Starter Haniel (Antique)

Order of play: Collectible (Medium) in 1R → Rarity (Medium) in 2R → Antique Rarity in 3R → Size (Medium) in 4R → final bid in 5R without any devices. Item cost is 8,000 per board (4 items).

1R — check board size and high-value ones. Read the board's outline from Haniel's starting 5 and the Auctioneer info, then open the identities of 3 random collectibles from the whole board with Collectible (Medium) (it's a type set, but it doesn't look only at that type). If reds or golds show, add their prices straight to the board value. The board fills from the top, so if they come up low on the board (row 11 or below), it's a big board (usually around 770k in the Coral Hall); if all three sit near the top (within the top 6 rows), it's a small board (around 200k). 1R is the round for sizing up the board, so don't bid big. 2+ reds --> defend at 400k or more / 1 red --> 200–300k / 0 reds --> 200–300k on a big board, 100–150k on a small one

2R — red detection. Find red locations with Rarity (Medium) on 6. From 2R, Haniel sees 2 more rarities every round for free, so together with the 1R identities the reds take shape.

3R — check Antique colors. Once you know the shape, the value is fixed: red 3×2 = Antique Suitcase (580k) · 5×1 = Radiant Scepter (290k) · 2×5 = Antique Pendulum Clock (150k) · 1×3 = Slender Lotus Vase (100k), gold 4×5 = Giovanni's Gilded Statue (270k). Only the red 2×2 is one of two — the Starshaker (30k) or the Azure Cascade (11.24M) — and the Azure Cascade is very rare. If the shape of a marked slot is already visible (Haniel's starting 5 · Auctioneer info · the 1R identities), add its value straight to the board value.

Board value = confirmed collectibles + the reds and golds you've seen (purples are small, so leave them out). One Antique Suitcase (580k) is worth about as much as a typical Coral Hall board, so once a Suitcase is confirmed you can bet big on that board.

4R — lock in shapes. With Size (Medium) on 8, see the shapes of slots whose color you know. Red silhouettes whose value is fixed by shape alone: 5×1 Radiant Scepter (290k) · 1×4 White Dragon King (300k) · 2×5 Antique Pendulum Clock (150k) · 3×4 Game Console (120k).

5R — final bid without any devices. Don't use the Purple average (purples don't change the board value much). Bid only within the board value you calculated; if the board is small with no reds, fold in 4R.

Once the mechanics feel natural and your funds reach 5M (the Pearl Hall asset requirement), move up to the Pearl Hall.