Shuffle Time
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Shuffle Time is a recurring mechanic in the Persona series.
Overview
Shuffle Time occurs after battles occasionally, and is one of the main ways to obtain Personas, along with fusion. The exact mechanics differ between installments.
Mechanics by Game
Persona 3
Shuffle Time is introduced in Persona 3 and works about the same in the original game, Persona 3 FES, and Persona 3 Portable. The player is shown five cards and then the cards are turned over and moved around on the screen. The cards can be a new Persona, a blank card, or a card representing one of the four Minor Arcana suits (Sword, Wand, Cup, and Coin). Minor Arcana cards have different levels, and the level is higher the further the player is in Tartarus; the higher the level, the more substantial the reward. The Sword gives a weapon, the Wand increases experience, the Cup restores HP, and the Coin gives money.
The cards can move about three different ways:
- Two cards swap places.
- The cards are moved off screen and come back from left to right in the order they went up.
- Three cards are stacked and are unstacked in the order they originally were.
Occasionally, the player has the chance to double up after selecting the card. If the player accepts, then they enter another Shuffle Time, and can get multiple cards in the same battle this way. However, if a blank card is picked, then the player will obtain no cards after that battle. Multiple double ups can occur in a row.
Sometimes, cards can be cursed. This is represented by a skull-and-crossbones overlaid on the card's face. If a cursed card is selected, it will reduce the time for the Reaper to appear.
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Portable modifies Shuffle Time to be more similar to Persona 4. The variants are mostly identical to Persona 3, except the "off screen" variant is replaced with one where the cards are constantly revolving around and the player will select whatever is in the center of the screen at the time the button is pressed. Blank cards now behave identically to their Persona 4 counterparts, including triggering the 1 More mechanic, and Double Up no longer happens.
Persona 3 Reload
- Main article: Shuffle Time in Persona 3 Reload
Shuffle Time returns in Reload. The cards are no longer face down or moving. Players can now obtain Major Arcana cards in addition to Minor Arcana and Personas. After obtaining a certain number of Major Arcana, the maximum rank of all Minor Arcana cards increases +1 until you leave Tartarus.
Persona 4
Shuffle time is expanded upon in Persona 4. Unlike in Persona 3, Minor Arcana cards cannot be drawn and only three types of cards exist.
- Persona card: The card depicts a certain Persona. When drawn, the player receives the depicted Persona. The Persona is not received if its level is higher than the main protagonist's.
- Blank card: This card is marked with a shattered glass effect. When drawn, the player receives nothing other than the experience points and money gained normally.
- Penalty card: This card is marked with a white cross pattern with red highlights. When drawn, the player does not receive a Persona, experience points, or money from the battle just won.
There are a number of variants added in Persona 4, such as a Concentration-like matching minigame, and a slot machine-like minigame where the player must stop three rotating columns of cards.
Two additional mechanics can be triggered randomly when drawing a Persona or Blank card. The first, 1 More, allows the player to retry their luck at drawing a different card. The second, known as Arcana Chance transforms the card into a card of the Major Arcana. If the player chooses to proceed with Arcana Chance, they will either receive the Major Arcana card in the upright or reverse position. The associated effects of each are listed below.
Arcana | Upright effect | Reversed effect |
---|---|---|
Fool | Triggers a random effect of a different Arcana in any position | None |
Magician | A single target skill on a random Persona is upgraded to an all-target skill | An all-target skill on a random Persona is downgraded to a single target skill |
Priestess | Can view all Analysis information for all enemies for a while | Cannot view any Analysis information for a while |
Empress | All party members' HP is restored to maximum | All party members' HP is reduced to 1 |
Emperor | All battles will begin with a Player Advantage for a while | All battles will begin with an Enemy Advantage for a while |
Hierophant | Reversed effects in Arcana Chances will be negated for a while | Arcana Chances will be more likely to produce a reversed result for a while |
Lovers | Powerful Shadows will not appear for a while | More Shadows will be Powerful Shadows for a while |
Chariot | A random Persona's Agility is increased by 1~3 | A random Persona's Agility is reduced by 1~3 |
Justice | A random Persona's Strength is increased by 1~3 | A random Persona's Strength is reduced by 1~3 |
Hermit | Can view the entire minimap of the floor for a while | The minimap is fully hidden for a while |
Fortune | A random Persona's Luck is increased by 1~3 | A random Persona's Luck is reduced by 1~3 |
Strength | A random Persona's Magic is increased by 1~3 | A random Persona's Magic is reduced by 1~3 |
Hanged Man | A random Persona's Endurance is increased by 1~3 | A random Persona's Endurance is reduced by 1~3 |
Death | The entire party is returned to the entrance of the dungeon, with 1 HP but fully regaining SP | The entire party is returned to the entrance of the dungeon, with 1 SP but fully regaining HP |
Temperance | Temporarily increases the amount of money obtained after battles | Temporarily decreases the amount of money obtained after battles |
Devil | A random Persona changes into a higher-level Persona with only its base skills | A random Persona changes into a lower-level Persona with only its base skills |
Tower | Opening chests grants money in addition to an item for a while | Opening chests may cause a Shadow attack for a while |
Star | 1 More will occur more frequently in Shuffle time for a while | 1 More will occur less frequently in Shuffle time for a while |
Moon | Temporarily increases the amount of experience gained after battles | Temporarily locks the amount of experience gained after battles to 1 |
Sun | Temporarily replaces all blank cards in Shuffle time with Persona cards | Temporarily replaces all blank cards in Shuffle time with Penalty cards |
Judgement | All party members' SP is restored to maximum | All party members' current SP is halved |
Persona 4 Golden
Shuffle Time is simplified in Persona 4 Golden. Rather than a minigame where the player selects a face down card, all cards are shown face up and the player chooses to draw a card freely from those shown. Additionally, both Minor and Major Arcana Cards can be drawn. When entering Shuffle Time, the player is given 1 try to draw a card. Certain cards are denoted as X more, with X being a number in the range of 1-4. When these cards are selected, the player is given that many more tries to draw cards.
When all cards have been drawn, a Sweep Bonus (Japanese: All Get Bonus) is activated. The Sweep Bonus grants a number of benefits:
- A Shuffle Time will always occur after winning the next battle.
- The next Shuffle Time will start with 3 draws instead of 1.
- Persona Cards that the player already possesses and cards with negative effects may be replaced with other, more beneficial cards.
There is a base 30% chance of triggering Shuffle Time after defeating enemies. This increases by 20% if the player got the first strike, and by 10% for each time an enemy weakness was struck. If the battle is won through an All-Out Attack, then this guarantees Shuffle Time. Shuffle Time can never occur after boss fights.
Arcana
Card | Effect |
---|---|
Persona | Obtain the Persona shown on the card. |
Fool | Changes all of the dealt cards. Gain another draw. |
Magician | Ranks up 1 of the skills on the protagonist's currently equipped Persona. |
Priestess | One of the dealt cards turns into an Arcana card. Gain another draw. |
Empress | One of the dealt cards disappears. Gain another draw. |
Emperor | The protagonist's currently equipped Persona gains 1 level. |
Hierophant | 1 of the dealt cards changes into a Persona card. |
Lovers | Don't receive any items after battle, but you gain 2 draws. |
Chariot | The protagonist's currently equipped Persona gains 1 Agility. |
Justice | The protagonist's currently equipped Persona gains 1 Strength. |
Hermit | Shadows won't notice the protagonist for the rest of the current dungeon floor. |
Fortune | The protagonist's currently equipped Persona gains 1 Luck. |
Strength | The protagonist's currently equipped Persona gains 1 Magic. |
Hanged Man | The protagonist's currently equipped Persona gains 1 Endurance. |
Death | Ends Shuffle Time. |
Devil | EXP earned is reduced to 1, but you gain 3 draws. |
Temperance | Gain a Chest Key. |
Tower | Yen earned is reduced to 0, but you gain 3 draws. |
Star | Removes 1 of your selected cards, but you gain 1 draw. |
Moon | Halves your EXP, but you gain 2 draws. |
Sun | Halves your Yen, but you gain 2 draws. |
Judgment | No effect. |
Aeon | Gain 4 draws. |
Sword | Gain 1 skill card. |
Coin | Increases Yen. |
Wand | Increases EXP. |
Cup | Restores HP and SP. |
Appearance
Which Arcana appear during Shuffle Time is based on the dungeon.
Dungeon | Personas | Fool | Magician | Priestess | Empress | Emperor | Hierophant | Lovers | Chariot | Justice | Hermit | Fortune | Strength | Hanged Man | Death | Temperance | Devil | Tower | Star | Moon | Sun | Judgement | Aeon | Sword | Coin | Wand | Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yukiko's Castle (1st Visit) | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Yukiko's Castle | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Steamy Bathhouse | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Marukyu Striptease | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Void Quest | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Secret Laboratory | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Heaven | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Magatsu Inaba | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Hollow Forest | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Yomotsu Hirasaka | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
The possible ranks of the minor Arcana are also based on the dungeon.
Dungeon | Sword | Coin | Wand | Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yukiko's Castle (1st Visit) | 1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 |
Yukiko's Castle | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
Steamy Bathhouse | 1-3 | 1-5 | 1-4 | 1-4 |
Marukyu Striptease | 1-4 | 1-6 | 1-5 | 1-5 |
Void Quest | 2-6 | 1-7 | 1-7 | 1-6 |
Secret Laboratory | 3-7 | 1-8 | 1-8 | 1-8 |
Heaven | 4-9 | 1-9 | 2-9 | 1-9 |
Magatsu Inaba | 5-10 | 1-10 | 2-10 | 1-10 |
Hollow Forest | ✘ | 1-10 | 2-10 | 1-10 |
Yomotsu Hirasaka | 5-10 | 1-10 | 2-10 | 1-10 |
Coin, Wand, and Cup Effects per Rank
Rank | Coin Effect | Wand Effect | Cup Effect |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Yen +10% | EXP +20% | Restores 10% max HP, 6% max SP |
2 | Yen +20% | EXP +25% | Restores 20% max HP, 8% max SP |
3 | Yen +30% | EXP +30% | Restores 30% max HP, 10% max SP |
4 | Yen +40% | EXP +35% | Restores 40% max HP, 12% max SP |
5 | Yen +50% | EXP +40% | Restores 50% max HP, 14% max SP |
6 | Yen +60% | EXP +45% | Restores 60% max HP, 16% max SP |
7 | Yen +70% | EXP +50% | Restores 70% max HP, 18% max SP |
8 | Yen +80% | EXP +55% | Restores 80% max HP, 20% max SP |
9 | Yen +90% | EXP +60% | Restores 90% max HP, 22% max SP |
10 | Yen +100% | EXP +70% | Restores 100% max HP, 25% max SP |
Sword Effects per Rank
Magician Card Upgrades
- Main article: Skill Change
By selecting a Magician Arcana, one of the protagonist's currently equipped Persona's skills will be randomly selected to upgrade. Which skills can upgrade and what they change into is all predetermined. If the equipped Persona does not have one of the skills that can be upgraded, then there will be no changes.
Nomenclature
Language | Name | Meaning |
---|---|---|
Japanese | シャッフルタイム Shaffurutaimu | Shuffle Time |
French | Tirage de carte | Card Draw |
German | Karten Mischen | Shuffle Cards |
Italian | Mano arcana | Arcane Hand |
Spanish | A barajar | Let's Shuffle |
Gallery
-
Shuffle Time in Persona 4 Golden.
-
Shuffle Time in Persona 3 Reload.
Notes
References
- General
- "Chapter 1: Systems: Shuffle Time", Persona 4 The Golden: The Complete Guide, Dengeki Playstation Editorial Staff. Published by Kadokawa (2012). Japanese. p. 65-69. ISBN-13: 978-4048866637.
- Cited
- ↑ Persona 4: The Official Strategy Guide, DoubleJump. Published by DoubleJump Publishing, Inc. 2008. English. 64-65. ISBN-13: 978-0979884863