Cardboard field guide Version 2026.08.01-1 · Updated August 1, 2026

Turn a collection into a finishable plan.

Build complete sets, player collections, card rainbows, and master collections in HaloVault with versioned checklists and privacy-aware collection goals.

Collectors

Quick start

These six steps take a collector from inventory to an actionable missing-card list.

  1. 1

    Catalog the cards you already own

    Add cards to HaloVault with the most precise year, set, player or subject, card number, parallel, and variation data you have. Cardboard uses those fields to match inventory to checklist requirements.

  2. 2

    Open Cardboard and choose a finish line

    Open Cardboard goals from the vault navigation. Choose a complete set, complete player, complete rainbow, master collection, or collector-defined custom goal.

  3. 3

    Choose the checklist scope

    Select a published checklist for a set or rainbow, optionally limit a player run to selected sources, or select several sources for a master collection. If the official catalog is not ready, start with a custom list.

  4. 4

    Choose how the goal may help the network

    Keep it private, contribute de-identified aggregate counts, or opt into collector network matching. Non-private choices require explicit consent for that goal.

  5. 5

    Work the missing-card list

    Open the missing requirements, mark priorities or exclusions, export a CSV, and use Find it to create a Wanted Board hunt. Report a checklist problem with Correct.

  6. 6

    Refresh deliberately

    Use Refresh progress after inventory changes. Use Check newer version only when you want to compare with a newer checklist; existing goals stay pinned until you choose.

Choose the finish line

What each goal includes

A goal is materialized and pinned to a named checklist version, so its percentage has a reviewable definition.

Goal Start with Default scope Complete means
Complete set One published checklist Base-card rows by default Every included base printing is matched or deliberately excluded.
Complete player A player or subject; sources optional Matching published printings across all or selected releases Every printing in the selected player scope is accounted for.
Complete rainbow One source plus an exact card number and/or player Eligible parallels, finishes, and variations for that card Every listed rainbow treatment in that source version is matched.
Master collection One or more published checklists All included printings in the selected sources Every listed base card, insert, parallel, and variation is accounted for.
Custom collection A collector-entered line-by-line list Exactly the requirements you enter Every collector-defined requirement is matched or excluded.
Day-to-day workflow

How to work a goal

Review requirements

Open the missing-card section to see the exact printing, variation, parallel, quantity, and checklist version behind every gap.

Prioritize or exclude

Mark the cards you want first. Exclude an intentional non-target without deleting the canonical checklist row.

Start a hunt

Use Find it to create a Wanted Board entry. The network can then look for the exact missing requirement.

Export the gaps

Download the missing CSV for shows, dealer messages, trade nights, or a personal spreadsheet.

Correct with evidence

Use Correct when a canonical row is wrong. Your evidence enters review instead of silently changing everyone’s goals.

Refresh on purpose

Refresh progress rematches inventory. Check newer version deliberately adopts a revised source while preserving surviving priorities and hunts.

Your data choice

Private when you want it; useful when you opt in

Every goal makes its own choice. HaloVault never needs to publish your exact inventory to measure collection demand.

No contribution

Private only

The goal and its demand signals stay out of Cardboard intelligence and collector matching. It still matches against your private inventory.

Explicit consent

De-identified aggregate

Shares limited counts such as goal type, checklist target, completion level, and missing printing counts. Reports appear only after at least three different tenant collectors contribute the same target.

Explicit consent

Collector network

Shares the same limited aggregate signals and supports matching workflows. A Wanted Board hunt is still a separate collector action; choosing network does not list a card for sale or reveal an exact private collection.

Operators

Bring a checklist into the canonical catalog

Checklist coverage can scale, but publication and automated retrieval stay permission-gated.

  1. 1

    Find the strongest source

    Prefer a manufacturer export, official product checklist, documented partner feed, or a well-evidenced community source. Record the original URL and effective date.

  2. 2

    Review access and reuse rights

    A downloadable file is not automatically licensed for republication. Record the manufacturer policy, authorization, attribution, coverage, and allowed domains.

  3. 3

    Import privately and validate

    Import CSV, XLSX, HTML, JSON, or a text-readable PDF. Review parsed rows, warnings, base and parallel classification, short prints, numbering, and checklist coverage.

  4. 4

    Publish only reviewed sources

    Only sources marked authorized for reuse or public domain may enter the shared catalog. Remote retrieval also requires explicit authorized-auto status and an HTTPS allowlist.

  5. 5

    Version corrections instead of rewriting history

    Publish a new immutable version when a checklist changes. Existing collector goals remain pinned so completion never changes silently.

Possession is not permission.

A manufacturer file or public URL does not automatically authorize reuse. HaloVault may publish only a reviewed authorized or public-domain source. Automated URL retrieval additionally requires an authorized manufacturer policy, HTTPS, an allowlisted domain, and public network resolution.

Operator release checklist

  • Never bypass a login, paywall, robots control, rate limit, or manufacturer access term.
  • Keep source artifacts in Cardboard's private storage, outside public media, with provenance and checksums.
  • Confirm set identity, year, brand, product, coverage, parser report, and reuse status before publishing.
  • Use demand intelligence to prioritize licensing, catalog cleanup, and matching—not to expose individual collectors.
  • Treat corrections as reviewed evidence; never silently change a published checklist or a collector's finish line.
Availability

What each plan unlocks

Free

Start three finish lines

Up to three active or completed goals, with the first 25 missing rows visible for each goal.

Collector

Build a serious collection

Up to 100 goals with the complete missing-card list for every goal.

Pro & Business

Operate without a goal ceiling

Unlimited Cardboard goals and full missing-card detail across the vault.

Reference

Common questions

There is no published checklist for my set.

Create a custom collection now. An operator can import the official source after coverage and reuse permission are reviewed.

My percentage did not change after adding a card.

Use Refresh progress. If it still does not match, compare the inventory year, set, player, card number, parallel, and variation with the missing requirement.

A card or parallel is missing from the checklist.

Use Correct on the requirement or submit source evidence. The contribution enters review and cannot silently modify the published catalog.

The manufacturer released a corrected checklist.

The corrected source should become a new version. Your current goal stays pinned; use Check newer version when you are ready to refresh its requirements.

What does 100% actually mean?

It means complete against the named checklist version and selected scope. It is not a promise that undisclosed, regional, error, replacement, or future cards do not exist.