Runic Hourglass
Nature Collection
Lore
Passed hand to hand through generations of tycoons, the Runic Hourglass carries a simple promise — patience pays.
Description
Trims expansion costs without slowing growth.
Complete Statistics
| Rarity | Epic |
| Bonus type | Business Costs |
| Bonus per level | 2.5% |
| Maximum level | 8 |
| Max total bonus | 20.0% |
| Collection / Faction | Nature |
| Card tier | Archive |
Ability
Reduces the purchase cost of every business by 2.5% per level, up to the game-wide cap of 80% off.
Upgrade Scaling
The bonus below applies at every level from 1 up to this card's maximum of 8.
| Level | Total bonus | Copies for next level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -2.5% | 1 |
| 2 | -5.0% | 2 |
| 3 | -7.5% | 3 |
| 4 | -10.0% | 4 |
| 5 | -12.5% | 5 |
| 6 | -15.0% | 6 |
| 7 | -17.5% | 7 |
| 8 (max) | -20.0% | — |
Duplicate Bonuses & Combining
Pulling a duplicate of Runic Hourglass from a pack adds a spare copy to your collection. Spend spare copies in the Cards tab to combine and raise its level — each level costs a number of copies equal to the card's current level. Reaching the maximum level of 8 from level 1 requires 28 total copies. Read the full Duplicate Cards & Combining guide for the general combine mechanics, or use the Combine All button in-game to apply every possible level-up across your whole collection at once.
Evolution
Tycoon Cards does not currently have a card evolution system — Runic Hourglass progresses only through the standard duplicate-combine mechanic described above. Evolution is listed as a researched feature on our Updates & Roadmap page; this page will be updated if it's ever implemented.
Fusion
There is no cross-card fusion system in Tycoon Cards today. Every card, including Runic Hourglass, is levelled independently using its own spare copies — you cannot combine it with a different card. Like Evolution, this is tracked as a possible future system on the Updates page.
Collection & Faction
Runic Hourglass belongs to the Nature collection — one of the thematic groupings used across the card archive. Browse every card in this collection from the main Card Guide, or see the "Related cards" section below for direct links to its closest siblings.
Businesses That Synergise
Cost-reduction bonuses compound with every purchase of a business you buy in bulk. They matter most on cheap, frequently-repurchased tiers where the 15% per-copy cost curve adds up fastest.
| Business | Base cost | Income/s |
|---|---|---|
| 🍋 Lemonade Stand | $15 | $0.1 |
| 📰 Paper Route | $120 | $1 |
| 🚿 Car Wash | $1.30K | $8 |
| 🍕 Pizza Shop | $14.0K | $47 |
Prestige Interactions
Business cost is calculated as baseCost × 1.15^count × (1 − costBonus), independently of your prestige multiplier. This card makes businesses cheaper on every single run, including immediately after a fresh prestige reset.
Best Strategies
- Combine duplicates as soon as you get them — cost reduction compounds with every future business purchase, including on your very next prestige run.
- Prioritise this card above click-only cards of the same rarity; the savings apply across all 100 business tiers.
- Starter Packs are the most efficient way to farm duplicates of this card thanks to its lower rarity.
How to Unlock
Runic Hourglass is obtained by opening card packs — it cannot be purchased directly or unlocked through any other method. As a Epic card, it appears in any pack whose odds include that rarity.
Pack Availability
| Pack | Cost | Chance per card slot | Chance per pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦 Starter Pack | $500 | 0.01% | 0.04% |
| 🎁 Premium Pack | $75.0K | 0.06% | 0.17% |
| 💎 Elite Vault | $12.0M | 0.19% | 0.96% |
See the full Card Pack Odds Guide for how these probabilities are calculated.
Event Availability
Runic Hourglass is not currently tied to any seasonal or limited-time event — it's available year-round through standard pack odds. Seasonal events and event-exclusive cards are listed as a planned feature on the Updates & Roadmap page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Runic Hourglass do?
+
What does Runic Hourglass do?
+Reduces the purchase cost of every business by 2.5% per level, up to the game-wide cap of 80% off.
How do I unlock Runic Hourglass?
+
How do I unlock Runic Hourglass?
+Runic Hourglass is a Epic card, best hunted through Elite Vault (0.19% chance per card slot).
How many copies do I need to max out Runic Hourglass?
+
How many copies do I need to max out Runic Hourglass?
+You need 28 spare copies in total to take Runic Hourglass from level 1 to its maximum level of 8.
Does Runic Hourglass work with prestige?
+
Does Runic Hourglass work with prestige?
+Business cost is calculated as baseCost × 1.15^count × (1 − costBonus), independently of your prestige multiplier. This card makes businesses cheaper on every single run, including immediately after a fresh prestige reset.
What rarity is Runic Hourglass?
+
What rarity is Runic Hourglass?
+Runic Hourglass is a Epic card, one of 114 cards of that rarity in the full archive.
Trivia
| Archive position | #838 of 1000 |
| Card tier | Archive card (procedural expansion) |
| Rarity rank | 4 of 7 rarities (higher = rarer) |
| Cards in "Nature" | 80 cards |
| Same rarity + bonus type | 18 cards share this exact combination |
Related Cards
Related Guides
- Card Rarity Tiers Explained
- Card Pack Odds Guide
- Duplicate Cards & Combining
- Card Tier List
- Business Tier List
Changelog
- v1.3.0 (May 2026) — Added as part of the card archive expansion from 100 to 1,000 cards.
Card data verified against the live game configuration · Part of the 1,000-card archive · Written by the Tycoon Cards development team