Guide to Triple Triad (2024)

Triple Triad is a card game in the Final Fantasy series that was first introducedin FFVIII. The objective of Triple Triad is to capture all your opponent's cards onthe playing field. The popular card game also allows players to collect manycards throughout Eorzea!

Triple Triad in FFXIV is a collectible card game and one of the mainstays of theGold Saucer. Players can collect cards from all over Eorzea, whether it be fromNPCs, dungeons, or even raids. Players can challenge NPCs and other players tomatches, or play in tournaments to decide who is the best Triple Triad playeron the server.

To unlock Triple Triad, you must first unlock the Gold Saucer. Afterwards,head to the Triple Triad Master in the Card Square to accept and complete thequest "Triple Triad Trial." You can collect cards before accepting this quest!To learn more about the Gold Saucer, visit our Gold Saucer hub.

Cards form the backbone of Triple Triad, and there are 326 total cards tocollect. More are added each patch, so avid collectors continuously have their hands full.

Cards can be purchased with MGP, rewarded from defeating NPCs inTriple Triad, obtained from card packs purchased with MGP, or rewarded as drops fromdungeons, raids, and trials.

When players obtain a new card, it is deposited in their inventory. You can adda new card to your card list by using the card. Although you cannot trade extra cards toother players or sell them for gil, they are exchangeable with the TripleTriad NPC at the main counter for MGP. You can view your collection of cards atany time through the Gold Saucer menu.

If players collect all cards numbered 1 to 312, they can accept a quest in theGold Saucer, "The Adventurer with All the Cards," from the Gold Saucer Attendant (x5.0, y6.7).Completing this quest will reward them with the Magicked Card mount!

Cards belong to five rarities, denoted by stars: one star (★) cards are themost common, while five star (★★★★★) cards are the most rare. Decks are builtwith rarity restrictions in mind, which we'll touch on later in thedeck building section.

Cards have four values on them, each corresponding to one side of the card.These values range from 1 to 9 as well as A, which is equal to the number 10.For example, in the card listed above (yes, there is a 2B from Nier:Automatacard!), the left side is 8, the top side is 6, the right side is A (10), and thebottom side is 4.

Cards can also belong to a faction, which has an effect on certain game rules.This will be shown as the type of the card when building a deck. Four differenttypes exist: Scion, Beastman, Primal, and Garlean. Not all cardsbelong to a type.

Triple Triad is a simple card game at its core, but deceptively difficultwith all the additional rules that may come into play depending on the NPC orlocation. Here we explain the basic rules, as well as the specialrules that alter these base rules.

Players must first build a deck of five cards before being able to play TripleTriad. There are two restrictions when building a deck. Keep in mind that NPCs arenot bound to these restrictions.

1. There can only be two cards of four-star or higher rarity in a deck.
2. There can only be one card of five-star rarity in a deck.

Otherwise, there are no restrictions on three-star cards or those of lower value. You canfilter your card list by rarity, type, or side power. Ideally, a deck is builtwith three 3-star cards, one 4-star card, and one 5-star card.

Triple Triad is played on a 3 by 3 grid with nine spaces total. Players taketurns placing cards onto empty spots on the board, with the first player beingchosen at random. The objective of the game is to control more cards than youropponent after all nine spaces have been filled. To capture a card with normalrules, you must place a card next to an opponent's card where the number on thecard facing the opponent's card is greater than their number facing yours. Asthere are 10 cards available to be played and 9 cards on the board, the 10thcard is also counted. At the end of the match, whoever controls more cards wins.If both players control the same amount of cards, then a draw is declared.

However, there are many rules that alter the rules of the game. Some of theserules affect the deck, while some affect gameplay.

Below is a list of the special rules that can come into play during Triple Triad. NPCs areaffected by regional rules, which reset daily. These are also applied whenplaying against other players.

• All Open reveals all cards in the decks of both players.
• Three Open reveals three cards from the decks of both players.
• Same affects how cards are captured. When Same is in effect, ifthe numbers of two or more cards adjacent to a card you place is the same as thenumbers of your card, you will capture every matching card. For example, if youplay a card with 8 top and 8 right, and the cards to the top and to the right ofyour card have an 8, you capture both cards. Cards can belong to either youor your opponent.
• Sudden Death repeats any match that ends in a draw. However, the player'sdeck consists of the five cards they had control of at the end of the previous match.Sudden Death can occur up to five times, after which a Draw will be declared.
• Plus affects how cards are captured. When Plus is in effect, ifthe sum of a card you place and an adjacent card equals the sum of the card youplaced and another adjacent card, you will capture every matching card. For example,if you play a card with 4 top and 2 right, and the card to the top has a 2 while the cardto the right has a 4, you capture both cards. This is because 4 + 2 is equal to 2 + 4.Cards can belong to either you or your opponent.
• Random changes your deck to be comprised of five random cardsfrom your entire card list.
• Order requires you to play the cards in the order they appear inyour deck.
• Chaos randomly selects the card you play from your deck each turn.
• Reverse swaps the power of cards so that smaller numbers are more powerful.For example, a 2 would capture a 9.
• Fallen Ace allows cards with A to be captured by cards with 1. If Reverse isin effect, 1 is able to be captured by A.
• Ascension increases the power of all sides of a faction when a card ofthat faction is played. This applies to all cards in both the player and theiropponent's deck, and cards cannot go above A.
• Descension decreases the power of all sides of a faction when a card ofthat faction is played. This applies to all cards in both players' decks, and cards cannot go below 1.
• Swap switches one card between the player and their opponent at random.Swapped cards are returned to the original owner after the match ends.
• Roulette selects random rules to be played during the match.
• Combo affects rulesets during Plus and Same. If players capture a card withSame or Plus when Combo is in effect, the captured cards can then in turn captureadjacent cards if they have a weaker value.
• Draft is an advanced rule where players draft decks using cardsgiven to them by the Gold Saucer instead of using their own decks.

NPCs with the Triple Triad symbol above their head can be challenged to a gameof Triple Triad. These often have Eorzean time restrictions on when they are ableto be challenged. NPCs reward cards when they are defeated, and certaincards can only be dropped from NPCs at a rare rate.

In special zones, you can challenge other players to Triple Triad by inspectingthem and selecting Challenge to Normal Match. The Triple Triad Battlehall is across-server location where players across the data centre can challenge eachother to Triple Triad. You can queue up to enter the Battlehall or InvitationalParlor through the Duty Finder.

Players can participate in Triple Triad Tournaments to win rare cards and MGP.These are held at specific dates and times, with three types of tournaments: aregular tournament, an Open Tournament, and an Invitational Tournament.

The regular Triple Triad Tournament has players participate in a set number of matchesin order to achieve a high score. Players can enter a tournament when it isactive by talking to the Tournament Recordkeeper in Card Square at the GoldSaucer. Each tournament has a special set of rules that apply. Winning matchesincreases the score, with more points being given for wins against higher rankedopponents.

At the end of the tournament, scores are locked and players will receiverewards based on their score. In the case of a tie, it will be broken first bygreatest number of wins, followed by lowest number of matches played, then whicheverparticipant recorded a score first.

An Open Tournament has players employing the Draft ruleset and playingthree matches against each other. To participate, players must speak to the OpenTournament Official in Card Square. Here, you will also be able to view when the nexttournament will be held. Sign up to enter the tournament, if applicable.Players must not be in a party. If there are fewer than 8 participantsavailable, empty slots will be filled in by NPCs.

During the tournament, players will play three matches. A win grants two points,a draw grants one point, and no points are awarded for a loss. After the threematches are played, the player with the most points is declared the winner.Ties are broken by the number of captured cards. Seeding is determined at random -for the second and third matches, players will face whoever is closestin point total.

Rewards for Open Tournaments include MGP, Triple Triad cards, and titles.

An Invitational Tournament is functionally the same as an Open Tournament,except players can queue as a party and there are no rewards offered. Playerscan sign up for an Invitational tournament by heading to the Invitational Parlorthrough Duty Finder and queueing up.