Radiance update
The set is here. Find what changed.
Explore the rules, learning guides and card corrections introduced with Radiance.
This release summary links to the current reference pages.
Rules currently in forceMeet the new mechanics
New Rules
- 01
How Does Deploy Work?
Play or create Deploy gear only to a battlefield. It stays through the usual recall check, but an opponent holding there triggers its destruction.
Read the rule - 02
How Does Disarm Work?
On its first attack each combat, a unit with Disarm gives an enemy unit here a Might reduction for this turn. Add its Disarm values for one trigger.
Read the rule - 03
How Does Show Off Work?
Show qualifying cards from hand and/or pick qualifying friendly objects on the board while playing the card. The information it uses is fixed then.
Read the rule
Updated Rules
Can You Change a Target or Mode After Playing a Card?
Keep the choices you made unless an effect specifically permits new ones.
Champion Legend and Chosen Champion: What Is the Difference?
Your legend defines your deck and stays in its own zone. Your Chosen Champion is a matching champion unit you can play.
How Do Empower and Empowered Work?
Use an Empower ability to give its source the Empowered status, which turns on its Empowered text.
How Do Tokens Work?
Use a clear marker for a token, follow its type and the creating effect, and remove it when it leaves for most off-board zones.
How Do Units, Gear, Spells and Runes Differ?
Units fight, gear stays in play, spells carry out instructions, and runes provide resources. Their types determine how they enter and what can affect them.
How Do You Hide and Play a Facedown Card?
Hide a card with Hidden at a battlefield you control, then play it from there starting on a later turn.
How Do You Play and Use Gear?
Play ordinary gear ready at Base, then use its abilities as instructed. Equipping is a separate action.
How Do You Use Accelerate?
Pay Accelerate as an optional additional cost while playing a unit to have it enter ready.
How Does Equipment Attach and Detach?
Attached Equipment gives its unit its Effect Text and Might bonus, while remaining a separate card.
How Does Weaponmaster Attach Equipment?
A unit's Weaponmaster play trigger can attach Equipment you control after you pay its discounted Equip cost.
What Belongs in a Legal Deck?
Start with one Champion Legend, at least 40 Main Deck cards including your Chosen Champion, 12 runes and the battlefields for your mode.
What Changes in a Two-Versus-Two Game?
Magma Chamber shares points and victory, while players keep separate control of their cards and separate XP.
What Counts as Choosing a Target?
Recognize specific choices, check their restrictions and distinguish targets from whole groups or costs.
What Does Copying a Card Actually Copy?
Copy the traits specified by the effect, without transferring the other object's statuses or temporary bonuses.
What If a Card Has More Than One Type?
A card with multiple types follows each type and can be affected through any of them. Unit behavior and rune recycling have explicit priority rules.
What If Card Text Changes the Usual Rules?
Follow a card's exception to the normal rules, but respect restrictions that forbid the action.
What If You Cannot Do Everything a Card Says?
Follow effects as far as possible, while respecting full costs and instructions that depend on earlier actions.
Which Effect Applies First When a Card Changes?
Apply copy effects first, then trait changes, ability changes and numerical changes.
Learn
Accelerate and Deflect Costs
Choose optional Accelerate payments, use the correct Power Domain, and count Deflect per original target choice.
Equipment, Control and Copied Text
Follow an attached card’s text, controller and location through copying, detachment and cleanup.
Following Cards and Abilities
Track cards, their attached cards and their abilities separately when control changes or a card leaves the board.
Hidden Targets and New Choices
Apply Hidden’s battlefield limit to each target, recognize explicit other-location exceptions, and retain the limit when choices change.
Inside the Chain
Follow cards and abilities from their unfinished play steps to resolution, including cards played inside another effect.
Layers, Dependencies and Timestamps
Work out a card’s current traits without applying the same effect twice, and see why gaining Might can unlock an earlier layer.
Linked and Delayed Abilities
Follow saved references, current information and later instructions without assuming every link survives every change.
Radiance Keywords at the TableNew
Recognize when Deploy, Disarm and Show Off apply, and which choices use the Chain.
Repeat and New Choices
Pay each separate Repeat cost once, announce the order of your choices, and distinguish repeated instructions from changing choices later.
Scoring Across Turns
Follow Conquer and Hold through several turns, including the Final Point in free-for-all and team games.
Targets and Damage Allocation
Recognize actual targets, choose a split-damage group, and adapt how you divide that damage when the situation changes.
Tokens in Play
Follow a token from creation to play, control changes, departure and the special Replace procedure.
Trigger Conditions and Source Changes
Read when a condition is checked, how simultaneous numbered events count, and where the card carrying the ability must be.
Two Versus Two at the Table
Use a four-player table to understand invitations, personal control, shared points and the team Final Point restriction.
Glossary
Accelerate
An optional additional cost paid while playing a unit: pay 1 Energy and 1 Power to have it enter ready. Single-domain units use matching Power; domainless units use any-domain Power.
Copy
Taking another object’s specified copyable traits, normally its printed or previously copied traits. Later bonuses and statuses are not copied. An object created as a copy starts with the copied traits as its own initial traits.
DeployNew
A gear keyword requiring it to be played or created to a battlefield. Its non-unit form avoids the usual battlefield recall; when an opponent holds its battlefield, its kill ability triggers.
DisarmNew
An attack trigger that gives an enemy unit at this battlefield -X Might for the turn. X is 1 when omitted. Add multiple Disarm values together for one trigger.
Layer
One of four ordered steps for calculating a game object’s characteristics: copy effects, trait changes, ability changes, then arithmetic. Dependencies and timestamps order effects within each layer.
PickNew
An explicit choice that does not target. Follow its stated restrictions and the timing of the instruction, rather than applying targeting costs or protection.
Show OffNew
An optional choice while playing a card: reveal qualifying cards from your hand and/or pick qualifying friendly objects on the board. Referenced information is recorded then, ignoring later changes.
Target
A specific object, player or zone chosen by a spell or ability under the targeting rules. Check legality when choosing and when resolving. Costs, automatic groups and explicit "pick" choices do not target; pending Chain items cannot be targeted.