---
title: "Tutorial · Thursday Arena"
description: "Learn Thursday Arena from a demo game, one step at a time: the shop and tokens, buying bots, your line, swaps, rerolls, reading a card, captains, crews, items, the fight, ghosts, and rating."
url: https://thursdayarena.com/tutorial
---

# Tutorial · Thursday Arena

The Season 3 tutorial plays a demo game on the table, one step at a time, with Next and Back. A demo game shows you how to play. The tutorial changes each season.

## 1. This is your table

Your line has three seats at the bottom. Your rival's line is at the top, face down.

The cards in your hand are the shop. Each round deals three bots and one food.

## 2. Tokens

Each round gives you 10 tokens. A bot costs 3 or more, food costs 3, and a reroll costs 1.

Tokens you do not spend are lost when the round ends.

## 3. Buy a bot

Tap a card, then Buy. The bot lands in your first open seat.

You can also drag a card onto a seat.

## 4. Your line

Your line has three seats. The front bot, on the left, fights first.

When the front bot faints, the bot behind it steps up.

## 5. Seat rules

Each seat has a rule for the bot in it, on both teams. The plate at the seat names it.

Round 1 shows the front rule. One more rule shows each round.

## 6. Swap seats

Tap one bot, then another, to swap their seats. You can also drag a bot to a seat.

Imogen has more health, so it goes to the front.

## 7. Reroll

Reroll deals a new hand for 1 token.

Freeze a card first to keep it through the reroll and into the next round.

## 8. Read a card

Tap a card to read it. The coin is its cost. The burst is attack, and the heart is health.

The ribbon names its ability. The text says when it fires, like Start of battle, Hurt, or Faint.

## 9. Captains

Each match starts with a captain pick. Pick one of three.

Your captain helps you for the whole match. Drill gives your front bot +2 attack in each fight.

## 10. Crews

Each bot has a crew. Two bots of one crew on your line turn on a bonus for the fight.

Imogen and Outbound Prospecting are Builders: your front bot gets +2 attack and +3 health.

## 11. The fight

Fight ends the shop. Seat rules, captains, crews, and Start of battle abilities fire first.

Then the front bots trade hits. Each loses health equal to the other's attack. At 0 health a bot faints, and the next one steps up.

## 12. Ghosts

Round 2: you keep your line and get 10 tokens more.

Your rival is a ghost, the saved line of a real player at the same round. Their last line now shows face up.

## 13. Items

An item is a card in your hand. Tap Equip, then a bot. A bot holds one item, and a new item replaces the old one.

Imogen holds a Foam pad: each hit on it deals 1 less.

## 14. Rating and ranks

Win two rounds to win the match. A rated match moves your rating, here +12, and your rival's too.

Your rank follows your rating, from Bronze to Grok. SuperGrok is for the number 1 player. Practice matches move nothing.

## Links

- [Play a match](https://thursdayarena.com/match)
- [Rules](https://thursdayarena.com/rules)
- [Cards](https://thursdayarena.com/cards)