The masters

The night temple has three masters, and behind them, shadows. They are not difficulty levels with different numbers. Each one is a different way of thinking, and each one leaves you with a lesson.

Hop! I'm Peanut! Uh-huh, here we go!

Peanut

Hasty Apprentice

12 seconds

Haste makes waste. Sit; let us play.

Tosby

Patient Master

9 seconds

Sit. Your habits will speak, not your cards.

Huma

Grand Master

6 seconds

A black belt is not enough. The shadows were waiting for you.

The shadow masters

The ladder has no last step

6, then down to 4 seconds

The ladder

You face the masters in order. Beat Peanut to meet Tosby, beat Tosby to meet Huma. After the black belt, the shadow masters begin, and they do not stop.

How the masters differ

	Peanut	Tosby	Huma	The shadow masters
Time per turn	12 seconds	9 seconds	6 seconds	6, then down to 4 seconds
What they pay attention to	Mostly their own hand. More than half of their picks are made on a whim.	Your shelf and the elements you play most often.	Your habits: the order you play in, what you do after a win or a loss, and what your shelf needs.	Everything Huma watches.
When you are about to win	Sometimes, mostly by luck.	Closes the door: plays against the element that would finish your shelf.	Closes the door, and expects the move you will try next.	Like Huma, with less time for you to think.
How to beat them	Play sound cards and build your shelf. Patience is enough.	Keep two ways to win open, so one closed door is not enough.	Break your own patterns. Do not answer a loss the same way twice.	Everything you learned, faster. Decide before the clock decides for you.

And the Sensei

The Sensei welcomes every new apprentice to the temple and returns each week with a special rule in the Weekly Sensei challenge.

Welcome, apprentice. I am Sensei. In this temple the cards speak and the seals win.