Quick Start Guide: 10 Minutes to Your First Card

This guide will walk you through the core workflow—setting up a deck, designing templates, adding attributes, populating data, and seeing a final preview—in just a few easy steps.

Step 1: Access Cider & Create a Deck

If you're using the desktop app, first install it here.

1. Launch Cider: Start the desktop application or open the Web App.
2. Navigate to Decks: In the sidebar, click on Decks.
3. Create New Deck: Click the + New button to open the "Create/Edit Deck" dialog.
   • Name: Enter My First Deck.
   • Click Save.
4. Open the Deck: Click the newly created deck row to navigate to the card management section.

Step 2: Design the Card Templates

Every card needs a front and a back template. We'll use the Template Wizard to quickly set them up.

Create the Front Template

1. In the sidebar, right-click the My First Deck folder and select Add New Card Template. This opens the Template Wizard.
2. Step 1: Card Size: Select Poker (Portrait). Click Next.
3. Step 2: Layout: Select the Mystic layout. Click Next.
4. Step 3: Design: Select one of the random themes (Theme 0 uses the default). Click Next.
5. Step 4: Preview:
   • Template Name: Enter Front Template.
   • Click Create.

Create the Back Template

1. Right-click the My First Deck folder again and select Add New Card Template.
2. Step 1: Card Size: Select Poker (Portrait). Click Next.
3. Step 2: Layout: Select the Back layout. Click Next.
4. Step 3: Design: Select one of the random themes. Click Next.
5. Step 4: Preview:
   • Template Name: Enter Back Template.
   • Click Create.

Step 3: Define Custom Data Attributes

We will define the fields our cards will use for content.

1. In the sidebar, navigate to the Attributes page under My First Deck.
2. Click + New to add new attributes (columns) to your card data table.

Name	Description	Type	Save
Cost	The resource cost to play the card.	text	Save
Card Type	The primary type of card (e.g., Creature, Spell).	option	Save

3. Select the Card Type attribute, click Edit (or double-click the row in the table if inline editing is enabled).
4. In the Options field, add the following values, pressing Enter after each one: Creature, Spell, Item. Click Save.

Step 4: Populate Card Data

Now we enter the content for our cards.

1. In the sidebar, navigate to the Cards page under My First Deck.
2. Click + New to create your first card.
3. Fill in the fields (you may need to click the row to activate inline editing):

Field Name	Value
Name	Arcane Bolt
Count	4
Front Template	Front Template
Back Template	Back Template
Cost	2
Card Type	Spell (select from dropdown)

4. Click + New again and create a second card:

Field Name	Value
Name	Forest Warden
Count	2
Front Template	Front Template
Back Template	Back Template
Cost	3
Card Type	Creature (select from dropdown)

Step 5: Final Preview

1. In the sidebar, navigate to the Thumbnails page under My First Deck.
2. You should now see the two cards rendered using your templates and data!
3. Use the controls to:
   • Toggle between viewing Fronts, Backs, or Both.
   • Adjust the Zoom Level to see more cards at once.

You are now ready to customize your templates further or continue building your card data!