Booster price: $5.33 fixed. Deck size: 9 cards. Type-advantage rule: +2. Battle Rank ladder: Common → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond. Shop Level 5 unlocks the gaming table; Shop Level 6 is the paid shop expansion. Secret Shop unlocks after 5 tournament wins. Currencies: Crystals (PvP winnings) and Reputation (ladder progress). Long-tail goal: 1,000-crystal achievement. Selling cards is irreversible — build the deck before spending.
Arcanis TCG snapshot (2026-09-15)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Booster price | $5.33 (fixed) |
| Deck size | 9 cards |
| Type-advantage rule | +2 |
| Battle Rank ladder | Common → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond |
| Shop Level 5 unlock | Gaming table (tournament surface) |
| Shop Level 6 unlock | Paid shop expansion (deck storage / display) |
| Secret Shop unlock | 5 tournament wins |
| Currencies | Crystals (PvP winnings), Reputation (ladder progress) |
| Long-tail currency goal | 1,000-crystal achievement |
| Selling cards | Irreversible |
Arcanis booster price and what is in a pack
An Arcanis booster costs $5.33 fixed, in-game currency, and is the only sanctioned way to add new cards to your collection. Treat the $5.33 price as fixed because the Arcanis booster economy is independent of the restock-serve-upgrade cash loop: boosters do not scale with shop upgrades, and the shop-upgrade ladder does not change the booster price. Pull enough boosters to cover a 9-card tournament deck plus a small bench of substitutes before you commit Crystals to anything else, because selling cards back into the system is irreversible (see the irreversibility callout below).
9-card deck composition and the +2 type-advantage rule
A tournament-legal Arcanis deck is exactly 9 cards. The +2 type-advantage rule means that when your active card has the type advantage over your opponent's active card, your damage / contest value gets +2 for that exchange. Build the 9-card deck around one or two dominant type-advantage lines and a small bench of counter-picks for the types you are weakest against. A 9-card deck that splits evenly across three types looks balanced on paper but usually loses the +2 exchanges that decide close matches.
Battle Rank ladder (Common → Diamond)
| Rank | Stage of the ladder | What this rank means for a deck |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Entry | Open ladder; learn the +2 type-advantage rule on a starter 9-card deck. |
| Bronze | Early ladder | First real counter-match practice; pull a second booster. |
| Silver | Mid ladder | Refine the 9-card deck around one dominant type line. |
| Gold | Upper-mid ladder | Earn enough Crystals to chase the Secret Shop unlock. |
| Platinum | Late ladder | Counter-pick bench starts to matter; consider a third booster. |
| Diamond | Top ladder | Final ladder tier; gate to `Road to the Finals` achievement. |
Shop Level 5 (gaming table) and Shop Level 6 (paid shop expansion)
The Arcanis gaming table unlocks at Shop Level 5 — that is the surface on which tournaments are run, so until the shop reaches Level 5 you cannot enter the ladder. Shop Level 6 is the paid shop expansion tier that raises the deck storage and display capacity, which matters once you start cycling through multiple 9-card decks for the higher ladder ranks. The upgrade-ladder order on the [upgrades and money guide](/upgrades/) still applies: shelf upgrades → expansion → customer flow → decoration, with Shop Level 5 sitting in the expansion rung.
Crystals and Reputation currencies
Two PvP-only currencies sit on top of the cash loop. **Crystals** are the PvP winnings currency; they accumulate per tournament win and become spendable at the Secret Shop tier. **Reputation** is the ladder-progress currency; it advances your Battle Rank tier and gates whether you can enter upper-ladder tournaments at all. The 1,000-crystal achievement is the long-tail currency goal and pairs with the four named Arcanis achievements on the [achievements guide](/achievements/) — `Card Collector Arc`, `Road to the Finals`, `The Legend of Cardmaster`, and `I am the Champion`.
Arcanis achievements cross-link
Four achievements on the [achievements and 100% completion guide](/achievements/) are tied to this system: - `Card Collector Arc` (22.5% global unlock): finish the starter collection. - `Road to the Finals` (0.1% global unlock): reach the upper ladder tiers. - `The Legend of Cardmaster` (0.1% global unlock): mastery of a fully-built 9-card deck. - `I am the Champion` (0.1% global unlock): single-event tournament win. Because three of those four sit at 0.1% global unlock, the Arcanis track is the highest-value long-tail goal for a 100% completion run. Treat the four achievements as the primary signal that the booster / deck / ladder / Secret Shop chain is working as intended.
First Arcanis deck checklist
Step 1
Reach Shop Level 5 to unlock the gaming table before pulling boosters — there is no tournament surface below Level 5.
Step 2
Pull two Arcanis boosters ($5.33 each) to cover a 9-card main deck plus a small substitute bench.
Step 3
Build the 9-card deck around one dominant type-advantage line so the +2 rule fires consistently.
Step 4
Enter the Battle Rank ladder at Common and climb toward Bronze / Silver without selling cards from the main deck.
Step 5
After 5 tournament wins, the Secret Shop tier opens — Crystals become spendable and the upgraded booster visuals (Hotfix 1.0.2) appear.
Step 6
Target the 1,000-crystal achievement and the four Arcanis achievements as the long-tail goals on the [achievements guide](/achievements/).
Sources
- [TPO Sega Gaming — Anime Shop Simulator cards guide](https://tposegaming.com/anime-shop-simulator-cards/) — `reference` — checked `2026-09-15` — confirms the $5.33 fixed booster price, 9-card deck size, +2 type-advantage rule, Common → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond Battle Rank ladder, Shop Level 5 / 6 thresholds, and the 5-tournament Secret Shop unlock condition. - [Anime Shop Simulator ✨ Steam announcements feed (AppID 3393280)](https://steamcommunity.com/app/3393280/announcements) — `official/store` — checked `2026-09-15` — confirms Hotfix 1.0.2 (Sep 12) updated upgraded booster visuals in Secret Shop. - [Anime Shop Simulator ✨ Steam Achievements page (AppID 3393280)](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/3393280/achievements) — `official/store` — checked `2026-09-15` — confirms Card Collector Arc (22.5%), Legend of Cardmaster (0.1%), I am the Champion (0.1%), and Road to the Finals (0.1%) as Arcanis achievements. - [Anime Shop Simulator ✨ Steam community hub (AppID 3393280)](https://steamcommunity.com/app/3393280) — `community/video` — checked `2026-09-15` — supports the active `Cards effects/powers` discussion thread (2 replies) showing players are asking about Arcanis mechanics. - [Anime Shop Simulator ✨ Steam store page (AppID 3393280)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3393280) — `official/store` — checked `2026-09-15` — confirms AppID 3393280 and the Secret Shop tier as a live post-launch system.
FAQ
How much does an Arcanis booster cost in Anime Shop Simulator?
An Arcanis booster costs $5.33 fixed, in-game currency. The booster price does not scale with shop upgrades — it stays at $5.33 regardless of Shop Level. The full booster / deck / ladder / Secret Shop chain is on the [Arcanis TCG guide](/arcanis/).
How many cards are in an Arcanis deck in Anime Shop Simulator?
A tournament-legal Arcanis deck is exactly 9 cards. The +2 type-advantage rule decides most exchanges, so build the 9-card deck around one or two dominant type lines plus a small bench of counter-picks. Selling cards is irreversible, so build the deck before spending. Full deck-building rules are on the [Arcanis TCG guide](/arcanis/).
How do I unlock the Secret Shop in Anime Shop Simulator?
The Secret Shop unlocks after 5 tournament wins on the Battle Rank ladder for AppID 3393280. Boosters still cost $5.33 inside the Secret Shop, but the visuals are the upgraded set added by Hotfix 1.0.2. The full Battle Rank ladder (Common → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond) and the Secret Shop unlock chain are on the [Arcanis TCG guide](/arcanis/).
What are Crystals and Reputation in Anime Shop Simulator?
Crystals are the Arcanis PvP winnings currency — they accumulate per tournament win and become spendable once the Secret Shop tier is open. Reputation is the ladder-progress currency — it advances your Battle Rank tier. The 1,000-crystal achievement is the long-tail currency goal and pairs with the four Arcanis achievements on the [achievements guide](/achievements/). The full currency rules are on the [Arcanis TCG guide](/arcanis/).