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TCG Card Shop Simulator Walkthrough: Start to Endgame

Step-by-step TCG Card Shop Simulator walkthrough covering every phase from first session to endgame. Complete progression guide with milestones and checklists.

Researched and editorially reviewed. Updated .
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OPNeon Games put a card shop counter in front of you on 15 September 2024 and let the ledger do the rest. You buy sealed Tetramon product, rip packs for singles, price everything against a live market value and try to keep the shop clean enough that customers come back. Over 2,500 cards exist to collect, and the Ghost cards behind them appear in only one pack in a thousand.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.

Quick Progression Summary

PhaseAreaFocusBuildDuration
1. StartFront sales floorMarket price and markup limits basicsSingles pricer1-2 hours
2. EarlyStorage roomPack opening and card rarities masterySingles pricer3-5 hours
3. MidShop Lot BShop levels and lot expansions + gearPack flipper or Singles pricer5-10 hours
4. LateCard table play areaBuild optimizationPack flipper5-10 hours
5. EndgameCheckout counterMin-maxPack flipper or Accessory retailerOngoing

See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.


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Phase 1: Getting Started (Front sales floor)

The original room you open with, holding shelves, the counter and whatever furniture fits. Space here is the binding constraint until the first lot expansion, so shelving beats decoration early on.

Level/Difficulty: Shop level 1 and up Key Rewards: Basic shelving, small cabinets, metal racks, the first checkout counter

What to Do in Front sales floor

  1. Learn Market price and markup limits. Every card and product carries a live market value, and customers compare your sticker to it before deciding. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
  2. Pick Singles pricer as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
  3. Set almost everything to market price plus 10 percent and leave it there. Purchase likelihood sits near 90 percent at market and around 75 percent at plus 10, which is the best money-per-sale trade in the game.
  4. Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Tetramon Destiny booster pack or whatever's available.
  5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

  • Understand Market price and markup limits fundamentals
  • Singles pricer selected and functional
  • Front sales floor main content cleared
  • Ready for Storage room

Phase 2: Early Game (Storage room)

Where wholesale deliveries land and where boxed stock waits before it goes out. Keeping it organised matters because a cluttered storage room slows every restock cycle you run before opening.

Level/Difficulty: Unlocked in the early shop levels Key Rewards: Delivery space, card storage boxes, room to stage bulk boxes from the workbench

What to Do in Storage room

  1. Work on Pack opening and card rarities. Singles run from Common through First Edition, Silver, Gold, EX and Full Art up to Ghost, with a roughly 5 percent chance for any card to come out foil. This system becomes critical from here on.
  2. Farm for Tetramon Destiny booster pack if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
  3. Never price anything 60 percent or more above market value. That is the hard refusal line, and a shelf full of unsellable stock costs you both the cash and the space.
  4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Shop Lot B.
  5. Consider whether Pack flipper might suit your playstyle better than Singles pricer.

Phase 2 Checklist

  • Pack opening and card rarities integrated into gameplay
  • Tetramon Destiny booster pack acquired
  • Storage room fully cleared
  • Ready for Shop Lot B

Phase 3: Mid Game (Shop Lot B)

The first major expansion, opening at shop level 15. Beyond the floor area, expansions raise the customer cap and how much each shopper is willing to spend, which is the real payoff.

Level/Difficulty: Shop level 15 Key Rewards: Higher customer capacity toward the 28 ceiling, room for card tables, space for a second checkout

What to Do in Shop Lot B

  1. Master Shop levels and lot expansions. XP from sales pushes the shop level, which unlocks products, furniture, machines and staff on a fixed schedule up to level 80. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
  2. Start working toward Tetramon Base booster box. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
  3. Grade only cards worth more than about 400. Grading adds roughly 15 to 20 percent on average, and the four-day tier costs 1,600, so anything cheaper loses money over a run of submissions.
  4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
  5. Start investing in Card tables and event fees for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

  • Shop levels and lot expansions mastered
  • Tetramon Base booster box acquired or in progress
  • Shop Lot B fully cleared
  • Ready for Card table play area

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Phase 4: Late Game (Card table play area)

Whatever corner you dedicate to tables, ideally away from the till so queues do not tangle with seated players. Cleanliness matters most here because customers leave a dirty shop before they finish a game.

Level/Difficulty: From the first card table unlock onward Key Rewards: Event fee income, XP scaled by shop rating and level, follow-on purchases from roughly 60 percent of players

What to Do in Card table play area

  1. Finalize your build. You should be running Pack flipper or Singles pricer with optimized gear.
  2. Tetramon Base booster box should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
  3. Always grade holo Ghost cards. Ordinary Ghost cards stop being impressive once you are deep into Destiny, but the holo versions carry enough value that the grading fee is trivial by comparison.
  4. Grading and the workbench optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
  5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Checkout counter.

Phase 4 Checklist

  • Build fully optimized
  • Tetramon Base booster box upgraded to max
  • Card table play area fully cleared
  • Ready for Checkout counter

Phase 5: Endgame (Checkout counter)

The chokepoint of the whole shop. One counter is fine until the customer count climbs, after which a second till and your fastest staff member do more for daily takings than another shelf of product.

Level/Difficulty: Shop level 1, second counter recommended after Lot B Key Rewards: Transaction throughput, reduced queue abandonment, a place to put impulse accessories

What to Do in Checkout counter

  1. Checkout counter tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
  2. Buy several shop expansions at once rather than one at a time when the cash allows. Each expansion lifts both the customer cap and per-customer spending, so stacking them compounds instead of adding.
  3. The endgame loop: run Checkout counter, optimize gear, push harder content.
  4. Experiment with Accessory retailer for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
  5. This is where Grading and the workbench mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.

Phase 5 Checklist

  • Endgame content on farm
  • Best-in-slot gear acquired
  • Checkout counter fully cleared
  • Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

  • Pricing everything at plus 20 or 30 percent because a few high-value cards tolerated it, then wondering why the ordinary stock stops moving.
  • Grading cheap pulls and losing money on the 1,600 processing fee across dozens of submissions.
  • Ripping every pack that comes through the door instead of shelving sealed product, which turns a stable business into a coin flip.
  • Filling the floor with decoration and figurines before there is enough shelving to hold a full day of stock.
  • Ignoring cleanliness until the shop rating drops, which quietly cuts both card table attendance and repeat customers.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

  1. Set almost everything to market price plus 10 percent and leave it there. Purchase likelihood sits near 90 percent at market and around 75 percent at plus 10, which is the best money-per-sale trade in the game.
  2. Never price anything 60 percent or more above market value. That is the hard refusal line, and a shelf full of unsellable stock costs you both the cash and the space.
  3. Grade only cards worth more than about 400. Grading adds roughly 15 to 20 percent on average, and the four-day tier costs 1,600, so anything cheaper loses money over a run of submissions.
  4. Always grade holo Ghost cards. Ordinary Ghost cards stop being impressive once you are deep into Destiny, but the holo versions carry enough value that the grading fee is trivial by comparison.
  5. Buy several shop expansions at once rather than one at a time when the cash allows. Each expansion lifts both the customer cap and per-customer spending, so stacking them compounds instead of adding.

For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.

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