Gameplay

ACTION PHASE

Most of the gameplay happens during the action phase. During this phase, players go back and forth taking 1 action at a time. The player with the initiative counter takes the first action, then their opponent takes an action, and so on until both players have passed. The actions available to a player are: • Play a card • Attack with a unit • Use an action ability • Take the initiative • Pass

PLAY A CARD

Cards have a cost in the upper left corner. To play a card, reveal it from your hand and pay its cost by exhausting that many resources (see “Ready & Exhausted” on the next page). For example, to play a card that costs 2, you must exhaust 2 of your resources.

There are 3 types of cards that you can play: Units, Events, and Upgrades. Each card type has different rules when played, as described in the following pages.

READY & EXHAUSTED

Units and resources enter play exhausted (turned sideways), then become ready (turned upright) at the end of the regroup phase each round. Many cards must exhaust in order to be used. Resources exhaust to pay for the cards you play from your hand. Units exhaust to attack or use certain abilities (indicated by an icon). An exhausted card can’t exhaust again until it’s ready. Some leaders (including both Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader) exhaust to use their action ability. When you deploy your leader as a unit, ready it, even if it was exhausted before. This means it can attack the same round it’s deployed. (See “Your Leader” on page 15 for details.)

UNITS

Units enter play exhausted and remain in play until defeated. Units have a power and HP value. Power indicates how much damage a unit deals in combat. If a unit ever has damage on it greater than or equal to its HP, it’s defeated and put in its owner’s discard pile. Many units also have abilities in their text box that are active while that unit is in play (see “Card Abilities” on page 19).

GROUND & SPACE

Combat is divided into 2 separate arenas: ground and space. Each unit is either a ground or space unit, as indicated at the top of the card. All ground units are played into the ground arena on one side of the players’ bases, and all space units are played into the space arena on the other side. In combat, ground units can’t attack space units, and vice versa.

EVENTS

Events have an ability in their text box. When you play an event, use its ability and put the event in your discard pile.

UPGRADES

Upgrades enter play attached to a unit and remain in play until that unit is defeated. Upgrades provide increased power, HP, and/or abilities to the attached unit. To attach an upgrade to a unit, slide the upgrade partially underneath that unit so that the upgrade’s power, HP, and abilities are visible. If the unit an upgrade is attached to leaves play, defeat that upgrade (put it in its owner’s discard pile).

ATTACK WITH A UNIT

Attacking is the primary way to deal damage to the opponent’s base and win the game. You can also attack enemy units. A unit must be ready in order to attack. Only 1 unit can attack in a single action. To attack, follow these steps in order:

Exhaust the attacker and choose what to attack. You may attack any enemy unit in the same arena (ground or space) as the attacker, or you may attack the opponent’s base directly.
- If an enemy unit in the same arena as the attacker has Sentinel, it must be chosen as the defender unless the attacker has Saboteur. (For more details on red keyword abilities, see page 24.)
- Any abilities that are active while the unit is attacking, including Raid, become active at this time.
If the attacker has Saboteur, defeat all Shields on the defender.
If the attacker has Restore, heal damage from your base equal to its Restore value.
If the attacker has any On Attack abilities, use them now.
Deal damage. If your unit is attacking:
- a base, it deals damage equal to its power to that base.
- a unit, the attacker and defender simultaneously deal damage equal to their power to each other. If either unit has damage on it greater than or equal to its HP, it is immediately defeated.

USE AN ACTION ABILITY

Some cards have Action abilities. These abilities often have a cost that must be paid in order to use them, found in brackets after the word “Action”. This cost may include resources that must be paid (indicated by a icon) and exhausting the card (indicated by an icon). If you can’t pay the cost, you can’t use the ability. An Epic Action is an action ability that can only be used once per game.

TAKE THE INITIATIVE

Only 1 player can take this action each round. That player takes control of the initiative counter, even if they already have it, meaning they will go first in the next round. After taking the initiative, you can’t take any further actions for the rest of the action phase. (You are considered to pass for all remaining actions this phase.)

PASS

If you can’t (or don’t want to) take any other actions, you may pass. When you pass, you are considered to have done nothing during your action, and your opponent is immediately able to take their next action. You may still take more actions later in the action phase. After a player passes, if their opponent passes or takes the initiative as their next action, the action phase immediately ends and play proceeds to the regroup phase.

YOUR LEADER

Your leader is the centerpiece of your deck. It begins the game on its horizontal (non-unit) side, with an ability that’s available from the start of the game. Your leader also has an Epic Action ability that’s not available at the start of the game, but is unlocked if you have a certain number of resources in play. Once you have enough resources, you may use this action to deploy your leader: flip it to its unit side, move it to the ground arena, and ready it. This action doesn’t cost any resources and can be used regardless of whether your leader is ready or exhausted. While your leader is in play as a unit, it can attack, be attacked, and use abilities like any other unit. If your leader is defeated, flip it back to its non-unit side, return it to your base, and exhaust it. Your leader’s Epic Action can’t be used again this game (cover it with the epic action counter as a reminder), but you can still use its other ability.

REGROUP PHASE

After the action phase, play proceeds to the regroup phase. You and your opponent complete each of the following steps, in order:

1. DRAW CARDS

Draw 2 cards from your deck.

2. RESOURCE A CARD

You may choose 1 card from your hand and put it into play facedown as a resource, or you may choose not to put down a resource and keep all of your cards in hand. (The player with the initiative chooses whether to put down a resource first, followed by the other player.) Strategy Tip: We recommend players resource a card each round until they have enough resources in play to use their leader’s Epic Action.

3. READY CARDS

Ready all of your exhausted cards in play, including units, resources, and your leader. When both players have readied all their cards, play proceeds to the action phase of the next round.

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