Welcome to the Game Rules page of Metamancers, where you will find all the essential information to dive into the exciting world of our TCG. Explore the intricacies of gameplay, understand the mechanics, and master the strategies to become a skilled Metamancer. Let the magic unfold as you embark on your journey through the realms of power and sorcery!
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Welcome to Metamancers TCG rule sheet. (alpha version)
Play with your friends in a game that lets you explore rich worlds, travel through portals to reach infinite places, dimensions and times, discover unique strategies, manage your resources, combine your cards to generate synergies of huge power, enhance your skills and develop your Metamancers’ talents.
Release all your potential, turn on the furnace that you carry within yourself. Ignite the crucible within, and reach the glory.
Choose your path wisely: offensive or defensive. To emerge victorious, focus on leveling up your talents, enhancing your crucible, and mastering resource management. By adopting this strategic approach, your damage output will escalate exponentially. Take advantage of powerful card synergies and execute devastating combos to gain the upper hand in battle.
Strategy: Stay attuned to the ebb and flow of the fight. If your opponent adopts a defensive stance, prepare for a prolonged engagement, carefully plotting your moves. Conversely, when faced with an aggressive adversary, adapt swiftly by bolstering your defensive capabilities or mustering the strength to unleash a counteroffensive that will turn the tide of battle.
STARTING THE GAME
Embark on your journey with a solid foundation. Commence the game by shuffling your deck and exchanging cuts with your opponent. Each player draws 7 cards, and the player who rolls the highest dice decides who starts the game. Remember, at the start of each turn, draw a card from your deck, but be mindful to conclude your turn with a maximum of 7 cards in hand.
First turn Draw: The first player draws a card on his first turn.
No XP on first turn: Take heed, players don't accumulate experience points during the initial turn, either casting or priors from the opponent. It's wise to exercise restraint and avoid excessive spellcasting during this crucial phase, ensuring you conserve your resources for subsequent turns.
Talents: Embark on a journey of growth and mastery through the accumulation of experience points. To earn experience, it is essential to engage in spellcasting, striving to perform at least one spell action each turn. However, strategic decisions and resource limitations may occasionally impede this requirement, such as when setting up a powerful combo. It is crucial for players to carefully consider this strategic balance, as talents play a pivotal role in shaping the battlefield and tilting the scales of power in their favor.
Crucible: is more than just a symbolic token for metal smelting—it possesses unique actions that empower the Metamancer. Furthermore, it can be adorned with up to 4 Ember cards, enhancing the Crucible's might and expanding its capabilities. Each Ember card, with its distinct actions, grants the Crucible increased range and power, presenting diverse strategic opportunities for the Metamancer to exploit. Use dice to count your molten resources, colored dice will be helpful to count it, we suggest yellow for Gold, white for Silver, green for Iron, red for Copper and Blue for Platinum resources.
So far you've learned how to start the game, the meaning of each type of card and the function of each type of token, from your Metamancer and your Crucible, to talents and experience points.
UNDERSTANDING PRIOR
In each phase, when a player activates a card, his opponent can respond by activating a prior type card of his choice, as well as melt any amount of powder cards as part of his Prior. This mechanic, known as the stack, is a powerful feature present in many TCG games. It allows players to take actions in response to their opponents' actions, providing an opportunity to defend themselves.
TARGETING
In Metamancers TCG, precise targeting is crucial for spellcasting and abilities. When you cast a spell or activate an ability, you must select all of its targets. Failure to meet targeting requirements renders the spell or ability invalid. For instance, if a spell requires "Destroy target creature," but no creatures exist on the battlefield, you cannot cast it since there are no eligible targets.
When a spell or ability states "deals damage to any target," you have the freedom to choose any creature or player as the target. However, Crucibles are exempt from being targeted.
Once you've chosen targets, you cannot alter your decision. When the spell or ability resolves, it verifies the legality of the targets—ensuring they still exist and meet the spell or ability's requirements. If a target is no longer legal, the spell or ability has no effect. If none of the targets remain legal, the spell or ability becomes null.
STACKING
In Metamancers TCG, the stack is where spells and abilities patiently wait to resolve their effects. Resolving any action as a spell or ability means that its impact takes place.
When you cast a spell or activate an ability, it doesn't take effect immediately—it enters the stack. Spells and abilities remain on the stack until both players decide not to cast or activate anything new. Triggered abilities also join the stack until they are resolved.
After you finish adding spells and abilities to the stack, priority shifts to the next player in turn order. They may choose to respond with their own prior spells or abilities. Subsequent players, including yourself, can then respond to those responses, creating a stack of events waiting to be resolved. Spells and abilities remain on the stack until all players decline to cast or activate anything new. Triggered abilities also enter the stack until they are resolved.
After an action resolves, both players have another opportunity to respond. If neither player chooses to respond, the next item on the stack will resolve. If the stack is empty, the current step of the turn will conclude, and the game will progress to the next step. This back-and-forth exchange of actions and responses ensures dynamic gameplay and strategic decision-making throughout the game.
As a general rule, actions on the stack resolve one by one, starting with the last one added to the stack.
TURN
Each turn follows a specific sequence. Whenever a new step or phase is entered, any triggered actions that occur during that step or phase are triggered and added to the stack. The active player (the player whose turn it is) takes the first action, followed by each other player in turn order. When all players choose not to take any further actions and there are no unresolved actions on the stack, the game proceeds to the next step.
1 - STOKE PHASE
Stoke Cards: When you start your turn, quenched cards under your control must be stoked. No actions can be taken during this step.
2 - DRAW STEP
Draw a Card: The owner of the turn draws a card from his deck. This action cannot be skipped.
Exhaustion: As the battle rages on in the world of Metamancers, players must be ever watchful of their dwindling resources. When a player's deck is depleted, and they begin their turn without the ability to draw any cards during the draw phase, they succumb to Exhaustion. This state of weariness inflicts 10 Exhaustion damage upon the player, reflecting the toll that their depleted deck takes on their strength and focus. In the face of Exhaustion, players must devise strategies to manage their cards wisely, ensuring they have enough remaining in their deck to sustain their actions and defenses. The consequences of allowing one's deck to be exhausted can be dire, and it serves as a constant reminder to remain vigilant and adaptive in this enthralling world of magic and battles. Only the most skilled and resourceful Metamancers will prevail, navigating the challenges of fatigue and emerging victorious in their quest for supremacy.
3 - MAIN PHASE
During this phase, the player that is owning the turn may melt 1 non-resource card from his hand and 1 resource card from his hand. Cast Spells and use Attacks and Abilities from his creatures in any order and the opposing player may only cast prior and use artifact abilities.
4 - END PHASE
End Step: Abilities that trigger "at the beginning of your end step" are added to the stack, and the opposing player gets the priority before the turn ends.
Cleanup Step: If a player has more than seven cards in hand, they must discard until they have only seven and all "until end of turn" effects end. No one can cast instants or activate abilities unless an ability triggers during this step.
WIN CONDITION
Each Metamancer has its own health attribute, usually 50 points. The last Metamancer with health points on the board is the winner of the game.
RESOURCES, COST AND MELT, AND PILE OF EVENTS
The concept of a "pile of events" or a stack in trading card games is commonly attributed to mathematics professor Richard Garfield, who is also the creator of the immensely popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering, released in 1993, which introduced the idea of a stack or pile of events as a fundamental part of its gameplay mechanics. Since then, many other trading card games have adopted and adapted this concept in their own game systems. Richard Garfield's innovative design and mechanics revolutionized the trading card game genre and set the foundation for its future development.
In Metamancers TCG, we introduce the concept of melting cards to generate resources required for activating action cards. Each card specifies a certain amount of metals that can be melted. When a player chooses to melt a card, they gain the corresponding resources. For example, if a card has 3 Iron and 2 Copper, melting it grants the player 3 Iron and 2 Copper resources, which are collectively referred to as molten metals.
The process of melting occurs using a token card called the Crucible, which has its own set of rules. Each player can only melt 1 non-resource card during their own turns and 1 resource card each turn. If a Crucible is quenched, the player is not allowed to melt.
All Crucibles can be used to melt any kind of metals through the cards used to melt and there are multiple kinds of different interactions between melting and the Crucible, for example with Fiery Sparks, whenever you melt Iron, it will trigger a stack event from Fiery Sparks dealing Fire damage to target player equal to the amount of Iron melted.
To provide clarity, the cost required to activate a card is displayed on the left side, while the potential resources obtained through melting are indicated on the right side.
Cost And Melt: Cards may have cost and melt points on it. From the left side is the cost and from the right side is the melt.
Cost: is how much you need to pay to activate the card actions.
Melt: is how many resources you gain if you Melt the card. Once melted, the resources are called molten metals and they can be of 5 types: Gold, Silver, Iron, Copper and Platinum. If your card has a dark green type of resource, it means you can expend any resource to pay its Cost as well as Melt the Card in any resource you want.
Some types of Cards have no Cost or Melt resources. It means that action Cards with no Cost on it must have its own activation rules in its description. If a card doesn’t have a Cost is because it can be played for free and if it doesn’t have a melt value it's because it can’t be melted.
ADVANCED CONCEPTS ABOUT COST AND MELT
Molten Resources And The Pile Of Events: The method of producing resources through melting cards enhances the pile of events math in several ways:
Resource Management: The melting mechanic adds an additional layer of resource management to the game. Players need to carefully consider which cards to melt in order to obtain the necessary resources for activating their action cards from the pile of events. This introduces strategic decision-making and resource optimization, as players must balance the immediate benefits of playing cards with the long-term advantage of accumulating specific metals for future actions.
Synergy and Combos: By incorporating the melting mechanic into the pile of events math, players have the opportunity to create synergistic combinations. Certain cards may provide bonuses or additional effects when melted, encouraging players to build decks with specific card interactions and strategic synergies. This adds depth and complexity to gameplay, as players seek out powerful combinations of cards and metals to optimize their actions.
Tempo and Timing: The melting mechanic affects the tempo and timing of gameplay. Players must consider the timing of when to melt their cards in order to obtain the desired resources at the right moment. It introduces a dynamic element where players must decide whether to melt cards early for immediate resource gain or wait for a more opportune time to maximize the impact of their actions. This creates tension and strategic choices, adding depth to the overall game strategy.
Resource Conversion: The ability to melt cards and convert them into specific resources provides flexibility in the pile of events math. It allows players to adapt to changing game situations and adjust their strategies based on the available metals. Players can convert excess or less useful metals into more valuable ones, optimizing their resource pool and enabling them to activate powerful actions from the pile of events.
Interaction with Crucible Card Tokens: The melting mechanic also interacts with the Crucible cards, which have their own unique rules and effects. Players must consider the impact of melting specific cards, as it may trigger additional abilities or consequences associated with the Crucible cards. This adds another layer of decision-making and strategic depth to the pile of events math, as players assess the potential benefits and risks of melting certain cards based on the Crucible's effects.
Event Combo Chains: Design cards or mechanics that allow players to chain events together in specific sequences, triggering powerful combos or synergistic effects. This encourages players to strategize and plan ahead to maximize the efficiency and impact of their event chains.
Event Fusion: Introduce the concept of event fusion, where players can combine multiple events in the pile to create a more powerful or unique outcome. This encourages strategic planning and opens up new possibilities for synergistic plays.
TERMS
Quench and Stoke: To Quench a card is to turn it sideways to show that it has been used for the turn. You do this when you use a card that stands activated on the board like affix cards or creatures. When quenched, you can’t quench it again until it’s been stoked (turned back upright). As your turn begins, stoke your quenched cards so you can use them again.
Casting: In order to cast spells or activate cards, you must pay their respective molten metal costs, which are indicated in the upper left corner of each card. This cost can be any molten metal or specific metals such as Gold, Silver, Iron, Copper or Platinum. Once a card is activated, it is placed into the pile of events, ready to be resolved. At this point, you have the option to either move the card to your graveyard or proceed with any additional steps as instructed by the card's description.
CARD TYPES IN METAMANCERS
Lookout: Look at the top card of your opponent's deck.
Mirror: Look at the top card of your deck. Put it on top or bottom in any order.
Draw: Draw a card from your own deck.
Affixes: are cards that, once activated, stand on the board, working as an aura that brings power to your Metamancer or curse to your opponent’s Metamancer.
Powered X: cards with Powered X enter play with X counters/tokens on them.
Farsight: Mirror the opponent's deck.
Vanish: Purge the top card of the opponent's deck. You may cast that card until the end of the turn using any kind of molten metals instead.
Mirage: Target player reveals his hand and you purge the indicated amount of cards from it.
Artifacts: are cards created to activate other cards or improve abilities. It can be a Die to forge a creature, a weapon to improve your Metamancer or another creature, as well as a Vessel to summon powerful spirits.
Artifacts aren't treated like spells.
Artifacts can now enter the battlefield and activate their abilities unless they enter quenched.
Sacrifice: Sacrifice involves deliberately or forcibly removing an artifact or creature from the game. When a card is sacrificed, it doesn't trigger any "Destroyed" events (Destroy).
Creatures: are cards created to enhance the battle. These cards can be Melders, Golems, Spirits, Demons, Monsters, Paladins etc.
Creatures have a life value and a defense value, respectively.
Health: The Health value remains constant and does not reset at the end of the turn. For example, if a creature, like the Gargoyle, with 5 Health takes 2 damage, it will still have 3 Health at the end of the turn.
Defense: The Defense value represents retaliation against the attack of another creature. It does not apply to creatures that perform abilities.
Creatures can now enter the battlefield and activate their abilities unless they enter quenched.
When performing an attack action, quench the creature.
Creatures can only perform their actions during their controller's turn and if there is no active action stack.
Lifesteal: is a special rule that allows a creature to heal its controller for the same amount of damage it deals. When a creature with Lifesteal deals damage to an opponent or another creature, its controller simultaneously gains an equal amount of life points. This ability provides a way for players to regain health as their creatures unleash their power, creating a strategic advantage and increasing their overall resilience in the game.
Crucible: is a token needed to melt cards to produce resources. Crucibles may have its own abilities and specific actions. In the Metamancers’ lore, a crucible is the inner will of a Metamancer, his self, his power within. It is a metaphor for hermetic philosophies, where alchemy and metal transmutation come from. A Crucible can be improved with Ember cards.
If the crucible is quenched, its controller cannot melt cards.
Die: are Molds to produce specific creatures that otherwise cannot be invoked by the summoning system. It is a type of artifact.
Metamancer: is a card token that represents your character, your avatar, your hero, which you use to play the game. A Metamancer and a Crucible token is needed to play the match and they need to be placed on board from the start until the end.
Some Metamancers can be morphed to work with other abilities. In this case his life is not reset unless the card says so.
Prior: cards with Prior can be used whenever a Metamancer has the priority.
Spells: are cards that can be played only when there isn’t an active stack and can’t be used during an opponent’s turn.
Indestructible: cards with indestructible cannot be destroyed, but can still be purged and sacrificed.
Spellbound: cards with Spellbound block the stack and nothing can be triggered or played by the opponents until it is solved.
Aethereal Damage: nothing can stop aethereal damage, unless a card says that it can block specifically aethereal damage.
Elemental: is a type of creature.
Talents: are improvements to your Metamancer. Each turn you play at least one card from your hand (melting doesn’t count), you earn 1 experience point at the end of that turn. At the end of your own turn, you may spend experience points to buy talents. Talents are essential to win the game.
Talents are divided by types and levels.
Aether talents level 2 and 3 can only be learned if you have a level 1 Aether talent and then a level 2 Aether talent.
Untyped talents can be linked to any talent tree except Aether.
Talent types cannot be mixed, except with untyped talents.
Maximum 7 Talent cards per player as side talent cards to choose along the game.
As players have the opportunity to earn 1 Experience Points (XP) at the end of each turn, after the first player's first turn, by playing at least one card from their hand (melting doesn’t count), these XP serve as a valuable resource that players can use to purchase Talent Cards in the end of their turn, which grant powerful abilities and enhancements to their gameplay.
The Talent Cards are categorized into three levels:
Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.
Each player can have a maximum of 5 Talent Cards on the board, distributed as follows:
2 Level 1 talents
2 Level 2 talents
1 Level 3 talent
These talents can greatly influence the flow of the game, providing players with strategic advantages and unique abilities to outwit their opponents.
However, as the game progresses and players accumulate more XP, they need to be mindful of the Overflow rule. When a player earns additional XP beyond what they can spend on Talent Cards, their abilities become too overwhelming, creating a dangerous surplus of power. At this point, the Overflow rule comes into play.
Overflow: If a player has 5 Talent cards on board and extra XP, it triggers the Overflow rule, - they are dealing with an excess of unused XP, representing the raw and untamed energy they have accumulated. - For each extra XP they possess at the end of a turn, the player inflicts 5 Aethereal damage upon their opponent. This damage reflects the uncontrolled and volatile nature of the excess energy, causing harm to the opponent's forces or directly affecting their life points.
Titan: is a card that can’t be removed from the game unless a special card allows you to do so. In general a demigod or a super powerful creature.
Transmutation: cards or abilities used to switch molten metals from one type to another.
Melting a transmutation card counts as a regular melt.
Transmute: ability to transmute molten metals.
Outside: Cast a card from your sideboard. After it resolves, bring it back to your sideboard.
Unique: are cards that you can have only 1 in play under your control.
In Metamancers, the concept of Unique cards takes on a specific gameplay approach that sets it apart from other games like Magic: The Gathering or Pokémon. In Metamancers, a Unique card is defined as a card that can exist in only one instance on the battlefield at a time. This means that players cannot have multiple copies of the same Unique card simultaneously active in the game, excepting when using a card that "copy" another card, in this case, the copied card is not an Unique card.
Unlike some other games where Unique cards might have slight variations or restrictions, Metamancers emphasizes a straightforward rule: there can only be one copy of a Unique card on the battlefield. This mechanic is designed to maintain game balance and prevent potentially overpowering combinations or scenarios.
For example, let's consider a Unique card called "Slow Time." If a player has a Slow Time card already in play on the battlefield, he cannot play or activate another Slow Time card until the first one is resolved or removed from play. This ensures that the gameplay remains strategic and that the impact of Unique cards is carefully controlled.
The focus on having a single instance of each Unique card at a time adds an element of decision-making and prioritization for players. They must choose when to play a Unique card based on the current situation, as well as the potential benefits and drawbacks of its effects. This approach contributes to a dynamic and balanced gaming experience, where players need to carefully manage their resources and card plays.
Vessels: are cards with special abilities, can be used to summon a strong imprisoned ancient Metamancer.
Scenario: Cards that remain on the board and trigger actions every turn, typically with a counter. Each player can have only one Scenario card on the board simultaneously. If a player already has a Scenario in play, it can only be replaced or removed when its effect concludes. Scenario cards cannot be copied since they are not considered spells.
Frost: cards that deal frost damage.
Fire: cards that deal fire damage.
Frostfire: cards that deal frost and fire damage.
Projectile: cards treated as projectiles.
Weapon: artifacts that can be equipped in creatures.
Purge: a card purged goes to the purged zone.
Recall: cards that can be casted from the junkyard by paying its recall cost. If a card is casted using recall, purge it afterwards.
Weapon Mastery: the effects of equipped weapons are doubled.
Rebirth: when a creature with Rebirth is destroyed the first time each turn, bring it back to the battlefield stoked and unequipped.
Lore: Each Lore card connects with an event in Metamancers' Lore as it unfolds during each of your turns. Each separate step in the Lore is called a Turn, and is marked by a number and a title.
Taunt: Quench this Creature to redirect the attack or ability of target Creature to this Creature.
Warden: Stoke during your opponent's stoke phase.
Quest: This token brings the possibility to speed up your XP earnings.
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