Player battles

Play against another player asynchronously or in a live ranked match. Both use Battle rules, including the same deck requirements, moves, and type matchups.

Choose a mode

Mode	Where	Opponent	Timing	What the result affects
Asynchronous PvP	Player Battles, /matches/pvp	Challenge an exact Player Name	24 hours per turn or replacement; players can return at different times	Permanent progression points
Live ranked PvP	Live Ranked, /matches/live	The ranked queue finds an opponent	Both players play together; 60 seconds per decision	Seasonal rating and, when eligible, territory influence

Async battles are unranked. Only live matches created through the ranked queue change seasonal rating; a live match created outside that queue is unranked.

Asynchronous battles

Send a challenge

1. Open Player Battles from /matches, then choose Challenge a player.
2. Enter the opponent's exact Player name and choose Find player.
3. Select a saved Deck and a Starting creature from that deck. You can choose any legal saved deck; it does not have to be your active deck.
4. Choose Send challenge. The invitation appears under Invitations → Sent.
5. Once the opponent accepts, open the battle from the accepted invitation or the Active tab. Choose Take your turn when you need to act, or View battle while waiting.

Create or edit decks at /collection/decks. Only 1 pending invitation can exist between the same pair of players, regardless of who sent it.

Respond to an invitation

Open Invitations → Received. Choose Accept, select your deck and starting Creature, then choose Accept challenge to enter the match. The opening Creature is chosen during invitation setup; there is no separate opening selection after acceptance. You can also choose Decline.

To withdraw a pending invitation you sent, choose Cancel challenge, then Confirm cancellation. Keep challenge closes the dialog without cancelling. Cancellation is unavailable once the invitation has been accepted.

Invitations expire 24 hours after being sent. Declining, cancelling, or letting an invitation expire creates no battle result or loss. An invitation marked Unavailable can no longer be used.

Play and return later

The battlefield shows Your turn, Opponent's turn, or a required Creature replacement. On your turn, use Moves, Power, or Swap to choose an available action. Review the confirmed outcome in the battle log. Shared turn order, damage, and effects are explained in Battle rules.

Each normal turn or required replacement has a 24-hour deadline. Missing it loses the match. The displayed Turn deadline shows when you must act; leaving or refreshing does not pause it.

Accepted actions are saved automatically. Return through Player Battles and open the match under Active. The page refreshes while you are waiting on the opponent and the page is visible.

To concede, choose Forfeit, then Confirm forfeit. You can forfeit on either player's turn. This permanently records your loss and the opponent's win; Keep playing closes the dialog without ending the match.

Results and history

Completed matches show Victory or Defeat, the opponent, completion time, and last moves. Expand Turn history to review recorded actions or Cards to inspect your Creatures and revealed opponent cards. The result explains forfeits and missed deadlines; an unavailable opponent is described without revealing their account details.

Open History in Player Battles to revisit results. The shared battle archive at /matches/history also includes CPU results. Use Load more where offered to view older records.

Live ranked battles

1. Open Live Ranked at /matches/live and review your deck. Change deck opens /collection/decks.
2. Choose Find battle and keep the lobby open while it searches.
3. When an opponent is found, choose Accept before the displayed deadline. Both players must accept before the battle starts.
4. Select your opening Creature, then use the shared battle controls to take turns. See Battle rules for live deadlines and missed decisions.

Cancel search ends a search while you are waiting. Once the battle starts, use Forfeit to concede. Reconnecting does not pause the battle deadline.

The lobby shows your season rating and placement progress. Open Standings to compare players, or Watch to open a live battle using its link or ID. Ranked competition explains matchmaking, acceptance cooldowns, rating changes, placements, and season resets.

Contest a territory

For optional campus-zone contests, follow the territory journey. That guide covers location checks, influence, ownership, and owner card bonuses.

How it works

For point awards, streaks, and achievements, see progression. The mode comparison above identifies which competitive measure each battle affects.

The server validates and snapshots cards: the sender's deck when an async invitation is sent, the recipient's on acceptance, and both live decks when the match starts. Later deck edits or catalogue changes do not rewrite those cards. The server controls legal actions, deadlines, effects, and results.

Async invitations and battles are private to their participants. Player lookup reveals the Player Name, and unrevealed opponent cards stay hidden. Live spectators receive a limited battle view rather than either player's private cards.

If an async action's result is uncertain, the page checks the saved battle before offering a retry. Review any changed state before choosing again.

Technical details are in the asynchronous PvP API contract and live PvP API contract.

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This page was prepared and edited with assistance from Codex-CLI[GPT-5], Codex[GPT-5], Codex-CLI[GPT-6], and Codex[GPT-6].