Click a card to select for assignment. Double-click to hold a card from being redrawn.
Lend money to your contacts, but choose wisely! Some pay back with interest, others... not so much.
Your goal is to make as much money as possible in 24 weeks by lending to various contacts. Choose your loans wisely—some will pay you back with interest, while others will become deadbeats!
Welcome, aspiring lender! This guide contains a deep analysis of every mechanic in Legends and Deadbeats. Here you will learn the core rules, the nuances of every card and token, and the advanced strategies needed to become a lending legend.
The goal of the game is to survive for 24 weeks without your money dropping to $0. Each week presents a new set of challenges and opportunities.
At the start of each week, you are dealt a hand of 5 Trait Cards from your deck. If you don't like your hand, you have the option to redraw any unused cards up to **two times** per week. The cost to redraw increases each month. To keep a card from being redrawn, simply **double-click** it.
You will be presented with three "Sticky Notes," each representing a person asking for a loan. Each note has key information:
To secure a loan, you must match the required number of traits on the sticky note with cards from your hand.
To make a match, first click a card in your hand to select it, then click the corresponding trait emoji on the sticky note. A green border will confirm the match.
Once you have made the required number of matches, the "Fail" button will change to "Lend."
After you have resolved all the loans you wish to, click the "Next Week" button to proceed. Any unresolved loans are discarded, and any tokens you applied to them are returned to your inventory.
Your deck is composed of Trait Cards. Understanding their abilities is key to success.
A card's star level determines how many times it can be used per week.
Many cards have special abilities that trigger automatically when they are in your hand. These abilities can provide immediate cash bonuses based on their position in your hand, the number of cards in your deck, or other conditions. Starred versions of cards have significantly more powerful abilities to match their higher cost in the market.
When a loan fails, you receive a Deadbeat Token. These are powerful, single-use items that can be applied to any unresolved sticky note to gain a significant advantage. Click the "Apply Token" button on a note to use one from your inventory.
Reduces the risk level of a note by one step (High → Mid, Mid → Low, Low → No Risk). This lowers the number of matches required by one. The note's border color will change to reflect its new, temporary risk level.
After the loan is resolved (win or lose), all three traits on the note gain +1 Trend, making them more likely to appear on future notes.
After the loan is resolved, all three traits on the note gain +1 Value, making them more profitable when matched in the future.
After the loan is resolved, only the traits you successfully matched gain +2 Trend.
On a successful loan, this token restores 2 points of lost "value potential" to each matched trait. (See Advanced Mechanics).
If the loan is successful, you draw two extra cards from your deck into your hand for the next week.
After a successful loan, a special "Deck Trimming" window opens, allowing you to set aside up to 3 cards from your draw deck for the rest of the month.
Guarantees that you receive the note's Deadbeat Token, even if you succeed on the loan. Perfect for farming specific tokens from easy contacts.
After the loan is resolved, only the traits you successfully matched gain +2 Value.
Every trait has two hidden stats: Trend and Value.
A trait's "Value" cannot increase forever. Each time you succeed on a loan by matching a trait, its Value Potential decreases by one. This represents diminishing returns. The grayed-out boxes on the Value Status screen show lost potential. The Harassment token is the only way to reverse this decay.
Actively managing your deck is crucial for winning in the later weeks.
At the start of every week (after Week 1), you'll have the opportunity to buy new, more powerful (starred) versions of Trait Cards. These cards often have stronger abilities or allow for multiple uses per week.
Every 4 weeks, you will enter a Deck Construction phase. Here, you can view your entire card collection and choose to "set aside" any cards you don't want in your active deck for the next month. This is the primary way to remove weaker cards and improve the consistency of your draws. You must always have at least 15 cards in your active deck.
At the bottom of the screen, you'll see options to "Add New Notes" by paying a one-time fee. These purchases are permanent for your current run. Buying a new note adds a new contact to your pool, meaning you will have more loan options to choose from each week. This is a key way to increase your potential income, but it comes at a significant upfront cost.
Occasionally, you may encounter a "Desperate" contact. These notes have a distinct dark background and are rare opportunities. While they function like normal loans, they offer a much higher interest rate, making them extremely profitable if you can successfully make the required matches.
If your money drops to $0 or you complete all 24 weeks, the game ends. Don't be discouraged by a loss! As a reward for your efforts, you will be granted a **Consolation Token**—a random Deadbeat Token that will be added to your inventory at the very start of your next game. This gives you a small advantage to help you get further on your next attempt.
Your performance is measured by the rank you achieve and the achievements you unlock.
Your rank is determined by your final score at the end of the game.
| Final Money | Rank Title |
|---|---|
| $0 | True Deadbeat |
| $1 - $250 | Financial Failure |
| $251 - $500 | Bottom Feeder |
| $501 - $1,500 | Street-level Moneylender |
| $1,501 - $4,000 | Corner Hustler |
| $4,001 - $10,000 | Loan Shark |
| $10,001 - $25,000 | Creditor |
| $25,001 - $60,000 | City Slicker |
| $60,001 - $120,000 | Boss |
| $120,001 - $250,000 | Mogul |
| $250,001 - $500,000 | Kingpin |
| $500,001 - $999,999 | The Dawn |
| $1,000,000+ | True Legend |
These are long-term goals that can be unlocked across multiple playthroughs.
| Achievement | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| The Ladder | Achieve every possible rank title across all playthroughs. |
| Token Hoarder | Finish a game having collected at least one of every token type, without using any of them. |
| Perfect Record | Win the game by surviving all 24 weeks without a single contact becoming a deadbeat. |
| Debt Collector | Successfully use every type of Deadbeat Token at least once in a single run. |
| Iron Man | Win the game by surviving all 24 weeks without ever using the "Redraw" option. |
| The Philanthropist | Successfully lend to 5 "Desperate" friends in a single run. |
| Maximalist | Win the game by surviving all 24 weeks without ever setting aside cards during Monthly Deck Construction. |
| Risk Taker | Successfully complete 15 "High Risk" loans in a single run. |
These are the tokens you've collected from contacts who didn't pay you back.
These values increase the repayment on contacts with matching traits.
Select cards to buy or keep, then choose an action below.
| Trait | Ability |
|---|
Review your entire card collection. Click cards to set them aside for this month. You must keep at least 15 cards in your active deck.
Your threat was successful. You can now set aside up to 3 cards from your draw deck. This action is permanent for the rest of the month. You must maintain a minimum of 15 cards in your active deck.