Mid-beta update

A big pass since launch week: three-lane battles, Patrons, cosmetics, a multi-currency economy, and a lot of polish for queues, profiles, and accessibility.

Battles

• The board is now three lanes (left / mid / right). Each lane has its own tower; you push a lane before your creatures can hit the enemy hero through it.
• Lane-aware combat: Guard locks its own lane; towers are attacked from their lane; creature fights can still cross lanes when Guard isn’t in the way.
• New lane-flavored traits (including Bastion and Siege) so board position matters.
• Hero starting HP is 30 (up from 15) for healthier mid-game fights.
• Creatures on the board use a compact portrait-token look; End turn pulses when you’re idle.
• Inspect controls on the board so you can review cards without losing your place (keyboard-friendly too).

Patrons

• Every playable deck binds one Patron — a once-per-match ultimate with its own energy cost.
• Eight Patrons to build around (dig, redraw, Null remove, tower restore, and more).
• Distinct Patron marks on the board so both sides can see what’s loaded.

Play vs Bot

• Queue-free practice: Easy / Medium / Hard against the Nexus bot with a random deck and Patron.
• Hard bot plays sharper; good for testing decks before you queue.
• Bot wins grant +1 Spark (losses don’t move your W/L). Matches still count toward the daily rewarded-game cap.

Matchmaking & rewards

• Lobby shows how many players are online and a rough wait ETA while you queue.
• Spark rewards require a real game: min-turn floor plus a same-opponent daily cap so concede farming doesn’t pay.
• Turn-based play rewards stay in place for longer matches.

Economy

• Three wallets: Sparks (packs & trade), Cinders (forge fuel by rarity), Crystals (cosmetics & convenience later).
• Commons forge free; higher rarities spend Cinders. Daily forge and SR/UR quotas still apply.
• Earn Cinders from daily login, pack opens, rewarded wins, and smelting extra commons/uncommons.
• Crystals never buy Sparks, packs, cards, or battle power — cosmetics only when the shop lights up.

Cosmetics

• Equip sleeves (per deck), hand FX, board mats, and pack skins from /cosmetics.
• Click an owned item to equip; match UI shows your (and your opponent’s) locked-in look.
• Crystal purchases are stubbed for now — admins can grant items while the catalog settles in.

Profiles & collection

• Pick a profile theme from the card-frame palettes; see recent battles on your page.
• Edit display name, bio, and avatar in-app (writes go to your PDS).
• Sort collection and the trade hall by rarity, energy, and embers.
• Card details use clearer primary CTAs plus a compact action toolbar.
• Art credits on cards so creators get the shout-out.

Learn, landing & access

• Landing and the /learn tour teach the three-lane / Patron loop.
• Persistent link to full /rules from the How to play tour.
• Closed beta: request an invite, Discord when it’s approved, and Discord links in the app.
• Send feedback from the site (GitHub Issues / Discord).
• Password reset points at your PDS / Bluesky account flow.

Accessibility

• Keyboard and focus improvements across challenge flow and the live board.
• Documented a11y / mobile audit for ongoing fixes — shout if something still traps focus or hides labels.