Every game in a set gets a fresh account and at least four weeks of play, usually more, in Chrome and Firefox on an ordinary laptop. We don't spend during that window, so the fairness sub-grade reflects the non-paying experience. Pricing gets checked separately afterwards.
Are the decisions still interesting in week six, or is it timers all the way down?
How the game treats someone who never pays, and how loudly the shop asks.
How soon a fresh account reaches its first real decision, and whether the middle keeps moving.
Interface, stability and load times in an ordinary browser over long sessions.
Rarity
Rarity is read straight off the grade: 8.5 and up is Legendary, 8.0 to 8.4 Epic, 7.5 to 7.9 Rare, 7.0 to 7.4 Common. Nothing under 7.0 is printed. A Common is still a game we'd recommend to the right player; the misprints on its card say who that is.
Who pays for the printing
Affiliate commissions, and nothing else. "Add to binder" buttons lead to each publisher's official site through a tracking link, and if you create an account afterwards the publisher may pay us. That doesn't change the price you pay, and it has never changed a grade. Publishers don't see cards before they're printed and can't buy a slot in the set.
Regrading
Every set is regraded each season. When a sub-grade moves, the card text says why and the set number gets a new print date.