If you came from Magic, the single concept you need to flip in your head before Sorcery makes sense is that threshold is not a cost — it's a floor. Your Sites give you both mana (which is spent and refills each turn) and threshold (which is permanent until the Site is destroyed). They live in the same card. They behave differently.
This article unpacks that.
What a Site does, mechanically
A Site is the only card type in Sorcery printed in landscape orientation — the wider format makes it visually obvious it's a different type from spells. Sites live in your Atlas, the second 30-card-plus deck every Sorcery player runs. When played, a Site goes onto a Void square on the 5×4 board, adjacent to a Site you already control.
Once on the board, a Site provides two resources:
- +1 mana per turn (your total mana = the number of Sites you control)
- Elemental affinity — symbols printed on the card (Fire, Air, Water, Earth, or none)
Some Sites also have rules text — abilities that trigger when units enter or leave them, passive effects on nearby cards, that kind of thing. Most are pure resource cards.
Mana vs threshold: the conceptual flip
Side by side:
| Mana | Threshold | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | 1 per Site you control | Symbols on the Sites you control |
| Replenishes | Yes, every turn | N/A — it's not spent |
| Spent when casting | Yes | No |
| Reduced when used | Yes | No |
| Goes away when site destroyed | Yes | Yes |
From the Curiosa FAQ, verbatim:
Elemental affinity is not spent like mana. It is simply a minimum affinity you must have for the specified elements to use some cards.
That's the whole concept in one sentence. Mana is paid; threshold is just a state of the board.
A worked example
Take Sir Pelleas — a real Arthurian Legends spell with a cost of (3) mana and threshold requirement of (1 Air)(2 Water).
Turn 1. You play Pearl Reef (1 Water symbol, provides 1 mana). Board: 1 site, 1 mana available per turn, 1 Water threshold.
Turn 2. You draw and play Wind Tunnel (1 Air symbol, provides 1 mana). Board: 2 sites, 2 mana per turn, 1 Air + 1 Water threshold.
Turn 3. You draw and play another Pearl Reef (Water). Board: 3 sites, 3 mana per turn, 1 Air + 2 Water threshold.
Turn 4. You have 4 mana available. Your threshold is (1 Air)(2 Water) — exactly what Sir Pelleas needs.
You cast Sir Pelleas. You spend 3 mana (1 mana left). The two Pearl Reefs and the Wind Tunnel stay on the board with their symbols intact. Threshold isn't paid. Next turn, mana refills to 4. Threshold is still (1 Air)(2 Water).
That's the entire mental model. Mana is the meter; threshold is the lock.
Why it works this way
Two answers, both grounded:
It removes mana screw. Two decks means you choose every turn — draw a Site or a Spell. The MTG ratio-guessing game (how many lands in my deck? how many do I mulligan for?) is gone by construction. If you need mana, you draw it; if you need a spell, you draw a spell.
It rewards Atlas-building, not deck-thinning. Your Atlas isn't filler. It's a deliberately-sequenced curve of threshold unlocks. A mono-Water deck wants 30+ Water-symbol Sites in its Atlas. A Fire/Earth deck wants a careful split. Some Sites have powerful rules text and are run as spell-equivalents in the Atlas itself. The Atlas is its own deckbuilding problem.
For the broader MTG comparison, see Sorcery vs Magic: The Gathering, Explained.
The 5×4 grid changes how Sites matter
Sites aren't just resource cards — they're positional. They occupy specific squares on the Realm. Three consequences.
Adjacency. Many cards care about what's adjacent. A minion on a Fire Site might gain power for each adjacent Fire Site. An aura cast on a unit may radiate to neighboring squares. Where you place your Sites matters for the spells you intend to cast on top of them.
Site destruction is real, and it leaves Rubble. Some cards destroy Sites — most famously Realm-Eater, a Gothic Avatar that literally devours Sites and turns them into Rubble. Rubble is a neutral land that provides no mana, no threshold, and no abilities. It replaces the destroyed Site on that square. Losing a Site means losing 1 mana per turn and any threshold it provided; you'll need to play a new Site over the Rubble to recover.
Movement and combat are positional. Units step from Site to Site, fly across Voids, burrow through Earth, submerge in Water. Where your minion lives is a strategic choice. A flyer in the wrong square can't reach what you need it to reach.
Common newcomer mistakes
A blunt list:
Treating Sites like MTG lands. They aren't fungible. A Water site isn't interchangeable with a Fire site. You can't tap "any site" for any threshold — only the threshold symbols printed on a Site count toward your floor.
Underbuilding the Atlas. The minimum is 30. Many competitive decks run 32–35 because the draw-a-Site-or-a-Spell choice rewards depth. Treat the Atlas like a real deck, not a mana base.
Ignoring positioning. A Site placed in the wrong square can leave your minions stranded or your Avatar exposed. Early-game Sites tend to cluster near your Avatar; mid-game expansion pushes toward the opponent.
Forgetting threshold at deckbuild. Sir Pelleas needs (1 Air)(2 Water). If your Atlas doesn't have at least two Water Sites, Pelleas is uncastable for the entire game. Build the threshold curve before the mana curve.
Hesitating to commit to threshold-heavy spells. Magic players are trained to fear scarcity. In Sorcery, threshold doesn't run out. Cast as many threshold-locked spells as your mana allows. The lock has been unlocked.
A note on Rubble
When a Site is destroyed, it doesn't revert to Void — it becomes Rubble. Rubble is a neutral land controlled by no player. It provides no mana, no threshold, no rules text. You can replace it by playing a new Site over it.
This matters because site destruction (Realm-Eater, Acid Rain, some Gothic-era effects) isn't just resource removal — it leaves a dead square the opponent has to repair. Two or three well-placed destructions can collapse a fragile Atlas and force the opponent to spend turns rebuilding instead of casting threats. Site destruction is one of the most underrated forms of disruption in the game.
The canonical reference
The friendly explanation above is this article. The law is the rulebook. For anything ambiguous, defer to the Sorcery: Contested Realm Rulebook 2024 and the Sorcery Companion rules page — both updated as rules are clarified.
Where to go from here
- Sorcery vs Magic: The Gathering, Explained — broader context if you're MTG-curious
- How to Play Sorcery Online, Explained — play it on Tabletop Simulator without spending on cards
- Every Sorcery Set, Explained — which sets to buy in which order
- Curiosa.io, the Official Sorcery Deckbuilder, Explained — where to build your deck and Atlas
Sources
- Sorcery: Contested Realm Rulebook 2024 — canonical rules
- Curiosa.io FAQs — the definitive threshold-vs-mana wording
- Sorcery Companion — Rules — community-formatted rulebook
- Sorcery TCG Constructed format — Atlas / Spellbook composition rules
- Eternal Durdles — New Player's Quick Guide — community beginner content
- Game Nerdz — Sorcery Contested Realm FAQ — beginner-aimed clarifications