Game Set Up:

• Warlords, Dragons, Wizards, Phantoms and Assassins are called Specialty cards.
• Separate the Deck into piles for each number card and the Specialty cards.
• Each Player gets 27 cards: 2 of each number from 4 to Assassin including 2 Warlords, 1 Wizard, 1 Phantom and 1 Dragon.
• The cards are changing hands constantly throughout the game so it does not matter what color each player starts with.
• Quick Setup: Separate the Dragons, Wizards, Phantoms, Assassins and the Warlord cards from the Deck, then split the remaining cards in half for each player. This will save time instead of separating the entire deck into each number.
• The game begins with each player placing all cards face down in a single pile (Army Pile).
• Players draw one card from their Army pile and the player with the highest card goes first.

Game Play:

- Each Player takes 3 cards from their Army pile to form their hand. Player 1 selects any card from their hand to place face up on the Battlefield. Player 2 responds with any card from their hand and places it on the Battlefield, the highest card wins.
- The winning player collects all the cards on the Battlefield and places them in their own separate Troop pile which is shuffled later in the game when all the cards in their Army Pile have been used.
***KEY POINT: the winning player goes FIRST in the next battle.
- Players must use all 3 cards in their hand before replenishing their hand with 3 more cards from their Army Pile.
- Play continues one battle at a time until one player captures both Warlords from the other player thus winning the game.

Card Values and Powers

- Each Clan has ranking cards from 4 to King with Assassins holding the highest value of a traditional Ace.

Phantom Cards

- Phantoms hold no ranking value but do have power only when played FIRST on the Battlefield.
This means in order to play the Phantom effectively the player must have won the previous battle.
a) Once played on the Battlefield, the opposing player does not make a play from their hand but must take the top card from their Army pile and surrender it to the Phantom in the Battlefield.
b) If a player is unable to play the Phantom first then it will always be defeated as it has no power when played second.

Wizard Cards

- Wizards hold no ranking value on their own but assume the same rank of any card they are played with as a double. ex) A Wizard played with a 10 now equals two 10's.
a) Wizards must always be played with another card from your hand and cannot be played as the last card by itself or it is lost in Battle.
b) Wizards can be combined with the Phantom card which then takes 2 cards from the opponent's Army Pile.
c) Wizards cannot be combined with a Warlord or a Dragon

Dragon Cards:

- A Dragon is the game's most powerful card. When played, it wins all the cards on the Battlefield and captures all the cards in the opponent's hand as well.
playing a Dragon thus forcing a Dragon War.

Warlord Cards:

- Warlords are the game's most valuable card.
cards while trying to capture your opponent's Warlord cards when they enter the Battlefield. Warlords have no ranking value but do have built in protection as they are never played alone.

a) Once a Warlord is played on the Battlefield, the same player then makes 2 additional moves. First they pick up 2 new cards from their Army Pile to strengthen their hand. Second, they play any card from their hand alongside their Warlord. Once again the highest card wins all the cards on the Battlefield.

- Two Warlord cards can be played in the same Battle using the following sequence. A Warlord is played and the player picks up 2 new cards. A second Warlord can then be played and another 2 cards are picked up. The player then plays their best card(s) alongside their 2 Warlords to protect them both in the same battle.

****Strategy Tip:

This is a great play if your opponent plays a card first and you know from the cards in your hand that you have them beat. Otherwise, playing 2 Warlords in the same Battle without seeing what card your opponent has may prove disastrous if they can beat your best card.

*****Note: Always keep track of what pile your opponent's Dragon is in.*****

Doubles:

2 cards of the same value played together defeat a single card. eg) Two 4's defeat a King. A Wizard can be played with any card number to make it a Double. ex) a Wizard and a 5 played together equals two 5's.

Triples:

3 Cards of the same value win every Battle (except a Dragon) as they defeat doubles. A Wizard can be used to make 2 of the same ranked cards into Triple.

a) Advantage: Once a Triple is played a key advantage is triggered as that player now can add an additional card to their hand at any point for the remainder of the game (4 cards instead of 3). 4 cards is the maximum - playing any additional Triples does not add any more cards to the hand.

****Strategy Tip:

Be careful when using this 4 card advantage. Keep in mind that if your opponent uses a Dragon then they can take all 4 cards in your hand. The player may choose WHEN to take 4 cards or only 3 depending on which pile the opponent's Dragon is in.

Wars

- When a card of the same rank is played by both players then a War is declared. Each player takes 3 cards from their Army pile and places them face down on the Battlefield. These are called War Cards. Players then must select a card from their hand to place on the Battlefield where the highest card wins the War and all the cards on the Battlefield.

- During a War players maintain their alternate turns so that the player who first entered the Battlefield also plays the first card from their hand in the War.

****Strategy Tip:

Be careful when choosing to go to War if you only have low ranking cards left in your hand. Also, keep an eye on how many cards your opponent has in their hand when choosing to go to war as it may be easier to defeat your opponent with 1 card left in their hand rather than 3.

****Strategy Tip:

If a player plays their last card on the Battlefield and is forced into a war, this is the only time a full replenishment of 3 cards happens during a Battle so be careful choosing to go to war with your opponent when they have no cards left as it can be a significant disadvantage. If this does happen, the sequence that follows is the player places the next 3 cards from their Army pile face down onto the Battlefield as War cards then takes the next 3 cards from their Army pile into their hand to complete the battle.

- A Phantom Card can be used in an attempt to win a War but ONLY if it is played FIRST. After both players have their War cards placed facedown on the Battlefield and the player with the Phantom card has the first play, they can choose to play the Phantom and take the top card from the opponent's pile and use it to represent them in the Battle.

- If that top card does not win the Battle there is no second chance. If that top card ls a Phantom, Wizard or Warlord the War is still lost.

Dragon Wars

- If a Dragon is played by each player then a Dragon War ensues. Instead of 3 cards, each player places 5 cards from their Army pile face down in the Battlefield. Dragon Wars are enormous game changers