Game guide
How to play Card Chain
Connect two Magic card names by matching the last word of one card to the first word of the next.
The basic rule
- Choose either highlighted word. Build down from the starting card or up from the target.
- Search for a connecting card. The last word of one card must exactly match the first word of the next.
- Meet in the middle. The puzzle ends as soon as the two partial chains connect.
Apostrophes and punctuation do not need to be typed exactly when searching. For example, typing souls fire can find Soul's Fire. Suggestions begin only after the typed name reaches the first hidden letter in one of the current clue patterns. If a clue shows Space M_____ S____, suggestions begin at Space Ma; if it shows Space MA____ S____, they begin at Space Mar. With a blank Hard clue after Sliver, suggestions begin at Sliver H. Up to five matches are shown from the full local card-name database, and they never indicate whether a card fits the chain. A failed submission may still offer up to three high-confidence “Did you mean?” spelling corrections.
Build from either end
The starting card appears on the left and the target card appears on the right. You may add a card below the starting side when it begins with the required word, or add a card above the target side when it ends with the required word.
The puzzle completes as soon as the two partial chains connect. Undo removes the most recent move. Restart clears only the current attempt after confirmation.
Easy mode
Easy follows one shortest route selected for the daily puzzle. Blank clue slots show the number of missing cards and reveal their initials. Letter hints can be requested from either frontier. The shared connection word is filled in automatically because it is already known from the card beside the gap, and each hint reveals one additional letter from the unknown part of that card name.
Easy results show your completed chain, steps, hints, and streak. The perfect route is not displayed separately.
Hard mode
Hard accepts any valid route up to ten cards longer than the shortest possible route. A perfect chain scores 10. Each additional card above perfect reduces the score by one, with a minimum score of 0.
Hard hints recalculate a shortest remaining route between your current frontiers. A letter-below hint reveals the next card from the starting side; a letter-above hint reveals the next card from the target side.
Streaks, history, and reminders
A live-day streak advances when you complete at least one of that date’s Easy or Hard puzzles. Completing both still counts as one streak day. Archive completions and replays do not change the live streak.
Progress and streaks are stored on the current device. Clearing site data or changing devices can remove or separate those records because the game has no player accounts.
Optional reminders check completion at 8:00 PM Eastern. A notification is sent only when Easy, Hard, or both remain unfinished. When both are complete, no reminder is sent.
Practice, previews, and archive puzzles
Practice uses a bundled card list and remains playable without internet. Its results stay separate from Daily streaks and statistics. Hover or focus a card to magnify it. Click or tap a card to open a larger reading view. The History page provides earlier Easy and Hard puzzles and local statistics.