Character / Cards

There are currently 41 playable cards to-date in RWBY: Amity Arena. From the the get go, you'll be given a starter deck that is comprised of 8 character cards. Completing your collection of cards in the game is not that hard. However, you should know that it takes several copies of a card in order to upgrade it to its 2nd level. Additionally, the number of copies needed to further upgrade it also exponentially increases. For instance, a Level 1 Ursa Major will need two more copies of the card to get it to Level 2. To get a Level 2 Ursa Major to Level 3 however, you'll need 4 copies of the card and so on and so forth.

So you might probably be wondering why you need to level it up in the first place? Leveling up a card will boost the basic stats of the pertaining card - primarily its HP and Attack. However, later levels would impact its speed (movement), DPS, and other stats of the character. What this would do generally mean is that you'll get to summon a stronger version of your character in the battlefield for the same Aura cost. Additionally, having a stronger version of a character (leveled up card) would also mean it becomes more effective on the battlefield.

There are 3 types of Cards in the game too:

1. Normal Cards (gray) - Most common ones to get in the game. However, normal cards are usual comprised of more than one unit of character when summoned. Some like the Baby Death Stalkers even have 15 units when deployed. These are effective as decoy units when trying to distract a character of the opponent that is a heavy damage dealer but attacks a single unit at a time (for instance an Ursa Major). They become all too effective especially when guarding a turret (as the turret will serve as the damage dealer as they temporarily hold off the attack).

2. Rare Cards (orange) - Are a bit harder to come by as they are tagged as Rare Cards. The main difference among normal and rare cards is that rare cards tend to have special abilities that the characters can use in the battlefield. For instance, the Ribbon Blake character can instantly be summoned anywhere in the battlefield -- making it great for attacking towers. Another great Rare Card is Nolan - he isn't particularly strong in terms of HP as he easily dies in the battlefield. However, his skill packs a punch which is great and only needs 1 Aura to actually cast him.

3. Epic Cards (purple) - Rarest Card in the game. It is not even plausible to request them through the academy and are not sold in the shop. You mainly get them from bulk crates, and a very slim chance at the Arena. However, what makes them valuable is their additional battlefield skill. Among the personal favorites in the game are;

1. Nora - as she can remove a targeted opponent's character from play.

2. Ice Weiss - as she can freeze an area in the battlefield including the towers. Additionally, she moves very fast.

3. Glynda - makes turrets in the battlefield.

4. Beringel - just because of its sheer beefiness.

You'll notice that epic cards have an additional tab "Skill" on them when you open them for a more detailed view. When you click this tab, you'll see the card's unique skill, what it actually does, and will show an animation of how it actually performs the skill in the battlefield.

Tips on Composing your Deck:

1. Do not rely heavily on Epic or Rare Cards - although it is tempting to put together a deck comprised of only Rare and Epic cards, it usually do not fair well in battles. The reason is that cards of higher rarity usually takes more Aura to cast. This is easily countered by placing a number of "Volume Units" (common cards with lots of units like the Baby Death Stalkers). You should also know that a level 9 common card can pretty much handle a level 2 Rare character without any hitch. The good thing is that common cards are usually very easy to get --both from crates or by requesting them to the academy.

2. Check your average casting cost - when building a deck, it will tell you your average casting cost. If it says you have 3.5 average aura casting cost, what this means is that it usually takes you 3.5 increase in your aura before you can send out a unit in the BF. If the value decreases, it means you can relatively put out a fighter in a shorter amount of time. If it increases, it means it takes you a bit more time to send out a fighter at a time.

3. Find Good Character Combos - you can always try the synergy of your deck by picking the "Sparring" option when you are trying to build your deck in the "Cards" tab. Some combination of characters are good for a specific type of play in the game. For instance, a good counter-attack combination of characters include Coco and Ursa Major. What you'll need to do when the opponent sends a barrage of units towards your turret is to summon Ursa Major to hold-off the attack (acts like a tank that takes the damage) and then summon Coco just behind the turret to act as and additional ranged damage dealer. This (without a doubt) will easily obliterate your opponent's cluster of fighters -- which will give you a chance to turn the tides, as your opponent would probably have exhausted his/her aura performing the attack.

4. Upgrade Common Cards - common cards are usually very easy to level up because their cards are not that hard to obtain in the game. Additionally, they usually are very useful when trying to hold off a heavy damage dealer in the battlefield. One more good thing about common cards is that they usually are not that expensive to summon (aura cost) in the battlefield.

5. Check the Character Stats - notice that apart from the difference in their HP, Attack, and Range, different characters also have different movement speeds, and different primary targets. You should find a good balance between forming a combination of turret-attacking units, and units that will generally be responsible for holding off plausible attacks.