Terms of Service

1. Who’s Who

“You” means any individual using our Services. The Services are provided by Manta Research LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware, which is the party to the Agreement with you. We refer to it as “Cardinal,” “us,” or “we” throughout these Terms.

The following terms have the meanings given below wherever they appear capitalized in the Agreement.

• “Credits” means the United States dollar-denominated balance recorded for your account within the Services.
• “Card” means a graded collectible trading card, or the digital record that represents it, that is made available through the Services.
• “Pack” means a purchasable product through which one Card is drawn at random from the tiers and at the odds disclosed for that Pack.
• “Vault” means the inventory of Cards attributed to your account, which are held in custody on your behalf by our card custody and fulfillment partners.
• “Wallet” means the Solana blockchain wallet that is created for your account through our wallet provider.
• “Upgrade” means a feature through which you commit Cards from your Vault, Credits, or both, for a chance to obtain a target Card of greater value, and “Stake” means to make a Card from your Vault available as a target Card for the Upgrades of other users.
• “Plinko” means a game of chance through which you place a bet in Credits and a ball falls into one of the bins of a board, each of which pays Credits or a specific Card in accordance with Section 9.
• “Listing” means an offer made through the Services to exchange Cards, Credits, or both with other users, and “Trade” means an exchange completed pursuant to a Listing or an offer made in response to it.

2. Your Use of Our Services and Your Account

Access to our Services requires an account. You may sign in by means of an email one-time code, a passkey, a supported third-party sign-in provider, or a Solana wallet, through our wallet provider, which creates a Wallet for your account. Where the use of our Services requires an account, you agree to provide us with complete and accurate information and to keep the information current so that we can communicate with you about your account. We may need to send you notices about notable updates (such as changes to our Terms of Service or Privacy Policy), or to inform you of legal inquiries or complaints we receive about the ways you use our Services so that you can make informed choices in response.

We may limit your access to our Services until we are able to verify your account information. You may hold only one account. Accounts registered by bots or other automated methods are not permitted.

We record the version and date of the Terms that you accept, and we may require you to accept updated Terms before you continue to use certain features of our Services. You may always withdraw your Credits and Cards, whether or not you have accepted updated Terms.

You are solely responsible and liable for your use of our Services and all activity under your account. You are also fully responsible for using our Services securely and maintaining the security of your account, your sign-in methods, and any physical hardware or connected devices you use with it (which, among other things, includes keeping your credentials secure and your devices and applications up to date).

You shall not share or misuse your access credentials. You shall notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account or of any other breach of security. If we believe your account has been compromised, we may suspend or disable it.

If you would like to learn about how we handle the information you provide us, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

3. Minimum Age Requirements

Our Services are not directed to children. You are not allowed to access or use our Services if you are under the age of 18 (or the legal age of majority where you live, if that age is higher). If you register as a user or otherwise use our Services, you represent that you are at least 18 years of age (or the legal age of majority where you live, if higher) and that you can legally form a binding contract with us.

You shall not use our Services where doing so is prohibited by the laws that apply to you. You are responsible for knowing and complying with those laws, and we may restrict access to our Services from any location in our discretion.

4. Responsibility of Visitors and Users

We have not reviewed, and cannot review, all of the content (such as text, handles, notes, messages, and other materials) posted to or made available through our Services by users or anyone else (“Content”), or on websites that link to, or are linked from, our Services. We are not responsible for any use or effects of Content or third-party websites. Accordingly:

• We do not have any control over third-party websites.
• A link to or from one of our Services does not represent or imply that we endorse any third-party website.
• We do not endorse any Content or represent that Content is accurate, useful, or not harmful. Content could be offensive, indecent, or objectionable; include technical inaccuracies, typographical mistakes, or other errors; or violate or infringe the privacy, publicity rights, intellectual property rights, or other proprietary rights of third parties.
• You are fully responsible for the Content that you post, including your handle and any Listing notes and offer messages, and for any harm resulting from that Content. It is your responsibility to ensure that your Content abides by applicable laws and by the Agreement.
• We are not responsible for any harm resulting from anyone’s access, use, or purchase of Content, or for any harm resulting from third-party websites. You are responsible for taking the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your computer systems from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other harmful or destructive content.
• We are not a party to, and will have no responsibility or liability for, any communications, interactions, or disputes between users, except as expressly provided in the Agreement.

Your handle and your activity within the Services, including the Cards you obtain, your Upgrades, your Plinko drops, your Trades, your Listings and offers, your Staked Cards, and your leaderboard standing, may be displayed to other users as described in our Privacy Policy.

License. You grant us a worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, adapt, publicly display, and publish your Content for the purpose of providing and improving our Services.

We may refuse or remove any Content that, in our reasonable opinion, violates any part of the Agreement or is in any way harmful or objectionable, and we may change a handle that does. If you delete Content, we will use reasonable efforts to remove it from public view, but you acknowledge that cached versions of the Content or references to the Content may not become unavailable immediately.

5. Fees, Payment, and Refunds

(a) Fees. Certain features of our Services are subject to a fee, which is disclosed before you confirm the relevant transaction. By using such a feature, you agree to pay the specified fees. As of the date of these Terms, the fees comprise the following: a fee of 2% deducted from the offer on a Sell-Back (Section 7); a fee of 1.5% added to the listed price of a Card purchased through a Marketplace Purchase (Section 10); a house edge of 3% included in the chance of success of each Upgrade (Section 8); a house edge of 3% included in the payouts of each Plinko board (Section 9); the shipping cost described in Section 11(a); and the network costs described in Section 6(d). The price of each Pack, and the expected value of its contents, are disclosed before purchase.

(b) Taxes. To the extent permitted by law, or unless explicitly stated otherwise, all prices and fees do not include applicable federal, provincial, state, local, or other governmental sales, value-added, goods and services, harmonized, or other taxes, fees, or charges (“Taxes”). You are responsible for paying all applicable Taxes relating to your use of our Services, your payments, your purchases, and any Cards or Credits you receive. If we are obligated to pay or collect Taxes on the fees you have paid or will pay, you are responsible for those Taxes, and we may collect payment from you.

(c) Payment. You must provide accurate and up-to-date payment information. If your payment fails, we suspect fraud, or a payment is otherwise not completed, we may cancel the transaction, reverse any Credits that it added, and limit your access to our Services.

(d) Chargebacks. If you contact your bank or card issuer to decline or reverse a payment made for the Services (a “Chargeback”), we may immediately suspend your account, reverse the Credits that the payment added, and hold the Cards and Credits in your account while we investigate. If you have a concern about a payment, you should contact us before initiating a Chargeback. If a reversed payment leaves your account with a negative balance, you are responsible for that amount, and we may recover it from your Credits or from the Cards in your Vault.

(e) Fees and Changes. We may change our fees at any time in accordance with these Terms and requirements under applicable law. This means that we may change our fees going forward, start charging fees for Services that were previously free, or remove or update features or functionality that were previously included in the fees. If you do not agree with the changes, you must stop using the affected feature.

(f) Refunds. Cardinal will credit the price of a Pack to your Credits if the Pack cannot be opened, and will credit the total price of a Marketplace Purchase that cannot be completed to your Credits. Each Pack opened, Upgrade played, Plinko drop made, and Trade accepted is final. We will also provide refunds if required by law. In all other cases, there are no refunds and all payments are final.

(g) European Users. Each Pack is opened, and each Upgrade and Plinko drop is performed, immediately upon your confirmation. You agree that the relevant digital content or service will be made available or performed immediately and, as a result, you acknowledge that you lose, and waive, any right of withdrawal from that purchase once it has been fully performed. Nothing in this Section limits any right that cannot be waived under the law of your country of residence.

6. Credits, Deposits, and Withdrawals

(a) Credits. Your balance is denominated in United States dollars and is held as Credits. Credits are a record of your entitlement under the Agreement. They do not constitute a deposit account, are not insured, and do not bear interest.

(b) Deposits. You may add Credits by transferring USDC or SOL on the Solana network to your Wallet. SOL is converted to USDC at the prevailing market rate upon receipt, except that an amount of SOL below 0.01 SOL is not converted. Network fees and fluctuations in price may affect the amount credited, and you bear the risk of any such variation. Where available, you may also add Credits by card through our payment processor, MoonPay.

(c) Delegated Signing. By adding funds, you authorize us to sign, on behalf of your Wallet, the transactions that move your deposited funds for use in the Services. We shall use this authorization only for that purpose.

(d) Withdrawals. You may withdraw your Credits as USDC, or withdraw a Card from your Vault, to a Solana address that you designate. Network costs applicable to a withdrawal, including any account rent that is required where the destination address does not hold a USDC account, are displayed before you confirm and are deducted from the amount withdrawn.

(e) Irreversibility. Blockchain transactions cannot be reversed. You are solely responsible for the accuracy of any address you provide. We have no ability to recover, and shall have no liability for, any funds or Cards sent to an incorrect address.

7. Packs, the Vault, and Sell-Back

(a) Packs. A Pack is available at the price displayed. Upon opening, one graded Card is drawn at random from the tiers of the Pack at the odds displayed on the page for that Pack. The Card is attributed to your Vault.

(b) Custody. Cards in your Vault are held in custody on your behalf by our card custody and fulfillment partners. If a Pack cannot be opened, its price is credited to your Credits in accordance with Section 5(f).

(c) Sell-Back. For seventy-two (72) hours after a Pack is opened, you may sell the Card back to Cardinal at the offer displayed, less a fee of 2% (a “Sell-Back”). The amount you will receive is displayed before you accept the offer. A Sell-Back, once accepted, is final.

8. Upgrades and Staking

(a) Upgrades. In an Upgrade, you commit Cards from your Vault, Credits, or both, for a chance to obtain a target Card of greater value. The chance of success is displayed before you confirm and includes a house edge of 3%. Each Upgrade is final upon confirmation.

(b) Outcome. The Cards and Credits you commit to an Upgrade are consumed whether or not the Upgrade is successful. If the Upgrade is unsuccessful, they are forfeited and are not returned. If the Upgrade is successful, the target Card is attributed to your Vault. If the target Card was a Card listed on a third-party marketplace that can no longer be purchased, its value is credited to your Credits instead.

(c) Staking. You may Stake a Card from your Vault as a target Card for the Upgrades of other users. While a Card is Staked, you are credited, for each Upgrade attempted against it, with the value committed to that Upgrade less 20% of the house edge on that value, as described in Odds and Fairness. If another user’s Upgrade against your Staked Card is successful, or if it is won through Plinko in accordance with Section 9(c), the Card is transferred to that user and you shall have no further interest in it. You may unstake a Card at any time when no Upgrade against it is in progress. You may maintain at most 8 Staked Cards at any time.

9. Plinko

(a) Play. In Plinko, you choose a bet in Credits and a risk level of low, medium, or high, which determines the board you play. The board, including each of its bins, the multiple of your bet that each bin pays, and the chance of the ball landing in each bin, is displayed before you confirm, as is the expected return of that board. The bin is determined by a random roll made when you confirm your bet. The movement of the ball on your screen is for display only and does not affect the outcome. Each drop is final upon confirmation, and your bet is consumed whether or not the result is greater than your bet. If a drop cannot be completed, your bet will be credited to your Credits in accordance with Section 5(f).

(b) Turbo Results. A bin that pays less than 4× your bet, or less than $5, pays Credits, which are added to your balance immediately.

(c) Card Results. Any other bin awards a specific Card, which is displayed on the board before you confirm your bet. The Card is the one available for Plinko that is nearest in value to your bet multiplied by the multiple of that bin, drawn from Cards listed on third-party marketplaces and from Cards Staked by users. If no available Card is within 30% of that value, the bin pays Credits instead, as displayed on the board. If the ball lands in a bin that awards a Card, the Card is attributed to your Vault, and Sections 7(b) and 11 apply to it as they do to any other Card. If the Card was listed on a third-party marketplace, we may purchase it on your behalf when it is won, without the fee described in Section 10(c), and if it can no longer be purchased, the value of the Card shown on the board is credited to your Credits instead. Card values are the insured values described in Section 12(b).

(d) House Edge. The payouts of each board are set so that its expected return is 97% of the amount bet, which reflects a house edge of 3%. The board and the Cards displayed may change from one drop to the next, and the board displayed when you confirm your bet is the one that applies to that drop.

(e) Fairness. Each drop is determined using the provably fair method described in Odds and Fairness, from a server seed that we commit to in advance, a client seed, and a nonce, so that you may verify the result after the seed is revealed.

10. Trades and Marketplace Purchases

(a) Escrow. Cards and Credits committed to an open Listing or offer are held in escrow until the Trade is accepted, declined, withdrawn, or expires. Upon acceptance, both sides of the Trade are exchanged together. Anything committed to a Trade that is not completed is returned to its owner. A Trade, once accepted, is final.

(b) Limits. A Listing expires seventy-two (72) hours after it is created. You may maintain at most five (5) open Listings at any time.

(c) Marketplace Purchases. You may purchase, through the Services, Cards that are listed on third-party marketplaces (a “Marketplace Purchase”). The total price includes a fee of 1.5% in addition to the listed price. If a Marketplace Purchase cannot be completed, it will be refunded. If the listed price has increased, the Marketplace Purchase will be refused and not completed at the higher price.

(d) Disputes between Users. Except as provided in this Section, we are not a party to any Trade and have no responsibility for the conduct of any other user.

11. Shipping

(a) Availability. Where available, you may request that a Card from your Vault be shipped to you. The cost of shipping is displayed before you confirm. Shipping is performed by our card custody and fulfillment partners and by shipping carriers.

(b) Information. By requesting shipment, you authorize us to provide the recipient’s name, address, telephone number, and email address to our fulfillment partner and its carrier for the purpose of delivery. We may store the address for your future use. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide.

(c) Effect. Once a Card is shipped, it leaves your Vault and may no longer be traded, Staked, or sold back through the Services.

(d) Delivery. Shipping and delivery dates are estimates only and cannot be guaranteed. We are not liable for any delay in shipment or delivery.

12. Odds, Values, Outcomes, and Rewards

(a) Randomness. Pack draws, Upgrade rolls, and Plinko drops are random. The odds applicable to each are displayed before you play. The manner in which outcomes are determined, and the means by which you may verify any outcome, are described in Odds and Fairness.

(b) Values. Card values displayed in the Services are insured values provided by our card custody and fulfillment partners. They are estimates, are not a guaranteed resale price, and change over time. Expected values are long-run averages. Any individual Pack, Upgrade, or Plinko drop may return substantially more or substantially less than its price, including nothing of value. Nothing in the Services constitutes investment, financial, tax, or legal advice.

(c) Leaderboard and Rewards. Leaderboard points and rewards have no cash value, are not transferable or exchangeable, and may be modified or discontinued at any time. We may remove points or rewards obtained through conduct that violates the Agreement.

13. Feedback

We welcome comments and ideas for improving our Services. When you share comments, ideas, or feedback with us, you agree that we are free to use them without any restriction or compensation to you.

14. General Representation and Warranty

You represent and warrant that your use of our Services:

• Will be in strict accordance with the Agreement;
• Will comply with all applicable laws and regulations (including, without limitation, all applicable laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content, privacy, data protection, the transmission of technical data exported from the United States or the country in which you reside, the use or provision of financial services, notification and consumer protection, unfair competition, and false advertising);
• Will not be for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities, including fraud or money laundering;
• Will not involve funds or payment methods that you are not authorized to use;
• Will not infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property rights of Cardinal or any third party;
• Will not involve more than one account per person, collusion with other users, or Trades with yourself to transfer value or to obtain points or rewards;
• Will not exploit any bug, error, or pricing mistake, each of which you agree to report to us;
• Will not involve the use of bots, scripts, or other automated means to access or use our Services;
• Will not overburden or interfere with our systems or impose an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure, as determined by us in our sole discretion;
• Will not disclose the personal information of others, or harass or abuse other users or our personnel;
• Will not interfere with, disrupt, or attack any service or network;
• Will not be used to create, distribute, or enable material that is, facilitates, or operates in conjunction with, malware, spyware, adware, or other malicious programs or code;
• Will not involve reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling, deciphering, or otherwise attempting to derive the source code for the Services or any related technology that is not open source; and
• Will not involve renting, leasing, loaning, selling, or reselling the Services or related data without our consent.

15. Intellectual Property and Copyright

The Agreement does not transfer any Cardinal or third-party intellectual property to you, and all right, title, and interest in and to such property remains (as between Cardinal and you) solely with Cardinal. Cardinal and all other trademarks, service marks, graphics, and logos used in connection with our websites or Services are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cardinal (or Cardinal’s licensors). Other trademarks, service marks, graphics, and logos used in connection with our Services may be the trademarks of other third parties. Using our Services does not grant you any right or license to reproduce or otherwise use any Cardinal or third-party trademarks.

The names, artwork, and characters appearing on Cards are the property of their respective owners. Cardinal is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any trading card publisher or grading company.

As we ask others to respect our intellectual property rights, we respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any Content violates your copyright, you may send a written notice in accordance with Section 25, identifying the work claimed to be infringed and the Content complained of.

16. Third-Party Services and Blockchain Networks

While using the Services, you may enable or use services, products, software, or applications provided by a third party, including our wallet provider, our card custody and fulfillment partners, shipping carriers, blockchain infrastructure providers, a token-swap service, and our payment processor (“Third-Party Services”), and you will transact on the Solana blockchain. If you use any Third-Party Services, you understand and agree that:

• Third-Party Services and blockchain networks are not controlled by Cardinal.
• Third-Party Services and blockchain networks may be unavailable, delayed, or changed, and any use of them is at your own risk.
• Blockchain transactions are public and cannot be reversed, and network fees and congestion are outside our control.
• Some Third-Party Services have their own terms and privacy policies, which apply when you use them, including when you sign in through our wallet provider.
• Except as expressly stated in the Agreement, we will not be responsible or liable to you or anyone else for Third-Party Services.

17. Changes

We may modify the Terms from time to time, for example, to reflect changes to our Services (such as adding new features or benefits to our Services or retiring certain features) or for legal, regulatory, or security reasons. If we do this, we will provide notice of the changes, such as by posting the amended Terms and updating the “Last updated” date or, if the changes, in our sole discretion, are material, we may notify you through our Services or other communications. Any changes will apply on a going-forward basis, and, unless we say otherwise, the amended Terms will be effective immediately. By continuing to use our Services after we have notified you, you agree to be bound by the new Terms. You have the right to object to any changes at any time by ceasing your use of our Services.

18. Termination

We may terminate your access to all or any part of our Services at any time, with or without cause or notice, effective immediately, including if we believe, in our sole discretion, that you have violated the Agreement or other applicable terms. We have the right (though not the obligation) to (i) reclaim your handle due to prolonged inactivity, (ii) refuse or remove any Content that, in our reasonable opinion, violates any part of the Agreement or is in any way harmful or objectionable, or (iii) terminate or deny access to and use of any of our Services to any individual for any reason.

If we close your account, you may withdraw your remaining Credits and the Cards in your Vault in accordance with Section 6, except where they are connected to fraud, a Chargeback, or a breach of the Agreement, or where applicable law prevents it. You can stop using our Services at any time.

19. Disclaimers

Our Services are provided “as is.” Cardinal and its suppliers and licensors hereby disclaim all warranties of any kind, express or implied, to the maximum extent allowed by applicable law, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Neither Cardinal, nor its suppliers and licensors, makes any warranty that our Services will be error free or that access thereto will be continuous or uninterrupted. You understand that you obtain Cards, content, or services through our Services at your own discretion and risk.

20. Jurisdiction and Applicable Law

Except to the extent any applicable law provides otherwise, the Agreement and any access to or use of our Services will be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, U.S.A., excluding its conflict of law provisions and the application of the United Nations Convention of Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, and the proper venue for any disputes arising out of or relating to the Agreement and any access to or use of our Services will be the state courts located in New Castle County, Delaware, or the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, where federal subject-matter jurisdiction exists. Nothing in this Agreement affects your rights as a consumer to rely on mandatory provisions in your country of residence.

21. Limitation of Liability

In no event will Cardinal, or its suppliers, partners, or licensors, be liable (including for any third-party products or services purchased or used through our Services) with respect to any subject matter of the Agreement under any contract, negligence, strict liability or other legal or equitable theory for: (i) any special, incidental or consequential damages; (ii) the cost of procurement for substitute products or services; (iii) for interruption of use or loss or corruption of data; or (iv) for any amounts that exceed $50 or the fees paid by you to Cardinal under the Agreement during the twelve (12) month period prior to the cause of action, whichever is greater. Cardinal shall have no liability for any failure or delay due to matters beyond its reasonable control. The foregoing shall not apply to the extent prohibited by applicable law.

European Users: If we cause damage to you and you are a consumer in Europe, we limit our liability to the maximum amount permissible in your country of residence. Liability will be limited to foreseeable damages arising due to a breach of material contractual obligations typical for this type of contract. Cardinal is not liable for damages that result from a non-material breach of any other applicable duty of care. This limitation of liability will not apply to any statutory liability that cannot be limited, to liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, liability caused by our willful misconduct or gross negligence, or our responsibility for something we have specifically promised to you. You and we agree that we and our affiliates’ total liability is limited to the greater of $50 or the amount paid by you to use our Services during the 12 months preceding the claim. To the extent that our liability is limited or excluded, the limitations or exclusions will also apply to the personal liability of our employees, legal representatives, and vicarious agents.

22. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Cardinal, its contractors, and its licensors, and their respective directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any and all losses, liabilities, demands, damages, costs, claims, and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of or related to your use of our Services, including but not limited to your violation of the Agreement or any agreement with a provider of Third-Party Services used in connection with the Services or applicable law, and Content that you post.

23. US Economic Sanctions

You agree that our ability to provide our Services to you is subject to compliance with US sanctions that restrict or prohibit who or from where our Services can be accessed. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you (i) are not located or residing in any country or territory subject to comprehensive US sanctions; (ii) are not listed on any United States list of prohibited or restricted parties, such as OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Persons List, or otherwise subject to US sanctions that would prohibit your access to or use of our Services; and (iii) shall not use the Services in any manner that may cause Cardinal to violate US export controls and sanctions. We reserve the right to restrict or block your access to the Services and/or to terminate the Agreement at any time without notice if we determine, at our sole discretion, that such access may cause a violation or create unacceptable risk to us under export controls or sanctions.

24. Translation

These Terms were originally written in English (US). We may translate these Terms into other languages, and in the event of a conflict between a translated version of these Terms and the English version, the English version will control.

25. Notices

Notices to you may be given by posting them through the Services, or by electronic means using the contact information associated with your account or provided by you to us. Notices to Cardinal under the Agreement shall be in writing and sent by mail to [Mailing address], or by email to support@cardinal.rip with “Legal Notice” in the subject line. A notice is deemed given when posted, sent, or received, as applicable, except that notices of claims shall be effective only upon actual receipt.

26. Miscellaneous

The Agreement (together with any other terms we provide that apply to any specific feature of the Services) constitutes the entire agreement between Cardinal and you concerning our Services. If any part of the Agreement is unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that part is severable from the Agreement, and does not affect the validity or enforceability of the rest of the Agreement. A waiver by either party of any term or condition of the Agreement or any breach thereof, in any one instance, will not waive such term or condition or any subsequent breach thereof.

Cardinal may assign its rights under the Agreement without condition. You may only assign your rights under the Agreement with our prior written consent.

27. Contact

Questions regarding these Terms may be directed to support@cardinal.rip. Further contact details are available on the Contact page.