Chain of Memories I'm not certain about something...

I haven't played either version of Chain of Memories yet. Could someone explain to me, in simple terms, how the card system works? I see in videos Sora performing attacks, a card disappearing each time, and sometimes he uses three cards to do something... I just don't get it.

 

there are three types of cards:
Attack cards (self explainitory)
Magic cards (projectiles and summons)
and reload cards (brings back certain types of cards used)
each time you use a card it dissapears and you can only retrieve it by reloading or using a reload card.
the number in the corner is the value, cards with higher value beat others but 0 beats all:
0 beats all but all beats zero: for exapmle
zero card played
0 card breaks 9 card
1 card beats 0 card

using 3 cards at once is called stocking cards, you can do special moves known as sleights if certain cards are stocked.
basic controls:
a - attack/use card
b - jump
l&r - scroll
L&R at once: stock card
d-pad - move
(sorry it's so long, wake up!)

 

Controls:
A = Use Card
B = Jump
Select = Switch to Enemy deck
L or R = Shuffle
L + R = Stock cards, release Stock
Start = Pause
Directional Pad = Move
Double tapping left, right, or diagonally= Dodge Roll

Riku Controls:
All of the above except:
Dark Mode = Getting hit or CardBreaking until the Dark Mode counter turns 30, then use of any card will change Riku into his Dark Form
Double tapping = Dodge Jump (can dodge upwards or downwards in Dark Mode)
BB = Double Jump, second jump is a backflip towards the opponent (Dark Mode only)
BBA = Dark Combo Finish. Riku does a double jump and then performs a combo finish, without doing a combo. (Dark Mode only)

Sora or Riku has a deck of cards. Every time a card is used, it becomes unusable again until Sora goes to the Reload counter and starts holding A to bring back his cards. Riku, on the other hand, just has to press A on the Reload bar to get all his cards back without charging.

Each card makes Sora or Riku perform an action. Every card has a value (the little number in the corner). A card with a higher value can be played through a lower valued card, resulting in a CardBreak, and causes the losing end of the Break to go reeling a bit and unable to use cards momentarily (a tie results in a CardBreak as well, but only the loser goes reeling and the winner still doesn't perform an action). 0 valued cards, are special because they can be played through any valued card (they still tie with 0s), but 0s can be broken by any value.

There is also "Stocking". Stocking cards makes them go upwards to the Stock bar. Once three cards are Stocked, or if the Stocked cards are released while on the Reload bar, they are played using combined values. Sometimes, a certain Stock combination unleashes special Stock Techniques like Mega Flare or Sonic Blade. Note that the first card in a Stock will be UnReloadable unless a certain Item is used to return it.

There are also Premium cards, which become UnReloadable if used by pressing A. Using them as the second or third card in a Stock lets them be Reloadable though. Premium cards are only available to Sora, and have a gold value. These are used by players because they are cheaper to use (Sora has a CP limit, which is a limit to what kind and what quantity of cards he can use).

You may have noticed that sometimes a card bounces around for Sora or Riku to pick up. These are called Friend cards, and the use of them summons a Disney character to attack. These are not Reloadable after use, but you can get more and more of them during battle. There are also Trinity cards, which has the Disney symbol for Mickey Mouse. These only appear for Bosses without decks, and give Sora or Riku some help when used.

You may also have noticed that sometimes a card with a black border is used. These are enemy cards, and add effects to Sora or Riku, such as increasing the damage of some cards, or making them jump higher. You know when these are used when you see a little tag at the bottom showing how long, how many card uses/breaks, or how many hits before the effect ends.