Arcana TCG

Arcana is a mini-game that can be played by purchasing a deck and boosters from the back page of the luxury store (non-subscribers can buy/use them too). There's also a card binder item for storage purposes.

Also see Gravelord's Arcana guide: https://chronicles-of-eternia.com/forum/thread-14424.html

Basics

UI & Commands

Find 'Toggle Card Zone' in options to activate the dedicated menu.

Options -> Toggle Card Zone to activate the dedicated Arcana TCG menu.

Right-click on the card and zone area to see the 'interact' menu.

Left-click the deck zone to draw, right-click for the interact menu such as shuffle etc)

HP: click to adjust

Use the 'Games' chat tab when playing. This displays all relevant information regarding Arcana, such as shuffling and drawing

Deck:

A deck must contain at least 30 cards, and a maximum of 60.

You can only have 3 copies of the same card in one deck. 

You can only have 1 copy of the same three star creature in your deck.

You can only have 1 copy of the same relic ward in your deck (marked in the description).

Cards with blue text are rare. Cards with golden text are mythic rare.

HP

The goal of the game is to reduce your opponent's health points to 0. Players start with 10. Each time a creature attacks directly, where there are no creatures to prevent its attack, the player loses 1 HP.

If a creature in attack position is destroyed in battle, not by card effect, the player that controls the creature loses 1 HP. If it was in defense position, the player does not lose any HP.

Game Phases

Starting a Match

Each player draws five cards once the game begins. The player that goes first, which is determined by the highest roll, does not draw an additional sixth card. Otherwise, at the start of every turn draw 1 card.

After drawing the initial five, players can decide to reshuffle the hand back into their deck and re-draw five, which can only be done once at the start of the match.

The player that goes first cannot attack the opponent, but the one who goes second can attack.

Draw Phase

Draw 1 card at the start of your turn.

Main Phase

Perform up to one normal summon of a creature, and activate or set any amount of runes.

Battle Phase

Declare any attacks and resolve them.

Main Phase 2

If you have yet to perform a normal summon, you may do so. You can still set and activate runes.

End Phase

Your turn has ended. Your opponent proceeds with their draw phase.

Types of Cards

Creatures

Once per turn, you may summon a * one star creature. This is called a normal summon. You can place it in face up attack position (vertical) or face down defense position (horizontal). If summoned in face-down defense, it cannot be flipped up until your next turn or if it's attacked; if it has a flip effect, that is activated when it is flipped face up (either by being attacked or flipped during your turn). 

Creatures have effects. Unless otherwise stated, these can only be activated on your turn, and once per turn per creature effect.

Only a maximum of five creatures can be at play on your side of the field.

Creatures lose any additional effects when they're sent to the netherworld, including from runes, resetting them to their base state.

Star Rank

Creatures are marked with a star rating. A * one star requires no sacrifice. A two star ** requires a sacrifice of the same type (you send the sacrifice to the netherworld). A *** requires two sacrifices, at least one of the same type. Only a creature that has survived for at least one turn can be sacrificed, but special summons have an exemption and can be sacrificed immediately on summoning.

Normal summoned creatures must survive at least 1 turn to be used as a tribute summon for a two star or beyond.

Type

Creatures have a type. These are relevant when summoning higher ranked creatures, and in consideration of card effects that specify a particular type.

HEROIC: Focused around applying buffs to other heroic creatures in play, this archetype works best as a cohesive team.

FALLEN: Fallen cards have an emphasis on netherworld interactions as well as tributing for effects.

BEAST: Beasts have many swarming and aggro options available, focusing on aggressive attacks despite their low toughness.

MAGITECH: Runes are what Magitech creatures rely on, many of them having an effect that's activated when a rune is used.

DRAGON: Dragon creatures are powerhouses, while dragonlords and the human warriors of the archetype act as the supporting engine.

FIRE: The Fire archetypes enjoys milling the opponent's deck as well as causing direct damage to their HP.

WATER: A style of control, utilizing flip effects and creatures that debuff enemies.

Obscured

Creatures that are 'obscured' (summoned in face-down defense position) cannot be specifically targeted by rune effects. For example, if the wording is 'select a' rather than 'destroy all'... The rune must specify facedown creatures otherwise they cannot be selected by it. Obscured creatures can only be in defense mode, and they're flipped face up when attacked, no longer obscured.

A creature that is obscured cannot be flipped face down unless by a card effect.

Obscured creatures cannot have their stats adjusted by card effects. They are essentially a non-entity unless selected as an attack target.

Power and Toughness

Creatures are marked with numerical scores, power (on the left) and toughness (on the right). A monster's power and toughness cannot go below 0.

Toughness is the creature's durability while defending from an attack or blocking an ally. Toughness is not reduced after surviving an attack. It is a static value.

Power is used to determine the strength of a creature's attack. If a creature declares attack (which can only be done during the player's turn) then it must have equal to or greater than power to the target's toughness to destroy. If it's equal, the attacking creature will also be destroyed.  Power is not reduced after declaring an attack. It is a static value.

Attacking

Creatures can only attack if they're in attack position, once per turn, during the 'battle phase', but creatures summoned during the first turn of the match cannot attack. 

Creatures that are tribute summoned count towards the normal summon limit of one per turn. So if you tribute summon for a ** creature, you cannot then normal summon a * creature.

Creatures that declare an attack must remain in attack mode for the rest of the turn until the player's next one begins. 

Creatures can attack the same target. For example, three creatures with 3 power each attack a creature with 8 toughness. The first two creatures that declared the attack will be destroyed in the clash, and the third will survive. The target will be destroyed as it had 8 toughness to the overall 9 attacking power of the combined attack power. 

Creatures are not destroyed if they attack a defense position creature with more toughness; they are however destroyed if they attack a creature in attack position. 

Blocking

A creature can 'block' another creature, but only a single creature can defend another. They take the hit instead of the target, reducing the overall attacking power and either being destroyed (if their toughness was lower) or surviving. Only creatures in defense mode may block, and they must be face up on the field. If the blocking creature is destroyed, the attack can continue if desired or be call it off once the new attack strength of the party is established following dealing with the blocker.

Special Summoning

A special summon is usually by a card effect, and will specify in the effect description. If a creature is special summoned, it does not count towards the player's normal summoning, of which they have one per turn. 

Runes

A rune can be activated directly from your hand during your turn, but not during your opponent's turn. It must be set face down first.

A rune can be activated on your turn or your opponent's turn, but to activate it on your opponent's turn you must first set it face down on your field (beneath your creatures). 

If a rune is activated as a response to an attack, the attack may be called be called off but only if they do not specify creature destruction, such as runes that instead buff or decrease a creature's stats. The player can also respond to the rune's activation by chaining a creature, ward, or rune effect, which locks the clash in until all the damage calculations have been made and all chain responses are completed. 

A rune can be used in response to an effect that destroys it or removes it in play. For example, you can chain 'Decay' to 'Tornado', and the rune is sent to the netherworld instead of being returned to the controller's hand like Tornado specifies. You can only activate a rune if you can fulfil its effect: if it states that you must use it when a creature attacks or is summoned, for example, you cannot activate it until then. 

If a rune is activated or destroyed, the card is moved to the netherworld at the end of the turn. Its effect is active during the turn it is played, and if not, a rune will specify how many turns its effect lasts.

Wards

A ward is equipped to a creature and persists on the field until the creature is destroyed. You can only have one copy of the same Ward marked with 'Relic' in your deck. You cannot set a rune face-down or play it from your hand to activate its effect during a chain. It must be equipped to a creature in advance of an attack declaration or effect chain reaction.

Netherworld

The netherworld is where discarded and destroyed creatures go, that are no longer in play. Place them directly behind you if they're your own card. Unless stated otherwise, cards go to the owner's netherworld even while in control of their opponent due to an effect.

Ban List

Limited

You can only have 1 copy of the following in your deck:

Almighty Reflect

Catastrophic Impact

Gemstone Bounty