Part 2
The three halls compared — how Shell, Coral and Pearl differ
Shell, Coral and Pearl Halls compared: entry fees, court condition odds, collectible mix and board values, plus how to choose one for your bankroll.
The entry fee sets the board size — Shell to protect your Assets, Coral to practice, Pearl for big boards
Entry fees and how the halls rank
The higher the entry fee, the bigger the board — board value and top-rarity counts both run Pearl > Coral > Shell.
- Entry fees: Shell 0 · Coral 5,000 · Pearl 20,000. They are not refunded, even on a no sale.
- Board value and the number of top-rarity collectibles (Gold, Red) run Pearl > Coral > Shell.
- In the Shell Hall a board usually has 2–4 Gold collectibles (0–12 at the extremes); about half the boards have no Red, and when one appears it is usually just 1.
Court condition odds
Most matches are By the Book, but one Pearl match in five is a Blackout.
| Condition | Shell | Coral | Pearl |
|---|---|---|---|
| By the Book | 80% | 75% | 65% |
| Blackout (only bid rankings are shown, not amounts) | 7.5% | 10% | 20% |
| Insider Intel (+1 Auctioneer Public Intel in rounds 1 and 3) | 0% | 5% | 5% |
| Double Up! (Purple value doubled) | 2.5% | 5% | 5% |
| Super Rush (Gold value doubled) | 0% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Gemheart (every 1×1 collectible becomes a 1×1 Gem) | 0% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Bonus Bonanza (Bonus 10% → 30%) | 10% | 2% | 2% |
In-game- A Pearl Blackout hides your rivals' amounts, so practice bidding from the rankings and your own information alone.
- Bonus Bonanza is most common in the Shell Hall, at 10%. If the winner takes a loss, the other players each receive 30% of it.
Which hall to start in
Shell for a small bankroll, Coral for practice, Pearl for big boards.
- Shell — No entry fee, so folding often costs you nothing. The Playbook's Jiuyuan Suitcase/Scepter Search Run is a Shell strategy.
- Coral — With a 5,000 entry fee, top rarities show up more often than in Shell. A good practice ground before Pearl. Budget Hotori is a strategy shared by Coral and Pearl.
- Pearl — Board values are high, so each match swings big. Most Playbook strategies (All-Round Haniel, All-Round Daffodill, All-Round Chiz, Pendragon Run, Eternal Heart Run) are for Pearl.
Jiuyuan Suitcase/Scepter Search Run1.31.4ShellSearch for the Radiant Scepter and the Antique Suitcase in 1R and go all-in to win at 300k. (If there are two or more Jiuyuans, drop when you don't win in 1R and re-queue for a board without a Jiuyuan.)No tools
Budget Hotori1.3CoralPearlA strong Hotori build that everyone can use — beginners, players on their way to expert, and experts alikeAntique
All-Round Haniel1.31.4Pearl1–2R: scan for reds and board size → 3R: lock in colors → 4R: add up gold + red value → 5R: betAdvanced All-round
All-Round Daffodill1.31.4PearlPurple count tool for an early all-in → red detection · gold back-calculation → conditional commit by gold + red count.Advanced Rarity
