Introduction

Birthright: Alliance of Lords is a competitive card game played by two players using a preconstructed deck to do battle as mighty Lords. Command legions of Minions, cast powerful Charms, and amplify your strategies using Augments in order to break through all of the opponent’s Aegis cards and deal a lethal blow to their Lord. The last Lord standing is the victor!

Anatomy of a Card

 

Card Name

This denotes the name of each card, which is the primary means of identifying individual cards.

 

Card Type and Trait(s)

This section indicates what type of card each card is (more information on individual card types below), and any special traits the card may have. Traits act as a way to further categorize cards within their type.

Card Element

This denotes the elemental affinity of the card.

Card Effect

A card’s effect contains any special rules or effects it applies to the game. As a general rule, card text takes precedent over game rules, so if a card’s effect would contradict the rules of the game, always follow the rule(s) the effect sets out.

ATK

A card’s ATK indicates its strength in combat. ATK values are used to determine what is slain during combat between Minions or Aegises. A card with 0 ATK cannot exist on the field and is automatically slain.

Types of Cards

Minions

Minions represent your troops, the warriors that fight for you. When Invoked, they remain on the field and can be used to attack Aegis cards or other rested Minions, but Minions cannot attack the turn they are Invoked! Minions can be slain by card effects, or if they battle another Minion or an Aegis with equal to greater ATK.

Fields

Fields are environments or modifiers that affect the battlefield, but do not battle or directly interact with cards themselves.

In the Debut Decks, these are referred to as “Augment - Fields”

Armaments

Armaments are cards that modify Minions. They can be attached to any Minion on the field, even an opponent’s, and will be slain if that Minion ever leaves the field. A Minion with an Armament attached to it is called an Augmented Minion.

In the Debut Decks, these are referred to as “Augment - Minions”

Charms

Charms represent magic spells or attacks you perform in-game. When Invoked, a Charm will apply its effect then be put into the grave. Charms are one-and-done Invokes that do not stick around like Minions.

Aegises

Aegises are the shields that stand between your Lord and defeat. They cannot be included in your main deck, and instead begin the game in-play face-down and are revealed as they are attacked.

Lords

Lords are the commanders of your army. They begin the game in-play and cannot leave the field or attack. Lords exist to apply their effects and influence as the game progresses.

Ichor and Thresholds

To the left is the symbol for Ichor, the power that fuels your Lord’s Birthright. Each player keeps a count of the strength of their Ichor, which increases at the start of both players’ turns.

Cards will have Thresholds at which they acquire additional stats or effects. These are denoted in the card’s effect text by a number and the Ichor symbol, and only active at the specified Ichor count or above, so be strategic when you deploy your cards! Most cards allow you to use weaker versions of their effects earlier in the game to help advance your game plan from the start of the game, but saving them for later in the game for greater impact is also a strategy!

The Field and Gameplay Zones

Above is a diagram of one player’s side of the field in a game of Birthright. Each zone is as such:

  • Field - This is where cards that are Invoked are placed. It is where Minions and Augments remain after they are Invoked, and where the majority of the action of the game takes place.

    • Aegis Area - This is a sub-area of the Field, and specifies where your Aegises reside. Aegises are kept in a stack, and only the top card of the Aegis area can be attacked or interacted with.

    • Throne - Another sub-area of the Field, this is where your Lord is placed.

  • Deck - This is where your deck is placed, and remains for the duration of the game. Players cannot look at their decks except with effects that allow it. If the deck is ever searched through, it is shuffled immediately after resolving the effect. If a player ever tries to draw a card while their deck has 0 cards left in it, they automatically lose the game.

  • Grave - This is where cards are placed after they have been used or destroyed. Charms are sent to the grave after they are cast and have applied their effects, and Minions and Augments are sent to the grave when they are destroyed. An Augment that is attached to a Minion that is destroyed is also destroyed.

Playing the Game

Building a Deck

Players play a game of Birthright using decks they construct themselves outside of the game. Below is a list of rules and stipulations regarding building your own deck:

  • A deck must contain 40-60 cards consisting of Charms, Minions, and/or Augments.

  • A deck cannot contain more than 4 copies of a card.

  • A player must also have a Lord card, which is kept outside of the deck and not included in the card count.

  • A player must have 7 Aegis cards, which are also kept separate from the deck and not included in the card count. Players cannot include more than 2 copies of an Aegis. Any Aegises must be the same element as a player’s Lord.

Setting up the Game

A game of Birthright begins with two opposing players. Each player shuffles their decks and Aegises, then places their decks in the Deck Zone and their Aegises face-down in the Aegis Area, with their Lord placed face-up on the Throne. Players then draw an opening hand of 5 cards. Your Ichor begins at 0, but will increase to 1 as the first action of the game. Determine which player will go first, at which point that player becomes the Active Player.

 

Anatomy of a Turn

Each turn happens in a series of Steps:

  1. Amass Step - At the very start of each player’s turn, all players increase their Ichor count on their Lord by 1. The Active Player stands all rested cards they control.

  2. Draw Step - The Active Player will draw one card from their deck. The player going first skips this Step on their first turn.

  3. Main Step - The Active player may declare attacks, Invoke cards, and activate effects during this time.

  4. End Step - All effects that say “until the end of the turn” cease at this point, and the turn changes to being the opponent’s turn, at which point they become the Active Player and repeat these Steps.

Invoking Cards

During each player’s Main Step, they have one Natural Invoke Action they can use to Invoke a card from their hand. There are two types of Invokes: Natural Invokes and Special Invokes. Players get one Natural Invoke each turn, which allows them to Invoke one card from their hand. Some effects will give players additional Invoke Actions, or may specify only a certain type of Natural Invoke may be performed. Special Invokes are Invokes done through card effects, and do not consume your Natural Invoke for the turn. You can perform any number of Special Invokes during a turn.

Battle

During a player’s Main Step, they may choose to declare an attack with a Minion they control. This is where a Minion battles either an opposing Minion or an Aegis. Minions cannot declare attacks the turn they are Invoked. Players may choose to attack either their opponent’s Aegis or a rested Minion their opponent controls.

To declare an attack, a player must rest the Minion they control and declare their attack target. When attacking an Aegis, the top card of the Aegis Area is revealed and its ATK value is compared to the attacking Minion’s ATK value. The card with the higher ATK value wins and slays the card with the lower value, sending the loser to the grave. In the case of a tie, both cards are slain. An Aegis that slays a Minion in battle will remain revealed.

Aegises must be attacked in order from the top of the stack to the bottom, and when a player successfully attacks the opponent who has no more Aegises, they win the game! But remember, you can only deal the final blow with an actual Minion attack, not through effects that grant additional Aegis Attacks.

The specific breakdown of battle is as follows:

  1. Declare an attacker and an attack target. The attacking Minion is rested.

  2. If the attack target is an Aegis, it is revealed.

  3. The attacker and attack target compare ATK values. A Minion with lower ATK value is slain and sent to the grave, and an Aegis with lower ATK value breaks and is sent to the grave. In the case of the attacker and attack target having equal ATK, both are slain or break.