Remnants – Rules

Stack 1: Core Mechanics

Core Concepts Summary

1. 40 card deck
2. 10 HP
3. 7 card hand size (discard at the end of the turn)
4. When you try to draw from an empty deck, shuffle your discard into a new deck, then try again. If you still can’t, you lose.
5. You get 5 Front row slots to put up to 5 cards marked with “Front” into.
6. You get 5 Back row slots to put up to 5 cards marked with “Back” into.
7. If you manage to steal stuff or still have leftover stuff from a faction you didn’t start with, you’re stuck with their Loyalty 0 effects.
8. You can totally put as many Loyalty Restriction level 0 cards in your deck as you want from all the factions, but those cards usually suck without the right use for them (just tell everyone you’re “L0” to all those factions in addition to the main Loyalties your deck is actually using).
9. Check the top left corner of your cards to see the faction icon to know the faction it belongs to.
10. That same top left corner icon also either has a colored number (1-4) or no number; no number means that card has no LR (it has no restriction) while a number tells you what Loyalty you have to be to use that card.
11. Sometimes, you can end up with several stacking or conflicting rules. The most common is drawing cards during your Draw step; you draw 1 by default, and several factions let you draw +1 while one makes you draw -1, so you can totally get either 0 cards or 2 cards every turn.
12. Cards refer to themselves by default for stat changes while they refer to their controllers for things like drawing and discarding.
13. Gaining stats is common on cards (they aren’t healing you the controller unless stated explicitly), but sometimes they get set, instead. Setting stats always locks stats into that particular effect. If there’s a conflict with continuous set effects, the newer effect takes precedence.
14. If a card ever leaves the field, barring super rare exceptions (see Give Prize in the Arena faction), everything on and attached to that card is removed.
15. Replaying a card by any means is the same as making it leave the field and then having it be played fresh (including paying its Cost unless told otherwise).
16. Usually, stuff goes back to their owner when it tries to go into a discard.
17. No matter what, things always go back to their owners if a stolen card somehow tries to enter a non-owner’s deck or hand (they instead go to their owner’s discard by default).
18. All the general rules, including most of these above rules, may or may not change due to the faction rules you end up with depending on what Loyalty levels you chose.
19. The General Game Order and General Turn Order details all Faction Rule timings that use a timing (and thus doesn’t change unless explicitly stated otherwise).

Deck Rules & Mixed Factions

1. Must have 40 or the agreed upon number of cards at GS.
2. May not have more than 4 copies of the same card.
3. Must be made using at least one card of appropriate Loyalty Restriction for each declared faction Loyalty; any faction cards that either aren’t part of the declared factions or are of a higher Loyalty Restriction than a declared faction’s Loyalty at the start of a match will be treated as “Void Cards” (see the keyword for “Void Cards”).
4. All decks must have their Loyalties be declared to your opponents before starting the match after their construction; you may combine any total amount of faction Loyalty so long as the total is equal to or less than 4 (L3, L1, L0, L0 is a valid deck); a good way of communicating your Loyalties is by saying something like “Pure Kingdom” or “4 Kingdom” or “2 Machines, 2 Gene Hunters” or “3/1 Sorcerers/Arena”.
5. Except for L0, you can’t gain Loyalty after GS by default.
6. Being a higher Loyalty gains the effects of lower Loyalty except when a conflict occurs. In such cases, the higher Loyalty always overwrites previous Loyalty effects.

The Loyalty System

Explanation	0	1	2	3	4
Loyalty Tiers	L0 [Not Loyal] (can be gained mid-game)	L1 [Friendly]	L2 [Alliance]	L3 [Dedicated]	L4 [Fully Loyal]
Card Loyalty Restriction levels	LR0 [Not Loyal] (Can be added to a deck even if you have less than L1 declared)	LR1 [Friendly]	LR2 [Alliance]	LR3 [Dedicated]	LR4 [Fully Loyal] (must be L4 to play)
Faction rule Loyalty Restriction levels	LR0 [Not Loyal] (Can be gained mid-game by acquiring or generating a component from a faction you didn’t start with. Always on by default as long as you have a card/component)	LR1 [Friendly]	LR2 [Alliance]	LR3 [Dedicated]	LR4 [Fully Loyal] (must be L4 to benefit)

Stack 2: Game Flow & Combat

General Game Order

1. Pre Game (PG): Choose if playing pure factions only or if hybrids are allowed.
2. PG: Decide if playing Invasion Mode (following that mode’s guidelines).
3. PG: Decide turn order.
4. PG: All Players declare their factions, going in turn order. They must declare their 4 Loyalty points if utilizing multiple factions; declare in order of higher Loyalty factions and their Loyalty values; in the event of a tie, declare in Leading Loyalty order (for tie-breaking). Example: “3 Kingdom, 1 Machines, 0 Gene Hunters, 0 Sorcerers”.
5. PG: All Players may now create a new deck following the agreed upon Mode or format rules.
6. PG: All Players present their deck (if not already checked, a 3rd party may verify the deck); do not reveal card faces or true card backs.
7. Game Start (GS): GA rules become active.
8. GS: All Players set their HP to 10.
9. GS: All Players manage any other GS (Auto) effects in turn order.
10. GS: All Players shuffle their deck, then draw 7.
11. GS: All Players may do the following, going in turn order: (Use) You may mulligan any number of cards, shuffling them into the deck, then drawing the same number you shuffled.
12. GS: All Players manage any appropriate GS (Use) etc. effects in turn order.
13. GS: The Player who goes first can’t battle opponent players.
14. Mid-Game (MG): Once only 1 Player remains, end MG.
15. MG: GA rules become inactive.
16. Game End (GE): All Players return all cards to their owners at the time of GS unless those cards were gained via Invasion Mode’s Prize system.
17. GE: All Players clear away/reset all components used, including things like LV progress or other resources like Materials.
18. GE: If playing Invasion Mode, the winner may then take the agreed upon number of cards (the Prize) to then add to their side deck.
19. GE: All Players return to PG in the case of continued rounds.

General Turn Order

1. Start phase (S) begins.
2. S (Auto): Reduce DUR stats on the Active Player’s controlled cards by 1, then unexhaust the Active Player’s exhausted cards.
3. S (Auto): Active Player S (Auto) effects trigger.
4. S (Auto): Appropriate S (Use), (Exh), (Obl), and other activatable effects marked with S become legal to activate.
5. S (Use): Active Player declares the end of the Start phase.
6. Draw phase (D) begins.
7. D (Auto): Active Player draws 1.
8. D (Auto): Active Player D (Auto) effects trigger.
9. D (Auto): Appropriate D (Use), (Exh), (Obl), and other activatable effects marked with D become legal to activate.
10. D (Use): Active Player declares the end of the Draw phase.
11. Group phase (G) begins.
12. G (Auto): Active Player G (Auto) effects trigger.
13. G (Auto): Appropriate G (Use), (Exh), (Obl), and other activatable effects marked with G become legal to activate.
14. G (Use): Play a card or activate a card effect. This triggers a Repliable opportunity. If a card effect allows you to play or create multiple cards simultaneously (e.g., turning 5 cards into Drones), they enter the field as a single Batch Action. A Batch Action triggers only one Repliable opportunity, using the SPD of the card that initiated the batch. Repeatable.
15. G (Use): Active Player declares the end of the Group phase.
16. Combat phase (C) begins.
17. C (Auto): Active Player C (Auto) effects trigger.
18. C (Auto): Appropriate C (Use), (Exh), (Obl), and other activatable effects marked with C become legal to activate.
19. C (Use): Initiate a battle with an unexhausted minion on your field and exhaust it, then have its target join. This triggers a Repliable opportunity. Only one battle may occur at a time. Repeatable.
20. C (Use): Active Player declares the end of the Combat phase.
21. Regroup phase (R) begins.
22. R (Auto): Active Player R (Auto) effects trigger.
23. R (Auto): Appropriate R (Use), (Exh), (Obl), and other activatable effects marked with R become legal to activate.
24. R (Use): Play a card or activate a card effect. This triggers a Repliable opportunity. (See Group Phase for Batch Action rules). Repeatable.
25. R (Use): Active Player declares the end of the Regroup phase.
26. End phase (E) begins.
27. E (Auto): Active Player E (Auto) effects trigger.
28. E (Auto): Appropriate E (Use), (Exh), (Obl), and other activatable effects marked with E become legal to activate.
29. E (Use): Active Player declares the end of the End phase.
30. E (Auto): If you have more than 7 cards in your hand, discard until your hand has 7 cards.
31. E (Auto): After all other End phase effects, including activatable effects, destroy all orphaned or 0 DUR cards still on the field.

Battle Order

1. When a card initiates a battle (attacks), exhaust that card they used to initiate the battle, then its controller must select a legal target for that card (a card or Player with HP; must follow targeting rules such as Front cards protecting Back cards and Players).
2. When a target is selected, there is a Reply opportunity based on the SPD of the card that initiated the battle (see Reply rules).
3. If either participant of a battle reaches 0 before the battle exchange occurs, the battle ends prematurely but with the attacker exhausted if they weren’t the one that reached 0 HP; the card that reached 0 HP at this point will follow the normal 0 HP rules (usually destruction).
4. The attacker enters battle and makes the target join if after any and all Reply opportunities created by the initiation of the battle are resolved (The Battle starts here).
5. Both cards follow their effects and otherwise apply their ATK stat to their target (the defender automatically targets its attacker).
6. Once all participants in the battle apply their ATK to their opponents’ HP along with any other damage that might occur during this step, any cards that reach 0 HP are destroyed (The Battle ends here).
7. After applying damage and checking for destroyed cards, all remaining participants return from battle.
8. A new battle may now occur.

Stack 3: The Reply System

General Game Always Rules (GA)

1. GA rules apply during from GS until GE unless stated otherwise.
2. You are defeated immediately when your HP is 0.
3. There are 5 Front slots on each side of the field.
4. There are 5 Back slots on each side of the field.
5. Minions enter play exhausted and are thus unable to attack or use (Exh) effects.
6. During opponent turns, you can’t play cards without a “(Re)” or activate effects without a “Repliable”; you must still adhere to any listed phase restrictions associated with that card effect.
7. Discarded and destroyed cards go to the discard of the card’s owner (the Player who started the game with the card in their deck).
8. Players must keep their discard in order from oldest on the bottom to newest on top (the controller of that discard may choose the order when batches of cards enter at the exact same time).
9. Cards that enter a discard or deck are reverted to their original forms (except Void Cards).
10. The face-up sides of discarded and flipped cards (such as from effects like turning cards into MP or Husks) are public knowledge.
11. Cards that can battle can attack Players and Back cards with HP if there are no Front cards on that field.
12. Turn phase effects are for during your turn (the Active Player) only unless directed otherwise, such as due to Auto “(Auto)” or “Repliable” / “(Re)” effects.
13. When dealing with cards played using Reply opportunities, the Player who created the opportunity gets to Reply first, then the opponent gets to (going in turn order for 3+ Player games); all Players must pass consecutively for the opportunity to end.
14. Card text always refers to itself for stat effect changes like “lose 1 ATK” or “gain 1 HP” unless stated otherwise; for effects like “draw 1” or “discard a card”, they refer to the controller unless stated otherwise.
15. Timing conflicts always go in the following order (First > Next > Last): Higher Loyalty Faction Rules (in sequence) > Leading Loyalty Faction Rules (in a Loyalty tie; in sequence) > General Rules > faster cards > older cards > the Active Player > the Defending Player > the next Active Player in turn order (in the case of matches with 3+ Players).
16. When a card effect triggers in the middle of a card effect occurs.
17. Effect conflicts always go in the following order (First > Next > Last): Higher Loyalty Faction Rules > Leading Loyalty Faction Rules (in a Loyalty tie) > Higher Loyalty Cards > Leading Loyalty Cards (in a Loyalty tie) > General Rules. Use the following order when dealing with conflicts of the same tier between player: Active Player > Defending Player > the next Active Player in turn order.
18. Faction Rules are considered GA if given no other phase or timing in their description.

Reply & SPD Rules

1. Playing a card, activating a card effect, or targeting a target for battle will trigger a Reply Opportunity. (Auto) effects will not trigger a Reply Opportunity.
2. When a Reply Opportunity occurs, the action that caused it sets the active Speed Floor (equal to its SPD stat). In response, players may play a (Re) card or use a Repliable effect. Any response must have a SPD equal to or greater than the current Speed Floor.
3. When a valid response is played, its SPD becomes the new Speed Floor for the remainder of the Opportunity. The Reply Chain resolves backward (Last-In-First-Out). Only one card or effect can be added to the chain before priority passes to the next player. The Opportunity ends when all players consecutively pass.
4. Resolve going from the most recently played card backwards. Effects canceled by newer cards stop immediately but won’t break the Chain.
5. If a card’s effects no longer work at all due to a newer card’s effects then it fails to trigger (such as due to destruction in a prior step of the Chain).
6. If a card with a condition is met during a chain or its HP reaches 0, trigger its conditional effects and deal with any other outcomes such as destroying it due to having 0 HP.
7. If one player uses their Opportunity and other players pass, due to the double-pass system, the original player still gets another Opportunity; if they take it, go around in turn order with all involved until everyone consecutively passes their Opportunity.

Stack 4: Faction Databanks

Kingdom

Keywords

• LV: Level; a special form of cost; limits when a card can be played; will automatically increase by one at the end of your turn if the conditions are met.
• Pay: Temporarily reduces the LV of the next card you play that turn, then reverts its LV cost to normal after it’s been played; when activating a (Use) or (Exh) Pay effect, you must then play a card using that Pay before you may activate another (Use) or (Exh) Pay effect.
• Shelter: Protects a card from battle; by default, only buildings on your field can Shelter minions on your field; e.g. Shelter 2 means a maximum of 2 cards can be protected; for clarity, you may relocate Sheltered cards to near the Shelter provider, though those cards still occupy their original slots; when using Shelter, you may freely swap around which cards are protected.

Faction Rules

• [L0] You can’t play cards with LV greater than your current LV.
• [L0] GS (Auto): Set LV to 1.
• [L0] E (Auto): Increase your LV by 1 if you played a card this turn with equal to or greater LV than your current LV.
• [L0] E (Use): If you failed to play a card this turn with equal to or greater LV than your current LV, discard a card of LV equal to or greater than your current LV to increase your LV by 1.
• [L2] GS (Use): Increase your LV by 1, but you may not initiate any battles on your first turn if you do so.
• [L3] Pay now also temporarily reduces all types of Cost for a card by the Pay number in order to play it.

Arena

Keywords

• Cheer: One of two different resources to pay costs; gained when you destroy cards; 1C means 1 Cheer.
• Boo: One of two different resources to pay costs; gained when your cards are destroyed; 1B means 1 Boo.
• Headline: Moves a card from the Back to Front and unexhausts it; a card with no HP stat temporarily gains 1 HP stat; Headlined Crowd Members are treated as played (you must pay their cost); you can temporarily Headline past your slot limits (see your E effect).
• Sideline: Moves a card from the Front to Back and exhausts them; Sidelined cards become Crowd Members on your field; Sidelined cards retain their facing on opponent’s fields, and your opponents may return a Front card to the Front during their Group phase by exhausting that card; you can temporarily Sideline past your slot limits (see your E effect).
• Crowd Member: Card back; creatable from any Arena card on your field during your Draw phase or when directed to create one; reverts back to its faceup card if Headlined or when it leaves the field; enters exhausted when created; used to create Cheers or Boos; Crowd Members neither affect nor are affected by the Speed Floor (you can use them in a Reply regardless of their SPD), and you can exhaust multiple Crowd Members in a single Reply Opportunity as a batch action.

Faction Rules

• [L0] Arena cards do not take up Back slots.
• [L0] You are limited to 1 active Arena card in your Front.
• [L0] Whenever a minion you control is destroyed, gain a Boo.
• [L0] Whenever you destroy a minion your opponent controls, gain a Cheer.
• [L0] D (Use): Sideline 1 from your hand or your Front and unexhaust it.
• [L0] G/R (Use): Destroy 2 Boos or 2 Cheers to make 1 of the other type.
• [L0] E (Auto): Destroy all unused Cheers and Boos, then destroy any Headlined or Sidelined cards on your field beyond your slot limits.
• [L2] Instead whenever a card you control is removed from the field by a non-destruction effect, gain a Boo.
• [L2] Instead, whenever you remove a card your opponent controls from the field, gain a Cheer.
• [L2] D (Auto): Draw 1 more card.
• [L2] Instead of the above, “D (Use): [Sideline 1 from your hand or your Front and unexhaust it] OR [Headline 1 from your Back and unexhaust it]”.
• [L2] The above [G/R] gains “Repeatable 1”.
• [L3] You may now have 2 more active Arena cards in your Front (for a total of 3).
• [L4] You can attack any card that’s in the Front, including your own Front and including cards without an HP stat. Cards without an HP stat temporarily gain 1 HP for the duration of that battle.

Reanimators

Keywords

• Bury: Discard or destroy; often a cost; discard from your hand cards equaling the Bury value by default; B1 means Bury 1 card.
• Return: Returns cards from your discard to the top of your deck by default; you may choose cards freely by default; Return 1 means you must bring back 1 card to the top of your deck.
• Reanimate: Plays a card onto the field from your discard by default; you must pay the cost to play that card; Reanimate 1 means you must pick a card from your discard for you to pay its play cost and then to play onto the field.
• Living: When this is active, the Living card will allow a free card draw if it is Buried; this effect is OPT by default.

Faction Rules

• [L0] When you Bury an opponent’s card, it goes to their discard.
• [L0] Draw a card the first time one of your Living cards are Buried on your turn.
• [L0] You may only play 2 Reanimators cards from your hand each turn by default.
• [L0] S (Auto): For every 5 cards in your discard, you may play 1 additional Reanimators card from hand this turn.
• [L2] All minions from other factions you own gain and retain Living upon entering your hand until they are discarded or destroyed.
• [L3] Now, when you Bury opponent cards, they go into your discard instead; return them to your opponent’s discard when their cards would enter your deck.
• [L4] The above [Draw] gains “Repeatable 1”.
• [L4] R (Use): Bury 1 from your hand and 1 card from the top of your deck to Reanimate a card with 1 or less HP.

Machines

Keywords

• M: Material; one of two different resources to pay costs; accumulates.
• P: Power; one of two different resources to pay costs; Power not Stored is destroyed at your Start phase.
• Discharge: Destroy Power to do the card effect that uses this keyword; does not have to be Stored Power.
• Store: Protects Power from otherwise being destroyed at your Start phase.
• Drone: Card back; creatable from any card when directed to create from directed locations.

Faction Rules

• [L0] You can move Power freely into and out of cards you own with Store.
• [L0] Drones do not count toward a Front slot limit.
• [L0] S (Auto): Destroy all Power not in a card with Store.
• [L0] S (Use): Create 1 Material and 4 Power.
• [L1] GS (Auto): Gain 2 Material.
• [L1] D (Use): You may either: [Discard 1 card or destroy 1 Drone to create 1 Material] OR [Destroy 1 Material to create 1 Drone from the top of the deck].
• [L2] G (Use): You may exhaust a minion that has at least 1 ATK and could otherwise initiate battle to create 1 Power. Repeatable.
• [L3] D (Auto): Create and play a Drone from the top of your deck.
• [L3] D (Auto): Draw 1 more card.
• [L3] E (Auto): Discard 2 more below the hand limit.
• [L4] Draw 4 when you shuffle your discard into a new deck. OPT.

Chronites

Keywords

• Past: Replaces your Back; Back cards are still played here.
• Future: Replaces your Front; Front cards are still played here.
• CN: The cost of your cards; 1CN means the card will cost 1 Chronite (CN) to play; to pay a CN cost, discard cards from your hand until you can afford the cost; each card discarded from hand always gives 1CN; is not maintained between turns (CN must be used immediately to pay a cost).
• Age: Moves a Past card to the Future and flips it over to play its Future self without paying its cost.
• Revert: Moves a Future card to the Past and flips it over to play its Past self without paying its cost.
• Herald: Moves a card to the top of its controller’s deck by default; is considered a card play when brought to the field (thus the card cost must be paid by default).

Faction Rules

• [L0] Your Chronites cards not on the field are always treated only as their Past selves.
• [L0] Whenever one of your Chronites cards would be discarded due to having 0 DUR, it is instead Aged or Reverted (such that it flips over to its reverse side).
• [L2] You may now treat Chronites cards as either their Past or Future selves for the purposes of playing, Heralding or using effects.
• [L2] The top card of your deck is always revealed.
• [L2] Whenever you Herald, Age, or Revert a card and there are no open slots left, trigger any (Play) effects, then destroy that card.
• [L2] D (Auto): Draw 1 card, then attempt to discard all 0 DUR cards now instead of at your End phase.
• [L2] C (Use): Battle an opponent card with HP from anywhere using one of your cards in the Past.
• [L4] Your 0 DUR cards are no longer destroyed due to having 0 DUR during other Players’ turns.
• [L4] Your Chronites cards now have a minimum of 1 SPD.
• [L4] GS (Auto): Any time you need to pay CN and for two total uses of the following this game, [(Use): Create 1 CN for free to pay for a cost. Repeatable 1].

Sorcerers

Keywords

• MP: Magic Points (the main resource for Sorcerers); on the back of every Sorcerers card; any card from any Faction can be turned into MP by flipping it facedown; used to pay Cost or used in Drain effects; you must pay costs using MP in your hand; MP is considered an inactive card while in play; orphaned MP must be destroyed immediately.
• Drain: Destroy attached cards to do something; this keyword will destroy attached MP before any other card type, but you may choose which freely, otherwise; this keyword will destroy cards in the number of Drain given from the card using Drain in its effect.
• OBX: Obliterate X number of cards to pay a cost; must be paid with cards in your hand (drawn MP can be used).

Faction Rules

• [L0] You may attach MP to any card as you play it.
• [L0] Your non-MP Sorcerers cards aren’t orphaned when made inactive.
• [L0] D (Auto): Draw all MP from your discard.
• [L0] G/R (Use): Create MP out of any card in your hand. Repeatable.
• [L0] G/R (Use): Attach any number of MP to any Sorcerer card on your field without attached MP. Repeatable.
• [L1] MP may not turn back into normal cards unless they enter a deck or an opponent’s discard.
• [L1] G/R (Use): Discard 3 MP to draw 1.
• [L2] GS (Auto): Choose 1 card to keep in your starting hand, then draw 1 less card to start with.
• [L3] Any card that enters your discard turns into MP.
• [L3] Your discard can’t be shuffled into your deck naturally.
• [L3] D (Auto): Draw 1 less card.
• [L3] The above [discard 3 MP] gains “Repeatable”.
• [L4] G/R (Use): You may also create MP out of any card on your field that you control and then draw it. Repeatable.

Gene Hunters

Keywords

• Absorb: A form of Attaching cards; place the Absorbed card under the card that either directs you to Absorb or when paying a cost; maintain a card’s state as faceup or facedown when Absorbing.
• Consume: Destroy any Attached (often Absorbed) cards by the Consume number; Consuming a Gene-giving card will not stop that Gene effect from finishing if its effect would Consume the Gene-giving card; when you Consume a non-Husk, you may play each Consumed non-Husk as a Husk in any of your open Front or Back slots instead of destroying it.
• HySpell/HyBuilding: Also considered a minion in addition to the other written type.
• Gene: Card effects that are passed on to a primary card, from Attached (Absorbed) cards to what they are Attached to; all Gene effects on Attached cards are treated as if written on the card they are Attached to (they also inherit their SPD); their effect is not active on the Attached card (which is inactive), except to resolve effects that call for cards contributing Gene effects.
• Cost: A#: The minimum number of cards you must Absorb to play a card; when playing a card with an Absorb Cost, you must set down the card you are playing, then Absorb an Active card with all of its Attached (Absorbed) cards; to pay for higher Absorb Costs, you must collect sufficient cards under a single card using the Absorb mechanic.
• Husk: Card Back; often created when Consuming.

Faction Rules

• [L0] Absorbed cards are inactive except for the purposes of passing on a Gene.
• [L0] Cards played as, turned into, or used as a Husk remain as a Husk until they enter a deck or an opponent discard.
• [L0] G/R (Use): Create 1 Husk from any card in your hand (flip it around).
• [L0] G/R (Use): Choose a card and Absorb another card on your field with all of its other attached (Absorbed) cards. Repeatable.
• [L1] The above [Create 1 Husk] gains “Repeatable”.
• [L3] When Absorbed cards Husks are orphaned, you may play them instead of destroying them if you have an open slot on your field.
• [L3] Husks do not revert when they enter an opponent’s discard [unless another Faction rule also affects cards that enter their discard].
• [L3] G/R (Use): Move an Active card that can be placed Any to an open slot in Front or Back. OPT per card. Repeatable.

Zal

Keywords

• Declared: Done after deciding turn order and before creating and presenting their decks; usually combined with the below concepts (e.g. “Declared factions” means factions stated in the pre-game).
• Faction: All non-Zal card sets (Zal isn’t considered a faction).
• Loyalty: The value representing your dedication to any one or more faction(s); Zal cards have no Loyalty restrictions; when a card relates to Loyalty restrictions or L#, its referring to the number and icon in the top left (no number means Loyalty 0).
• T: Taxes; used to pay costs; T is equal to the number of Factions you declared (Zal doesn’t count); when paying T, discard the sum of T plus or minus any additional values in the Cost; T-1 means discard one less than T while T+2 means discard 2 more than T.

Faction Rules

• [L0] GS (Auto): If you declared an L4 faction, draw 1 less card to start with.

Stack 5: Glossary & Clarifications

General Keywords

• (Auto): Automatic effect; occurs while on the field by default or whenever (even if in the middle of being removed from it if written so) and wherever their text describes (even if from a Player’s hand or discard); “S (Auto)” means only in the Start phase; (Auto) effects do not use the Reply system and do not affect the Speed Floor; resolves instantaneously the moment its trigger condition occurs; (Auto) chained into a card activation does not trigger a Reply Opportunity (eg. “(Auto): When this card takes damage, [(Use): Gain 1 HP]” means that the (Use) effect won’t trigger a Reply Opportunity); Any (Auto) effect that chains into an effect that’s naturally OPT [eg. (Use)] will no longer be available if the chained effect already activated that turn (Repeatable in the chained effect can change that number).
• (Exh): Exhausting activatable effect; a somewhat more demanding activation that prevents the card from then initiating a battle; requires the card to not already be exhausted to activate; OPT.
• (Hand): In-Hand activatable effect; this is used on card effects that have an activatable effect while in a Player’s hand; reveal the card while activating this effect; OPT.
• (Obl): Oblivion activatable effect; this is used on card effects that occur while in oblivion; OPT.
• (Play): On-Play effect; this is used on card effects that occur once when the card is played (after all Players pass on the Reply opportunity created by playing that card).
• (Re): Repliable activatable effect; this allows a card to be played during other Player’s turns instead of during its controller’s turn; see the Reply section for more information; counts as a card play.
• (Use): Use activatable effect; a less taxing effect that doesn’t usually exhaust the card; OPT.
• activate: Activating a card effect; describes (Auto) (Hand) (Exh) (Use) (Obl) and (Re) effects; triggers a Reply Opportunity.
• active: The normal state of cards on the field; attached cards are not normally considered active.
• Active Player: The Player who’s turn it currently is.
• All: All card types; by default, this includes: minions, spells, and buildings; cards with this type are treated as all card types available to its owner.
• Any: All areas of a Player’s field (Front and Back); cards with this type are treated as all positional card types available to its owner.
• ATK: Attack Stat; the value that determines damage dealt to HP in battle; can’t go below 0 and can’t be removed entirely.
• attach: Attach a card to another card; when a card is destroyed or otherwise removed from play that had cards attached to it, orphan all attached cards; attached cards are considered inactive by default.
• attack: Describes when cards initiate battle; requires an ATK Stat (any ATK value, even 0); this will trigger a Reply opportunity.
• Back: One of two areas on each Player’s field; typically holds supporting cards; cards with this type are treated as a Back card regardless of their location.
• banish: Describes moving cards to under the card that banished them for a set duration; by default, return cards to their original location and state when the banishing card is no longer active; cards are returned without triggering (Play) effects to where they were banished from by default; if they can’t be returned to their original location, they are orphaned by default.
• banishment: Cards that are temporarily removed from play while banished by a card; see banish.
• battle: A battle consists of two targets fighting each other using their ATK and HP stats; describes when a card attacks a target (usually a minion attacking another minion or Player); triggers a Reply opportunity when a battle is initiated (when a minion attacks and makes its target join the battle); in rare cases, more targets may be involved; cards that have an ATK stat and aren’t exhausted may initiate a battle; by default, there must be no Front cards for a Back card or Player to be targeted to join a battle; unless otherwise stated, battles can only occur during a Player’s Combat phase.
• building: Usually cards with HP that can’t move.
• card: Any card, typically one that’s on the field and active; see the card effect and other general and faction rules for more context.
• card pool: The combination of your deck and your side deck (for the purposes of multi-round play).
• chained effect: The concept of one card effect allowing the activation or otherwise the starting of the following effect (often enclosed in [brackets]); usually chains activatable with non-activatable card effects; eg. a (Play): When this card takes damage for the first time, [(Auto): Prevent that damage]; see (Auto) for more details on chaining where (Auto) is the initiating effect.
• controller: The Player who gains control of a card or other aspect (such as a field or a slot) during a single game until GE; not to be confused with the owner, who would be the Player who had that card or aspect at GS.
• cost: What must be done to play a card; check Faction specifics for more details on how to pay or what the cost entails; “average cost” means the average between any cost that contains more than one cost that must all be paid together.
• deal damage: How much an HP stat is reduced by.
• deck: The place where Players draw cards from by default; the size is 40 cards at GS by default.
• destroy: Moving from on the field to its owner’s discard; minions and buildings that reach 0 HP are immediately destroyed; spells that are 0 DUR at the next End phase are destroyed.
• discard: Discard from a hand to the owner’s discard.
• draw: Draw from the top of the controller’s deck by default; some card effects change the location from where you draw, such as drawing from another Player’s hand.
• DUR: Duration Stat; 0 DUR on your card means you must destroy this card at the very end of this turn’s End phase (even if it’s another Player’s End); all DUR on a Player’s cards are lowered by 1 on each of the controller’s Start phases.
• exhaust: Tilt the card, marking a card is exhausted; represents the card has battled or used a tiring effect; exhausted minions can’t battle or activate Exhaust effects; unexhaust at your Start phase.
• faster: Card effects with a higher SPD Stat or that were triggered later in the event of a SPD tie.
• Front: One of two areas on each Player’s field; typically holds minions; protects Back cards and Players by default from being joined into battle; cards with this type are treated as a Front card regardless of their location.
• gain: Increases a stat by a certain value; can increase that stat beyond the written threshold of a card; can also increase the set value for entities like Players for their starting 10 HP (you can go beyond 10 using gain); if you increase a stat beyond its original value, the maximum it reaches becomes the new threshold for heal in the case of HP; cannot affect stats when the card or entity being affected has no matching printed stat at all (as opposed to having starting a stat of 0); temporary gains will always be taken back until reaching the original value.
• heal: Recovers lost HP up to either an original HP total or a new high value that was gained via a card effect (see gain); gaining HP past a printed or starting value sets the new max HP value that you can heal to.
• HP: Health Points stat; the value that determines how much HP damage can be taken before the card is destroyed; 0 HP cards are destroyed immediately.
• inactive: A card that is still on the field but can’t start or join battles or use any activatable effects; can still be targeted by spells or other card effects unless attached; non-orphaned inactive cards take up slots but do not protect Back cards or Players from battle; most inactive cards are treated as orphans unless otherwise stated.
• in play: Cards anywhere in the game; locations include the field, a discard, a deck, an oblivion, Banishment, or a hand; cards removed from the game are no longer in play.
• join battle: Analogous with being “attacked”; Attacked targets being made to participate in battle; a Player with no Front cards is open to being made to join battles.
• lower: Decreases a stat by a certain value; cannot lower any stat below 0; cannot affect stats when the card or entity being affected has no matching printed stat at all (as opposed to having starting a stat of 0).
• minion: More proactive cards that fight in battles; often protects Players from being made to join battles by being in Front; may initiate battle if unexhausted and has an ATK stat; may be forced to join battle, even if it has no ATK stat.
• obliterate: Placing cards in oblivion; another form of discard/destroy, but often more permanent; return these cards after the game ends; see oblivion.
• oblivion: A special area that’s often like a more permanent form of discard; each Player has their own oblivion area.
• OPT: Once Per Turn; usable once per each Player’s turns (once on your turn and once on each opponent’s turns); will reset if the card leaves and then returns to the area of the card activation or card effect within the turn [eg. you (Use) a card effect, then you replay that card so that you can reuse that (Use) again that turn].
• orphan: Inactive cards prepared for discard; set orphans aside (they leave the field without triggering any effects as they are inactive) when orphaned as they do not take up slots; discard orphans at the next End phase.
• owner: The Player who controlled this card or other aspect (such as a side of the field) upon GS (cards gained as a Prize become owned by the one who won them in said Prize), usually meaning they started the game with this card in their deck; if Players decide so, the original owner from before any games were played may take back all cards won in any Prize upon the completion of the match or agreed upon set of matches.
• play: Describes cards being played; always reveal the card, pay the cost, deal with the Reply opportunity, then deal with its (Play) effects.
• Prize: Cards won via Invasion Mode or any similar agreed upon game modes (see Invasion Mode).
• remove from game: Cards or other aspects that do not return until GE.
• Repeatable: You may do this effect more than once per turn based on the number given; no number means this effect can be used an unlimited number of times.
• replay: Playing a card again in the same spot, paying its cost by default; will reset its stats and status by default like it had just been played for the first time; does not revert the card back into its original form if it was converted into another card (such as a Drone or a Husk).
• Repliable: This card effect can be used in response to a Reply Opportunity; use the SPD of the card this effect is on to judge if you are fast enough.
• Reply: Reacting to certain actions in the game with your own action; usually requires that your card or card effect contains (Re) or “Repliable”; also requires that you are Replying with a card at or of a higher SPD stat than the most recent Reply in the chain (or the initial action that started the chain if this is the first Reply).
• Reply Chain: The sequence of Replies made originating from a single card play or activatable effect or battle initiation (see Reply Opportunity); order goes LIFO (Resolve the last effect first); card plays and card activations from outside of the field will fizzle if prevented while effect activations like (Use) and (Exh) will activate even if the card is removed from the field; see Reply and SPD.
• Reply Opportunity: Any moment that allows players to respond with a Reply; the Active Player always get to Reply to their own Reply Opportunities first before passing the ability to Reply down the turn order or to the Defending player; common triggers are: playing a card, initiating a battle, using a (Use), (Exh), or (Hand) effect aka an Activatable effect; see Reply and SPD.
• set: Locks a stat to a certain value; often paired with a continuous (Auto) effect, in which case, this will override every other stat manipulation other than newer set effects that are also continuous.
• side deck: Additional cards prepared for use in multi-round play (like Invasion Mode); the default is 15 cards.
• SPD: Automatic effect; occurs while on the field by default or whenever (even if in the middle of being removed from it if written so) and wherever their text describes (even if from a Player’s hand or discard); “S (Auto)” means only in the Start phase; (Auto) effects do not use the Reply system and do not affect the Speed Floor; resolves instantaneously the moment its trigger condition occurs.
• Speed Floor: The limit under which no new cards can be played or effects be activated during a Reply Chain.
• spell: Does an effect that often manipulates other cards or Players; often has SPD and DUR but no ATK or HP, and typically is played in Back.
• target: Players and non-attached cards; usually Players, minions, and spells; often, additional terms are included to define a more specific target.
• temporary: Refers to effects that revert after a duration of time or a certain condition trigger; often tied to stat changes; usually seen in the game on cards with lines like “until the end of the turn”.
• the deck: Where your cards start at GS and where you draw from; drawing from an empty deck triggers you to shuffle your discard into a new deck; searching through your deck for card effects requires you then shuffle your deck after.
• the discard: Where your cards go when discarded or destroyed; will be shuffled if the owner’s deck has no cards but they must draw.
• the field: Where cards typically can interact with the game; holds a Front and Back area for each Player; many effects require cards be on the field to use.
• unique: Only one card with this exact name per player can be controlled on the field at a time; usually some form of a unique card type like “Unique Minion” or “Unique Building”; if you play a unique card and you already control the same unique on the field, you must either destroy the currently active one or destroy the newly played one before any of its (Play) effects trigger.
• Void Cards: Unplayable blank cards (no effects, stats, types, names, factions, or costs); made when a player includes “illegal” cards that they either lack the Loyalty to play or otherwise shouldn’t have included due to other deck building rules; cannot be turned into other cards unless explicitly called out by an effect; cannot be played by any means unless an effect explicitly calls them out; can be discarded, taken, or otherwise moved to other locations via effects; can be used to pay for costs or to achieve effects so long as those effects don’t break the other rules for Void Cards; best practices are that you sleeve the card with its reverse side or to mark in a way that doesn’t allow cheating; some card effects interact with Void Cards, but most play should avoid purposefully including them if they aren’t part of that deck; it is acceptable to ban these cards from physical play due to their tricky enforcement if the organizers see fit.

Clarifications

1. Loyalty Declaration: Your deck must adhere to the Loyalty declared such that it contains no LR level card higher than its matching faction Loyalty you’ve declared.
   Example 1: “I declare L4 Kingdom” means you cannot have any LR1 or higher cards from any other faction but you can have LR0-LR4 Kingdom cards.
   Example 2: “I declare L2 Kingdom and L2 Arena” means you can’t add LR3 or higher Kingdom or Arena cards and you can’t add LR1 or higher cards from other factions.
   Example 3: “I declare L1 Arena, L1 Chronites, L1 Kingdom, L1 Machines, L0 Sorcerers, and L0 Reanimators” is legal because it still only adds to 4 Loyalty Points.
2. Attached cards to a Chronite get orphaned when they flip.
3. Sheltering an HP target in Front using a Back card will remove that Front card’s ability to block targeting the Back/Player by default.
4. (Auto) conditions are always on by default, thus playing a Keep and a Firewall, then playing a textless card with 0 ATK will trigger the +1 card draw for Keep (because the card was played before it gained an effect text), but the Front card gain 1 ATK will not affect that card because Firewall will give it an effect text.
5. Temporary stat changes will always revert to their original, printed on the card stat unless stated otherwise. A temporary “set” such as “until the end of the turn” will revert that card’s set stat back to its original value; it may then after gain or lose more of that stat due to (Auto) or new activated effects etc. Temporary Gains of a stat, such as HP, will not drop back down below the original printed card stat (e.g., a 2HP unit gaining 3 HP until the end of the turn and then losing 2 HP in battle would result in its HP stopping at 2 instead of going down to 0). Temporary HP is consumed first when taking damage.
6. Chronites flips when their cards Age/Revert are a batch action and thus the controller can choose the order in which they are flipped (and moved); you can avoid cards being destroyed due to a full row by choosing an efficient order of slot swapping.
7. Card types (Front, Back, Minion, Building, etc.) are innate by default and not changed unless directly changed by a new effect; they retain the printed, original typings no matter where they are located unless changed later by another effect.
8. Mana Battery and MP can be attached at the same time using the Faction effect of attaching MP.
9. Chronites “Past” and “Future” are unique zones that also equate to “Back” and “Front”, respectively. Additionally, when a card effect targets a card either in the Front or Back–or it targets a card of type “Front” or “Back”–that card effect treats both the area and the card type on the card as both either “Future/Past” or “Front/Back” (or both for cards that are of “Any” location type if the effect targets not the location but the location type).

Stack 6: Alternate Modes

Invasion Mode (Campaign Format)

1. Decide on a deck size (the default is 40) and side deck size for a total “card pool”.
2. Decide on a Prize value (for a shorter, “advantage” style format, try a side deck of 15 and a Prize of 10).
3. Decide who chooses the Prize cards or if random. They should be selected after each round (after GE during the next PG).
4. Decide if the winning Player must use a certain number or all of the Prize cards in their next game.
5. Rounds continue until one Player can’t make a legal deck (being 40 by default) using their remaining cards across the available card pool.

Over the Table (Style Standards & Physical Play)

1. Play with opaque sleeves such that true card backs are hidden when playing a hybrid deck or when playing Chronites (as otherwise the factions of your cards will become public or the card itself in the case of Chronites).
2. Play with at least double-sleeved cards such that you can easily reverse the facing of cards when playing Chronites.
3. Play with extra card backs or tokens to mark card back cards put into play (Drones, MP, Crowd Members, Husks, etc.); when using a card as a card back, clearly mark them or combine them such that the original card can be confirmed while the new state it is in can also be easily tracked even if it is placed in a discard or hand.
4. When not playing a hybrid deck, you may alternatively just play without marking cards turned into card backs so long as you make it clear if and when said cards enter your hand by keeping them in a separate pile or by flipping them in your hand (their faces are public anyway); they should of course maintain their facing when appropriate (such as while on the field or while in a discard or even oblivion if directed to do so).
5. Keep track of resources using tokens or some other form of tracker. Machines might benefit from tracking their current Store value so as to avoid any mistakes.
6. Have your Faction Rules and Keywords cards available for your and your opponents’ reference.
7. Clearly designate locations for any region of your playspace you might use. By default, you must designate a space for your deck, your 5 Front and 5 Back slots, your discard, and your oblivion.
8. Whenever you finish shuffling your deck, present it to your opponents so they may cut it (it is recommended you cut opponents’ decks when allowed to).
9. Declare your actions clearly so that your opponents can verify them. This includes GA and Faction Rules (short-hand is fine if players are comfortable, e.g. “I draw 1, then 1 more” for drawing once from GA then once more from a Faction Rule).
10. It is recommended to “tap” cards by turning them 90 degrees when they exhaust.
11. It is recommended to mark or further “tap” cards when they activate a (Use) effect so long as it’s clear if they’re exhausted or not.
12. Depending on your deck, you may want to bring either damage tokens or several die to track stat changes. It is recommended to track Player HP via a d10 or by writing it down. It is highly recommended to use different colored tokens or die such that you can track changes to the different stats on your cards (especially HP and DUR, the most commonly changed stats); if this is not possible, it is recommended that you place those tokens or die over the stats on the cards or along the sides of the cards so one can easily differentiate them from each other.
13. Playing an illegal deck (by not following Loyalty restrictions or by having an illegal number of cards) should be disqualification by default; players or event organizers may choose to escalate or deescalate the penalty (e.g. casual play might continue but with the illegal card removed while organizers might DQ the player from the tournament).