Cartoria glossary

Understand the game’s vocabulary, then read the full rules for each realm.

Choose a realm

Getting started

Realm: A Cartoria world with its own cards and vocabulary. Your account can access several realms, but each keeps its own collection, decks, crystals and progression. Switching realms does not transfer your cards.
Starter / starting deck: The initial team you choose when entering a realm, already equipped to discover combat. Its cards cannot be resold. The starting deck is separate from welcome boosters, which you open to obtain other cards.
Booster: A pack of cards to open. Permanent boosters add to your collection; arena boosters provide temporary cards for that tournament. Composition and probabilities depend on the booster type or format: see the rules for details.

Cards and progression

Fighters: The cards that occupy your deck’s rows and fight your opponent. Each fighter has an element, a type, health, attack and defenses. You can equip compatible accessories. They are called Creatures in Dinosaurs and Units in Protocol.
Troops: A fighter type that uses accessories intended for troops. Type determines equipment compatibility; it is neither a rarity nor a level. Its counterpart is the Predator in Dinosaurs and the Agent in Protocol.
Vehicles: A fighter type that uses accessories intended for vehicles. This type does not guarantee higher attack or defense: compare each card’s stats. Its counterpart is the Colossus in Dinosaurs and the Machine in Protocol.
Creatures: In Origin, this legendary fighter type can use both troop and vehicle accessories when they have effects applicable to its element. Its counterpart is the Ancient in Dinosaurs and the Anomaly in Protocol. Note that in Dinosaurs, “creature” also refers to all fighters, regardless of type.
Accessories: Cards you equip on a compatible fighter to change its stats. Check their bonuses and penalties for the equipped fighter and its element: some accessories also have an affinity with a specific fighter. They are called Mutations in Dinosaurs and Modules in Protocol.
Card level: A card’s progression from level 1 to level 5. Each level has its own stats and artwork; fusion lets you reach the next one. Leveling up does not change rarity. This is separate from player level, which follows renown.
Rarity: Common, rare, epic or legendary: rarity is separate from the level gained through fusion. It does not guarantee that a card suits your deck better.
Fusion: In the collection, five free, compatible copies of the same card and level are consumed to create one card of the next level, up to level 5. Arena fusion uses three temporary copies.
Cosmetic: A visual customization that does not change a card’s stats: Full-Art, Foil or alternate artwork, for example. Application conditions depend on the effect. A card that looks different is not necessarily stronger.

Deck and combat

Deck: An ordered team of fighters and their accessories, called a Pack in Dinosaurs and a Squad in Protocol. You can prepare several; only one is active in each realm. That active deck represents you in ranked PvP and must meet the mode’s validation requirements.
Element: A fighter’s element determines which opposing defense is used against its attack. It also affects the effects of equipped accessories. Origin uses Earth, Air and Water; Dinosaurs uses Fossil, Sky and Swamp; Protocol uses Resistance, Network and Convergence. Compare each card’s defenses rather than assuming that one element always beats another.
Attack: The value a fighter uses to deal damage. For a standard strike, subtract the opposing defense matching the attacker’s element, with a minimum of zero damage. For example, 30 attack against 12 applicable defense deals 18 damage. Accessories and some combat effects can change these values.
Health: Health points show how much damage a fighter can still take before being eliminated from the battle. They decrease when damage is taken; at zero, the fighter can no longer fight. Health and defense differ: health absorbs damage received, while defense reduces its amount.
Defense: Protection that reduces incoming damage according to the attacker’s element. It is not a shield pool consumed with each hit. Strong defense against one element does not guarantee the same resistance to others.
Affinity: An additional bonus when an accessory is paired with a specific fighter. It adds to the accessory’s usual effects. Compatibility does not always grant affinity: check the stated bonus. Dinosaurs calls this Affinity instinct and Protocol calls it Synergy.
Relic: An optional tactical effect assigned to a ranked deck. It triggers automatically at most once per battle when its condition is met. A deck can equip one relic; it does not occupy a fighter’s accessory slot. Protocol calls it a Directive.
Replay: Playback of an already simulated battle. Pausing or speeding it up does not change the result.

Game modes

PvP: Player versus player: your deck faces another player’s deck. Ranked battles can change your renown; friendly battles let you test without changing that score. In both cases, you prepare your deck before automatic combat.
PvE and Big Boss: Player versus environment: you face an opponent controlled by the game. Cartoria’s Big Boss events add players’ contributions against a shared boss. Attempts and rewards follow the event’s rules without changing your PvP renown.
Sealed Arena: Build a deck from the temporary cards received for that arena, without using your personal collection.
Mirror Arena: Everyone in the same Mirror Arena receives the same set of temporary cards. Each participant builds their deck and chooses fusions independently, without using their personal collection.
Draft Arena: Choose cards in a shared selection process with other participants, then build a temporary five-row deck.

Economy and rankings

Market: Where players in the same realm buy and sell card lots or tradable cosmetics for crystals. Not every card can be sold, including starter cards. The rules explain offers, access requirements and resale delays.
Crystals: Your realm’s in-game currency. You can earn them through game rewards or buy them, then spend them on boosters, cosmetics, Market purchases and entry to certain arenas. Each realm has its own balance. Crystals are neither your renown nor a resource spent during attacks.
Renown: Your ranked PvP score within a realm, which also determines your player level. It can rise after a win and fall after a loss; a draw leaves it unchanged. It determines ranking and cannot be spent. Card levels and arena rankings are separate.

Read the realm rules