---
key: mechanic/deck-building--family-acquire
type: mechanic
id: deck-building--family-acquire
lang: en
title: Acquiring cards
summary: >-
New cards change future turns. The player considers both a purchase’s strength
and its place in the existing deck.
updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/deck-building--family-acquire/'
jsonUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/deck-building--family-acquire.json
markdownUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/deck-building--family-acquire.md
aliases: []
tags:
- Deck building
- Core rules
sourceIds:
- source-1894d113a4c40312
- source-7f09c8a736762f4f
sources:
- id: source-1894d113a4c40312
title: Griftlands description of Klei
url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/601840/Griftlands/'
verifiedAt: null
- id: source-7f09c8a736762f4f
title: Slay the Spire
url: 'https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/'
verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
- catalogId: deck-building
id: family-acquire
title: Deck building
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/deck-building/#family-acquire'
categoryIds:
- section-1
supersededBy: []
attributes:
preview:
updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
title: Acquiring cards
description: >-
New cards change future turns. The player considers both a purchase’s
strength and its place in the existing deck.
image:
src: images/mechanics/slay-the-spire-shop.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/ss4.jpg'
credit: Mega Crit
rights: © Mega Crit. All rights reserved.
caption: Buying new cards
alt: >-
Slay the Spire: a merchant offers cards at different prices for addition
to the deck.
markers:
- x: 35
'y': 29
label: New cards on offer
- x: 23
'y': 50
label: The cost of adding a card to the deck
tips:
- Let players compare an offer with their deck before buying.
- Even a weak addition changes how often other cards appear.
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
---
# Acquiring cards
id: deck-building--family-acquire
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/deck-building--family-acquire
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/deck-building--family-acquire/
New cards change future turns. The player considers both a purchase’s strength and its place in the existing deck.
## At a glance
[Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/) · © Mega Crit. All rights reserved.
1. New cards on offer
2. The cost of adding a card to the deck
- Let players compare an offer with their deck before buying.
- Even a weak addition changes how often other cards appear.
- [Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/)
## How it works
Where new cards come from and how much control the player has over the choices.
## Variants
### Variants and applications
- Purchase. Rule: The player pays the resource and adds the selected card to his deck.
- Reward draft. Rule: After the challenge, the player chooses one or more cards from a limited supply.
- Skip reward. Rule: The player may not take the offered card, maintaining the size and composition of the deck.
- Random gain. Rule: The game adds a card from a given pool without the player selecting a specific card.
- Targeted gain. Rule: The player receives a card of a certain type, value, faction or other attribute.
- Passing draft. Rule: Participants take turns taking cards from the transferred sets, while simultaneously making cards available to others.
- Auction. Rule: The right to receive a card is determined by the rates of resources, points, or other obligations.
- Quest reward. Rule: The card appears as a result of a story decision, contract, achievement, or selected event branch.
- Card transfer. Rule: An existing card passes between owners according to the rules of exchange, gift or capture.
- Forced gain. Rule: The player must add a card, such as a curse or a mandatory reward; refusal is not available.
## Context and limits
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.
## Connected materials
## Sources and 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.
- [Griftlands description of Klei](https://store.steampowered.com/app/601840/Griftlands/) (id: source-1894d113a4c40312)
- [Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/) (id: source-7f09c8a736762f4f)
CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors