Endless Gauntlet and Prism Cup: tips to go further
Updated September 28, 2026
The Endless Gauntlet and the Prism Cup are Prism Riot's two ladders. The Gauntlet is a survival run: win a duel, face a tougher rival, and keep going until you lose. The Cup is a fixed climb of six best-of-three tiers. Both reward the same skills, but they get hard in different ways.
How the Gauntlet ramps up
So there are three walls: rival 7 (the first Ruthless opponent), rival 10 (a four-card rival hand) and rival 11 (the clock). A run that reaches 12 is a strong one.
- Rivals 1–2 are Chill, rivals 3–6 are Sharp, and from rival 7 on every rival is Ruthless.
- From rival 4, each duel adds a twist that rotates through the rule packs: 7-0 swaps, the Merciless pack, anything goes, jump-in, draw-until-playable, a plain table, Eclipse and Eruption.
- Rival hands shrink by one card every three rivals — seven cards at the start, four from rival 10 onwards.
- From rival 11, you play on 8-second turns.
Gauntlet tips
- Read the twist before the first card. The table header lists the rules for that duel.
- Against a short rival hand, attack from turn one: FREEZE and FLIP give you extra turns in a duel, and a +2 early costs the rival more than it costs you.
- In the jump-in duel, keep identical cards together — a pair lets you play out of turn.
- On the clock, look at your hand during the rival's turn so your move is ready.
- Practise the twists you lose to in their own modes: Seven-Zero, Merciless Duel, Anything Goes Duel, Jump-In Duel, Draw Hunt, Eclipse Duel and Eruption Duel.
The six Prism Cup tiers
Each tier is best of three, so one bad deal doesn't end your run. The first card of a best-of-three matters less than keeping your nerve in game three.
- 🥉 Bronze — Chill rivals, standard rules.
- 🥈 Silver — Sharp rivals.
- 🥇 Gold — Ruthless rivals.
- 💎 Prism — Ruthless, cross-stacking and 10-second turns.
- 🌓 Eclipse — Ruthless, the Eclipse pack and cross-stacking.
- ☠ Merciless — Ruthless, the Merciless pack, Eruption and 10-second turns.
Cup tips
- Gold is the first real test. The Ruthless AI holds its wilds and punishes a lone last card, so keep a draw card or a FREEZE when you're down to two.
- In the Prism tier, cross-stacking means a +4 can land on your +2. Don't start a stack war unless you hold a +4 yourself.
- In the Eclipse tier, watch which side is up before you play a +2 — on the dark side it's a +5.
- In the Merciless tier, hand size is life. Stay well under the 25-card mercy limit and PURGE whenever it sheds three or more cards.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Endless Gauntlet ever end?
No — it continues until you lose a duel. Your best run is saved as your Gauntlet record.
When do Gauntlet rivals become Ruthless?
From rival 7. Rivals 1–2 are Chill and 3–6 are Sharp.
How many tiers does the Prism Cup have?
Six: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Prism, Eclipse and Merciless. Each is a best-of-three match.