How to Play

Core Concept

Archaic Realms is a faction-locked 1v1 trading card game built around combat in the Realm, Hero swaps, shared neutral Quests, a personal Faction Objective, and Realm Control Point pressure. Your active Hero is your battlefield leader and the primary target for combat.

Both win conditions are active simultaneously. You may pursue either path — or shift between them as the game develops.

Deckbuilding

Each player uses a faction-locked build consisting of a Main Deck, a Hero Lineup, and a single Faction Objective card. The Gear Vault is shared.

• Main Deck: minimum 40, maximum 50 non-Hero cards (Energy included)
• Hero Lineup: 2 Heroes chosen from a 4-Hero faction roster — outside the Main Deck entirely
• Faction Objective: 1 card, chosen before the game — outside the Main Deck
• Gear Vault: a shared gear-only loot table — outside the Main Deck, claimed as Quest rewards and equipped to your Heroes

Copy Limits

Copy limits are determined by rarity, not card type:

• Unique: max 4 copies
• Epic: max 4 copies
• Legendary: max 2 copies
• Archaic Energy: no limit

Setup

1. 1 Select the Realm (random by default). Place the Realm card face-up and shuffle its 16 Quest cards into a shared face-down Quest pile.
2. 2 Reveal your 2-Hero Lineup face-up (chosen from your 4-Hero faction roster).
3. 3 Reveal your Faction Objective card face-up.
4. 4 Choose 1 Hero from your Lineup as your starting active Hero and place it into the Realm.
5. 5 Shuffle your Main Deck and the shared gear-only Vault.
6. 6 Fill your Quest slots: draw 1 Quest from the shared pile per slot (2 slots total).
7. 7 Draw your opening hand of 6 cards.
8. 8 You may mulligan up to 2 times — first mulligan redraws 6, second redraws 4.
9. 9 Randomly determine the starting player.

Turn Structure

Each turn follows the same five-phase order:

Energy & Unstable Archaic Energy

Archaic Realms uses two distinct energy types: Stable Archaic Energy and Unstable Archaic Energy (UAE).

Stable Archaic Energy

Energy cards are your primary resource. They exist in two states: Charged (available to spend) and Discharged (spent, recharges each Ready Phase). To cast a card, Discharge Charged Energy equal to its Tier. You may normally play 1 Energy card from hand each turn.

Unstable Archaic Energy (UAE)

A volatile secondary resource generated and spent through card effects. UAE is represented by physical tokens in your pool on your side of the board — visible to both players at all times.

• Surge N — Generate N UAE tokens into your pool
• Transmute N — Spend N UAE tokens from your pool as a cost. Transmute is always a cost — never a trigger.
• UAE does not carry between turns unless a card effect explicitly states otherwise
• Your opponent cannot interact with your UAE pool unless a card effect explicitly states otherwise

Heroes & Realm Control Points

Your active Hero is your leader in the Realm — it can attack, be attacked, and be targeted by Hero-targeted effects. Heroes are not creatures and are not valid targets for "Destroy Creature" unless a card explicitly says Hero.

RCP Sources

Realm Control Points come from three sources:

• Hero HP Thresholds — each Hero has 2 thresholds: Threshold 1 awards the opponent 2 RCP, Threshold 2 awards 3 RCP. 5 RCP per Hero, up to 10 total across both Heroes.
• Faction Objective Conditions — Maximum 2 RCP total. Each condition resolves independently.
• Realm Quests — Variable. 8 of the 16 Realm Quest cards award RCP.

HP Thresholds & Ability Unlocks

Each Hero has exactly 3 abilities and 2 HP thresholds. Ability 1 is active from the start; the other two unlock as thresholds are crossed. Crossing a threshold does two things simultaneously:

• The attacking player gains RCP — 2 RCP at Threshold 1, 3 RCP at Threshold 2 (5 RCP per Hero in total)
• The defending Hero unlocks its next ability — Threshold 1 unlocks Ability 2, Threshold 2 unlocks Ability 3 (full power). Crossing a threshold also Staggers the Hero.

Hero Swaps

Hero swaps are not voluntary and cannot be performed freely. A swap may only occur at the start of your Main Phase, and only if at least one trigger is active:

• You gained RCP since your last Main Phase
• Your active Hero caused your opponent to gain RCP (crossed an HP threshold) since your last Main Phase

All Hero swaps are optional — having a trigger active does not force a swap. Only one swap may occur per Main Phase per trigger.

Combat

Attacks are directed at the defending player's active Hero. Defending Allies may be assigned in front of attackers to intercept.

1. 1 Declare Attackers — Choose which ready Allies and/or active Hero will attack. Attackers exhaust.
2. 2 First Priority Window — Defending player gets priority first, then attacker.
3. 3 Assign Defenders — Defending player assigns Allies and locks the resolution order.
4. 4 Response Window — Attacker acts, then defender may respond. If both pass, the first exchange begins.
5. 5 Combat Damage Exchanges — Each side deals damage simultaneously equal to its Attack value. If an Ally's Defense reaches 0 it is destroyed. Heroes have no Defense stat — damage to a Hero is absorbed by equipped armor → temporary Hero Defense → HP; armor is destroyed when its Defense reaches 0.
6. 6 Threshold Check — If an HP threshold is crossed during HP loss, the attacking player immediately gains RCP (2 at Threshold 1, 3 at Threshold 2), the defending Hero unlocks its next ability, and the Hero is Staggered.
7. 7 Continue or End — After each exchange, both players get a priority window. If both pass, resolve the next exchange in the locked order.

Stagger

• Stagger triggers when a Hero crosses an HP threshold (Heroes have no Defense stat)
• Attacking Hero Stagger: the Hero's remaining exchanges immediately end
• Defending Hero Stagger: the Hero stops counterattacking for the rest of that Combat
• Stagger applies to Heroes only — Allies are destroyed at 0 Defense, never Staggered
• Equipped armor and temporary Hero Defense absorb damage before HP, so they delay the threshold cross that triggers Stagger
• Once Staggered, there is no recovery mid-Combat; Stagger clears at the end of Combat

Hero Destruction

• A Hero reduced to 0 HP is destroyed and returned face-down to its original Lineup slot — no RCP is awarded on death
• The controlling player must immediately deploy a replacement Hero from their Lineup — there is no priority window between destruction and deployment
• If no Hero remains in the Lineup, that player loses immediately

Quests

Quests are shared neutral cards belonging to the chosen Realm. Both players draw from the same Quest pile and pursue Quests independently.

• Each player has 2 active Quest slots, filled at setup and refilled at the start of each Main Phase
• Quests are hidden from your opponent while active
• Conditions are checked at End of Combat and End of Turn
• Completed Quests are revealed face-up and placed in your scored area

Quest Rewards

• Realm Control Points — Awarded directly (8 of 16 Quests award RCP)
• Vault Reward — Claim Gear from the shared Vault and equip it to one of your Heroes

Faction Objectives

Each player's Faction Objective card is chosen before the game and represents the thematic ambition of their faction. It is revealed face-up at the start and visible to both players at all times.

Each card contains multiple independent conditions. Conditions are checked at End of Combat and End of Turn. Each resolves independently — you do not need to complete earlier conditions to unlock later ones.

• Conditions may award RCP, a minor reward, or nothing on their own
• Maximum 2 RCP total across all conditions on a single card
• Completing all conditions is an alternate win condition, regardless of RCP total
• Faction Objective cards cannot be replaced during the game

Card Types

Archaic Realms has eight card types. Each is identified by a unique icon on a stone plate in the card's top banner.

Hero

Your faction's battlefield leader. Heroes are their own card type — they are not Allies and cannot be targeted by effects that say "Destroy Ally" unless explicitly stated. Each Hero has printed HP and ATK (no Defense stat) and 3 abilities that unlock as HP thresholds are crossed. Defense comes from equipped Gear and temporary faction shields. Heroes live outside deck construction entirely.

Ally

Creatures deployed to the Realm. Allies attack, defend, and carry faction mechanics. They have ATK and DEF values. An Ally at 0 Defense is immediately destroyed — Allies are never Staggered. The term Ally replaces "Creature" globally — do not use Creature.

Spell

Played for an immediate effect. Two subtypes:

• Conjure (default) — Main Phase only. No label shown on card.
• Flash — Instant speed. "Flash" shown as a subtype on the card. Counter spells (Deny) must always be Flash.

Augment

Equipment or enchantments that attach to an Ally only (no longer to Heroes). Augments provide static buffs while in the Realm. If the host Ally leaves the Realm, the Augment detaches and becomes unattached and Exhausted. It may be reattached at Flash speed by paying the Tier cost again.

Gear

Hero-only equipment claimed from the shared Vault as a Quest reward. Three slots per Hero — armor (a Defense pool that absorbs damage and is destroyed at 0), weapon (attack and combat bonuses), and support (passive / aura). Equipping is free and may target any Hero you control, including one in the Lineup — but gear on a Lineup Hero is dormant until that Hero becomes active. Gear travels with its Hero across swaps and is only removed by destroying the equipped Hero. Gear is neutral but can be Attuned to the active Hero's Marks for tailored effects.

Quest

Shared neutral cards belonging to the Realm. Both players draw from the same Quest pile. Landscape orientation. 2 active slots per player — see the Quests section for full rules.

Faction Objective

A two-card diptych chosen before the game and revealed face-up at setup. Card 1 shows the faction identity and win condition summary. Card 2 lists 6 independent conditions. See the Faction Objectives section for full rules.

Realm Location

One Realm Location is in play per game, drawn randomly or selected by mutual consent. It defines the shared Quest pool and the in-play battlefield zone. Vault rewards are connected to the active Realm Location.

Marks

Every Ally, Hero, Spell, and Augment carries 1–3 Marks. Marks describe what a card is and how it plays — they are playstyle identity signals and synergy anchors for Quests and Faction Objectives. Marks are not mechanics — they do not trigger abilities on their own.

Mark Count by Rarity

• Unique: 1 Mark
• Epic: up to 2 Marks
• Legendary: up to 3 Marks
• Heroes: up to 3 Marks (one per ability identity)

Global Marks

Available across all factions. Each captures a distinct playstyle:

Faction Marks

Unique to a single faction. Represent broader thematic identity beyond the faction keyword:

Keywords & Glossary

Passive Trigger Keywords

Each passive trigger can only be satisfied by the player who controls the card with that effect.

Each faction has a unique passive:

Divine — Occult

Shadow — Curse

Volcanic — Warcry

Ocean — Invoke

Mech — Empower

Life — Regrowth

Core Actions

Hero & Augment Terms