Ivion: The Fox & The Forest Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Game Contents
  • Cards
  • Dice
  • Tokens and Other Components
• Parts of a Card
  • Skill Cards
  • Feat Cards
  • Ultimates
  • Traits
  • Card Types
• Game Concepts
  • Don't Roll the Dice!
  • Resources
  • Actions
  • Power
  • Initiative
  • Control
  • The Golden Rule
  • Playing a Card
  • Second Wind
  • The Field and Tiles
  • Movement
  • Range
  • Attached Cards
• Game Setup
• Sample Play Area
• Parts of a Turn
  • Start of Turn
  • Main Phase
  • End of Turn
• Resolving Cards
  • Playing Cards
  • Resolving Cards
  • Feat Resolution
• Responding to Cards
  • Instants
  • Counters
  • Meta-Counters
• Control
  • Removing Control
  • Example
• Additional Rules
  • Exhaustion
  • Destroying Cards
  • Terrain
  • Traveling
  • Simultaneous Effects
  • Maximum of 5
  • Occupied Tiles
  • Zones
  • Feat Zone
  • Revealing Cards
• Variant Rules
  • Arena
  • Paragon
  • League
• A Night of Winter
• Deckbuilding
  • 1. Choose a Specialization
  • 2. Choose Classes
  • 3. Choose Traits
  • 4. Constructing Your Character
  • Which Cards Should I Choose?
  • Sample Deck: Steward
  • Sample Deck: Winterborn
• Archetypes
  • Specializations
  • Classes
• Glossary
• Quick Start
  • Setup
  • How to Play
  • Destroying Cards
  • Control
  • Instant Cards
  • Second Wind
• The Fox and the Forest Rules Reference
  • Stop! Introduction
  • Variant Game Modes
    • Paragon
    • Arena (2v2)
    • Herocrafting League
  • Fight with Honor
  • Herocrafting
    • How It Works
    • Example: Ikraaka the Splinter
    • Layers of Mastery
  • Deck Customization
    • Pick Any Two Classes

Introduction

Ivion is a dueling card game for 2 or 4 players set in a harsh fantasy world. Each player controls a character, comprised of a 45-card deck and 3 Feat cards. Players must utilize powerful proficiencies, innate talents, and cunning tricks to seize victory in a 4 by 4 tile arena.

Players begin the game in opposite corners at their maximum HP total, but as the distance closes, brutal attacks and devastating spells can cause even the hardest of warriors to falter.

The first player to reduce their enemy's HP to 0 wins the game!

Game Contents

Cards

Classes (60 cards each): Manifest (white), Cryomancer (blue), Witch (black), Druid (green), Giant (red), Warrior (gray).

Specializations (30 cards each): Incarnate, Avatar, Ebon Mage, Curseblade, Ancient, Jarl, Winterborn, Watcher, Wilder, Huntsman, Steward, Survivalist.

Ultimates (12 cards). Traits (42 cards). Tiles (32 tiles).

Dice

• 4 Action dice
• 4 Power dice
• 4 Slow dice
• 4 Silence dice
• 4 Disarm dice
• 8 HP dice

Tokens and Other Components

• 16 Difficult Terrain tokens
• 6 Initiative tokens
• 12 Mitigate/Duration tokens
• 12 Standees (miniatures)
• Rulebook

Parts of a Card

Skill Cards

Each character has a 45-card deck of skill cards. Skill cards represent the special techniques and attacks at your character's disposal. Most of the cards in the game are skill cards, and display the following information:

1. Card Name
2. Action Pip
3. Power Pip
4. Range
5. Card Types
6. Control Banner
7. Rules Text
8. Color Indicators
9. Archetype

Feat Cards

Each character has three cards that are kept separate: one Ultimate and two Traits. Most Feats have Action and Power pips, rules text, and other features present on skill cards. These three cards are collectively referred to as Feats, and reside in the Feat Zone (pg. 13).

Ultimates

Each deck has an Ultimate card which comes from their character's specialization. Ultimates function the same as all Feats, but also determine the starting HP total of the player.

Traits

In addition to their Ultimate, each character has 2 Traits. Traits have a bar at the bottom of the card which indicates what kind of decks can use them.

Card Types

• Instant: Instant cards can be played "in response" to an enemy's card being played (pg. 11). Instants can also be played during your turn, like other cards.
• Ability: Abilities have one-time effects that do not fall into categories covered by other card types. Cards with effects such as "Draw a card" are Abilities.
• Buff/Debuff: Buffs/Debuffs have effects that temporarily impact the game. Some apply status effects, such as Control or Mitigate. Others attach to players or tiles and have an explicit condition that cause them to be sent to the discard.
• Travel: Travel cards cause players to change locations on The Field. A Travel card will always have the word "Travel" in its rules text.
• Aura: Auras last indefinitely, attaching to either a player or a tile. Auras that have resolved can be targeted by effects that Destroy cards.
• Attack: The most important type of card for many decks, Attack cards deal damage to a target when they resolve.

Game Concepts

Don't Roll the Dice!

Ivion comes with a ton of dice. They are used to track effects and conditions that cards and players create during the game. There are no random dice rolls in Ivion, except to determine the first player.

Resources

Actions and Power are collectively referred to as Resources. Resources are used to Move (pg. 7), play cards (pg. 10), remove Control (pg. 12), and pay for effects. Unspent Resources are saved between turns, but a player can never have more than 5 of each Resource.

Actions

You gain 3 Actions at the start of your turn. There are very few other ways to generate Actions, so spend them wisely!

Power

You don't gain Power at the start of your turn. Instead, some cards give you Power, and others cost Power to play. The only way to gain Power is through card effects.

Initiative

You gain an Initiative token at the start of your turn. You can expend an Initiative token to either draw a card or to Move 1 tile (pg. 7). Unexpended Initiative tokens are lost at the end of your turn.

Control

Slow, Silence, and Disarm are collectively referred to as Control. Some cards place a number of instances of Control on enemies, which limits what cards they can play. Control persists between turns until it is removed, but you may never have more than 5 instances of a single type of Control affecting you.

The Golden Rule

If the rules text of a card directly conflicts with the rules in this book, the card takes precedence.

Playing a Card

Cards can be played from your Hand or Feat Zone. To play a card, first pay any negative Resource values. Then, if your enemy doesn't respond with an Instant, your card will resolve (pg. 11) and you gain any positive Resource values and apply the effects specified by the card's rules text. Finally, the resolved card is placed in your Discard.

Second Wind

Immediately after you are reduced to 20 HP or less for the first time during the game, use your Second Wind. Look at the top 5 cards of your Deck, and pick 2 to put into your Hand. Put the 3 you did not choose on the bottom of your Deck in any order.

The Field and Tiles

Ivion is played on a 4-by-4 grid of tiles called The Field. Each player has a standee on The Field which indicates the tile their character is in. Although represented by cards, tiles do not count as cards.

Movement

On your turn, you may Move your standee to an adjacent tile. This costs an Action. Tiles that are diagonal to one another are not considered adjacent.

Range

A card's Range is the maximum number of tiles away you can be from that card's target.

Attached Cards

Some cards are placed on The Field attached to a player or an empty tile when they resolve. A tile cannot have more than one card attached to it, and you cannot attach a card to a tile with a player in it. Cards on The Field are in the tile they are attached to, or in the tile of the player they are attached to.

Game Setup

Choose a Deck to play (pg. 16).

1. Place 16 tiles in the center of the table with the Difficult Terrain side facing down.
2. Place your standee in the bottom right tile.
3. Make sure your enemy knows what 3 Feats you are using, then place them onto the table face up and set your starting HP to the value indicated by your Ultimate.
4. Shuffle your Deck and place it onto the table face down.
5. Take the top five cards of your Deck and place them face down in front of you to form your starting Hand. Do not show these cards to your enemy.
6. Take an Action die, a Power die, and an Initiative token and place each in front of you. Set both dice to 0.
7. Take all other dice and set them aside.

Randomly determine a player to go first, then the first player becomes the active player and takes their turn.

Sample Play Area

The sample play area (pg. 9) is labeled as follows: 1. Feats; 2. Actions and Power; 3. Control affecting you; 4. Hit Points; 5. Cards attached to you; 6. Cards attached to an enemy; 7. Card attached to a tile; 8. Your Standee; 9. Deck; 10. Discard; 11. Hand.

Parts of a Turn

Start of Turn

1. Draw a card. The player going first skips their first draw.
2. Gain 3 Actions.
3. Gain an Initiative token.
4. "At the start of your turn" effects occur.

Main Phase

During your Main Phase do as many of each of the following as you wish in any order:

• Play a Card. Choose a card from your Hand or Feat Zone and play it (pg. 10).
• Move. Spend 1 Action to Move 1 tile.
• Expend an Initiative. Expend an Initiative token to Move 1 tile or draw a card.
• Remove Control. Spend Resources to remove that many instances of Control.

End of Turn

When you are unable to continue your turn (or you do not wish to), your turn ends.

1. Card effects that say, "at the end of your turn" occur.
2. If you have more than 7 cards in your Hand, discard cards until you have 7.
3. Cards that attach "until end of turn" go to their owner's Discard.
4. Any unexpended Initiative tokens are set aside and removed. Unspent Resources are saved between turns.
5. Your enemy becomes the active player and their turn begins.

Resolving Cards

Playing Cards

Cards can be played from your Hand and Feat Zone. Once a card is played, it is no longer in your Hand or Feat Zone, and is waiting to be placed into another Zone (pg. 13).

To play a card, go through these steps:

1. Select a card to play and place it face up in front of you. This card can be from your Hand, or it can be from your Feats.
   • 2a. If the card requires you to make a choice, decide now.
   • 2b. If the card requires a specific target, select an appropriate target within Range (pg. 7).
2. Allocate Resources by removing the appropriate amount from your Actions and/or Power.

Once these steps have been completed your card has now been played. Before it resolves and its effects occur, however, your enemy has a chance to respond by playing an Instant card (pg. 11). If they do, you have a chance to respond with an Instant card of your own after they play their Instant card.

Resolving Cards

When a player chooses not to respond, all unresolved cards attempt to resolve in reverse order in which they were played.

A card resolves in the following steps:

1. If the card has been Countered or Meta-Countered, it has no effect and is placed in its owner's Discard (pg. 11).
2. If the card attaches to a player or tile, it enters The Field attached to that player or tile. Otherwise, it is sent to the Discard.
3. Resources that were allocated to play the card are spent, and Control is removed accordingly.
4. If the card would cause a player to gain a Resource, those Resources are gained.
5. The effects listed in the rules text of the card occur as listed, from top to bottom.

Feat Resolution

Once a Feat is played from your Feat Zone, that Feat cannot be played until the start of your next turn. If a Feat would be sent to the Discard, Hand, or Deck, it is instead sent back to the Feat Zone.

Responding to Cards

Instants

Some cards have the Instant type. Instant cards can be played one of two ways: either normally during your turn or in response to an enemy playing a card. You can only play one Instant card in response to an enemy playing a card. However, if they play an Instant card in response to your Instant card, you will have a chance to play another Instant card! This cycle will continue until one player decides to not respond, in which case all played cards will resolve in reverse order.

The only time you may play an Instant card during your enemy's turn is immediately after they play a card.

Counters

Some cards have the Counter keyword, which is a way of preventing your enemy's cards from resolving. A Countered card does not resolve and goes to its owner's Discard. When a card is Countered, Resources allocated to play it are spent. You can only Counter cards after they have been played, but before they resolve.

The Countered player does not gain the Resources they would have gained upon the card's normal resolution.

Meta-Counters

Sometimes, when a card you have played attempts to resolve, the conditions which allowed you to play that card are no longer met. If this is the case, your card is Meta-Countered.

A Meta-Countered card does not resolve, and any Resources you allocated to play it are refunded and returned to your Resource pool.

Generally, cards are Meta-Countered in one of two ways:

• The card's owner has received Control which would prevent that card from being played (pg. 12).
• The card no longer has any valid targets, usually because they are out of Range (pg. 7).

Control

There are 3 types of Control a player can be affected by: Slow, Silence, and Disarm. Control prevents players from doing certain things on their turn.

• Slow: If you are Slowed, you may not play or resolve cards with the foot symbol colored green on the Control banner. Additionally, you may not spend Actions to Move or expend an Initiative token to Move.
• Silence: If you are Silenced, you may not play or resolve cards with the speech bubble symbol colored blue on the Control banner.
• Disarm: If you are Disarmed, you may not play or resolve cards with the sword symbol colored red on the Control banner.

Removing Control

Any time a player spends Resources in any way, that player removes a number of instances of Control from themselves equal to the number of Resources spent. A player may also spend Resources during their turn for the sole purpose of removing Control.

Example

Kassidy's character is Slowed 3 and Disarmed 2. She wants to play Warrior's Slash to defeat her enemy, but cannot because she is Disarmed and out of Range, and cannot Move closer because she is Slowed.

1. Kassidy plays Harmony, which costs 1 Actions and 2 Power. She can play Harmony, because it is not affected by Slow or Disarm.
   • When Harmony resolves, Kassidy can remove 3 instances of Control, because she spent 3 Resources.
   • She removes the 3 instances of Slow, so she can Move.
2. She then spends 2 Actions to Move 2 tiles.
   • Since she spent 2 Actions Kassidy can remove 2 more instances of Control.
   • She removes the Disarm affecting her so she can play Warrior's Slash.

No longer under Control and now in Range, she then unleashes the mighty Warrior's Slash she couldn't play at the start of her turn to win the game!

Additional Rules

Exhaustion

When you have no cards left in your Deck, you are Exhausted. While Exhausted:

• Damage you take cannot be reduced.
• You cannot gain HP.
• If you would draw a card, instead take 5 damage.

Once Exhausted, win the game quickly with the cards you have left, or suffer defeat!

Destroying Cards

When a card is Destroyed, place it in its owner's Discard. Only cards currently attached to a player or tile can be Destroyed.

Terrain

When you make Terrain in a tile, place the appropriate Terrain token onto that tile, or flip that tile over. If Terrain is made on a tile that already has Terrain, the previous Terrain is replaced.

Tiles with Difficult Terrain cost 1 more Resource to move to.

Traveling

When a card effect causes you to change tiles, it is referred to as "Traveling". Traveling causes players to enter and leave tiles, but does not count as Moving. Traveling may only send players to tiles without enemies in them.

Simultaneous Effects

If multiple effects trigger at the same time, each player, in turn order, resolves their effects in whatever order they wish, starting with the active player.

Maximum of 5

The maximum value you can have on a non-HP tracker is 5.

• You cannot have more than 5 Mitigate.
• A card cannot have more than 5 Duration.
• You cannot have more than 5 instances of a Control type.
• You cannot have over 5 of a Resource.

Occupied Tiles

It is impossible for a player to Travel or Move into a tile that has an enemy in it. If a card's effect would cause this situation to occur, instead it does not and the card is Meta-Countered (pg. 11).

Zones

Cards exist in Zones. Zones can either be Public or Private. Cards in Public Zones are available for any player to look through at any time, while cards in Private Zones cannot be viewed by some or all players. Each player has their own Deck and Hand (Private), their own Discard and Feats (Public), and they share The Field (Public).

Feat Zone

Feats are played from the Feat Zone. Once you play a Feat, you cannot play that Feat again until your next turn. If a Feat would be sent to the Discard, Hand, or Deck, it is instead sent back to the Feat Zone.

Revealing Cards

When a card in a Private Zone is placed in a Public Zone, it becomes Revealed. When a card is Revealed it is shown to all players. The card then remains face up for the rest of the game, even if in a Private Zone.

Variant Rules

Ivion can be experienced beyond its core one versus one dueling mode. Check out the variants listed below, potentially combine them, or come up with your own!

Arena

In Arena, players form teams of two and work together to strategize, attack their enemies, and defend each other. With 4 players, Arena takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete.

One player from each team begins the game with their standee in the normal start location, and the other teammate begins two tiles to their left.

Players take their turns together, as the active team. They may Move, remove Control, play cards, and use their Initiative tokens in any order they wish. When a team plays a card, the other team has a chance to respond with one card collectively.

When a player is defeated, they remove their standee from the field, take each card from their Deck and shuffle it back together, and reset their HP to maximum. At the start of their team's next turn, they place their standee on The Field at least three tiles away from each enemy player.

The first team to get two kills immediately wins the game!

You may share a tile with an ally, but not an enemy.

Paragon

In Paragon, deckbuilding is significantly altered. Instead of picking one Specialization and two Classes, pick three Specializations.

Create a 45 card Deck with exactly 15 cards from each Specialization. Your three Feats are each Specialization's Ultimate.

Players start at the highest maximum HP total among their three Specializations.

May the greatest hero win!

League

In League, one game alone is not the deciding factor of victory. Each player builds two characters out of their box instead of one, playing Ivion over the course of either two or three games, called the set. To win the set, you must win a game with each of your two characters.

At the start of a League set, both players lay out their two characters' Feats face up. Each player has a chance to look over the Feats of their enemy, then secretly decide which of their own characters to play first. Players reveal their decisions simultaneously.

Once a player wins a game, they must play their other character for the rest of the set. The losing player then decides which of their characters to play.

When a player has won a game with each of their characters, they have won the set!

A Night of Winter

"A Night of Winter" is a short piece of flavour fiction in the printed rulebook (pg. 15) and is not transcribed here.

Deckbuilding

Creating your character is one of the most unique and exciting aspects of Ivion. We recommend new players build their first deck following the steps listed below.

1. Choose a Specialization

Choose one Specialization and its corresponding Ultimate.

An Ultimate is associated with each Specialization, determining your character's maximum HP, and is one of the three cards in your Feat Zone.

2. Choose Classes

Choose two Classes. At least one of your Classes must share a Color Pip with your Specialization.

The Color Pips of your Specialization (and your Classes) are on the bottom left and bottom right of each Specialization card, and the Ultimate.

3. Choose Traits

Pick two Traits. Each Trait has Color Pip requirements that your character must have.

Your character has six total Color Pips: two from your Specialization, two from your first Class, and two from your second Class. Color Pips are not expended when used to select a Trait.

4. Constructing Your Character

You are ready to construct your character!

• Pick 15 cards from your Specialization.
• Pick 30 cards from among your two Classes.
• Shuffle your 45 card Deck (Do not shuffle your Feats.). You are ready to play!

Which Cards Should I Choose?

There are many critical aspects in your game-plan for a victorious character. Here are some basic concepts.

• Add many cards that generate Power.
• Add many Attack cards to deal damage.
• Add some cards that cost Power for big effects.
• Add a few cards that can Destroy other cards.
• Add a few Instant cards that can defend you.

Sample Deck: Steward

Ultimate: Shield Slam. Traits: Strike, Hold.

Steward Cards: 3 Hammer Strike; 3 Banner of the Steward; 2 Crushing Weight; 2 Determination.

Warrior Cards: 3 Tenacity; 3 Challenge; 3 Banner of the Warrior; 3 Crush; 3 Battle Lust; 2 Duck; 2 Block; 2 Split Bone; 1 Hammer and Anvil; 1 Shield Bash; 1 Reflect; 2 Fight with Honor; 2 Careful Strike; 2 Seize the Day; 2 Lame; 1 Warrior's Slash; 1 Dismember; 1 Intimidate.

(Split Bone, Hammer and Anvil, Shield Bash and Reflect are listed in the printed deck's right-hand column alongside the Warrior cards; each entry is transcribed as printed.)

Sample Deck: Winterborn

Ultimate: Winterburst. Traits: Icicle, Fragments.

Winterborn Cards: 3 Snowclutch; 3 Winterheart; 3 Ice Flurry; 2 Blizzard; 1 Freeze; 1 Frigid Gale; 1 Frostbite; 1 Shiver.

Cryomancer Cards: 3 Sleet Blast; 3 Attrition; 3 Icebolt; 3 Snowslide; 3 Rime Shock; 2 Snow Blast; 2 Wintertide; 2 Glacialize; 2 Flash Freeze; 1 Avalanche; 1 Hailstorm; 1 Coldshape; 1 Thin Ice; 1 Cryostasis; 1 Everfrost; 1 Frostsnatch.

Archetypes

Specializations

Each Specialization card shows its two color pips at the bottom. The pips as printed:

Specialization	Color pips
Avatar	white, blue
Curseblade	black, red
Jarl	red, gray
Watcher	blue, gray
Huntsman	black, green
Survivalist	green, gray
Incarnate	white, white
Ebon Mage	black, black
Ancient	red, red
Winterborn	blue, blue
Wilder	green, green
Steward	gray, gray

Classes

Class	Color pips
Manifest	white, white
Witch	black, black
Giant	red, red
Cryomancer	blue, blue
Druid	green, green
Warrior	gray, gray

Glossary

• Advantage: A card has Advantage if the targeted player is Controlled (pg. 12), enabling its additional Advantage effect.
  • As long as the target is Controlled as your card starts to resolve, the Advantage effect occurs.
• Breach: A card has Breach if the targeted player has a Revealed card in their hand (pg. 13), enabling its additional Breach effect.
  • As long as the targeted player has a Revealed card in their hand as your card starts to resolve, the Breach effect occurs.
• Counter: Countered cards fail to resolve, and the Resources allocated to play them are spent (pg. 11).
  • To Counter a card, it must be within Range. An unresolved card counts as being in the same tile as its controller.
  • Resources spent in any way remove Control, even if that way is getting .

Quick Start

Setup

1. Take one of the prebuilt Decks (pg. 16), set the 3 Feat cards aside, and shuffle the Deck.
2. Take these game parts and place them next to you: Action dice, Power dice, Mitigate tokens, HP dice, Slow, Silence, and Disarm dice, Initiative tokens, and your character standee. These dice are for tracking values. They are never rolled.
3. Set your HP dice to the value on your Ultimate.
4. Take 16 tile cards and place them in a 4 by 4 grid with the Difficult Terrain side facing down.
5. Players place their character standees in opposite corners.
6. Each player draws five cards to form their opening Hand.
7. Randomly determine a player to go first.

How to Play

At the start of your turn, gain 3 Actions, an Initiative token, and draw a card. On the first turn, the first player does not draw a card.

During your turn, you may:

• Move to an adjacent tile by spending 1 Action. You may never be in the same tile as your enemy, and you cannot Move while Slowed.
• Play a card from your Hand or Feats, spending the Resource cost. If your card has a target, you must be within Range. Then the card resolves. Any specified Resources are gained, it is placed in your discard, and its effects occur.
• Use your Initiative token to either draw a card or Move to an adjacent tile for free.
• Remove instances of Control from yourself by spending that many Resources.

When you no longer wish to choose options, your turn ends. You remove any unused Initiative tokens, but keep unspent Resources.

Reduce your enemy's HP to 0 to win the game!

Destroying Cards

Some cards attach to a player or a tile, staying on The Field (pg. 7). These cards can be Destroyed, sending them to their owner's Discard.

Control

A Controlled player cannot play cards restricted by the type of Control that player is affected by. When you spend Resources in any way remove that many instances of Control from yourself.

Instant Cards

Instant cards can be played in response to your enemy playing a card, potentially stopping their card's effects.

• Some Instants Counter the card and send it to their Discard without the card resolving. The Resources allocated to play the card are spent, and the player may remove Control accordingly.
• Other cards render the card unable to resolve, such as applying Control. This Meta-Counters the card: the card does not resolve, but allocated Resources are refunded.

Second Wind

When you are reduced to 20 HP or below for the first time, pause the current player's turn. Look at the top five cards of your Deck, pick two to put into your Hand, and put the rest on the bottom of your Deck in any order. Then, the active player's turn resumes.

The maximum number you can have of each non-HP dice is 5.

The Fox and the Forest Rules Reference

The following is the official "The Fox and the Forest Rules Reference" (Luminary Games, 2023), the rules addendum for the season-two box. It is not a teaching manual; it covers the box's specializations, classes, traits, variants and glossary.

Stop! Introduction

This Rules Reference is not designed to teach you how to play, but rather serves as a reference for any questions that may occur during play. For in-depth keyword explanations, check the glossary.

After you've played your first game, check out the Herocrafting rules for creating your own character, or dive right in to the full-fledged deck customization system.

This Rules Reference expands upon the Learn to Play. This document will help you tackle advanced situations during gameplay, as well as provide information for expanded ways to enjoy the game. Each starter deck additionally comes with a reference card to review basic game concepts, a mechanics card that explains the key features of your character, and a decklist card to recreate the starter decks at any point.

After you've played a game or two with the starter decks, we recommend opening the extra shrink-wrapped deck in your box. At this point, you'll have some options on how to approach the game. Check out the Herocrafting and Make Your Own Hero sections for more information.

We hope you enjoy the game, and welcome to the world of Ivion!

Variant Game Modes

Paragon

In Paragon, deckbuilding is significantly altered. Instead of picking one specialization and two classes, players pick three specializations.

To make a Paragon deck, players must create a 45 card deck with exactly 15 cards from each specialization. Instead of the normal feat loadout of two traits and an ultimate, your hero gets each of your specializations' ultimates.

Paragon heroes use the HP tracker of their specialization with the highest HP value.

Arena (2v2)

In Arena, players form teams of two and work together to strategize, attack their enemies and defend each other.

One player from each team begins the game with their miniature in the normal start location, and their teammate begins two tiles to their left.

Players take their turns together, as the active team. They may take main phase actions (such as Move and Clear) in any order between each other as they wish. When a team plays a card, the other team has a chance to respond with one card. Heroes may share tiles with their ally.

When a player is defeated, they remove their miniature from the field, shuffle their cards into a fresh deck and reset their HP to maximum. At the start of their team's next turn, they place their miniature on any tile at least three tiles away from each opponent.

The first team to defeat their opponents' heroes twice wins!

Herocrafting League

In the Herocrafting League, one game alone does not determine victory. This variant is a monthly, free-form way to play Ivion where players are encouraged to try new archetypes and combinations, play casual matches with other members of their community, and generally enjoy the game together.

A Herocrafting League lasts four weeks. At the beginning of the League, each player is assigned three random, legal archetypes (two classes and one specialization) and two random, legal traits. Each player then creates a deck using the rules for Herocrafting.

As players play League matches (games where both players are using their League decks), their decks will evolve. After a player loses a League match, they may replace a single card from one of their archetypes with another card from that archetype.

Additionally, at the start of week two and every week thereafter, players improve their decks by choosing an archetype to "unlock". Once an archetype is unlocked, they may freely replace each card in it with another card from the same archetype. If the unlocked archetype is a class, you may also replace one of your feats.

Each League match played awards one point, and each League match won awards one additional point.

At the end of the fourth week, the player with the most points wins!

Fight with Honor

While Ivion may be simulating a brutal and bloody duel, you aren't dying in real life! Mistakes and misunderstandings can be frustrating, but good sportsmanship is key. It's easier for everyone to have fun when fun is the highest priority. Winning is cool and fun, but playing your best and respecting your opponent is even cooler. Keep the battle in-game and you'll not just survive the encounter, but also the friendship!

Herocrafting

This box alone is a complete, replayable game experience. However, the Herocrafting System empowers you to quickly try new characters without the usual hassle of constructing your own deck. To get started using the Herocrafting System, you will need a pair of three content boxes. This box is a part of Winter's Bite, including The Fox and the Forest, The Ram and the Raven and The Rune and the Rime.

How It Works

Each hero is a combination of three fantasy archetypes. Two of these archetypes are classes, and one is a specialization.

1. Choose your two classes. Firstly, pick two different classes in your collection that sound fun, cool, or otherwise interesting. What kind of hero you want to craft is ultimately up to you! Note the color of the classes you choose. You may pick the same class twice. If you do, simply take two copies of each of the cards marked for Herocrafting instead of one. Class cards can be identified by the gold bar above the name of the class.
2. Choose your specialization. Pick a specialization in your collection. It must share a color with at least one of your chosen classes. Furthermore, each specialization has an associated card that has a unique back compared to its other cards. For now, set this card aside. Specialization cards can be identified by the platinum bar above the name of the specialization.
3. Craft your hero! In each of your three chosen archetypes, 15 cards will bear the Herocrafting icon. Find each of these 45 cards and combine them into a deck! Additionally, there are two trait cards that aren't associated with any archetype you'll need to add to your new character. Based on the color of your two class choices, you'll find trait cards for each that have the Herocrafting icon. Take whichever two you'd prefer and set them aside.
4. Shuffle and play! Shuffle your new, 45 card deck. The extra card you set aside from your specialization (that specialization's ultimate) and the two traits you chose are your hero's feats. Once you've found your associated specialization's miniature, you and your new hero are ready to play!

See Deck Customization for more detailed information about each of the concepts listed in these steps.

Example: Ikraaka the Splinter

In this example, we'll take a look at a Herocrafted Wilder.

Ikraaka knows she wants to be a Wilder, so picks Druid as her first class and sets those cards aside. Druid is green, and thus satisfies the color requirement of Wilder, a green specialization. She additionally picks Warrior as her second class and sets those cards aside.

Second, she picks Wilder as her specialization and sets those cards aside.

She finds that the Herocrafted traits associated with Druid (green) are Regenerate and Lifeseed, and the Herocrafted traits associated with Warrior (gray) are Endurance and Strike. She can pick any combination of these two, and opts for Regenerate and Strike, then sets those cards aside.

Finally, Ikraaka takes the set aside cards she has gathered. She sifts through to find each card with the Herocrafting icon and creates her deck with those cards.

Afterwards, she takes the Wilder miniature and the Wilder ultimate, Wild Roots. Along with her two chosen traits, she's ready to shuffle and play!

Layers of Mastery

While Ivion can be learned and enjoyed with a single battle, deeper understanding of the game, its systems and its strategy can afford a far greater appreciation and overall experience. We highly recommend Herocrafting a deck, playing a few rounds and then re-evaluating its cards. What worked for you? What cards could be stronger? Why? These questions can make you a better deck constructor, a better player and a better critical thinker as well. As you and your opponents level up, new strategies will lead to closer and more compelling games. Focus on improving and your tenacious seed will grow into a tree of great knowledge!

Deck Customization

Ivion's full deck customization system is described below. In addition to Herocrafting, players may also create their own heroes (decks) with full deck construction. Customizing your hero is one of the most unique and exciting aspects of Ivion.

Pick Any Two Classes

You can also pick just one, if you wish.

Pick One Specialization

Your specialization must share a color with one of your classes.

Pick Two Traits

Your class and specialization must satisfy the color requirements of both traits.

The example trait cards on the reference page are Superstition (requires one of your archetypes to be gray), Emerald Wrath (requires two of your archetypes to be green), and Shift (requires a green and a gray archetype, or one that is both green and gray).

Build Your Deck

Once you choose your classes, specialization and traits, you can build your deck. It must include 30 cards from your classes and 15 cards from your specialization. You may not include more than three copies of a card by name in this deck.

In addition to your two traits, your specialization also provides an ultimate, which is a feat only available to that specialization. Your ultimate is the only card from your specialization without a gold card back.

After you assemble your 45 card deck, ultimate and two traits, your hero is ready. Grab your HP tracker and miniature and start the game.

Making Your Hero

How it works. All Ivion heroes are comprised of the following:

• One or two classes (30 class skill cards)
• One specialization (15 specialization skill cards)
• One ultimate (from your specialization)
• Two traits (for which you qualify)

If that feels like a lot to remember, just count to five! All heroes have one ultimate, two traits, three archetypes, and a forty-five card deck.

1. Choose your classes. Your hero's classes define the core of your hero. Take each card from up to two classes and set them aside in separate piles. You'll pick cards from them soon! Class cards can be identified by the gold bar above the name of the class.
2. Choose your specialization. Pick a specialization in your collection. It must share a color with at least one of your chosen classes. Your hero's specialization will define their unique strengths. Take each card in that specialization and the corresponding ultimate (see below) and set those cards aside. You will pick cards from them later.
3. Choose your traits. Traits are feats with colored circles at the bottom instead of an archetype. These colored circles are its color requirements. To select a trait, a hero must first satisfy these requirements by having an archetype that shares a color(s) with it. If a trait has two pips of the same color, then two of your archetypes must be that color. If a trait has pips of two different colors, then a matching, multicolored specialization can satisfy both color requirements. Trait cards can be anything from a bonus attack to a subtle passive. Try to find two that seem fun or useful to you.
4. Make your hero! Pick 30 class cards from among your hero's two classes and 15 cards from your hero's specialization. Your deck can include a maximum of three copies of each card by name. Those 45 cards comprise your new hero's deck! Your ultimate and two traits comprise your new hero's feats.

Which Cards Should You Choose?

A hero isn't simply born, they grow over time. As you play games with your hero, you will make adjustments to refine their playstyle and adaptability.

Unsure how to start? Make your hero follow this format:

• Most of their cards generate Power.
• They have an even split of abilities and attacks.
• Less than half of their attacks cost Power.
• At least 3 of their cards can destroy cards.
• At least 6 of their cards are instant.

For strategy advice and examples of other players' decks, join the Ivion Discord server! Our community is always happy to give feedback on your ideas.

Using This Box

The Fox and the Forest contains one-third of Ivion's second season. It includes the Survivalist and Wilder specializations, a selection of traits, and one-half each of the Warrior and Druid classes. Combined with The Rune and the Rime and The Ram and the Raven, they form a complete collection of Season 2: Winter's Bite. A full season will provide exactly three copies of each skill card and one copy of each trait.

In each box, an extra package of cards contains options beyond the starter decks. After the first game, players may modify their decks with these cards. Skill cards from the same archetype are interchangeable (for example, Wilder cards can replace other Wilder cards).

This extra package also contains decklist cards with new characters to try. Please note that each bonus character listed on these decklist cards requires one other Season 2: Winter's Bite box to fully construct.

Ultimates

In addition to the 10 skill cards in the archetype, each specialization also has a feat associated with it. This is the specialization's ultimate, and heroes must include this feat in addition to their two traits. Ultimates determine a hero's maximum (and starting) HP and have a drastic impact on how they play.

The example ultimate on the reference page is Wild Roots (Wilder, Passive, 36 HP): You may only target other characters if they're in terrain, but all of your cards, except travel cards that target a tile, also draw range from all tiles with terrain. You are the forest.

Archetypes

Each skill (gold-backed) card in Ivion belongs to an archetype. Archetypes are further divided into class or specialization. The bottom of a skill card shows its archetype and that archetype's colors.

Cards in the same archetype are designed to be played together and have similar themes and rules. All classes have 20 unique skill cards in their archetype, and each specialization has 10. When you sit down to begin making your deck from your 2 classes and specialization, you create your hero from a pool of 50 unique cards. This makes deck construction in Ivion a lot easier than most card games!

Rules Reference Glossary

• Advantage: A card with advantage benefits from an additional effect if the card's target is controlled. Advantage effects occur as long as the target is controlled as the card resolves.

• Attach: Some cards will attach to heroes, tiles or something else when they resolve instead of going to their owner's discard. Attached cards persist on the board, having a permanent effect until destroyed. Once a card is attached, the attach clause is no longer checked. If a player plays a card that attaches to an "empty tile" and then moves onto it, they do not destroy the attached card. However, if a card is attached to an object and that object changes zones, then the attached card is destroyed. For targeting purposes, attached cards are in the tile they are attached to, the tile of the player or card they are attached to, or else in the tile of their controller.

• Away: When an effect causes a player to travel one or more "tiles away from you", the tiles that can be traveled to are those where a path of the appropriate length can be created between the source and destination where each tile along it is a greater distance from your miniature than the previous tile.

• Can't Beats Can: Negation is absolute. If a card negates an effect, and another card permits it, the negation takes precedence.

• Cantrip: Cards with cantrip can be played for 0 action and 0 power by expending the Initiative token. Because Initiative tokens are not resources, if a card played this way is meta-countered, the Initiative token is not refunded.

• Chivalry: While a player is chivalrous, at the start of their turn, they heal 2 HP. Once a player becomes chivalrous, they remain so until they dishonor the code of chivalry. Players dishonor the code of chivalry when: