{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/deck-building--family-upgrade","type":"mechanic","id":"deck-building--family-upgrade","lang":"en","title":"Modifying and crafting cards","summary":"An individual card gains power or a new property. Upgrading changes its role in the deck and competes with other uses of progression resources.","updatedAt":"2026-10-21","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/deck-building--family-upgrade/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/deck-building--family-upgrade.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/deck-building--family-upgrade.md","aliases":["Upgrading cards"],"tags":["Deck building","Core rules"],"sourceIds":["source-7726ac5e97630c73","source-6b9b556f50c1050e","source-620455367d668266","source-7f09c8a736762f4f"],"sources":[{"id":"source-7726ac5e97630c73","title":"Dominion: Adventures rules","url":"https://www.riograndegames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DomAdventures2022.pdf","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-6b9b556f50c1050e","title":"Mystic Vale AEG","url":"https://www.alderac.com/mystic-vale/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-620455367d668266","title":"Monster Train · developer description","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1102190/Monster_Train/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-7f09c8a736762f4f","title":"Slay the Spire","url":"https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"How an individual copy of a card develops, not just the composition of the deck."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-upgrade-variants\"></a>\n\n- Upgrade. Rule: The card receives more damage, defense, resources, draw, or other numerical efficiency. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-01\"></a>\n- Cost upgrade. Rule: Modification makes the card cheaper, including transferring it into a free draw. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-02\"></a>\n- Keyword upgrade. Rule: The card acquires a hold, replay, post-draw exception, or other rule of conduct. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-03\"></a>\n- Branching upgrade. Rule: The player chooses one of several incompatible versions of the card development. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-04\"></a>\n- Card experience. Rule: The progress of an individual card increases from application or fulfilled conditions and unlocks an upgrade. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-05\"></a>\n- Transform. Rule: The card is replaced by another, chosen or random; the result can make or break the deck. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-06\"></a>\n- Card evolution. Rule: The card is successively replaced by more developed forms after certain actions. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-07\"></a>\n- Fusion. Rule: Two or more cards are combined into one with combined properties. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-08\"></a>\n- Essence transfer. Rule: One card serves as an ability or stat donor for another, usually disappearing when transferred. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-09\"></a>\n- Card crafting. Rule: The player assembles one card from multiple pieces, slots, inserts, or overlapping components. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-10\"></a>\n- Identity modification. Rule: A modification changes the suit, rank, type, faction or other attribute used when checking combinations. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-11\"></a>\n- Group upgrade. Rule: The enhancement applies to a card type, stack, combination, or all instances of a specific name. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-12\"></a>\n- Persistent card state. Rule: The card retains its accumulated damage, counter, power, or other state between encounters. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-13\"></a>\n- Temporary upgrade. Rule: A boost, discount, or new ability lasts until the end of the turn, battle, or other limited period, after which the original card is restored. <a id=\"variant-upgrade-14\"></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-upgrade","title":"Deck building","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/deck-building/#family-upgrade","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-21","title":"Upgrading cards","description":"An individual card gains power or a new property. Upgrading changes its role in the deck and competes with other uses of progression resources.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/slay-the-spire-rest.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Slay the Spire","sourceUrl":"https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/","originalUrl":"https://www.megacrit.com/images/ss11.jpg","credit":"Mega Crit","rights":"© Mega Crit. All rights reserved.","caption":"A campfire upgrade","alt":"Slay the Spire: the Smith action offers a card upgrade instead of health recovery.","markers":[{"x":58,"y":34,"label":"Smith opens the choice of a card to upgrade"},{"x":43,"y":34,"label":"The alternative uses the same rest stop"}]},"tips":["Let players compare the card before and after upgrading.","Evaluate the upgrade in different decks as well as on its own."],"examples":[{"title":"Slay the Spire","url":"https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/"}]}},"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"}}