---
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
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
---
# Modifying and crafting cards
id: deck-building--family-upgrade
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/deck-building--family-upgrade
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/deck-building--family-upgrade/
An individual card gains power or a new property. Upgrading changes its role in the deck and competes with other uses of progression resources.
## At a glance
[Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/) · © Mega Crit. All rights reserved.
1. Smith opens the choice of a card to upgrade
2. The alternative uses the same rest stop
- Let players compare the card before and after upgrading.
- Evaluate the upgrade in different decks as well as on its own.
- [Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/)
## How it works
How an individual copy of a card develops, not just the composition of the deck.
## Variants
### Variants and applications
- Upgrade. Rule: The card receives more damage, defense, resources, draw, or other numerical efficiency.
- Cost upgrade. Rule: Modification makes the card cheaper, including transferring it into a free draw.
- Keyword upgrade. Rule: The card acquires a hold, replay, post-draw exception, or other rule of conduct.
- Branching upgrade. Rule: The player chooses one of several incompatible versions of the card development.
- Card experience. Rule: The progress of an individual card increases from application or fulfilled conditions and unlocks an upgrade.
- Transform. Rule: The card is replaced by another, chosen or random; the result can make or break the deck.
- Card evolution. Rule: The card is successively replaced by more developed forms after certain actions.
- Fusion. Rule: Two or more cards are combined into one with combined properties.
- Essence transfer. Rule: One card serves as an ability or stat donor for another, usually disappearing when transferred.
- Card crafting. Rule: The player assembles one card from multiple pieces, slots, inserts, or overlapping components.
- Identity modification. Rule: A modification changes the suit, rank, type, faction or other attribute used when checking combinations.
- Group upgrade. Rule: The enhancement applies to a card type, stack, combination, or all instances of a specific name.
- Persistent card state. Rule: The card retains its accumulated damage, counter, power, or other state between encounters.
- 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.
## 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.
- [Dominion: Adventures rules](https://www.riograndegames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DomAdventures2022.pdf) (id: source-7726ac5e97630c73)
- [Mystic Vale AEG](https://www.alderac.com/mystic-vale/) (id: source-6b9b556f50c1050e)
- [Monster Train · developer description](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1102190/Monster_Train/) (id: source-620455367d668266)
- [Slay the Spire](https://www.megacrit.com/press-kits/slay-the-spire/) (id: source-7f09c8a736762f4f)
CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors