TIMING · COMBAT · EFFECTS
Mechanics & Rules
The card’s full rules text and the legal actions available in the current match are the final authority. This page uses the names used by the engine and current structured match flow.
Normal timing
The Main Phase is the normal time to play cards and use most activated abilities. A card may give itself a different timing permission: an Interrupt Spell can be played in a valid interrupt window, and a Unit with Blink can be played whenever its controller could play an Interrupt Spell. Every action must still satisfy its cost, targets, and current restrictions.
Action Phase: combat steps
The Action Phase is the turn’s combat phase. It has three player-facing steps.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Action Step | The active player declares attacks, then confirms them. Required attacks such as Charge or Fervor are validated here. |
| Blocking Step | Each attacked defender assigns eligible blockers for the queued attacks. Position, lane rules, traversal, and keywords can limit the choices. |
| Resolve Combat Step | Combat damage is assigned where a choice is required, then the combat batch resolves. If no manual assignment is needed, the engine advances automatically. |
Initiative damage occurs before regular damage; Fury deals both. Defeat, damage-over-time, and triggered effects can create further resolution work.
Ability patterns
- Static abilities change rules while the card has the ability, such as Haste, Flying, Reach, or Defender.
- Triggered abilities queue because a specified event occurred, such as a card entering play or a turn beginning.
- Activated abilities are chosen by a player. They can require Aeon, tapping, a target, a timing window, or a once-per-turn allowance.
Responses and effects
When an interrupt response window is open, only legal and affordable responses may be used. Queued effects resolve in their established order and may request targets or choices. An enabled control is useful guidance, but it never overrides card text, protection, targeting, lane, or timing rules.