Guide/Lessons & Keywords

Lessons & Keywords

The 5 Lesson types determine what your deck can do. Keywords sit on top of that — they're the way cards reference each other (e.g. "all Gryffindor Characters get +1 Damage"). Reading these on a card tells you what it pairs with at a glance.

There is no deck limit on Lessons. A 60-card deck can run 15 Lessons or 25 — it's a balance between consistency and curve. Most decks lean one or two Lesson types heavily.

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The 5 Lesson types

Care of Magical Creatures

Damage

Works for: Creatures (only), some Spells, Items, Locations

The only Lesson type that supports Creatures. Aggressive — most CoMC strategies put a creature on the table every turn and mill the opponent through combat.

Charms

Versatile utility

Works for: Spells, Items, Locations

Low but reliable damage with a lot of toolbox effects — tutoring (finding) cards from your deck, drawing extras, soft control.

Potions

High-cost, high-impact

Works for: Spells, Items, Locations

Big effects for surprisingly low Power, but usually cost you Lessons (sacrifice). Volatile and powerful in the late game.

Quidditch

Two effects per card

Works for: Spells, Items, Locations, Matches

Introduced in Quidditch Cup. Cards usually do two things at once — making each Action more efficient. Only Lesson type that supports Match cards.

Transfiguration

Removal

Works for: Spells, Items, Locations

Defensive — removes the opponent's Creatures, Lessons, Items, and Locations. The answer to most aggressive strategies.

Each Lesson type has its own colour and symbol printed on every card it powers. Once you've seen all five, you can identify a card's Lesson type from across a desk.

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House keywords

The four Hogwarts houses appear as keywords on Characters and as references on other cards. Many decks build around a single house — supporting cards reference the house name explicitly.

Gryffindor

Slytherin

Ravenclaw

Hufflepuff

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Other keywords

Keywords are how cards reference each other. If you see a Spell that says "target Unique Creature" or "each Gryffindor Character", it's pointing at these tags.

Witch / Wizard

Required keyword to be a starting Character.

Unique

Only one copy may be in play at once (across both players). All Characters are Unique.

Healing

Returns milled cards to the deck — partial mill protection.

Muggle

Non-magical characters. Some effects target Muggles specifically.

Animagus

Characters with shape-shifting abilities — rare and themed.

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How this maps to buying

Lesson type matters for set context.Quidditch Lessons only exist post-QC; Matches only exist with Quidditch Lessons. If a seller advertises a "sealed Base Set booster" that allegedly contains a Match card, it's a red flag.
Unique + Premium = expensive. Every Character is Unique, and every Character has a Premium variant somewhere. The most valuable cards in the game sit at this intersection (Harry, Hermione, Voldemort, Basilisk, etc).
House-themed lots are worth more whole. A complete Gryffindor or Slytherin theme set commands a premium over the same cards sold individually. Knowing the keyword tells you which lots cluster.
Animagus and Healing are mid-tier flagging keywords. Specific subtype cards (e.g. Animagus Characters) have niche collector demand — worth keeping an eye on when filtering.