Altered Glossary

1.1.1 This document

1.1.1.a The Altered Comprehensive Rules is an expert document meant to resolve the thornier cases that can occur when cards interact in unexpected ways. They are not meant to learn the rules of Altered.

1.1.1.b It is not expected that players know the content of this document. However, reading the first section and particularly Subsection 1.4 "Golden Rules" should help solve most questions.

1.1.1.c Each numbered paragraph from Section 2 "Objects" onwards is a rule.

1.1.1.d Remarks and examples, written in italics, are not rules. They are meant to clarify the meaning of the rules.

1.1.2 Scope

1.1.2.a These rules apply to any two-player game of Altered.

1.1.2.b If other official documents contradict these rules, the other documents take precedence.

1.1.3 Collectible card Game

1.1.3.a Altered is a collectible card game: players do not play with cards from a common pool, but from their own collection.

1.1.3.b In order to play a game of Altered, each player needs a deck of Altered cards (not to be confused with the Deck zone during play).

1.1.3.c For the purpose of the rules, a player is the owner of the cards in their deck, regardless of legal ownership. Nothing in the game can change the owner of a card.

1.1.4 Constructed play

1.1.4.a In constructed play, a player may use any card from their collection to build their deck.

1.1.4.b A constructed deck must include exactly 1 Hero.

1.1.4.c A constructed deck must include at least 39 other cards.

1.1.4.d A constructed deck can only include cards of the same faction as its Hero.

1.1.4.e A constructed deck can include at most 3 cards with the same name.

Remark. In Altered, contrary to many other collectible card games, cards with the same name may have different characteristics, rarity, and faction. A player in a constructed event should make clear which version of a card they play.

1.1.4.f A constructed deck can include at most 15 rare () cards.

1.1.4.g A constructed deck can include at most 3 unique () cards.

1.1.7 Material

1.1.7.a Each player start the game with a deck of Altered cards. They should be officially printed Altered cards with a valid QR code pointing to https://www.altered.gg. For the purpose of the rules, the text of a card is the English text appearing on the Altered website. Note that the text appearing on the physical card may differ, if the card is printed in a different language or without text. It may also have received errata since it first printing.

1.1.7.b Tokens are used to represent Characters which are created by the game rather than represented by Cards. Players must have a way of representing the tokens that their deck can create in a way that makes clear their characteristics and status. It is possible, but not mandatory, to use the official tokens published by Equinox.

1.1.7.c Counters are markers put on cards by events in the game. Players should have a way of representing counters which make clear which counters are on which objects. Counters with the same name are indistinguishable.

1.1.7.d If a player's deck has cards that ask them to "roll a die", they should have fair six-sided dice numbered from 1 to 6.

1.1.7.e Players should have a way to represent the status of their objects in all visible zones. The Exhausted status is usually represented by laying the object in a vertical or horizontal direction. Other statuses may be represented by printed or coloured markers.

1.1.7.f Between the two of them, players need a Hero Region Card, a Companion Region Card, and three different Tumult cards (one |, one |, and one |) to represent the Adventure.

1.2.1 Players

1.2.1.a A player is a participant in a game of Altered.

1.2.1.b In a two-player game, each player is the other's opponent.

1.2.1.c Each player in a game of Altered needs to have their own deck.

1.2.1.d Each player has a number of private zones in the game: Deck, Discard pile, Hand, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Mana zone, and Reserve.

1.2.2 Objects

1.2.2.a Objects are the game pieces of Altered.

1.2.2.b Most things in a game of Altered are either objects, properties of objects or sets of objects.

1.2.2.c Objects have characteristics:

• Type (Character, Emblem, Hero, Permanent, Region, Spell)
• Sub-type
• Name
• Rarity (common , rare , unique )
• Version
• Hand Cost
• Reserve cost
• Faction (Axiom , Bravos , Lyra , Muna , Ordis , Yzmir )
• Statistics (one number for each of , , )
• Abilities
• Reserve limit (only for Heroes)
• Landmark limit (only for Heroes)
• Duration (only for Emblems)

1.2.2.d An object may lack some of these characteristics.

1.2.3 Zones

1.2.3.a Zones are the game board of Altered. They are sets of cards or objects.

1.2.3.b There are ten kind of zones (Adventure, Deck, Discard pile, Expedition zone, Hand, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Limbo, Mana zone, Reserve)

1.2.3.c Three zones are shared: Adventure, Expedition zone, Limbo. There is only one of each in a game of Altered.

1.2.3.d The seven other zones are private. Each player has their own Deck, Discard pile, Hand, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Mana zone, and Reserve.

1.2.3.e Seven zones are visible: Adventure, Discard pile, Expedition zone, Hero zone, Landmark zone, Limbo and Reserve. They contain objects; players can know the number and characteristics of all objects in these zones at all times.

1.2.3.f Three zones are hidden: Deck, Hand, and Mana zone. They contain cards; players can know the number of cards in each of these zones at all times.

2.1 Objects

2.1.a Objects exist in every visible zone. Each object belongs to a single zone at any given time.

2.1.b Objects can be represented in different ways: Altered cards, tokens, Adventure cards, halves of Tumult cards, and emblems.

2.1.c Objects never change zones. When a cost or an effect "moves" an object, it moves the item representing that object, which becomes a new object with a new timestamp if it ends up in a visible zone. Effects relating to the old object do not apply to the new one (see Rule 2.1.e).

Example. Lithium has Haven, Bravos Bastion and plays Kuwat, the Dissenter from Reserve. This triggers the two reactions of Kuwat, its native " Sacrifice a Character" and the one granted by Haven " I gain 1 boost". If Lithium decide to play the reaction first and to sacrifice Kuwat, then the reaction will not boost Kuwat in the Discard pile as it is not the same object as Kuwat in the Expedition zone which triggered the reaction.

2.1.d If a token would leave the Expedition zone, it ceases to exist immediately after joining its new zone. This is an additive event-modifying rule.

2.1.e If an ability refers to a card or an object moving from any zone to a visible zone (as part of a cost, a trigger, or an effect), that ability can find the new object in its destination zone. This is an exception to Rule 2.1.c .

++Example. Moonlight Jellyfish has the reaction "When I'm sacrificed, if I'm not Fleeting — Put me in Reserve".

• If Moonlight Jellyfish is sacrificed, its reaction triggers and is able to find it in the Discard pile even though it is a different object than the one whose reaction just triggered.++

2.1.f Rule 2.1.e can apply through more than one zone change, as long as they all come from the ability itself.

Example. Coppélia has the reaction "When I go to Reserve from your Handl You may play me for free and I gain Asleep" . Coppélia in Reserve, Coppélia in Limbo, and Coppélia in the Expedition zone are three different objects, but the effect of Coppélia's reaction in Reserve can act on the two other Coppélias as it is that effect that moved the card from Reserve to Limbo and to the Expedition zone.

2.1.g Cards in hidden zones are not objects.

2.1.h Zones are not objects: they are sets of objects or cards.

2.1.i Counters are not objects: they are markers placed on objects.

2.3.1 Passive abilities

2.3.1.a A card object represented by a card has the base characteristics written on the card. Some cards may have received errata since their publication.

2.3.1.b An object represented by a token has the base characteristics described by the event that created the token.

2.3.1.c An object may be missing one or more characteristics.

2.3.1.d If an object does not have a characteristic, this characteristic cannot be modified.

2.3.1.e If an object does not have a characteristic, this characteristic can be gained.

2.3.1.f If an event looks for the value of an absent characteristic, it uses zero for numeric characteristics and the empty set for other characteristics.

2.3.1.g Some passive abilitys modify the characteristics of objects.

2.3.1.h These abilitys only affect objects in play.

2.3.1.i Passive abilitys apply continuously.

2.3.1.j An object's characteristics are its base characteristics, modified by all applicable passive abilitys.

2.3.1.k What a passive ability does and what it applies to is re-evaluated after each event.

2.3.1.l Passive abilitys are applied one at a time.

2.3.1.m In order to determine the order in which passive abilitys are applied, Altered uses timestamps and dependency.

7.2 Pronouns

7.2.1 I
7.2.1.a When an ability uses the first person, it refers to the object that is bearing it.

7.2.1.b When an emblem or a reaction uses the first person, it refers to the object which created that emblem or reaction.

Example. Ratatoskr has the ability " I gain 2 boosts". When that reaction resolves, the object only the Ratatoskr bearing that ability gains 2 boosts.

7.2.2 You

7.2.2.a When an ability uses the second person, it refers to its controller.

Example. Charge! has the effect " Characters you control gain 1 boost". When Charge! resolves, the Characters controlled by Charge!'s controller gain 1 boost.

7.2.3 They

7.2.3.a Altered uses the singular "they" for players.

7.2.4 It

7.2.4.a Altered uses the neutral third person for objects and cards.

Booster Draft (Game Mode)

Booster Draft is played 1 vs 1, and the recommended number of players is 8. Each player receives 4 Altered boosters. Players open their first booster, remove the Token/Foil card, choose one card and pass the rest of the booster to the person on their left. The process is repeated until all cards are selected. The same steps are followed for the other boosters, alternating passing directions (left-right-left-right). Decks must contain at least 30 cards following the deck construction rules.

Deck construction:
Decks built from the Booster Draft must follow these guidelines:

• A deck must contain a minimum of 30 cards.
• Token cards do not count towards the deck minimum. If you have Token cards to accompany your deck, they start outside your deck.
• You can play cards from up to three different factions.
• A deck may include one Hero card. If so, it counts towards the 30-card minimum.
• Your Hero must belong to one of the factions in your deck.
• You can choose not to play a Hero card.
• There is no restriction on the number of cards with the same name you can play in your deck.
• There is no restriction on the number of rare or unique cards you can play in your deck.

Structure: Best of one game
Number of rounds: 3
Time for drafting and deck construction: 40 minutes
Round time: 30 minutes
Number of players: 8

Should I play a Hero card in my deck?
It is not mandatory to play a Hero card in limited formats like Booster Draft, but it is often preferable to play one in one of the factions of your deck rather than not playing one at all.

Can I change my deck between games?
Players can freely modify their deck using their pool of drafted cards between games when playing in limited formats.

When should I scan my cards and add them to my digital collection?
After the draft phase, during deck construction, unless otherwise indicated by the draft organizer.

What happens if I don't have enough cards for a 30-card deck, and I don't have enough Mana Convergence tokens?
Check with the tournament organizer if they have additional tokens. If you are unable to find any, use other tokens as substitutes.

Booster War (Game Mode)

Booster War is an alternative game mode for Altered that is played with two players, each requiring a new booster. There are several variants of this mode, ranging from the most technical to the least technical, allowing players to choose their level of strategy and complexity.
This game mode was proposed by Merlin, game designer at Equinox.

Rule - Least technical mode:
1. Each player takes a booster, removes the Hero card, and puts it into play.
2. Shuffle the remaining cards from the booster to form your deck.
3. Play Altered following the usual rules, but with three differences:
- Unlimited mana.
- You draw 3 cards at the beginning of each turn, instead of 2.
- The game ends after 4 days. If, at the end of the fourth day, players are tied, an additional day is played with the remaining cards (without redrawing new cards).

Rule - Most technical mode:
1. Both players open their boosters without revealing the cards to their opponent.
2. Each player builds a 12-card deck by placing them in the order of their choice.
3. The game rules are then the same as those of the least technical mode, including the three differences mentioned above.

Free for All

The Free for All mode is a four-player mode, where each player faces the others.

Setting up an Altered Multiplayer Free for All game
The setup for an Altered Multiplayer Free for All game is the same as for a Multiplayer 2v2 game, except that the placement of players around the table doesn't matter.

Victory conditions
The first player whose Hero and Companion Expeditions meet in the same Region wins the game.
If multiple players fulfill the victory conditions at the same time, first check if a player has advanced further than necessary. If so, that player wins the game. Otherwise, play a tiebreaker day in the Arena with only the players who have advanced the furthest.

Tiebreaker
Play an additional day with the following rule modifications:

• Players who didn't qualify for the tiebreaker leave the game. All other players keep their Hero and Companion Expeditions at their current position.
• From a rules perspective, Expeditions that were facing one of these players now face the other (you can then have a Companion Expedition facing a Hero Expedition).
• During Dusk, each player totals the statistics of their Characters for each type of Region in the Arena (Forest, Mountain and Water).
• For each of these regions, check if a player has a total higher than all others.
• The player who surpasses all others in the most region types wins the game.
• In case of an additional tie, play a new tiebreaker day with only the players having the best totals, until a player is declared the winner.

++Example
In this example, the fact that Bob and Camille did better than Alice in Forest and Mountain doesn't matter, because neither of them has the highest score in Mountain or Forest. Alice wins.++

First player effects
Effects that activate "if you are the first player" (Akesha & Taru, Kojo & Booda, Lindiwe & Maw) only activate if you have the first player token.

Interactions with other players
It is forbidden to show your hand of cards to another player.
Communication between players (and its limits) may vary depending on the context. A tournament may prohibit any form of communication, while another table may allow any information, as long as it is transparent and understandable by all players, and others may still allow coded messages. Players should ensure agreement at the beginning of the game.

Clarifications
When a card mentions "targeted expedition" or "targeted character", this can refer to any Expedition or Character.

When a card mentions "targeted opponent", choose one of your opponents.

When a card mentions "your opponent", it refers to all your opponents.

Instants / Atomic Actions

"Atomic Instants" in Altered are precise moments at the beginning of certain game phases where specific abilities are triggered simultaneously. These instants occur at the very beginning of the "At Noon", "At Dusk", or "At Night" phases. During an Atomic Instant, only cards that are already in play at that moment can have their corresponding abilities triggered. This means that a card played after the start of the Atomic Instant will not be able to trigger an ability related to that instant, even if it would normally enter play during this phase. Atomic Instants are crucial for determining what content is added to the pool of effects to be resolved, thus ensuring an orderly and precise resolution of abilities.

Multiplayer 2v2 (Game Mode)

Multiplayer mode is a fun and more social way to play Altered, where you can play with more than 2 players. It is a constructed format, which means you need to build a deck in advance and bring it to the game.

Multiplayer mode can be played in several ways:

In 2v2, you and your teammate face another team, and the team whose Hero and Companion meet first wins the game.
Free for All, you face all other players, but you can only race with two of them: the player on your right and the player on your left.

You win when you are the first to make your Hero and Companion meet.
Deck building rules in multiplayer mode
Multiplayer decks in Altered follow the standard deck building rules. Players can play with any Hero of their choice, which means that two players can choose the same Hero.

• A deck must contain a minimum of 39 non-Hero cards plus exactly 1 Hero card.
• Token cards do not count towards the deck minimum. If you have Token cards, they start outside your deck.
• All cards in your deck must belong to the same faction as your Hero card.
• You can have a maximum of 3 copies of a card with the same name, regardless of its rarity.
• You can have a maximum of 15 Rare cards in your deck.
  You can have a maximum of 3 Unique cards in your deck.

2v2
The 2v2 mode is a four-player mode, with two teams of two players.

Setting up an Altered multiplayer game in 2v2

• Form two teams, with players from the same team sitting opposite each other.
• Then randomly determine the first player.
• Place two Hero Region cards facing each other. Do the same with the Companion Region cards.
• Take two sets of Tumult cards. Form three piles, each containing two identical Tumult cards, then shuffle the three piles.
• Take the first pile: place one card next to the Hero card, and the other next to the other Hero card. Do the same with the second pile next to the Companion cards. Place the last two cards in the center, side by side.

You can now start the first day. Players take turns clockwise until everyone has passed.
Each player faces a different opponent for each of their Expeditions.
When a player reaches one of the central Tumult cards, turn both cards face up. Place the second card in the opposite direction to the first, so that the two unique region types are on each side.
The Expedition markers continue to move towards each other, following the indicated path.

Victory conditions
The first player whose Hero and Companion Expeditions meet in the same Region wins the game for their team.
If two players from different teams fulfill the victory conditions at the same time, first check if one of the players has advanced further than necessary. If so, their team wins the game; otherwise, play a tiebreaker day in the Arena.
If three players fulfill the victory conditions, the two allied players win the game.
If all four players fulfill the victory conditions and one team has at least one additional advance over the other, that team wins the game; otherwise, play a tiebreaker day in the Arena.

Tiebreaker
Play an additional day with the following rule modification: during Dusk, each team totals the statistics of its Characters for each type of Region in the Arena (Forest, Mountain and Water). The team that beats its opponent in the most region types wins the game.
In case of an additional tie, play a new tiebreaker day until a team is declared the winner.

First player effects
Effects that activate if you are the first player (Akesha & Taru, Kojo & Booda, Lindiwe & Maw) activate if one of the team members has the first player token.

Interactions with your teammate
It is forbidden to show your hand of cards to your teammate.
Communication between players (and its limits) may vary depending on the context. A tournament may prohibit any form of communication, while another table may allow any information as long as it is transparent and understandable by both teams. Some may still allow coded messages. Players should ensure agreement at the beginning of the game.
It is not possible to directly play a card in your teammate's Expedition or Landmark Zone. However, some effects or abilities may allow creating tokens, for example.

Clarifications
When a card mentions "targeted expedition" or "targeted character", this can refer to any allied or enemy Expedition or Character.

When a card mentions "in your Expedition" or a Character "you control", this only applies to your side of the board, not your teammate's.

When a card mentions "targeted opponent", choose one of your opponents.

When a card mentions "your opponent", it refers to each of your opponents.

You can only sacrifice cards you control, not those controlled by your teammate.

Standard (Game Mode)

The Standard format is a game mode in which players build a deck in advance and bring it to the game. Players choose their favorite Hero or faction and build a deck following the strategies they like best. Standard is the classic Altered experience, recommended for new players and tournaments. This format requires players to bring their own deck to any event.

Standard format is played 1 vs 1. A Standard event can accommodate any number of players. Both players must have a deck that respects the deck construction rules specific to this format.

Standard decks in Altered must follow these guidelines:

• A deck must contain a minimum of 39 non-Hero cards plus exactly 1 Hero card. (Token cards do not count towards the deck minimum. If you have Token cards to use with your deck, they start outside your deck.)
• All cards in your deck must belong to the same faction as your Hero card.
• You can have a maximum of 3 copies of a card with the same name, regardless of its rarity.
• You can have a maximum of 15 Rare cards in your deck.
• You can have a maximum of 3 Unique cards in your deck.

Recommendations for Standard tournament structure:
Structure: Best of three
Round time: 50 minutes
Number of rounds: 3
Advantages: More competition-oriented, fewer rounds in total/more time in play.

Structure: Best of one
Round time: 30 minutes
Number of rounds: 4

Sealed Format (Game Mode)
Sealed Decks are played 1 vs 1 but can accommodate any number of players. Each player receives 7 Altered boosters. Players must build their decks using only the cards contained in these boosters. Sealed decks must contain at least 30 cards. After deck construction, players compete in a series of Swiss rounds.

Decks built for the Sealed format must follow these guidelines:

• A deck must contain a minimum of 30 cards.
• Token cards do not count towards the deck minimum. If you have Token cards to accompany your deck, they start outside your deck.
• You can play cards from up to three different factions.
• A deck may include one Hero card. If so, it counts towards the 30-card minimum.
• Your Hero must belong to one of the factions in your deck.
• You can choose not to play a Hero card.
• There is no restriction on the number of cards with the same name you can play in your deck.
• There is no restriction on the number of rare or unique cards you can play in your deck.

Recommendations for Sealed Deck Tournament Structure:

• Structure: Best of one game
• Number of rounds: 4
• Time for deck construction: 30 minutes
• Round time: 30 minutes
• Number of players: Any number

Should I play a Hero card in my deck?
It is not mandatory to play a Hero card in limited formats like Booster Draft or Sealed, but it is often preferable to play one in one of the factions of your deck rather than not playing one at all.

When should I scan my cards and add them to my digital collection?
During deck construction, at any time before playing against your first opponent, unless otherwise indicated by the event organizer.

Can I change my deck between games?
Players can freely modify their deck using their pool of opened cards between games when playing in limited formats.