4 Sequence of Play

401 Determine First Player

• If you’ve just played a game against the same player, the loser of the last game chooses who is the first player.
• Otherwise, players flip a coin to determine the first player. The winner chooses who will play first. The player who plays second chooses whether realm 1 will start on their left or right.

402 Draw Starting Hands

• To start the game, each player shuffles their deck and draws 7 cards into their hand.

402.1 Mulligan

• Each player can choose up to 3 cards in their hand.
  • Put these on the bottom of their decks in any order and then draw that many from their deck.
  • The player going first mulligans first.

403 Steps of the Round

• The game takes place over 7 rounds. During each round, the players play Wonder, land, or item cards from their hands into the current round’s realm and/or any realms of previous rounds. To begin, each realm starts with a stone to mark who controls it.
• Steps of the round are:
  1. Beginning of Round
  2. Take Turns
  3. Round End

403.1 Beginning of Round

Beginning of the round is an umbrella term that encompasses all the events in this step. Some cards use the term “The start of the round” which means the same thing. However, if a card refers to On Round Start or On Round N, this refers specifically to the trigger event after the new realm opens.

1. The new realm opens.
2. Add energy and actions.
   • Each player adds one energy for each round that has happened in the game.
   • For example, on round 5 each player adds 5 energy.
   • Each player also adds one energy for each stone they control.
   • Each player gains 3 actions.
3. Trigger On Round Start effects and/or On Round N effects in the same event.
   • This includes round-specific events such as ascend.
     • If there are multiple triggered events the active player (the player who will take the first turn of the round) chooses the order of resolution, one at a time.
4. Each player draws a card.
5. The first player begins their turn.

403.2 Take Turns (Use Actions)

• The player who most recently seized a stone takes the first turn each round.
• If no stones have been seized, the player who took the first turn on round 1 continues to do so.
• Players alternate turns until all actions have been used (or all players have passed consecutively).
  • Using an action or a free action is considered taking a turn.
• If the player plays a card, uses an ability, or passes, resolve any effects and/or resulting triggers. As soon as the effects and triggers of the player’s turn have resolved, that player’s turn ends.

403.3 Using Turns

On your turn, spend an action to:

• Draw a card.
• Play a card.
• Attack with all your Wonders in a single active realm.
• Activate an ability that requires an action.

Alternatively, you can use your turn for a free action, if available:

• Tap free, sacrifice free, free attack, attuned, and harvest abilities are played like an action, but don’t consume an action.
• You can also pass for free.

You can draw multiple cards, play multiple cards, activate multiple abilities, and attack multiple times each round using actions if you choose.

Note: Many cards allow players to gain extra energy and actions within turns.

403.4 Round End

• When all players have passed consecutively, the round ends.
• If any player has made 11 consecutive passes within a round, the round ends.
• If you have no actions and no other ways to use your turn (such as a tap free ability or an attuned card,) you automatically pass.
• At the end of the round each player loses unspent actions, energy, and discards down to 7 cards. See below for details.

The next round begins with the first player continuing to play until a player seizes a stone. From that point forward, the last player to seize a stone is the first player.

403.5 End of Turn, Round, and Game Effects

• End of Turn Step “This turn” effects and On Turn End effects end simultaneously. Resolve any resulting effects from those ending.
• End of Round Step Then if it’s the end of the round, at the end of round N and On Round End effects end. This includes round-specific effects, such as ascend and nullify.
  • As with any multiple simultaneous triggered effects, the active player controls the order. This means the last player to pass is in charge of ordering multiple end of round effects.
  • Unspent actions are lost.
  • Unspent energy is lost.
  • Each player with more than 7 cards in their hand discards cards until their hand is 7 cards. These cards are discarded simultaneously.
  • If it’s round 7, the game ends after all End of Round effects resolve. Check for victory and determine the winner.
• As soon as the End of Round Step ends, the round is over and “this round” effects stop.
  • For example, Path of Light says “This round, nullify all items and lands,” If this is played on round 7, Formless Stones will remain nullified during the check for game victory, and will not be stones, since their ability text is blank.
• When an effect specifies this round, or until end of round, it always means this round, not the end of a future round.
• When one round is over, the next round begins immediately, unless the game ended.
• For example, Orionis Skydreamer has power equal to the current round. If there is a -1 counter on him, he will not die between rounds.

404 Spending Actions

404.1 Draw a Card

• Use an action to draw a card from your deck to your hand.

404.2 Play a Card

• The card types are Wonder, land, item, and spell.
• To play a card:
  • Use an action and spend energy to pay the cost of a card from your hand.
  • Place it into an active realm (the current realm or any previous round’s realm) or into The Abyss if it’s a spell.
  • Resolve all triggered effects and then pass the turn.

Additional Rules For Playing Cards

• Cards can’t cost less than 0 energy.
• Lands cost 1 action to play from your hand and have the orbital link ability.
• There’s no limit to the number of cards allowed in a realm.

Core Mechanic

• The core mechanic of a card specifies whether a card has the core stat. If a card is core, it can’t be played from your hand unless you have the matching orbital link. This usually means you control a land of the same orbital.
• In general, if an effect lets you play a card for free, the core mechanic of the card doesn’t apply.
• If an effect lets you play a card as though it was in your hand, the core mechanic does apply.
• For example, the card Eye of the Maelstrom says “You may play cards from the top of your deck as if they were in your hand.” In this case you are required to have the correct orbital link to play a core card from the top of your deck.

404.3 Attack

• You can spend an action to attack in any active realm if you have any Wonders there.
  • The side with higher total power in that realm conquers that realm and gains control of that stone.
  • If it’s a tie, the stone will not move.

404.3.1 Battle Structure

• All Wonders in a realm must attack together.
• You are allowed to attack multiple times in the same realm and same round using actions.
• You can’t attack unless you have at least one Wonder to attack with. Attacks involve all Wonders in a realm or none. A player can’t choose to attack with a subset of Wonders.
• When Wonders attack and there are no defenders, the opponent is still the defending player.
• ‘On battle’ triggers still happen when there are no defending Wonders.
• When checking for victory, any Wonders will beat no Wonders.
• For example, if you are attacking with 0 or less power against no enemies when you check for victory in a battle, you still win the battle.
• If there are multiple stones in a realm, each battle you win lets you seize one stone. If you want to seize two stones you need to attack and win twice.
• If an effect states that players or Wonders can’t attack in a realm, no attack can take place there, including attacks that would otherwise be enabled by triggered effects or replacement effects, such as Kanevil Wayfarer’s.

404.3.2 Battle Timing

1. On Attack step — Once you declare an attack and spend the action (or free attack), any of your cards in that realm with “On Attack” abilities trigger. These triggers are created simultaneously and resolved in the active player’s chosen order. Abilities that say “whenever (something) attacks” trigger at the same time as On Attack abilities.
2. On Defense step — After resolving On Attack triggers, any cards controlled by the defending player in that realm with On Defense abilities trigger. These triggers are created simultaneously and resolved in the active player’s chosen order.
3. On Battle step — Now trigger On Battle triggers from any cards in that realm. These triggers are created simultaneously and resolved in the active player’s chosen order.
4. Check for victory — Sum the power of each player’s Wonders in the realm. The higher total wins the battle. A tie means the battle is a draw.
5. Move a stone — If the attacker wins, they choose and seize one stone from the realm. This can be from the center or the opponent. If there are multiple stones, the attacker seizes only one. If the defender wins that player seizes a stone if able. If the battle is a tie, the stone does not move.
6. End of battle — After moving (or not moving) the stone, resolve any end-of-battle effects. These include abilities such as Flying (moving a Wonder to an adjacent realm) and other cards that trigger “at end of battle.” Once all end of battle abilities resolve, the battle is finished and play proceeds to the next turn or action.

For example, Chained Crow has Deathstrike and Flying. It attacks and the battle is a tie 6 to 6. The check for victory step registers the tie. This counts as tying a battle, so Deathstrike triggers and destroys an enemy. Since the battle was a tie, the stone doesn’t move during the move stone step. During the end of battle step, the attacking player has the Crow fly to another realm.

404.4 Activate an Ability

• Tap abilities let you use a card’s ability for an effect on your turn. To show the tap ability has been used, tap the card (turn it sideways.)
• Tapped cards can still battle and operate normally.
• Some abilities require you to spend an action, sacrifice the card, or have other costs.
• Only one card’s ability can be activated per turn. Harvest is an exception, and allows you to harvest any number of cards simultaneously.

404.5 Pass

• If you’re done using actions this round, or if you want to see what your opponent does next, you can pass.
• If you have no actions left and no other ways to use a turn, you automatically pass.
  • You’re exempt from automatically passing if you use your turn to play a card that doesn’t require an action, such as a card with the attuned ability.
• If you’ve already passed you aren’t required to keep passing on your later turns that round.
• When all players pass consecutively the round ends.
• Passing does not use up an action or any other resources.

404.5.1 Maximum of 11 Passes Within a Round

• Whenever a player passes 11 times consecutively in a round, the round ends. This rule is intended to prevent abuse of excessively long rounds.

404.5.2 Passing as a Turn

• In most cases, passing counts as taking a turn. But some cards may refer to the “last player that took a turn.” These cards are referring to the last player to play, attack, draw with a turn, or activate an ability, and passing does not count as taking a turn for these abilities.
• For example, the card Ayu Goss says “If you took the last turn of the round, you may untap target land or Wonder.” In this case passing is not counted as taking a turn.

405 Winning the Game

• After the end of round 7, check to see the current controller of each stone. The player with the most stones wins the game.
• In case of a draw, the victory goes to the player controlling the lowest numbered realm with a single controller, (this is usually realm 1.) Otherwise, the draw stands.
• If at any time a deck has no cards, that player loses.
• If all other players lose, the remaining player wins.