Yomi 2: Shadows Over Flagstone

Combines with

Yomi 2: Bashing vs Finesse Yomi 2: Road to Morningstar

Yomi 2: Shadows Over Flagstone Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

2 playmats
10 character decks
5 bot sheets
11 stat cards
2 sets of gem cards
10 wooden chits
Knockdown token
8-sided die

Versus Mode

What's in a Deck?

In Yomi, you'll play as a fighting character who you can customize by choosing a gem to draw power from.

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.

Character card: shows the character's hit points and innate ability. Stat card: an overview of the deck.

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, page 5).

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➟B➟C then you get 2 super meter (one for A➟B and a second one for B➟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, page 7).

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.

Blocks are important because blocking lets you build up more cards. Throws are important because they beat blockers. And dodges are 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. (There's more detailed information on how these moves work in the Winning Combat section on page 7.)

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, page 9) and by discarding pairs during the Power Up phase (see Power Up on page 6). 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 special move (x2), gem ability, Burst, and Gem Storm are the five gem cards.

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 on page 5.

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 page 11).

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 as shown in the setup diagram: character card and gem storm card in the upper left, stat card set aside for reference, draw deck and discard pile in the play area.
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.

Always in your opening hand: High Block, Low Block, one normal Throw, and your gem's Burst.

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 two cards from your deck (only draw 1 on the first turn if you go first). 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 (page 4).

Main Phase

During your main phase, you can do any number of the following 4 actions, all of which are optional. Each one is a maximum of once per turn.

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" on the next pages).

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.

On the next two pages, we'll explain how you determine who wins combat. On the two pages after that, we'll explain how combos work.

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 & dodges; and blocks & 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 the Performing Combos section, page 9.)

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.

Level 2 projectile beats Level 1 projectile (ignore speeds). Equal-level projectiles cancel out (ignore speeds).

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.

Low attack hits High block. High attack hits Low block.

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 section, page 11.)

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 the Performing Combos section on the next page.) It becomes an ender though, so you can't combo any additional moves after it.

Dodge avoids the attack. Dodging a strike lets you hit back; you can't hit back after a projectile.

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.

For example, here are two valid combos: a three-card combo of Card 1, Card 2, and Card 3, where each card's combo data links to the next.

Some of the letters above 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➟B gives you one super meter. A➟B➟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.

In the second combo above, notice that the first move can combo to a solid black circle, then the second move is a black circle with a D in it. The solid black circle means "ANY normal attack," while the circle with a D in it means the D normal attack specifically. That's why the second combo above works: the first move combos to any black circle, and the second move is a specific kind of black circle.

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.

Example: with a max combo of 4 combo points, a combo that spends 5 is invalid.

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:

Discard any card
Discard any Special move
Discard a Z-special
Discard any Super move

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.

Supplemental Info

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 (see page 6).

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 Complexity Comparison

Complexity is shown as a number of icons (s = complexity).

Bal-Bas-Beta — Zoning. Long-range specialist.
Gwen — Rushdown. Endless cards, refuses to die.
Onimaru — Poking. Powerful pokes, but no combos.
Bigby — Grappling. Powerful throws and control.
Menelker — Wild Card. Crippling discard.
Gloria — Zoning. Engine deck with healing.
Zane — Rushdown. Offense and disruption.
Vendetta — Poking. Constant poking with card draw.
Quince — Wild Card. What's Illusion? What's real?
Persephone — Wild Card. Engine deck with knockdowns.

Choose your character!

Example of Play

Alice picks Gwen with the red gem. Brob picks Menelker 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 Dreadlands Portal ability in hand, but decides to save it for later, ideally when she has a good combo in hand. Dreadlands Portal can do guaranteed damage if Gwen plays a throw after activating it because the opponent must either throw or block to avoid damage, yet Gwen's throw outspeeds Menelker's so she'll land it either way. She plans to wait until she can threaten good damage off a throw.

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 Ice Shards 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.

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.

Now Alice draws 2 cards and takes 6 damage. Players don't normally draw cards during the opponent's draw phase, but Alice is playing Gwen and Gwen's innate ability says to do so and take damage.

During Brob's main phase, he discards a pair of Cs to power up, choosing to fetch his Dragon's Breath 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 he knows Alice can't just play a high attack to hit him for sure. Brob's super move would beat that, and for all Alice knows, Brob might have his 15-speed Y special or his green gem Crashing Rhino in hand. He thinks Alice will not attempt to hit him high.

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. Menelker has 5 combo points total, and the throw cost 3, so he has 2 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.

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 12 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 12 move. Also, her Y heals 6 hit points regardless of if it hits or not.

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. Alice removes the Y from the game and heals 6 hit points, because its special text says to do so.

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 Dragon's Breath super.

Dragon's Breath 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 is an ender and 2) even if it wasn't, it would become an ender because he's playing it after a dodge. That said, he can still pump the move. He can discard one super card to add 11 more damage. He has another super card in his hand, which he was lucky to draw, so he discards it for an extra 11 damage (11 base damage + 11 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 Profiles

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.

Quince

Sirus Quince is the head of the Flagstone Dominion, a position he attained through political prowess, the right words, and a wholesome image. There are some who call him Tyrant, but who are they, really? A stone golem and an outlaw barrister? Quince ensures the protection of his people, and protection means sacrificing some personal freedoms. It also means having values—the right values—and stomping out those who don't. (His actual power is based on lies and illusion.)

Onimaru

In earlier times, Onimaru fought against Flagstone and killed Grave's father in battle. Years later, Quince recruited Onimaru as his military general. Troops called him the Flagstone Enforcer due to his harsh style. He also investigated unorthodox forms of military force, including the use of wild elephants and the building of clockwork soldiers with the help of the then-head of Flagstone Research & Development: Max Geiger.

Bal-Bas-Beta

Max Geiger built Bal-Bas-Beta and imbued him with sentience and personality. (The previous B-B-Alpha didn't work out so well.) BBB is full of clockwork gears and runs on steam power, though his design is mysteriously advanced. Geiger is rumored to have somehow communicated with an ancient lost race called the Vortoss who had advanced technology. Perhaps some of BBB's design is from another place, or another time.

Bigby

Judge Bigby Hayes rules with an iron fist, literally. As head of the Flagstone judiciary, he can adroitly tip the scales of justice however they need to be tipped. He ruled against DeGrey many times, usually when Quince was the opposing counsel. This is no accident, as the secret alliance between Quince and Judge Hayes has long been one of the keys to Quince's rise to power.

Menelker

Master Menelker is a mysterious and misunderstood figure, widely known as the most powerful martial artist in the Realm. He's called "Deathstrike Dragon" and has fought duels to the death, but only to those who willingly agreed. Menelker has the will to do anything needed to win, including embracing dark magic as well as light. He senses a great threat from the undead is brewing, and he says nothing will matter other than our power to fight them.

Persephone

The myth of the Nox Oracle has many conflicting accounts. The common theme is that a woman in a black dress walks out of the darkness, often accompanied by her two dogs. Some stories depict her as seductive and intoxicating, others depict her as cruel and sadistic, while still others portray her as wise and nurturing. Persephone is her true name. She has intervened at several critical points in history, shaping the fate of the Realm.

Gloria

Gloria is a healer who has helped people and animals her whole life. Her cheerfulness is irrepressible. She's easy going and keeps a positive attitude no matter what the situation.

In an emergency triage situation, she had to choose between saving Master Menelker's life, or Gwen's (her own sister). As hard as it was, she saved Menelker, barely, and now Gwen suffers from the deadly Shadow Plague. She lives with the guilt and uses her healing magic to keep Gwen alive.

Gwen

Gwen is a former healer who is now afflicted with Shadow Plague. Gwen grew up helping and healing animals and people, alongside her sister Gloria. After an encounter with the undead in the Dreadlands though, she was never the same. Her skin changed color and her humanity started to fade away, kept in check only by her sister Gloria's healing powers. Gwen grew restless and antsy. At times her adrenaline seems to be in overdrive.

Vendetta

Vendetta is an undead assassin from the Dreadlands. Not much is known about him or his origins. Vendetta moves quickly and silently. He has great acrobatic skill as well as great patience. Giant pincers can extend from his arms, giving him huge range with his attacks. Though he appears to work for Zane, he secretly serves the Queen of Demons and acts as her spy.

Zane

Captain Zane is head of the outlaw group called the Blood Guard, and he hates authority. Some men just want to watch the world burn. The Blood Guard are a band of outlaws whose main activity seems to be staking out the roads and demanding what Zane calls a "traveler's tax" to any who would pass. If they refuse, he fights them for the tax, which is why he has skilled fighters on hand such as Vendetta (and later on, the bullman Troq).

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➟C➟D. Chain combos give you one super meter each time you combo from one letter to the next. For example A➟B gives you one super meter. A➟B➟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 (see page 10 for what the symbols mean). 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

Quince. Quince's innate ability (Two Truths) and his Patriot Mirror super work similarly. Each of them allow Quince to play an X, Y, or Z special move and "cheat" about whether the top or bottom half of the card is the "real" move he's doing. The way this works is when combat cards are revealed, if either the Two Truths or Patriot Mirror effects are active, don't resolve combat right away. Instead, check what WOULD happen if you did.

Check if the top half of his move wouldn't hit the opponent. Maybe they will block or dodge it, or do a faster attack, etc. (Recall that "hit" means it would deal damage to them other than block damage.) If the top move would NOT hit, then Quince's "real" move that combat is the bottom move, regardless of whether or not the bottom move would hit. And in this case where the bottom move is the "real" one, anything that checks what Quince opened with will see only that bottom move. He never did the top one.

On the other hand, if Quince would hit with the top move, then that's his real move. If it's the Two Truths innate allowing this cheat, then there's nothing more to it, he just does the top move if it will hit. If it's the Patriot Mirror super allowing this cheat, he gets an extra bonus. If the top move hits, it gets bonus damage equal to the bottom move's damage. The top move is the real one, but it gets extra damage in this case.

If Two Truths or Patriot Mirror would have Quince switch to the bottom move on his X, Y, or Z, but that bottom move is "disabled" (for example, he's knocked down so dodges are disabled), then he is forced to use the top move, regardless of whether it will hit or not.

When the Patriot Mirror super hits, it does 5 damage, and combat ends because it's a "can't combo" move. The cheat effect it gives Quince is in effect for TWO additional combats after the one where Patriot Mirror hit.

How do Quince's Two Truths and Patriot Mirror effects work when he faces another Quince who has the same "cheating" effect active? You can start resolving the effects with either player because the result will be the same no matter which is resolved first. Start by having one Quince see if his opener "would" hit, then if not, he switches to the bottom move on his card. Then perform the same check for the other Quince. After that, each Quince who is still planning to do the top move on his card is able to "recheck" if switching to the bottom move would help, at this point. If yes, they switch. A Quince who has already switched to the bottom move is not able to "recheck" and switch to the top move again though, because that would lead to an infinite loop.

Onimaru. Final Authority beats all other things that aren't other Final Authorities. It beats things that say they beat something like Quince's X.

The Martial Law super does 15 damage at level 1, 22 damage at level 2, and 29 damage at level 3. During a green gem storm, Onimaru must actually have level 2 or 3 in order to get the level 2 or 3 effect, respectively (even though the super is free during green storm).

Bigby. When an opponent is under the effect of the Jail super and they discard a pair to escape Jail, the opponent regains their main phase right then. (They don't have to wait two more turns to exchange, for example.)

Bal-Bas-Beta. During Keep Away, suppose Quince plays a special move and uses Two Truths or Patriot Mirror to "cheat" about whether the top or bottom half of the card is his "real" move. If the top move "wouldn't hit" because Keep Away will prevent the damage, Quince must use the bottom half of his special move card be his "real" move. This doesn't count as "preventing damage" to Keep Away's discard condition so Keep Away won't go away automatically. If the bottom move would deal damage, then that damage is REALLY prevented by Keep Away and Keep Away will then end. Or if the bottom move also "wouldn't hit" then BBB keeps Keep Away.

Gwen. Desperation doesn't save you against Menelker's Deathstrike Dragon super or from losing the game by Time Over. It only stops you from losing the game by having 0 or less life while it's active / ongoing. You should still track your life total even if it's negative, so you can correctly compute any healing effects.

Menelker. For Menelker's Deathstrike dragon, use any implements you like for the countdown timer. Cubes, coins, etc. The countdown timer of 6 means that if Menelker never gets hit in combat, he'll win after FIVE more combats.

In Menelker vs Menelker, it's possible (though very unlikely) that each player lands Deathstrike Dragon on the other and also that the countdowns end up going to zero simultaneously. If that happens, it's a tie game.

Persephone. While the ongoing effect of Loyal Pets is active, suppose the opponent opens with an attack AND they get knocked down that combat. Loyal Pets will only deal 6 damage to them, not 12 damage.

Vendetta. Acrobatics beats "normal throws", but it can't prevent the damage from Midori's Honor Stance throw (that's not considered a "normal throw"). (Midori is a character in Yomi 2: Road to Morningstar.)

If Vendetta uses the orange gem storm to have armored normal attacks on a turn where he also has Frost Web active, how does that work if the opponent attacks into it with a strike? First Vendetta finishes doing whatever combo is possible due to the orange storm, which lets him play a combo of normal attacks. Then Frost Web's effect allows him to perform a second full combo of normal attacks.

Zane. Here's how Zane's innate ability (Shenanigans) works. When you could play a combo card, you MUST reveal the top 2 cards of your deck. They are basically like cards in your hand (but don't count toward the hand limit) and you can play up to one of them in your combo. Playing neither of them is fine. Regardless of if you play 0 or 1 of those extra cards, you can still choose to play or not play cards in your real hand in your combo. It's also fine to play one of the extra cards later in your combo, rather than as the first move. When you are done with your combo, discard the revealed cards.

Does Zane's innate ability (Shenanigans) work even when you dodge a strike and then get a chance to punish it? Does it work even after blocking an unsafe-on-block move and then punishing that? Yes and yes.

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➟B gains 1; A➟B➟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.

Solo and Co-Op Mode

First, learn the general rules of Yomi 2 in the Versus Mode rules above. Then you can use the following rules to play by yourself or with a partner against automated bots. Bots don't use an actual deck of cards; instead they each use a one-page sheet with a chart of moves and a single 8-sided die to determine their action each turn.

Solo 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. Set the bot's starting hand size to 9.

Turn Structure

Draw Phase. Humans draw 2 cards on their turns, but only draw 1 on the first turn. The bot skips its draw phase.
Main Phase for Humans (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, or get +2 super meter); Activate your gem storm (once-per-GAME, only if partner's gem storm isn't active).
Main Phase for Bots. Bots skip their main phase.
Combat. Play your opener card. Roll a d8 for the bot's move. Use the row corresponding to its current hand size (or a knockdown row if applicable). Determine combat winner. (Note: you win speed ties on your turn.) Play combo cards for more damage if applicable if you hit. If the bot hits, it does a combo with total damage equal to the number in the center of its move tile.
End of Turn.

Co-Op. The bot has double hit points. Its combat moves hit both humans each combat. The bot's hand size adjustment is the worse of its two outcomes, not the sum of them.

Solo Setup

Pick a character deck and gem card, and a bot sheet to play against. Set the bot's hand size to 9.

Put one copy of your Super1 card and one copy of your Super2 card into your discard pile. For your opening hand, fetch 4 cards from your deck: Low Block, High Block, one normal Throw, and your gem's Burst card. Shuffle your deck (including your gem special moves and gem ability) then draw 4 more cards, so you have 8 cards total in your hand.

You go first. You and the bot alternate turns, though you each participate in combat during the other's turns.

Pick the bot sheet for the bot you'll play against. They are marked with difficulties 1 - 5. The bot starts with a hand size of 9. Mark it on the left side of the sheet with a purple star token. The bot starts with the number of hit points in the heart in the lower left of its sheet. You can track the bot's however you like, such as on the life track on a second playmat. The bot does not use super meter.

Your Turn

You always go first. Perform your draw phase and main phase as usual, then play your combat card.

Roll for the Bot. After you play your combat card, roll the 8-sided die (d8) to determine the bot's combat opener. The bot uses the row that corresponds with its current hand size. Some bots have extra rows of moves for knockdown situations. If you're knocked down or if the bot is knocked down use the appropriate row instead.

As usual, the player whose turn it is wins all speed ties (except for projectiles vs projectiles).

Reading the Bot's Move. The bot's "card" (the tile corresponding to the d8 die roll and the appropriate row on the bot's sheet) tells you what move it does. Use the normal rules of Yomi 2 to determine if the bot hits or not. (Attacks beat throws, throws beat blocks and dodges, etc.)

The number in the center of the "card" is the total amount of damage the bot's combo does if it hits. For example, if the bot successfully attacks you with the card shown in the rulebook's example, it deals a total of 12 damage (you do NOT add the 3 in the lower left and the 12).

The number in the lower left is the damage for the first hit of the combo only. Usually, you can ignore that number, but some effects prevent combos from continuing after the first hit. In that case, use the damage number in the lower left rather than the number in the center.

Combo Data

When the bot does a combo, the upper left of its move tile lists which "cards" it played. In the example tile, the bot played a "B" normal attack as the opener then combos to a "C" then a "D" normal attack; the three moves together total 12 damage. The cards used in the combo have no gameplay relevance, but they give you a sense of how the bot's combos work.

Hand Size Adjustment

The bot's hand size (tracked in the vertical strip on the right of its sheet) increases whenever it would draw a card and decreases whenever it would discard a card. To simplify tracking of the bot's hand size, you don't add to its hand size during its draw phase and you don't subtract from its hand size for the FIRST card it plays each combat. When the bot does a combo, the hand size adjustment is listed on its move tile and it represents the cards played beyond the first card.

You only reduce the bot's hand size by the listed number if the bot actually does its combo. For example, if the bot played the move tile shown in the example and you played a slower attack, it would hit you for 13 damage and the bot gets -2 hand size. But if you played a faster attack, you hit the bot, the bot doesn't play its combo, and it does not change its hand size. Likewise, if the bot hit you but an effect said the bot can't continue its combo, it would deal 3 damage to you and not change its hand size.

The exception to the above is if a bot's hand size adjustment says the word "always". For those moves (usually super moves), you always adjust the bot's hand size by that amount regardless of the outcome of that combat. Bots don't use super meter (to simplify tracking), but roughly speaking, each level of super meter it would spend costs it 1 hand size. Human players pay super meter costs no matter if their super moves hit or not, so bots pay their hand size adjustment on these moves no matter if they hit or not, too.

The bot often increases its hand size when blocking. The lower left symbols on the block mean it gets +1 hand size if it successfully blocked an attack, and the lower right symbols mean it gets +1 hand size if the bot didn't get hit (for example, you both blocked). The bot can get both of those bonuses during the same combat, which then increases its hand size by 2.

Other Symbols

The symbol at the middle left of a green tile means if the bot successfully dodges a strike, then it will do the move on the tile. In the example, it will throw for 7 damage, -1 hand size adjustment, and it will knock you down.

A red tile may be a level 1 projectile that deals 7 damage on hit, 3 damage on block, and has the lockdown keyword. The symbol in the lower left means that if the bot does not get hit this combat, then it will get +1 hand size adjustment.

Symbols summary: Bot didn't get hit. Bot's block successful. Bot dodged a strike attack.

Hitback

If the bot blocks an unsafe move, the hitback column on the far right shows what it hits you back with and the hand size adjustment. The example shows the bot will do an attack for 10 damage, reducing its hand size by 1, if it blocks an unsafe move of yours.

Abilities

The bottom of the bot's sheet shows its special abilities. These give each bot a much different feel to fight against. Try to exploit the bot's weaknesses and play around its strengths.

The Bot's Turn

The bot skips its draw phase and skips all main phase actions, too.

The bot's combat phase works just like the combat phase on your own turn. First, you commit your combat card, then you roll the d8 to see what the bot does (using the row that corresponds to its hand size). Remember that the bot wins speed ties on its own turn (except for projectiles, which ignore each other's speeds).

Other Notes

Disabled moves. If the bot ever rolls any type of move that is disabled for any reason, then reroll the bot's move until it gets a legal move.

Co-op Play

You can play with a partner against the bot. When you do, the bot has twice the usual number of hit points.

In Co-op play, the human partners take a shared turn together, then the bot takes its turn, then the human players take their shared turn, etc.

On the shared turn, each human player simultaneously draws 2 cards (from their own decks) during the draw phase. Then each player can perform their own (optional) main phase actions in parallel. Each player plays their combat card whenever they're done with their main phase. Only after both players commit to their combat cards do you roll the d8 a single time to determine the bot's combat option.

Choose a Difficulty Setting

Difficulty: Normal. In this setting, you can talk about the exact cards you plan to play, to coordinate with each other. You can play your combat cards face up to help you plan, for example showing your partner that you will block low, then they can take that into account when playing their own combat card. You can also show each other your hand cards at any time.
Difficulty: Hard. In this setting, you each play your combat cards face down, and can't talk about the exact cards you'll play that turn. You can't show each other your hand cards either. Try this for an extra challenge.

Co-op Combat

You roll the d8 only a single time each combat to determine the move the bot does against both of you. Resolve all of it at the same time. For example, it's possible that your partner hits the bot with an attack, while you block an attack from the bot. That's fine, both outcomes happen simultaneously. As another example, it's fine if the bot attacks and hits you with a combo, but your partner blocks the combo.

The bot's handsize adjustment each combat still only happens once, not twice, when it fights two humans. The bot takes the less favorable outcome. For example, if the bot gets +1 hand size in the outcome against you, and -3 handsize in the outcome against your partner, its actual adjustment will be -3, the worse of the two options. You don't add them together. Or if the bot hits both of you with combo with -4 handsize, its total is -4, not -8, because again you take the worse of the two outcomes, not the sum of them.

Winning the Game (Co-op)

The bot wins if it eliminates BOTH human players. The team of humans win if the bot loses, even if one of the humans was already eliminated. If either human reaches time out (would cause a reshuffle of their own deck for a second time that game) then the game ends. Compare the sum of the hit points of the humans with the hit points of the bot, and the larger number wins. It's a draw if the numbers are equal.

Everything else about the bot works the same in co-op play.

Solo and Co-op FAQ

How do knockdowns and the edge work in co-op play? If one player knocks down the bot, but the other player doesn't, the bot is knocked down. Like in the 2-player versus game, the edge does nothing against an opponent who is knocked down (but the bot could use the edge against YOU if your partner is knocked down.)