Player Decks:
Each player’s deck consists of a preconstructed set of 30 cards including:
Attack Cards (e.g., strikes, kicks, grapples)
Utility Cards (e.g., card draw, resource management, special moves)
Reaction Cards (defensive maneuvers that can be played for 0 tempo)
Tactic Cards (character-specific persistent effects; these are played from hand but are not added to combos)
Wound Piles:
Each player has a separate area (a pile) for cards removed from the top of their deck when they take damage.
Wound cards can be gained back to hand through recover effects.
Discard Piles:
Each player maintains a discard pile for cards used to pay tempo and for cards played from hand.
Play Area:
A shared table area where players form their combos.
Tokens/Markers:
(Optional) Markers for tracking additional effects (e.g., momentum tokens, if applicable in your variant).
Deck Preparation:
Each player shuffles their deck thoroughly.
Initial Hand:
Each player draws 5 cards from their deck.
Wound & Discard Areas:
Place your wound pile and discard pile in designated areas on your play space as the game progressess.
Starting Momentum:
Place both player's momentum cards next to each other so that they form a single complete track.
Place any suitable token in the starting position (middle) of the momentum track. Henceforth, this will be the momentum tracker.
The goal of the game is to force your opponent into a position where they can no longer form a new deck.
A player loses when they run out of cards in their deck (even after shuffling their discard pile, if no cards remain) or can no longer pay for card costs due to insufficient tempo.
Draw Phase:
First Turn Exception: The first turn, the starting hand is 5 cards.
Subsequent Turns: At the start of your turn, draw 3 new cards from your deck.
Action Phase:
Playing Cards:
Cards are played from your hand to the play area (forming a combo) by paying their tempo cost.
Tempo Cost Payment: To play a card, you must discard cards from your hand equal to its tempo cost. For example, a card with a tempo cost of 2 requires discarding 2 cards.
If you cannot discard enough cards to pay a card’s cost, you lose tempo and your turn immediately ends.
Combo Building:
A combo is formed by playing two or more cards in a sequence.
Some card effects trigger based on their position in a combo or following specific card types.
Tactic Cards:
Tactic cards are played for their tempo cost but are not added to combos. Instead, playing a tactic card breaks up any current combo. They remain in play until the game ends or they are forced to be discarded.
Reaction Phase:
Whenever you play a card into a combo, your opponent may immediately play a Reaction card for 0 tempo (instead of its listed cost).
Reaction cards can block attacks, counter moves, or impose tempo penalties on the opponent among other effects.
End Phase:
Once you decide to stop playing cards (or if you lose tempo), your turn ends.
All played combos are then resolved in turn order.
Damage is applied as specified by each card.
When a player takes damage, for each damage they take they will remove a card from the top of their deck or discard pile and place it in their wound pile.
If a player's deck becomes empty, they must shuffle their discard pile to form a new deck.
Some cards may allow you to recover (move cards from your wound pile back to your hand).
Paying Tempo:
Tempo is not a separate token but is effectively "spent" by discarding cards from your hand.
Losing Tempo:
If you cannot pay the required tempo cost (i.e., do not have enough cards in hand to discard), you lose tempo, and your turn immediately ends.
Damage Resolution:
When a card deals damage, subtract that amount from the opponent’s “health” by moving cards from the top of their deck or discard pile into their wound pile.
Wound Pile:
Once a card is moved to the wound pile, it is no longer available for play. These wound cards may be regained through recover effects.
Deck Refresh:
When your deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile to form a new deck. If you cannot do so, you lose the game.
A player loses the game if:
They are unable to form a new deck (i.e., their deck is empty, and there are no cards in the discard pile).
Alternatively, if a rule or effect specifically states that a player loses when they run out of cards to pay tempo.
The surviving player is declared the winner.