How to play

Decks and patrons

A deck is 30 cards, with at most two copies of any card, and is led by a patron: your hero, with one lasting edge that bends the economy its way. There are 6 patrons and 143 cards. You start with a ready-made deck for each patron, and can build your own in the deck builder.

• The Quartermaster, leading Free Company: Upkeep costs 1 less per sellsword.
• The Fence, leading Light Fingers: Steal and Plunder take 1 more coin.
• The Butcher, leading Blood Rites: Blood prices cost 1 less health (minimum 1).
• The Reeve, leading The King's Levy: Your Taxes and Tolls are 1 higher.
• The Usurer, leading The Ledger: At the start of your turn, before income, gain 1 coin if you have 4 or more saved.
• The Hoarder, leading Wyrm's Hoard: Your Hoard effects count 2 more coin than you hold.

Meet the patrons

The start

Both players draw 4 cards. The player who goes second also gets the Coin, a free spell that gains 2 coin. Each of you may then swap any of your 4 cards for new ones, once.

Your turn

1. Income. Your income rises by 1, to a cap of 5, and is paid into your purse.
2. Upkeep. You pay your sellswords. One you can't pay leaves the board.
3. Draw a card. With your deck empty you take damage instead, 1 more each time.
4. Play and attack. Play the cards you can afford, in any order, and attack with your minions.
5. End your turn. Coin you didn't spend stays in your purse. A turn lasts at most 60 seconds.

Coin

Every card costs coin, paid from your purse. Income stops at 5 a turn, but the purse has no cap, so a big turn is something you save for, or pay for with cards that earn. A full purse is exposed, though: thieves take from it and taxes punish it. Both purses are open for both players to see, and so is every coin that moves.

Minions and spells

A minion stays on the board. Its first number is its Attack, the second its Health. From your next turn on it can attack once a turn, either an enemy minion or the enemy hero. When two minions fight, each deals its Attack to the other. Damage stays, and a minion with no Health left dies. You can have up to 7 minions on the board.

A spell happens at once and is gone.

A card's numbers are live: when a bonus applies, the card already shows what it will do.

Keywords

In the game, hovering a card explains its keywords beside it. These are the same explanations.

In combat

Taunt

Enemies must attack this minion before they can attack anything else.

Divine Shield

The first time it would take damage, it takes none and the shield breaks.

Charge

Can attack the turn it is played.

Stealth

Your opponent can't attack it or target it until it attacks.

Windfury

Can attack twice each turn.

Spell Damage

While it is on your board, your spells deal 1 more damage, on every hit.

Lifesteal

When it attacks, your hero heals by the damage it deals.

When it happens

Battlecry

Happens when you play it from your hand.

Deathrattle

Happens when it dies.

End of Turn

Happens at the end of your turn.

Whenever this attacks

Happens each time it attacks, before combat damage.

Silence

Removes a minion's card text: its keywords, triggers, Upkeep, Plunder, Hoard, Bloodied and tolls. Buffs stay.

The coin economy

Blood price

Paid with your hero's health instead of coin, one health for each coin of its cost. It can never take your hero to 0.

Upkeep

At the start of each of your turns, pay this sellsword its upkeep in coin. If you can't pay it all, it leaves the board. Leaving isn't dying.

Plunder

Whenever it deals combat damage to the enemy hero, you gain its Plunder in coin.

Steal

Take coin from your opponent's purse: the amount shown, or all they have if they hold less.

Hoard

Grows with the coin in your purse. On a minion it adds Attack; on a spell or Battlecry it adds to the effect.

Bloodied

Active while your hero has 15 health or less.

Tax

Your opponent's cards cost more on their next turn, Blood prices included. Taxes stack.

Toll

A cursed enemy minion can't attack unless its owner pays the toll, every time. Tolls stack until it leaves play or is silenced.

Tribute

When you play it, your opponent gains that much coin.

Ready? Get the game.