keeps gameplay accessible, and prevents external speculation markets from forming around F2P card acquisition. Players who want a tradeable collectible economy can opt into the Web3 layer, where NFT cards and cosmetics can be traded peer-to-peer.

11

What's Being Built

Phase 01, Foundation

Prima Materia Completion

All 142 Prima Materia cards finalized with complete art across all four suits (Embers, Tides, Daggers, Spoils), the Demons, Mystics, and the two Primes. Card library live at rattyarcana.com.

Phase 02, Platform

Game Client & Matchmaking

Core TCG gameplay loop, deck builder, Sit-and-Go matchmaking, rating-based ranking system, and player hub with profile management.

Phase 03, Economy

F2P Economy Launch

Glim currency, starter deck distribution, crucible system, F2P pack system, duplicate burn mechanic, ranked ladder, global leaderboard, season pass (free and premium tracks), Glim Shop with cosmetics and card purchases, and deck sharing with deck codes.

Phase 04, Chain

zkEVM NFT Integration

NFT pack minting, Immutable Passport authentication, on-chain card ownership, Ratty token launch, remnant burn loop, and marketplace listing. Smart contracts will be audited prior to launch. On-chain asset ownership is subject to smart contract integrity and network availability. Smart contracts may contain vulnerabilities despite audits.

Phase 05, Season 01

First Seasonal Set

New card set enters Contemporary rotation. NFT pack drop. Competitive season begins. Legacy mode established with Prima Materia as the foundation. Seasonal Championship and Year-End Championship infrastructure live.

12

A Turn in Ratty Arcana

The following example demonstrates how a typical turn unfolds, showing the Orb economy, Resonance system, and Aspect targeting in action.

Board State

Turn 7 of a ranked match. Player A's Active Aspect is Sootreaver at 11 HP. The opponent's Active Aspect is The Molten Crown at 9 HP. Both players still have two Passive Aspects on the battlefield and additional Aspects in their Aspect Decks. Player A begins their turn.

Starting State

Opponent
Passive
Arcane Witness
Active ◈
The Molten Crown
9 HP
Passive
Eternal Equanimity
— Battlefield —
Passive
Radiant Path
Active ◈
Sootreaver
11 HP
Passive
Veil of Hunger
Player A

Turn Flow

01
Draw Phase
Draw 1 card from deck. Hand: Two of Embers, Seven of Tides, Ember Tincture, Fire Orb, Fire Orb, Air Orb.
Play Utility
Ember Tincture played. No Orb cost. Effect: restore 2 HP to Active Aspect. Sootreaver heals 2 HP. Card discarded.
Cast Minor Arcana
Play Two of Embers. Cost: 2 Orbs. Spend: Fire Orb + Fire Orb. Both Orbs discarded with the card.
Resonance Check
Two of Embers requires Resonance (Fire 2). Player spent 2 Fire Orbs. RESONANCE TRIGGERED
Damage Resolved
Base damage: 2. Resonance bonus: +1. Total: 3 damage dealt to The Molten Crown through Sootreaver.
Major Arcana (Optional)
Player A holds no Major Arcana this turn. Step skipped. One Major Arcana may be played per turn at no Orb cost.
End Turn. Opponent Begins.

This example shows the core loop: draw, spend Orbs to cast Minor Arcana, check Resonance, resolve damage through your Active Aspect. Every turn is a resource decision. Every Orb spent is an Orb that must be redrawn.