Creatures

Creatures can have many keywords describing what they can do. Unless noted, creature abilities are resolved in batches. See the advanced event timing rules for more depth. Creature attributes are not affected by batch logic.

Keyword Abilities

Forge: This ability will only happen if the creature card is played from your hand. A creature with a Forge ability will do nothing if it is brought to the board via a different effect.

Activate: An ability that can be triggered at the players choosing. Some activations have conditions that must be met first.

Allied: The keyword is followed by a faction. It is like Forge, but also requires a card of the listed faction is in your hand.

Ambush: If a card with Ambush is in hand, and the conditions are met during an opponent's turn, the card will Spawn a creature.

Assault: This ability will only happen if the creature was Forged into a lane with no opposing creature.

Banish: A card that is Banished is removed from the game.

Consistent: A Consistent card is guaranteed to be shuffled into the first 20 cards of your draw deck. This means you will draw it in one of the four turns of the current Rank.

Flank: An ability that happens when the creature moves to a different lane, via Mobility or other effects.

Formation: If the creature enters the field between two friendly creatures, this ability happens. Formation is checked at the moment it enters the field.

Gain Rank: This ability will happen at the end of the players fourth turn in the current rank.

Heal: In the context of healing a creature, and damage will be restored up to but not above that creatures maximum health. This is different from "gets +X health", which can raise the maximum health.

Negate: The keyword is followed by an attribute. The target creature will lose that attribute, and cannot regain that attribute.

Overload: When played, a card with Overload is not placed in the discard pile, but is removed from the game.

Raid: The ability will occur at the friendly player's turn-end, only if at least three friendly creatures initiated battle that turn, and the creature with the Raid keyword is still alive. Creatures with Defender do not initiate battle.

Replace: The target creature will be replaced with a new creature. The target is not considered to have died. Forging on top of an existing creature counts as a Replace.

Solbind: If a card with Solbind is included in your deck, any cards listed after the Solbind keyword are inserted into your deck at the start of the game.

Spawn: Will create a new creature in a randomly chosen empty lane. If all lanes are occupied, nothing will happen.

Upgrade: This ability will happen if the creature Replaced another creature.

Vengeance: This ability will happen when the creature dies or is destroyed.

Non-Keyword Abilities

When X: Like the above abilities, but with a specific condition to trigger (described on the card).

While X: These abilities are applied or removed the moment the stated conditions are met. They do not wait for batch resolution.

Attributes

Aggressive: The creature is always on the offensive. It will battle the turn it is Forged, and will have Mobility and Activate effects available that turn as well. A sleeping aggressive creature is considered to not be asleep. However if it loses aggressive before it naturally awakens, it becomes asleep again.

Armor X: Prevents the first X damage dealt to the creature each turn. Armor will not protect against spells and abilities that lower a creatures health.

Breakthrough: When the creature is on the offensive, battle damage that exceeds the opposing creature's health is dealt to the opponent.

Defender: The creature does not start battle, even if it awake. It is considered non-offensive from a battle perspective, but can use Mobility and Activate abilities when awake.

Mobility X: When awake, the creature may move up to X spaces into an available lane. It may move over creatures between it and the destination. Mobility can be used once per turn, and only on the players turn.

Poison X: The creature is dealt X damage at the start of each turn.

Regenerate X: The creature heals X health at the beginning of each turn. Regeneration is always applied after any Poison damage is inflicted.

Lane Terminology

Adjacent Lane: The lane directly to the left and right of a creature.

Center Lane: The middle lane of the field. Lane 3.

Side Lane: Rightmost or leftmost lane on the field. Lane 1 & 5.

Empty/Available Lane: A lane with no creature in it.