Yomi 2: Road to Morningstar
Yomi 2: Road to Morningstar Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Component List
- 2 playmats
- 10 character decks
- 5 bot sheets
- 11 stat cards
- 2 sets of gem cards
- 10 wooden chits
- Knockdown token
- 8-sided die
What's in a Deck?
Each character's deck has a character card with that character's innate ability, a large stat card that gives you an overview of the deck, and 30 main deck cards with normal moves, special moves, super moves, and abilities.
Normal Moves
Normal moves are simple maneuvers that include attacks, throws, blocks, and dodges. All normal moves have an exchange icon in the lower right corner, which means you can swap one from your discard pile with one from hand once per turn (see Exchange, under Turn Structure).
Normal Attacks
Normal attacks are notable for two reasons.
First, they build super meter when you combo them in a row. You get 1 super meter each time you combo from a normal attack to the next higher one. For example, if you combo normal attacks A, then B, then C, you get 2 super meter (one for A to B and a second one for B to C). Super meter is used to play super moves.
Next, normal attacks are usually able to hit either high or low. The normal blocks all characters start with can only block high OR low on any given turn — not both — so normal attacks are good at threatening a "mixup" where you can hit opponents who blocked wrong (see Winning Combat).
Normal Throws, Blocks, and Dodges
These round out your character, ensuring you can beat each kind of move. Throws beat blocks, blocks usually beat attacks if you block high/low correctly, and dodges also beat attacks and allow you to hit back.
Blocking is important because blocking lets you build up more cards. Throwing is important because throws beat blockers. And dodging is good at dealing damage late in the game when you have extra cards to spend and you think the opponent might be using fast attacks.
Special Moves
Special moves often have special properties that define your character, or good uses in combos, or are good at winning combats. They vary a lot from character to character. Each character has three different special moves.
Sometimes you can "pump" special moves with more cards to deal more damage. Also, special moves usually do a little damage even if blocked.
Super Moves
Super moves are powerful and require you to spend between 1 and 3 levels of super meter to perform them. They have a star in the upper left corner with a bar underneath showing how much meter they cost to play.
You build super meter by doing chain combos with normal attacks (see Performing Combos) and by discarding pairs during the Power Up phase (see Power Up, under Turn Structure). Discarding pairs this way also lets you return super moves from your discard pile to your hand. In other words, even if your super cards are in your discard pile, you can still get them back.
Abilities
Abilities are special things a character can do; they vary widely by character. Ability cards usually go to the discard pile when played, but some are "ongoing" and stay in play until their discard condition is met.
Each character has one ability (two copies of it).
Gems
Gems let you customize your character. Before the game starts, you pick one of the six gems. Each gem has five cards: the gem special move (two copies), the gem ability, the gem Burst, and the dazzling gem storm.
Gem Storm
The gem storm card itself isn't shuffled into your deck; it sits out on your playmat to show which gem you have equipped. Your gem storm is a fairly powerful effect that you can only use once per game. It lasts two turns and can only be activated if there isn't another gem storm active at the time. You can activate your gem storm during your main phase, as explained in the Turn Structure section.
Burst
Your burst is your get-out-of-trouble card. You get a different one depending on which gem you choose, but you only have one and it starts in your hand. It's a very fast attack that you probably want to save until an opportune moment.
Your burst is an attack (a strike attack, specifically) so it beats all throws. It's so fast that it beats almost all attacks. It's especially useful when your other options are limited, such as when you don't have both your High and Low block in your hand, or when you're knocked down (see Other Rules).
Each gem's burst gives a different combat bonus, so you also have to be conscious of when that bonus will help you the most.
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to reduce the opponent's hit points to zero through winning combats and performing combos. Defeat the opponent this way and you win!
Time Over
There's also a rare alternate win condition: when "time over" occurs, the player with the most life remaining wins. The first time each game that you would draw from your deck when it's empty, you shuffle most of your discard pile into your deck, then draw. The only cards you don't reshuffle are: High Block, Low Block, one copy of Super1 and one copy of Super2 (leave these in your discard pile when you reshuffle). The SECOND time each game you would draw from your deck when it's empty, the game ends from "time over." Either player can trigger time over when they would reshuffle a second time.
Initial Setup
Choose a character deck and a gem. Your opponent does the same and follows the rest of these steps too.
Get a playmat and arrange your character card, gem storm card, and stat card on it.
Mark your character's life total (found inside the heart on your character card) with red wooden hearts on the tens and ones digits of the playmat.
Your super meter starts empty, so set aside your three purple star tokens. Each time you gain super meter, you'll put one of these stars on the meter in the upper right.
Search your deck for one copy of your Super1 card and one copy of your Super2 card and put these face up in your discard pile. (Your discard pile is always face up and searchable by any player.)
Then, to build your opening hand, search for your High Block, Low Block, one of your normal Throw cards, and your gem's Burst card. Shuffle the remaining 28 cards, put your deck face down on your playmat, then draw 4 more cards to create your opening hand of 8 cards.
If you're playing as Lum or Midori, set aside your item deck or dragon deck; those cards are used during gameplay, but they should never be shuffled together with your main deck.
You're ready to fight!
Turn Structure
Players alternate taking turns. Decide randomly who goes first. On your turn:
Draw Phase — Draw 2 cards (only draw 1 on the first turn if you go first).
Main Phase (do in any order, all of them are optional, each one a max of once per turn):
- Exchange
- Ability
- Power Up (discard a pair and choose ONE of the following)
- Fetch a super card from your discard pile and get +1 super meter.
- Get +2 super meter.
- Activate your gem storm (once per GAME, only if opponent's gem storm isn't active).
Combat
- Play your opener card face down.
- Opponent plays their opener face up.
- Reveal your combat card then determine combat winner. (Note: you win speed ties on your turn.)
- Play combo cards for more damage (if applicable, based on previous step's result).
End of Turn
Draw Phase
Draw two cards from your deck.
Your opponent does not draw cards during the draw step on YOUR turn, only on their own turn.
Any time you have 12 cards and would add another to your hand, instead discard it. 12 is the max hand size.
Any time you'd draw while your deck is empty, see the reshuffling rules in the Time Over section.
Main Phase
During your main phase, you can do any number of the following 4 actions, all of which are optional.
Exchange (optional, once per turn)
Discard a card with the exchange symbol in the lower right corner from your hand and retrieve a different card from your discard pile that also has the exchange symbol in the lower right corner.
Exchanging cards helps you have the right defensive options in your hand (blocks and dodges), offensive options (such as chain combos of normal attacks in sequence), or pairs that you can discard as power ups. It's especially important to retrieve your blocks if they're in the discard pile because most characters have no blocks in their decks other than the two in your starting hand.
Ability (optional, once per turn)
Ability cards say "ability" in the upper right. You may play one from your hand and do what it says. Ability cards usually go to the discard pile when played, but some are "ongoing" and stay in play until their discard condition is met.
Power Up (optional, once per turn)
You may discard a pair from your hand, then choose ONE of two benefits:
- Return a super card from your discard pile to your hand and gain 1 super meter -OR-
- Gain 2 super meter.
A "pair" means two cards with the same name.
If you power up by discarding a pair of super cards, it is legal to return one of those same cards back to your hand. You might do this in order to get the super meter necessary to play it.
Gem Storm (optional, once per GAME)
Lasts two turns. You can't activate it if the opponent's gem storm is currently active.
Combat
Play a card from your hand face down as your opener, then the opponent plays their opener face up. Reveal your opener and determine the result of the combat (see Winning Combat).
Wild Swing if Your Move Was Invalid
If you play an invalid card as your opener in combat (probably accidentally, or perhaps because you had no valid combat openers in your hand), then discard it and "wild swing" by playing the top card of your deck as your new opener. If your wild swing card is also somehow invalid as a combat card, then wild swing again until you get a legal move. If you wild swing into a super move and you have the meter to play it, you must play it.
In the astronomically unlikely event that you have zero cards in hand, you must wild swing. In all other cases, you never wild swing unless you played an invalid opener.
Reasons your opener might be invalid:
- It's a super move, but you don't have enough super meter to play it.
- It's an ability card (those are never valid as openers).
- Some effect has "disabled" certain move types, such as a knockdown that disables dodges, etc.
If the combat result would allow either player to play combo cards, they do so now, both players discard the various combat cards they played, then your turn ends and your opponent starts their turn.
Winning Combat
Each combat phase, you'll play a single card called your "opener" against your opponent's opener.
Your opener is a move or maneuver you're doing in the fight. It's always one of these four types: attack (which can be a strike or a projectile), throw, block, or dodge. The icon in the upper right corner of each card determines the type.
Attacks beat throws; throws beat blocks and dodges; and blocks and dodges beat attacks (though you have to correctly block high/low attacks).
Attacks
There are two types of attacks: strikes and projectiles. Both types of attacks beat throws. If you land an attack, you deal its damage and you can often continue your combo for more damage (see Performing Combos).
Strike Attacks
Strikes also beat other slower strikes and slower projectiles (higher number speeds are faster). If the speeds are tied, the attack from the player whose turn it is wins and counts as "faster."
Projectile Attacks
Projectiles beat slower strikes, but when both players play projectiles in the same combat, ignore the speeds of the moves. Instead, only the "level" of the projectiles matter. If they are both equal level, they cancel each other out and neither hits the opponent. If one is a higher level, that one hits (so it damages the opponent), while the lower level projectile doesn't hit (so it deals no damage). Thematically, the higher level projectile destroys the lower level one.
High and Low Attacks
Some attacks have a symbol by their damage splotch signifying that they are "low attacks" or "high attacks." Attacks with neither of these default to being "mid attacks."
Low attacks can be blocked by low blocks, but they hit opponents who attempt to high block. High attacks are the other way around: they can be blocked by high blocks but they hit opponents who try to low block. Mid attacks can be blocked by either high or low blocks. There are a few "full block" cards that are able to block low, mid, and high attacks.
Some attacks deal a little damage even when your opponent successfully blocks them. Those attacks show their block damage inside a blue shield under their main damage.
Throws
Throws beat blocks and dodges and also beat other slower throws. When throws are tied in speed, the throw from the player whose turn it is wins and counts as "faster."
If you land a throw, you deal its damage and you can usually continue your combo. Many throws can also knock down if you don't follow them up with a combo (see Knockdown, under Other Rules).
Blocking
Blocking lets you build up more cards for two reasons. First, when you successfully block an attack (with most blocks), you draw an extra card, but beware that some characters have projectile attacks that deny this extra card draw. Second, most blocks have Recurring, which means you return them to your hand at the end of combat if you didn't get hit. (If your hand is full, discard the block instead.)
Dodging
When you dodge an attack, you avoid that attack (you don't get hit by it). When you (normal) dodge a strike attack specifically (as opposed to a projectile attack), you can hit back with any single attack or throw. Just play the attack or throw from your hand that you want to hit back with, and you can pump it for more damage if it's a pumpable card (see Performing Combos). It becomes an ender though, so you can't combo any additional moves after it.
Because dodging reduces your hand size (you spend the dodge card itself and the follow up card(s) if you're successful), you usually want to do it only when you've built up a lot of cards in your hand. If you're low on cards, blocking is usually a better defensive option.
Performing Combos
When you land an attack or throw, performing a combo lets you spend more cards to deal more damage. (Note that you can't perform a combo if some other move says it "beats" your move.) The combo data on a card shows which other cards can combo after it.
The icon to the left of the arrow tells you the combo type of the card ITSELF. The icons after the arrow are things you can combo INTO.
Some combo icons are written in purple. This is a reminder about the chain combo bonus. Whenever you combo from a normal attack to the next letter in the sequence, you get +1 super meter. For example, A into B gives you one super meter. A into B into C gives you two super meter, etc. You get this resource right away, so you can even generate the meter needed for a super later in that same combo.
A card's combo icon can also show a solid black circle, which means "ANY normal attack," while a black circle with a letter in it means that specific normal attack. So a move that combos into a solid black circle can combo into any normal attack, while a move that combos into a lettered circle can only combo into that specific normal attack.
Ender cards don't have arrows on them because they can't combo TO anything. Treat the ender symbol as being "to the left of the arrow" for purposes of comboing into it.
Combo Points
Each character has a "max combo" listed at the top of their character card. That's the maximum number of combo points they can spend each turn. Each move says how many combo points (black dots) it costs. If a move would put you over your max combo that combat, you can't add it to your combo.
Pumps
Some moves have optional pump damage you can add to a move when it hits. This lets you sneak in more damage without spending more combo points. Conceptually, pumping a move is doing a stronger version of that move. You can discard the type of card listed beside each extra damage packet to add that much more damage to your move. Doing so does NOT spend any additional combo points beyond the number that move normally costs. You can't pump your move if some other move says it "beats" your move.
Pump costs are paid by discarding: any card, any Special move, a Z-special, or any Super move, depending on what the card specifies.
Combo Types
You don't actually have to know what these symbols mean because you can determine if a card combos to the next by simply matching the symbols after the arrow on the first card with the symbol before the arrow on the next card.
That said, it's helpful to know what the symbols mean because then you'll know how combos work without even looking at the icons after the arrows.
- Starters can be followed by more combo moves.
- Linkers can go anywhere in a combo (moves can go before them and/or after them).
- Enders end your combo, even if you had more combo points left.
- Normal attacks can "chain combo" to the next higher normal attack, or to linkers/enders.
- Can't combo moves are standalone moves; other moves can't go before them or after them.
Other Rules
Combat Modifiers
These three icons come up a lot in combat: knockdown, the edge, and unsafe.
Only the LAST move of your combo can cause a knockdown or give you the edge. For example, if you hit with a move that says "knockdown on hit," then you combo into a second move that doesn't knock down, the opponent isn't actually knocked down. These moves offer a tradeoff: it's up to you whether you'd rather deal more damage by doing a longer combo, or less damage but end with a move that causes a knockdown or gives you the edge.
Knockdown
If you get knocked down, your dodges are disabled and your opponent's attacks and throws that are slower than speed 10 are sped up to 10. This lasts one turn (meaning, it affects the next combat only). If both players are knocked down, they both stand up (cancel both knockdown effects). Any time a move type is disabled and you open with it anyway (such as a dodge while you're knocked down), you have to discard that opener then wild swing until you open with a valid card.
The Edge
If you get the edge, your attacks and throws that are slower than speed 10 become 3 speed faster, to a max of 10. This lasts one turn (meaning, it affects the next combat only). If both players would get the edge, instead neither does. If one player would get multiple edges, instead they get just one.
The edge and knockdown can't be in effect at the same time. If they would be, ignore the edge and only the knockdown is in effect. You can remember this because the edge and knockdown are on opposite sides of the same physical tile, so only one side can be showing at any given time.
Some moves are especially safe and give you the edge if they're blocked. Other moves are especially unsafe...
Unsafe on Block
When you do a move that's "unsafe on block" and the opponent successfully blocks it, they can then hit you back with any single attack or throw (it becomes an ender). They can pump it for more damage if it's a pumpable card. If their block allows drawing a card, they draw the card before choosing to hit you back. If their block returns to their hand, that happens after they hit back (or after they choose not to hit back).
What is a "Hit"?
Many abilities refer to whether you "hit" the opponent or got hit. A hit is ANY time a player takes damage during combat other than block damage or effects that cause loss of life (self-damage). Attacks or throws dealing damage or abilities that deal damage when openers are revealed are examples of hits. Things that deal damage outside of combat (during the main phase or at end of turn) are not "hits".
Hand Limit
You can have a maximum of 12 cards in hand. If more would enter your hand, discard them instead.
Character Comparison
| Character | Archetype | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grave | Zoning | Exchange twice, versatile |
| Geiger | Zoning | Engine deck |
| Valerie | Rushdown | Flexible chain combos |
| Rook | Grappling | Powerful throws |
| DeGrey | Wild Card | High damage if low on cards |
| Jaina | Zoning | Play without Blocks |
| Argagarg | Zoning | Poison and stalling |
| Setsuki | Rushdown | Empty hand to refill |
| Midori | Grappling | Extra dragon deck |
| Lum | Wild Card | Slot machine & Item side deck |
Example of Play
Alice picks Grave with the red gem. Brob picks Jaina with the green gem. Alice will go first.
Turn 1
Alice has her opening hand of 8 cards, then draws 1 during her draw phase so she has 9 cards. (Usually you draw 2 during the draw phase, but the first player on the first turn draws only 1.)
She has the Wind Summon ability in hand, but decides to save it for later, ideally when she has 2 levels of super meter to play her Dragonheart super card. (She has no super meter right now.) Wind Summon reduces Dragonheart to two combo points, allowing it to combo after a throw, so she plans to wait until she can threaten that.
Alice discards a pair of B normal attacks to power up. She can choose to fetch a super card from her discard pile and gain 1 super meter OR gain 2 super meter but no cards. She doesn't have any supers in her hand, so she chooses to fetch her Dragonheart super from her discard pile and gain 1 super meter. She marks this by putting a wooden star in the meter on the top right of her playmat.
Alice has normal attacks A and C in her hand, but she just discarded both her Bs. She'd like to have an A, B, C chain combo in her hand since that would give her 2 super meter if she could actually hit with it. She has three normal throw cards in hand, so she does an exchange of discarding one normal throw and returning a B from the discard pile to her hand. Since she's playing as Grave, she actually could do a second exchange (that's his innate ability) but she doesn't.
Now it's time for combat. Alice plays the A as her opener (face down). Brob plays a block as his opener (face up) then Alice reveals her A. Luckily for Brob, he played a low block, so he does block Alice's A, which is a low attack. Brob returns the block to his hand (because he didn't get hit) and he draws a card (because he blocked an attack). Alice discards the A card, cleaning up now that combat is over. The turn is also over.
Turn 2
It's Brob's turn. He has 9 cards in hand as the turn starts (his initial 8, plus 1 he drew from blocking). He draws 2 more during his draw phase, putting him at 11 cards.
Brob discards a pair of Cs to power up, choosing to fetch his Red Dragon super from his discard pile and to gain 1 super meter. He then exchanges the High Block card in his hand for one of those Cs in his discard pile. It's a bit unusual to get rid of a block this way, but Brob is playing Jaina and his innate will give him a bonus if he has both his blocks in his discard pile, so he's working towards that.
In combat, Brob plays a throw because he expects Alice to block. Alice does block, so Brob's throw hits and deals damage. He can now combo. Jaina has 5 combo points total, and the throw cost 2, so he has 3 remaining. That said, he decides not to combo so that his throw knocks down. He puts the knockdown token near Alice to signify that next turn she'll be knocked down.
Both players discard their combat cards and the turn ends.
Turn 3
It's Alice's turn. She draws 2 cards during the draw phase. During her main phase, she exchanges to get her A normal attack back from her discard pile (she discards a dodge to do that). She then powers up by discarding a pair of Z special moves. She chooses to gain +2 super meter from the power up.
She then plays her Wind Summon ability, which is an ongoing ability that stays in play for two combats.
Alice considers her combat situation. She's knocked down, so her dodges are disabled. Most moves she'd do would just get outsped because of the knockdown penalty, but fast moves (higher than speed 10) aren't affected by knockdowns. She considers doing her speed 11 Y attack or a block. If Brob does a normal attack in hopes of making her block wrong (high/low), that normal attack will become speed 10, but it would still lose to Alice's speed 11 move.
In combat, Alice decides against a block, and opens with her Y special attack. Brob opens with a dodge, which avoids the attack and allows him to hit back.
Brob knew that Alice was mostly forced into a "block or fast attack" situation and he hoped she'd be desperate enough for fast attack, that's why he played the dodge. Because he dodged a strike attack (not a projectile attack), he's allowed to hit back with a single move, which will then become an ender. He hits back with his Red Dragon super.
Red Dragon costs 1 super meter, which he has so he removes the purple star from his playmat. He can't combo other moves after this for two reasons: 1) because this move has the "can't combo" symbol on it and 2) even if it didn't have that, it would become an ender because he's playing it after a dodge. That said, he can still pump the move. He can discard up to two super cards to add 9 more damage each. He only has 1 other super card in his hand, which he was lucky to draw, so he discards it for an extra 9 damage (10 base damage + 9 pump damage).
Both players discard all cards they played in combat and the turn ends. They continue playing and have a jolly good time.
Character Bios
The characters in Yomi are from the Fantasy Strike universe. Fantasy Strike is a fighting tournament held by Garus Rook. Through spirited competition, Fantasy Strike brings together people from many different backgrounds and regions.
Grave
Grave lives to improve his skills every day, wondering what limits there are to a person's potential. He's dedicated, serious, and strong-willed. He carries a sword, but he was warned at a young age to "use it only when necessary, and no more." He has no such limit on tapping power from the blue dragons of lightning and thunder, though.
Grave trains alongside his sister Jaina and under Master Midori at his dojo in Dragon Tail Vale. Grave cares little about politics, and instead focuses on individual power. Many expect him to win the Fantasy Strike tournament against the previously undefeated Rook.
Jaina
Jaina's fiery temper goes hand-in-hand with her fiery attacks. Don't look at her wrong, or cross her brother Grave, or she'll have some words for you, and maybe her knee, too. She fights with a magic bow, strung with fire, and she taps the power of red phoenix dragons.
Jaina often overextends herself in combat, trying things beyond her mastery. This extra spunk can overwhelm enemies, but also results in her own injuries and burns. Master Midori does not approve.
Midori
Master Midori believes in honor above all else, and instills respect and ethics in his students, as well as physical training. His master before him taught techniques too deadly to be used, and Midori saw first-hand how that power warped his now-exiled brother. Midori protects his students from such taboo knowledge.
The blood of green dragons flows through Midori's body, and he can take the physical form of a dragon for short times when his focus is strongest. His personal fighting style is defensive and solid, but his dragon form allows for powerful offense as well.
Setsuki
Setsuki trains at the secret ninja academy called the Fox's Den. Though she's small and not physically strong, her speed and agility know no match. Through a mix of speed and deception, she can confuse opponents into making mistakes.
Setsuki heard that Grave defeated the mighty Rook in a sparring match, and now seeks him out for guidance. She's admired him for some time from afar, but she now feels compelled to see what she can learn from him personally.
Rook
Rook's past is unknown, though he is known to be an old being, connected to nature. He governs the Morningstar Sanctuary, a haven for free thinking, artistic endeavors, and scientific research that is immune to the laws of Flagstone. He is kind, thoughtful, and wise. Valerie and Geiger are his artistic and scientific advisors.
Rook and his long-time friend DeGrey are old enough to remember the last time a government stole its citizens' personal freedoms. From prison, DeGrey urged Rook to create an event that would unite the disparate peoples and remind them they're not so different from one another. That event is the Fantasy Strike tournament.
DeGrey
DeGrey is a master of language and debate. He fights for the rights of all, even those of low status, or the poor. If there is an injustice being done, he's compelled to right it, or at least expose it to the world. And if justice requires his mighty fist to get done, then so be it. Only tyrants need fear tyrant-killers. His outspoken views in Flagstone City caused him to end up imprisoned at Daggerfall.
DeGrey is much older than his body would suggest. Long ago, at the moment of his would-be death, he struck a deal with the Nox Oracle that let him live until his true task of slaying tyrants is fulfilled.
Valerie
Valerie has heterochromia, meaning she has one blue eye and one green eye. She "sees things differently," and expresses herself through painting. Emotionally, she experiences highs and lows, which she believes gives her even more appreciation for the full spectrum of human feelings.
She also happens to like both boys and girls—a crime in the capital city of Flagstone. She now lives at Rook's Morningstar Sanctuary, a protected city labeled as "enemy of the state" by Flagstone. She serves as Rook's artistic advisor, alongside Max Geiger, Rook's scientific advisor.
Geiger
Geiger is precise and logical. He made his living as a watchmaker though he also studied and experimented in the sciences. His research was branded as "unholy" by Flagstone City, and he sought refuge at Rook's Morningstar Sanctuary to continue his research. There he serves as Rook's scientific advisor.
Geiger's fascination with time may be on the verge of bearing fruit: he's learning that time can be bent and shaped, but he does not yet know the limits. Can a future disaster be avoided? Or can that one regret of the past be undone? If it could be, is it worth the risk to unravel one's life experiences?
Lum
You might not know it from first glance, but Lum is a smart and logical panda. It's just that he loves gambling and chaos and he loves for lots of fun things to happen. He likes to roll dice, but he knows the odds very well. His favorite game is Pandánte.
The Pandalands are having tough times these days, though Lum's spirits still remain high. He sought out Argagarg the water shaman for advice in the nearby Murkwood Marsh. There he learned of the Fantasy Strike tournament and after calling "heads, we enter; tails, bamboo," he signed up.
Argagarg
Humans see the Merfolk (or "fish people") as a barbaric race, but the stereotype is all wrong. Argagarg is a cultural leader and he preaches non-violence and tolerance. They say his heart is bigger than any human's. While some want war with the warlike humans, Argagarg prefers a diplomatic attempt.
Argagarg draws on the magic of water spirits, demonstrating that water can crash, but it can also flow. It's dangerous and gentle; it can take any form, yet it's formless. Few have the patience to grind down Argagarg when he's able to keep their attacks at bay.
Glossary
Ability. A type of card played during the main phase. These cards say "Ability" in the upper right corner. They go to the discard pile when played, unless they have an ongoing effect.
Armor. If your armored move gets hit by a faster normal or special attack, your move hits afterward. Their attack can't combo, pump, knock you down, or get the edge. You can combo and pump as usual.
Armor Break. If your armor breaking move hits a slower move with armor, ignore the armor of that move; it doesn't hit you afterward.
Block damage. A type of damage represented inside a blue shield that is dealt only when you block the attack.
Burst. Each gem comes with one Burst: a 14 speed attack that has some special property. Bursts are strike attacks, but they are not normal, special, or super attacks.
Can't combo. A combo type. These moves are standalone; other moves can't go before them or after them in a combo. A move of this type still might be pumpable for more damage though.
Chain combo. A sequence of normal attacks done (as a combo) in increasing alphabetical order, such as B into C into D. Chain combos give you one super meter each time you combo from one letter to the next. For example, A into B gives you one super meter. A into B into C gives you two super meter, etc.
Combo points. Each attack and throw (except for "can't combo" moves) lists its combo point cost with black dots. When doing a combo, the sum of all the combo points you spend cannot exceed your character's "max combo" listed on their character card.
Disable. If a move type (such as attack, block, dodge, or throw) is disabled for a player, it means that move type is invalid to play as an opener. If you play it anyway, it's discarded, then you must wild swing until you open with a valid move.
Edge. The edge is an advantage you can get during combat, denoted by a watch with a plus in it. Getting the edge makes your attacks and throws that are slower than speed 10 become 3 speed faster to a max of 10. (For example, speed 2 becomes 5, while speed 8 becomes 10). The edge lasts one combat. The edge doesn't stack (you can't have it twice), and it does nothing if both players have it or if either player is knocked down.
Ender. A combo type. You can't play moves in a combo after an ender, even if you have combo points left. A move of this type still might be pumpable for more damage though.
Fetch. To fetch a card means to return it to your hand.
Heal. To heal means to increase your hit points, but not above your starting (maximum) HP.
Hit. A "hit" occurs any time a player takes damage during the combat phase other than block damage or effects that cause loss of life (self-damage).
Innate. Each character's special power, which is written on their character card.
Invalid. An invalid card means it's not legal to be played as an opener in combat. Ability cards are always invalid as openers, as are any moves that some effect has "disabled." Also, super moves are invalid if you do not have enough super meter to pay for them.
Knockdown. A disadvantage that can happen to you, affecting your next combat. While you're knocked down, your dodges are disabled and the opponent's moves slower than speed 10 are sped up to become speed 10. If both players would be knocked down at the same time, the effect is cancelled for both (you both stand up).
Land. To "land" an attack or throw means to win combat with it or to use it as a followup after you dodge. It then deals damage.
Linker. A combo type. Linkers can go anywhere in a combo, meaning moves can go before or after them.
Lockdown. The opponent doesn't draw a card if they block this.
Normal move. Normal moves include normal attacks, throws, blocks, and dodges. These cards all have the exchange icon in the lower right, allowing you to exchange one from your hand with one in your discard pile during your main phase. Normal attacks are notable because they can chain combo with each other to gain super meter.
Ongoing. Any move or ability that says "ongoing" stays in play, rather than getting discarded at the end of the turn. All ongoing moves and abilities have a discard condition at the bottom of the card saying when they get discarded. Their effect remains active while they are still in play.
Opener. The first move each player plays during combat. An opener is always an attack, block, dodge, or throw. The active player (the player whose turn it is) always plays their opener face down. The other player can play their opener face up once the active player has locked in their choice.
Pump. Pumping a move means discarding cards to do a more damaging version of that move. Pump damage is listed directly under the base damage for moves that have this option. Each packet of pump damage lists, to the left, the type of card needed to discard to get that damage. Each packet of pump damage is optional; you can take advantage of any number of them on a card, all of them, or none of them.
Push. Throws are disabled next turn for both players.
Recurring. Return this card to your hand at the end of combat if you open with it and don't get hit.
Special move. Special moves include X, Y, and Z moves as well as "Gem Special Moves" (that are determined by which gem you have equipped). They vary a lot by character and often have special properties.
Starter. A combo type. Moves can go after a starter in a combo, but moves can't go before it in a combo.
Super meter. A resource tracked with purple stars used to perform super moves. Each player can have 0, 1, 2, or 3 super meter at any given time. Super moves cost between 1 and 3 super meter to use. The cost is listed under the star in the upper right of each super card.
Super move. Powerful moves that have a star in the upper left corner of the card. Each super move has either a Roman numeral I or II (1 or 2) inside the star, for identification purposes. You can refer to the moves as Super1 and Super2. Underneath the star is the cost to play the move, which is always between 1 and 3 super meter.
Unsafe on block. If you block an attack with this property, draw a card as usual, then you may hit back with a single attack or throw (it becomes an ender). You can pump that move if it's pumpable.
Wild swing. Whenever you play an invalid opener in combat, you must discard it, then wild swing (play the top card of your deck as your new combat card).
FAQ
General Questions
Dodge. If you dodge an attack, can you then hit the opponent? Only if you dodged a strike. You can't hit back after dodging a projectile attack unless a card says you can. (Note: the purple gem's dodge automatically hits back when it dodges a strike OR projectile attack.)
Pumps. If a move gives the edge or knocks down, can you pump it without giving up those effects? Yes, you can pump a move for more damage and still get those effects. You only lose those effects if you play another move after the one that gives the edge or knockdown.
Green Gem. Which types of damage does the Growth Surge ability actually modify? It adds damage to your first "hit" that turn, so that's any damage the opponent takes during the combat phase other than block damage or effects that cause loss of life (self-damage). The damage bonus still does apply if your first hit that turn comes from punishing an unsafe-on-block move or from hitting the opponent after you dodge a strike attack.
Black Gem. If the end-of-turn healing would happen at the same time as some end-of-turn damage, which happens first? The healing happens first.
Timing of Openers. If something triggers "if you open with [something]", do you resolve that effect BEFORE resolving what hits what in combat? Yes, those triggers happen before a combat-revealed move deals damage.
Ending Combat. If an effect ends combat, does that skip all effects that would resolve at the end of combat? No, even if something ends combat early, you still discard any cards played that combat, you still return recurring moves to your hand if you weren't hit that combat, etc.
Characters
Jaina. If the blue gem ability causes her to skip her main phase, does her innate trigger that turn? No. Skipping the main phase also skips the "end of the main phase" trigger on her ability.
If having Arc Shot active makes her Dragonheart safe on block, then Rook blocks it with Entangling Vines, does it become unsafe on block, allowing Rook to punish it? Yes.
If she blocks an unsafe-on-block move then punishes with her Y (Dragonheart), does the self-damage from the Y "hit" herself, preventing her from returning her block to her hand? No, the self-damage doesn't count as a "hit" so the block will return to her hand.
Geiger. After the opponent blocks your Slow Time spiral, then you throw them, how many combo points do you have for the rest of your combo? Two combo points left; the throw is the start of your combo and it takes 2, leaving you with 2 more.
Midori. After you enter Dragon Form, then revert to Human Form, any subsequent time that game you would re-enter Dragon Form, shuffle your Dragon deck first.
If you play a block as your combat opener, but the Honor Stance ability causes you to throw the opponent, did you "open with a throw" for purposes of triggering things like the red gem storm? No, you still opened with a block.
Lum. Lum's slot machine icons and Gimme A Jackpot! The icons in the lower left of his cards are for his "Gimme A Jackpot!" ability. The text on the page curl is reminder text so you know which bonus that ability gives for each icon (e.g. 4 watermelons = 7 damage). When trying to get 4-of-a-kind or 1-of-each during "Gimme A Jackpot!" you can make your "wild" icon (from a second copy of Gimme A Jackpot!) whatever you want. For example, 3 bells + 1 wild counts as 4 bells.
When Lum's Bomb is active, how does the knockdown part work? If either player attacks the other and hits while the bomb is out, the bomb does 5 damage to both players and also both players get knocked down (one because they attacked, the other because they got hit). Whenever both players would get knocked down, neither do. Also, if the attacking player pumps their attack in that situation, it still results in both players being knocked down (so neither are, actually).
While Lum's Bomb is active, if you play Lum's Z (Item Toss) and get hit, do you still take 5 damage and get knocked down? Yes. The "exception" on the Bomb only allows you to play Z or Super #1 without automatically getting that penalty; it doesn't prevent you from having those effects if you get hit after playing them.
Argagarg. Is it important that Argagarg's Z special move mentions a goldfish? No, but it helps you understand the fiction of what's going on.
If you block an unsafe-on-block move with Argagarg's Bubble Shield super, what happens? Like always, you can hit back with a single attack or throw. Regardless of whether you choose to or not, Bubble Shield will deal 5 damage and knock the opponent down. That knockdown happens regardless of what combo you choose to do, if any.
Quick Reference
Starting hand is 8 cards: Low Block, High Block, one normal Throw, Burst + 4 random cards. Start with one copy of Super1 and one copy of Super2 in your discard pile.
Turn Structure
Draw Phase: Draw 2 cards (only draw 1 on the first turn if you go first).
Main Phase (optional, do in any order, each one a max of once per turn):
- Exchange
- Ability
- Power Up (discard a pair and choose ONE of the following)
- Fetch a super card from your discard pile and get +1 super meter.
- Get +2 super meter.
- Activate your gem storm (once per GAME, only if opponent's gem storm isn't active).
Combat:
- Play your opener card face down.
- Opponent plays their opener face up.
- Reveal your combat card, then determine combat winner.
- Play combo cards for more damage if applicable.
End of Turn
Remember:
- You win speed ties on your turn.
- When two projectiles go against each other, ignore speed and compare levels instead.
- Gain 1 super meter per normal attack chain (e.g. A into B gains 1; A into B into C gains 2).
- Reshuffle your discard pile to your deck when you run out ONCE per game. When you reshuffle, leave the following cards in your discard pile: Low Block, High Block, one copy of Super1, one copy of Super2. If you run out a second time, the game ends and the winner is the player with the most hit points.
- Max hand size is 12. If you'd ever add more cards to your hand, instead discard them.