{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/deck-building--family-start","type":"mechanic","id":"deck-building--family-start","lang":"en","title":"Starting conditions and deck structure","summary":"The starting deck defines available cards, draw probabilities and constraints on future strategy.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/deck-building--family-start/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/deck-building--family-start.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/deck-building--family-start.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Deck building","Core rules"],"sourceIds":["source-1894d113a4c40312","source-10b015ff3d1d4888"],"sources":[{"id":"source-1894d113a4c40312","title":"Griftlands description of Klei","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/601840/Griftlands/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-10b015ff3d1d4888","title":"Balatro","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"What deck and what restrictions are available to the player at the beginning."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-start-variants\"></a>\n\n- Starting deck. Rule: A starting deck that is the same for everyone or asymmetrical sets the first opportunities and weak cards for subsequent replacement. <a id=\"variant-start-01\"></a>\n- Card pool selection. Rule: The choice of hero, faction or team determines the available card pool and starting abilities. <a id=\"variant-start-02\"></a>\n- Starting draft. Rule: The player builds a starting deck from limited offerings before the main game cycle. <a id=\"variant-start-03\"></a>\n- Team deck. Rule: The cards of several selected characters are combined into one deck; the composition of the command specifies a set of possible combinations. <a id=\"variant-start-04\"></a>\n- Multiple decks. Rule: The player develops separate decks for different tasks, such as combat and negotiations, distributing development opportunities between them. <a id=\"variant-start-05\"></a>\n- Shared deck. Rule: Participants have separate decks or a common deck with rules for access, ownership and distribution of cards. <a id=\"variant-start-06\"></a>\n- Sideboard. Rule: Between encounters, it is allowed to transfer player-owned cards between the active deck and the stock. <a id=\"variant-start-07\"></a>\n- Deck constraints. Rule: Minimum or maximum size, copy limit, required cards, and type requirements determine acceptable builds. <a id=\"variant-start-08\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Design taxonomy of basic rules and options, including card operations and external systems. The number of entries is not a generally accepted classification of independent mechanics."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"deck-building","id":"family-start","title":"Deck building","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/deck-building/#family-start","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Starting conditions and deck structure","description":"The starting deck defines available cards, draw probabilities and constraints on future strategy.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/systems-balatro-06.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Balatro","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/2379780/ss_ae055e0e583ac65000920ce33511df73f40814f4.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790693638","credit":"LocalThunk / Playstack","rights":"© LocalThunk / Playstack. All rights reserved.","caption":"Erratic Deck starts with random ranks and suits","alt":"Erratic Deck starts with random ranks and suits","markers":[{"x":17,"y":35,"label":"The deck rule changes the starting card distribution"}]},"tips":["Show the starting composition and restrictions before play begins."],"examples":[{"title":"Balatro","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/deck-building"}}