Glossary

Quick reference for all game terms, organized alphabetically.

A

• Ace -- a unit supertype that makes a unit eligible to serve as your Ace in Ace Battle format. In other formats, Ace Units function as normal units. Ace Units follow normal budget rules with no special Ace ability. Multiple copies allowed in deck, but only one can be on the field at a time.
• Ace Battle -- a format where each player chooses an Ace Unit before the game that is always in play and defines their deck's strategy.

B

• Bench -- the zone where a knocked-out Ace goes in Ace Battle format. The Ace can be replayed from the Bench by paying its original energy cost. No additional tax.
• Exile -- a zone for exiled cards. Cards in Exile cannot be recycled back into the library. Blue's surgical mill sends cards here.
• Bounce -- (Blue keyword) return a target card to its owner's hand.
• Burn X -- (Red keyword) when this unit attacks and deals damage, deal X damage to the defending player. Does not trigger if the unit is killed before dealing damage (e.g. First Strike), if its Might is reduced to 0, or if all damage is absorbed by Shield.

C

• Challenge -- a spell effect that causes two units to fight each other. See Fight.
• Counterspell -- (Blue trap) when a spell is played, counter it. Hard counter gated by the set-and-wait trap requirement.
• Curse -- (Black keyword) equip a debuff to an enemy unit or player. Cursed Items occupy the target's only item slot.

D

• Defuse -- (Blue spell) return target set card to its controller's hand. Proactive disruption that resets trap setup timers.
• Drain X -- (Black/Green keyword) attack only. When this unit attacks and deals damage, gain X life. The life gained is fixed (X), independent of damage dealt. Repeatable -- triggers on every hit. Shared equally between Black and Green.

E

• Encounter Deck -- a pre-built deck used in PvE and PvPvE modes. Contains boss cards, minions, hazards, scheme/doom cards, and events. Runs automatically by default; optionally player-piloted.
• Endure -- (universal keyword) the first time this unit would be destroyed by damage each turn, it survives with 1 Endurance and becomes exhausted instead. Most common in Green and Black.
• Energize -- the action of placing a card face-up from your hand into the Energy Zone. Once per turn. The card enters exhausted (not available until your next turn). Converts the card into a permanent energy source.
• Energy -- the currency spent to play cards. Generated by energized cards in the Energy Zone (permanent, readies/exhausts) and by discarding hand cards (one-time burst).
• Energy Zone -- the zone where energized cards sit face-up, generating energy each turn. Capped at max hand size (5 in Standard).
• Exhaust -- (Blue keyword) target unit becomes exhausted and does not ready next turn.
• Exhausted -- the spent state of a card. Exhausted cards cannot attack, block, or use activated abilities. Cards ready at the start of their controller's turn.

F

• Fight -- a keyword action. Each unit deals damage equal to its Might to the other. Combat keywords (First Strike, etc.) do not apply. Neither unit changes ready/exhausted state.

• First Strike -- (Red primary keyword) this unit deals damage before the defender in combat. If it kills the enemy before they strike back, it takes no damage. Works on both attack and defense. Budget cost scales with Might (Might - 1, min 0).

• Flying -- this unit can only be blocked by units with Flying or Reach. Budget cost: floor((Might-1)/2), giving a stepped curve of 0,0,1,1,2,2,3 for Might 1-7. No primary color -- placed thematically.

• First-Player Balance -- in 1v1, player 2 draws an extra card (hand of 6) and may set 1 card face-down before the game begins. Compensates for player 1's tempo advantage.

• Field Relic -- a persistent artifact in the Field Zone providing an ongoing effect. Requires relic removal to destroy.

• Field Spell -- a continuous spell in the Field Zone providing an ongoing effect. Requires spell nullification to destroy.

• Field Zone -- a single slot for one persistent field-wide effect. Playing a new field card replaces the existing one.

• Foresight -- (Blue keyword) look at the top X cards of any library; may rearrange.

G

• Gravebound -- (Black keyword) this card always stays in the graveyard when the graveyard is reshuffled into the library. Mandatory.
• Graveyard -- a player's discard pile. Cards go here when destroyed, discarded, or used. Can be reshuffled into the library when it's empty (with a penalty).
• Guard / Taunt -- (White keyword) forces attackers to target this unit before the player.

H

• Hand Payment -- discarding cards from hand to pay costs. Each card provides 1 energy of its color as a one-time burst.
• Heal -- (White keyword) restore life to a player or endurance to a unit.
• Hunter -- (universal keyword) when this unit attacks, it may target an enemy unit instead of a player. The targeted unit readies (if exhausted) and fights back. Guard units still intercept.

I

• Instigate -- (Blue spell) force two units to fight. Neither unit needs to be yours, or one can be. Premium over Challenge because you risk nothing. Budget cost: 4.
• Items -- persistent cards that attach to units (1 per unit; vanilla units get 2 slots). Subtypes: Weapons, Armor, Relics/Artifacts, Cursed Items. Destroyed when host unit is destroyed.

L

• Level (L) -- a card's power tier, equal to its total energy cost. Referenced in card text as "L4 or higher" or "L3 or lower" to target cards by cost threshold.
• Library -- a player's draw pile (the deck during gameplay).
• Limit X -- a printed restriction on a card capping how many copies can be in a deck (Limit 1, 2, or 3). Overrides the default max of 4.

M

• Mill -- forcing cards from a library into the graveyard or Exile.
• Overkill -- (Green primary keyword) when this unit deals combat damage to a blocker, excess damage beyond the blocker's remaining Endurance is dealt to the defending player. Budget cost scales with Might (Might - 2, min 0). Black self-mills, Red aggressively mills opponents, Blue exile-mills to Exile.
• Multi-Color -- a card belonging to two or more colors. Requires specific energy from each color to play. When energized, generates 1 energy of either color (chosen when exhausted).

P

• Might -- a unit's attack stat. Determines damage dealt in combat.

R

• Conduit -- (Green keyword) when energized in the Energy Zone, this card counts as 2 energy instead of 1. Both energies must be spent on the same card or effect -- they cannot be split.
• Reach -- (Green primary keyword) this unit can block Flying units. Budget cost: 1 (flat). Purely defensive counter to Flying.
• Ready -- the active state of a card. Ready cards can attack, block, and use activated abilities. Cards enter play ready (unless otherwise specified).
• Recoil X -- (Green primary keyword) when this unit blocks, deal X damage to the attacking player regardless of combat outcome. Defensive mirror of Burn. Budget cost: 1 per X.
• Reclaim -- return a ready (not exhausted) energized card from the Energy Zone to your hand. The only cost is losing the energy source.
• Reveal -- (White keyword) flip a set card face-up, exposing it. Can carry additional effects (type declaration for +1 life, bounce, cost increase, etc.).
• Revive -- (Black keyword) play a card from your graveyard, paying its cost.
• Rush -- (Red keyword) the unit is allowed to attack the turn it is played.

S

• Sacrifice -- (Black keyword) destroy one of your own cards to trigger a powerful effect.
• Self-infliction -- (Black keyword) pay life as an additional cost for powerful effects or undercosted stats.
• Set Zone -- a zone for face-down cards. Any card type can be set here at no cost. Traps activate from here; other cards flip and pay on your turn.
• Shield -- (White keyword) prevents the next X damage to a target.
• Spells -- one-time effect cards. Can be played from hand or set face-down for later (your turn only).
• Subtypes -- tribal tags on units (Dragon, Pirate, Dinosaur, Ninja, Vampire, Beast, Insect, etc.) that enable synergy effects. Open-ended -- new sets add new subtypes.
• Summoning Weakness -- core rule (not a keyword): units cannot attack or activate abilities the turn they enter play. Rush allows attacking; it does not bypass the ability restriction.

T

• Endurance -- a unit's defense stat. Damage absorbed before the unit is destroyed. Resets at end of turn.
• Traps -- reactive cards that must be set face-down before activation. Activate at specific declared trigger windows during any player's turn. Must wait one full turn after setting. Paid for on activation, not when set.

U

• Units -- cards that attack, block, and occupy the field. Have Might/Endurance stats. Can carry the Ace supertype and one or more subtypes.