Shen Sui looked at the notification, overwhelmed by a surge of ecstatic joy.
In a Life Card deck, Soul Cards could gain new forms as their levels rose or their behavior and state of mind changed. Likewise, Followers that had already been obtained could undergo new changes for similar reasons. Such changes were often accompanied by subtle alterations in appearance and were therefore called variant art.
Unlike variant art cards in other card games, variant art cards in Soul Card Duel could differ in star rating, Spirit Value, and effects as a Follower Card's level increased. In truth, they were much like the various forms of Soul Cards.
However, unlike Soul Cards, these variant art Follower Cards could not be switched during a duel. You could only choose the appropriate variant art appearance for the Follower Card in the Duel Instrument.
This choice was reversible. You could revert the Follower Card to its previous appearance, but this could only be done outside a duel. Therefore, when building your deck, you needed to decide what form that card would take in the upcoming duel. Soul Cards, on the other hand, could freely switch between their various forms during a duel.
There were many circumstances in which variant art cards could appear. For example, when a Follower leveled up, or when it acquired a new outfit that changed its fate.
The most classic type of variant art was Bride Variant Art, obtained by female Follower Cards at the moment they put on wedding dresses to marry in the Soul Card World.
Under normal circumstances, variant art produced by a new outfit would not affect a Follower Card's stats. However, there were exceptions. In certain xianxia Soul Card Worlds, some sects grew stronger through marriage and divorce, and different Bride Cards would possess