Turn Structure

Players take turns in clockwise order. On your turn you are the Active Player and complete all three phases before passing the turn on. There is no fixed number of turns.

Before the first turn

Decide who goes first (a coin flip or a die roll). Each player puts their Catalyst into play, shuffles their Vault and draws 6 cards. The starting player skips the draw on their first turn.

If you do not like your opening hand you may mulligan: shuffle it back and draw 6 new cards. You may mulligan up to 3 times; the second time you keep 5 of the new cards, the third time 4.

Start Phase

Deactivate

You may Deactivate each of your cards once, by rotating it 90° counter-clockwise. You do not have to; you may keep some cards Activated.

Start of turn effects

Effects that happen "at the start of your turn" resolve now.

Upkeep

Pay the Upkeep costs of your cards in play. A card whose Upkeep you cannot or will not pay is Archived.

Draw

Draw 1 card from your Vault.

Action Phase

You start each turn with 3 Actions. Use them in any order, and repeat any of them.

Deploy

Play a card from your hand: pay its Action Cost (usually 1 Action) and its Shard cost to play it face up, or pay 1 Shard and 1 Action to play it face down (Disengaged). Cards enter play Unstable and cannot Activate until the end of the turn.

Action Ability

Use an ability whose cost includes the Action symbol.

Strike

Activate a card on your Battlefield to attack a target in its Range.

Reposition

Move a Battlefield card, or swap two, to positions their Battle Maps allow.

Retreat

Return one of your cards in play to your hand.

Draw

Draw a card from your Vault.

Some things cost no Action:

• Engage: turn a face-down card face up by paying its cost minus 1 Shard.
• Reinforce: Activate a face-down card to strengthen your defences for the turn.
• Abilities without the Action symbol in their cost.
• Impulse cards (Action Cost 0) can be played during your turn, and as Reactions.

End Phase

End of turn effects

Effects that happen "at the end of turn" resolve.

Cleanup

Remove all damage from cards, end every "this turn" effect, and cards that entered this turn stop being Unstable.

Adjust your hand

Draw up to 2 cards if you have fewer, or Archive down to 7 if you have more.

Check for victory

See Victory Conditions.

Pass the turn

The next player clockwise becomes the Active Player.