Live Mode vs Fantasy Mode: which should you play?
Hatrick gives you two ways to engage with the World Cup. Here's a breakdown of how Live and Fantasy modes differ — and why playing both is the real meta.
Two modes, one platform
When you first open Hatrick you'll see a mode switcher at the top of the dashboard. Live and Fantasy are distinct experiences, but they share your profile, your wallet balance, and your player collection. The question is not which one to choose — it's knowing when each one shines.
Live Mode in a nutshell
Live Mode is reaction-based. You watch a real World Cup match unfold in the 2D stadium view and make predictions as events happen. The TxLINE feed fires goal events, yellow cards, substitutions, and corner kicks directly into the market panel, which updates in real time.
Best for: match-day sessions, fans who follow football closely, and anyone who wants immediate feedback on their predictions.
Key mechanic: markets resolve the instant TxLINE confirms an event. You don't wait until full time to know if you won — a goal that settles your over/under bet appears in your balance within seconds.
Risk profile: each prediction is a discrete event. You can go conservative (predict the match winner at low odds) or go specific (predict the 73rd-minute goal scorer at high multipliers). The play-money stakes are yours to calibrate.
Fantasy Mode in a nutshell
Fantasy Mode is strategy-based. You select players before the match, and their performance during real fixtures updates their attribute scores. Pack a striker whose real-world hat-trick just bumped his shooting score to 92, and your duel squad becomes a weapon.
Best for: sessions between matches, long-term squad builders, and competitive players who enjoy head-to-head mind games.
Key mechanic: attribute scores are not static card ratings. They recalculate after every confirmed TxLINE match event. A midfielder who assists twice in a group stage match will have noticeably higher passing and vision scores by the time the round of sixteen begins.
Risk profile: the 1v1 duel is the unit of competition. You win or lose rating points based on the simulated outcome. Squad composition, player attributes, and the formation you choose all influence the result.
Where they overlap
Both modes consume the same TxLINE event stream. A goal that settles your Live prediction also updates your Fantasy player's goal tally, which feeds into their attribute recalculation. The two modes are not independent silos — they are two views of the same underlying data.
Your play-money balance is also shared. Live winnings can be spent on Fantasy card packs. Fantasy duels don't directly touch your balance, but your rating affects how the platform matchmakes and which challenges you receive.
The real meta: play both
The most successful players on Hatrick run both modes in parallel. During live matches, they watch for performance patterns that will affect attribute scores — then position their Fantasy squad before those changes propagate. During non-match hours, they study duel records and challenge rivals whose squad weaknesses they've identified in the Duelists directory.
If you're new, start with Live Mode for one match to get a feel for TxLINE's speed, then open the Squad builder and put together your first XI. The first duel challenge you send will tell you everything you need to know about how Fantasy Mode feels.
TL;DR
| Live Mode | Fantasy Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | Real-time, match-driven | Strategic, between matches |
| Input | Market predictions | Squad building + duels |
| Feedback | Seconds | Minutes to hours |
| Skill | Reading live matches | Squad strategy + opponent scouting |
| Best session | Match day | Any time |
Both modes are free to play on Solana Devnet. Connect your wallet and try them out — there's no wrong starting point.