Game Modes & Encounter System
Win Conditions
Default Win Condition
Reduce your opponent(s) to 0 life.
Formats
| Format | Players | Win Condition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard PvP | 1v1 | Reduce to 0 life | Default rules and deck/hand sizes |
| Free-for-All | 3+ | Last standing OR most points | Elimination or non-elimination variants |
| Team Battle | 2v2, 3v3+ | Eliminate opposing team | Shared or separate life totals (format-defined) |
| PvE Co-op | 1-4 | Defeat boss / prevent scheme | Encounter deck (boss + minions) |
| PvPvE | 2+ | Reduce opponents to 0 | Encounter deck (hazards) affects all players |
| Ace Battle | 2+ | Varies by Ace | Ace card defines strategy, always in play |
Hand & Library Size
Default baseline: Hand 5 / Library 40. Formats can modify these values (e.g., Ace Battle might use Library 60+). The Energy Zone cap equals max hand size (5 in Standard).
The Ace
The Ace is an Ace Unit chosen before the game begins that defines your deck's identity. Only units with the Ace supertype are eligible. In the Ace Battle format, your Ace is always in play from the start of the game. Outside of Ace Battle, Ace Units function as normal units.
- Always on the field -- the Ace begins play in the Ace Zone and cannot be removed from the game
- Has Might / Endurance -- the Ace can attack and block like a unit
- No summoning weakness -- since it starts in play, it's ready to fight from turn 1
- Excess damage bleeds to player -- when the Ace takes damage exceeding its Endurance, the excess is dealt to the player's life total
- Passive / activated abilities -- each Ace provides a unique ability that shapes your deck's strategy
Ace Knockout: When the Ace takes lethal damage, it goes to the Bench -- a dedicated zone for knocked-out Aces. The player can replay their Ace from the Bench by paying its original energy cost (no additional tax). While the Ace is benched, the player loses their Ace's abilities and a potential blocker. The Ace can be replayed as many times as needed -- the penalty is pure tempo (spending energy to redeploy instead of developing the board).
Encounter System
The Encounter Deck is a single flexible system that adapts to the game mode. The same deck structure supports boss fights, environmental hazards, and everything in between.
What's in the Encounter Deck
The encounter deck is pre-built for a specific scenario and can contain any mix of:
- Boss cards -- a powerful enemy with its own life total, abilities, and escalating threat (PvE focus)
- Minion cards -- units that spawn and attack players automatically
- Hazard cards -- environmental effects that impact all players (storms, earthquakes, rule changes, traps)
- Scheme/Doom cards -- advance a threat track; if it completes, all players lose (PvE loss condition)
- Event cards -- one-time effects that trigger when flipped (deal damage, buff minions, disrupt energy)
How It Works
Each turn (or at a defined interval), flip the top card of the encounter deck. Its effects trigger automatically -- no player pilots it by default.
PvE Mode
Encounter deck is built around a boss with minions and scheme cards. Players cooperate to defeat the boss or prevent the scheme from completing. Inspired by Marvel Champions' encounter system.
PvPvE Mode
Encounter deck is built with hazards and events that disrupt all players equally while they duel each other. The environment is a 3rd-party threat -- not a foe to defeat, but a force to survive alongside PvP combat.
Player-Piloted Mode
Optionally, one player can pilot the encounter deck with asymmetric rules (stronger cards but outnumbered). Extra decision cards are added for player agency. The core encounter cards stay the same -- the piloted overlay just adds choice where the automated version would flip-and-resolve.