Parallel is a competitive and futuristic trading card game (TGC) that follows the genre of science fiction. Currently the Parallel TCG is in their closed beta phase after more than 2 years of building. The utility NFTs such as Prime Keys and Catalyst Drives live on the Ethereum blockchain, and its passive income generating utility token is PRIME.
All cards from their trading decks also live on the Ethereum blockchain, but web2 players don’t need any knowledge about either crypto, wallets, or NFTs. The game is being developed by Parallel studios and the utility token(PRIME) is governed and released under the Echelon Prime Foundation.
Echelon isn’t just a gaming platform; it’s a game-changer. Collaborating with game studios, it seamlessly integrates blockchain features into gaming using Prime technology, smart contracts, and cutting-edge tools. “Parallel,” Echelon’s debut game, promises an extraordinary gaming experience. Beyond gameplay, Echelon’s decentralized, sustainable approach is reshaping game development, allowing builders and visionaries to join in on the fun.
The closed beta for Parallel began in July, 2023. You can test the waters and at the same time earn PRIME tokens or card packs or maybe even both! Before all of that good stuff, let us tell you beforehand what you need to know and what you can expect.
Gameplay – Parallel’s Rich Lore
The game is set thousands of years ahead in time after an event known as “the priming”. A dystopian future where all life forms split into five different factions or “Parallels”, namely:
- The Marcolian
- The Augencore
- The Kathari
- The Shroud
- The Earthen
With each parallel having its own unique and different lore, there is a lot you can take into consideration before actually choosing to join one.
Selecting a Parallel
Out of 5 aforementioned Parallels, you have the chance to select either one of them. At the beginning of the game you will have to select at least one parallel around which your deck will be built. Each parallel has its own different playstyle and you can try out each one and find what works best for you.
Deck Building
Most cards are unique to a specific Parallel. Each Parallel has its own set of cards that give them special powers and abilities. When you’re putting together your deck, you’ve got to pick one Parallel to focus on. Although “Universal cards” are also a thing. Everyone can use them, no matter which group they’re in. Besides that, your deck cannot have a card of a different parallel when you’re building, say a deck around “The Marcolian”. Plus, you can toss in some of those Universal cards we mentioned earlier to spice things up.
Now, if you really love a particular card and want to increase your chances of drawing it, you can add up to three copies of it to your deck. But there’s a catch – the super rare Legendary cards? You can only have one of those in your deck. So choose wisely!
Starter Decks
Starter Decks get you 40 Parallel-specific Cards that are available for a limited time as well as a limited supply. With Starter decks you get: Beta access, a beginners guide and 10 apparition packs.
Packs of apparition cards – non-NFT playable copies of the cards. Each pack has 5 that help you build out your decks and collection.
There is a total supply of 45000 Starter decks, 9000 per Parallel.
Types of Cards
- Units: These are the characters, creatures, and beings that occupy the game board and get into sci-fi battles. No guarantees on the epicness, though!
- Relics: These are special objects or items that stick around on the board. They can have all sorts of effects, whether they last a while, you can activate them, or they’re just temporary. Some of these effects are still a mystery!
- Effects: Think of these as one-shot spells. They do something once, and then they’re done.
- Upgrades: These are like power-ups that hang around. They boost or modify units on the battlefield, making them stronger or adding special abilities.
You can determine the rarity of a card by the colored line below the artwork.
Matchmaking
Now that we’ve got Parallels and Deck building out of the way. You can participate in turn-based combat with each of your decks. There are currently 4 gameplay modes. Namely: Rookie, AI, Unranked, and Ranked.
Your main objective is to bring your opponent’s health to zero before it happens to you. To minimize unfair matchmaking, Parallel introduces a Ladder rank system ergo, your skill-based rating determines the opponent.
Paragons
Paragons are just like team captains. Each individual Deck has a single Paragon. Each Parallel / Faction has 3 unique Paragons to choose from for your deck. After you assign a card with this role, that card’s passive ability will be active throughout the match. The passive ability will not be terminated even if your Paragon gets bested in combat so no need to worry about that!
Combat Sequence
At the start of the match you or your opponent go first (it’s random).
Let’s say you’re the player that goes first. You will be shown 5 random cards from your deck, if you don’t like any of the cards, you have the option to swap them out. This will be your “starting hand” for the match. Another thing worth mentioning is that the player going first doesn’t get an extra card at the beginning of their first turn. However, the second player gets to draw one. It’s a little rule to even things out!
At the start of each of your turns, you draw a card and add it to your hand. But remember, you can’t have more than 8 cards in your hand; if you try to grab one more, it’s revealed to both players and tossed aside into the Waste Pile.
Now, each player has their own Waste Pile, and it’s like an open book – both players can see what’s in there. If you’ve stashed a card during your turn, you get to draw another one when your turn ends.
During your turn, you can use Energy to play cards, like the aforementioned – Units, Effects, Relics, or Upgrades, but only if you have enough Energy for it. When you play a card, it uses up its Energy and then does its thing. You can also tell your Units to get into the action, whether they’re battling other Units or going straight for the enemy player. Units destroyed in combat go straight into the Waste Pile as well.
Once you’ve done what you want, you can wrap up your turn. Easy peasy, right?
P.S On the top right of every card it mentions upon the card how much energy it will take up to use it.
Possible Match Conclusions
- You or your opponent Health points reach zero, ergo, the opposing player wins.
- If both players’ health reaches 0 then it will end in a draw.
- A player forfeits the game resulting in the others victory.
P.S Running out of cards will not result in loss rather you will be given a random card from your Waste Pile. Keep in mind that you lose precious HP everytime you draw a card from the Waste Pile.
Parallel TCG Tokenomics
Launched in July 2022, Prime used to be non-transferrable. It was later made ‘transferrable’ thanks to community vote which gives us a good idea about the token’s governance. Prime is the utility token for Parallel TCG. (The total supply of PRIME is fixed at 111,111,111,111)
The current way to earn Prime is through winning matches in Parallel TCG. Some factors also affect the amount of Prime you earn, like: your current rank or the number of games you’ve won in a row.
Prime comes in handy in leveraging Prime Sinks.
Prime Sinks are token-gated products, services and experiences inside Parallel TCG.
Some Sinks are solely for aesthetic features while some are necessary for scaling. Here are some of the released and unreleased Sinks in Parallel TCG.
A Sink not mentioned in the above image is “glints”. I find them worth mentioning since they are a currency in Parallel TCG that are used for purchasing non-NFT related material. Available for Prime and fiat.
Parallel TCG Assets
The assets available in Parallel TCG are the following:
- Masterpiece
- Prime Key
- Catalyst Drive
- Prime Drive
- Paraset
- The core
- Keys
Each having their very own unique utility. You can get your hands on any of them through OpenSea or acquire them through trade on their discord marketplace. These assets are high value digital collectibles because they generate passive income in the form of $PRIME.
Avatars
In Parallel, these Avatars are not just for show. When you make one your profile picture, you’re in for some cool perks. For starters, every time you win in the TCG, you’ll earn extra PRIME tokens. It’s like a bonus for your victories, making the game even more rewarding.
These Avatars also act as your golden tickets to future adventures in the Parallel universe. You get priority access to all the new stuff that comes out, which makes them a pretty big deal in this gaming world. So, they’re not just characters on a screen; they’re essential parts of the whole gaming ecosystem.
What To Expect in Beta And Beyond
In Parallel’s closed beta, you get full ownership of the cards plus you can start earning Prime! These cards come in handy to build your decks. By jumping into the closed beta, you not only get to play the game early but also have a say in how it grows. Your feedback is super important in shaping where Parallel is headed. So, it’s a win-win for everyone!
Here’s a quick summary of what you’ll witness in Beta and what you can expect in the future:
- Battle Pass: It lets you earn rewards by playing Parallel, and there’s even more cool stuff coming every month, including exclusive cosmetics, glints and a premium reward track.
- Tournaments: Join in at scheduled times, prove your skills against fellow competitors, and aim for the top spot to snag cool rewards, including exclusive titles.
- Apparition Crafting: In Parallel, you can craft apparition cards using “Scraps” obtained by breaking down unwanted Apparition cards. It’s a handy way to create the cards you’re after for your deck if you have extra cards.
- Quickplay: After getting your first Rookie Deck in Parallel, Quickplay unlocks, and you can choose between AI Mode, Unranked Mode, or Ranked Mode to play and earn PRIME.
- Keyframing: Keyframing in Parallel allows users to experiment with various combinations and strategies. You can use Apparition Keys that will be given to new users for the unlocking of special abilities during gameplay, but each Key can only be used once in a Frame, and you need to place them in a Keyframing slot to activate their benefits. The current keys available are the Prime, Overclock, Galaxy, Multifold, Surge, Prismatic, Gravity and the Core.
5.9M Parallel NFTs are available right now according to OpenSea. Parallel even have their very own comic series, the third issue is set to release soon this year and there’s another game called “Colony” which is supposedly the first AI game ever.
In case you wanna dive right in – if you haven’t already, create an account on parallel.life and save your wallet details in your account settings. You’ll probably receive a beta invite email which you’ll use to sign in. Download the game and boom! You’re all set.
Parallel is a highly anticipated sci-fi trading card game just like the well-known Splinterlands and Gods Unchained.