Altered Glossary

7.3.5 Draw

7.3.5.a To "draw X cards" is to move the top X cards of one's Deck to their Hand.

7.3.5.b "Draw a card" means "draw 1 card".

Draw

A draw occurs when both camps' Expedition markers meet during the Dusk phase, without either camp clearly winning. In this case, the game continues with an additional day in the Arena, where abilities that advance or retreat Expeditions have no effect, and Gigantic Characters count double. The goal is to decide between the players by comparing statistics in the Arena.

1.3 Game Progress

1.3.1 Starting the game

1.3.1.a The players build a common Adventure with the Hero Region card on one end, the Companion Region card on the other, and three face-down Tumult cards in random positions and orientations between the Hero Region and the Companion Region.

1.3.1.b Each player's hero expedition counter is put on the Hero Region, and each player's companion expedition counter is put on the Companion Region.

1.3.1.c Each player puts their Hero (if they have one) in their Hero zone, shuffles the rest of their cards and puts it in their Deck.

1.3.1.d In the Morning of the first day, instead of the normal daily effects, players draw six cards and put three of them in their Mana zone.

1.3.2 Day progress

1.3.2.a Each day is divided in five phases.

1.3.2.b In the Morning phase, the opponent of the first player becomes the first player (Succeed), players ready their Characters, Permanents, and Mana Orbs (Prepare), draw two cards (Draw) and may put one card from their Hand in their Mana zone.

1.3.2.c In the Noon phase, nothing happens unless one or more reactions trigger "At Noon".

1.3.2.d In the Afternoon phase, starting with the first player, players alternate taking turns until both have passed; during their turn, a player may play any number of quick actions and then either play a card or pass; once a player has passed, they cannot take more turns this day.

1.3.2.e In the Dusk phase, players sum up the statistics of all the characters in each of their expeditions. An expedition moves forward if one of its statistics is:

• one of its Region's types;
• (strictly) greater than the opposing expedition's corresponding statistic;
• (strictly) greater than zero.

• Rest: All Characters in Expeditions are sent to the Reserve. Characters with the Fleeting status are discarded instead of going to the Reserve. The Anchored and Asleep statuses are removed from Characters during this phase.
• Cleanup: Players must discard excess cards from their Reserve and Landmark Zone, keeping only two cards in each of these zones.

2.2.1 Type

2.2.1.a A type is one of the following: Character, Emblem, Hero, Permanent, Region, Spell.

2.2.1.b Each object has a single type.

2.2.1.c The type of a card is written on the type line, just below the name of the card. It is the first word of the type line, before the dash.

2.2.1.d The type of a token is Character.

Remark. The tokens printed by Equinox have the word "Token" in their type line. This is for clarity and has no rules implications.

2.2.1.e The type of an object represented by an Adventure card or half a Tumult card is Region.

2.2.1.f The type of an object represented by a face-down card in the Mana zone is Mana Orb.

2.2.1.g The type of an emblem is Emblem.

Remark. The type Emblem does not appear on cards. It is reserved for temporary objects in Limbo created by reactions or effects whose impact on the game lasts longer than their own resolution.

2.2.1.h When a cost or an effect refers to "a [type]", it refers to an object in play with the appropriate type, unless it specifies a specific zone.

Example. Banishing Gate has the effect "Discard target Character or Permanent". When that Spell is played, its controller must choose a Character or Permanent in play. They cannot choose a Character or Permanent from another zone, such as the Reserve.

2.2.1.i When a cost or an effect checks whether a specific card or object is "a [type]", it checks whether that card or that object has the appropriate type, regardless of its location.

Example. Ada Lovelace has the reaction " You may put a card from your hand in Reserve. If it's a Permanent, draw a card". If a player choses to put a Permanent card in Reserve during the resolution of this reaction, they draw a card.

4.1 Beginning of the game

4.1.a As the game starts, all zones are empty.

4.1.b Place the two Adventure cards representing the Hero Region and the Companion Region on either end of the Adventure.

4.1.c Shuffle three different Tumult cards (position and orientation) and place them face-down in the Adventure, between the Hero Region and the Companion Region.

4.1.d Each player put their hero expedition counter in the hero region and their companion expedition counter in the companion region.

4.1.e Each player present their deck and their Hero, face-down.

4.1.f If a player has no Hero, they may present a face-down card from outside the game (not from their deck) to disguise this fact until 4.1.h .

4.1.g Determine the first player at random.

4.1.h Each player reveals their Hero and place it in their Hero zone. If a player had a non-Hero card face-down, it is removed from the game.

4.1.i Each player shuffles their deck and puts it in their Deck zone.

4.1.j Start the first day at Noon, replacing the first Morning with the following setup:

• each player draws six cards
• each player must put three cards in their Mana zone.

4.2.1 Morning

4.2.1.a There are four daily effects during Morning.

4.2.1.b Succeed The player to the left of the first player becomes the first player.

4.2.1.c Prepare Each player readies all their Characters and Permanents.

4.2.1.d Draw Each player draws two cards.

4.2.1.e Expand Each player may put one card from their Hand face-down and ready in the Mana zone.

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.

Card Advantage

The term "Card Advantage" refers to the situation where a player has more cards in hand (or playable cards) than their opponent. The main objective is to generate a gap between the number of cards you have in hand compared to those of your opponent. This advantage can be obtained in several ways, such as drawing additional cards, forcing the opponent to discard cards, or exchanging fewer cards for a more powerful effect than what your opponent has spent. In some cases, Card Advantage also includes cards present on the board, especially in games where cards remain on the field.

Clarification of the phases of a day

Morning Phase

• First Player Marker Transfer: If it's not the first day, the First Player Marker is passed to the other player.
• Straightening of Mana Orbs and Exhausted Cards: Players straighten all Mana Orbs and all exhausted cards on the board.
• Card Drawing: Each player draws two cards from their deck.
• Placement of Cards in Mana Zone: Starting with the player who has the First Player Marker, each player can choose to place a card from their hand in their Mana Zone, face down. This card becomes a Mana Orb.

• Activation of "At Noon" Abilities: All effects or abilities of cards with an "At Noon" trigger are activated. The player with the First Player Marker activates and resolves their abilities first, followed by their opponent.

• Turn by Turn: Starting with the player who holds the First Player Marker, each player plays a card on their turn or chooses to pass.
• Quick Actions: Before playing a card, a player can perform as many quick actions as they wish, such as activating exhaustion or support abilities.
• Playing a Card: To play a card, the player must exhaust a number of Mana Orbs equivalent to its hand cost (if played from the hand) or its reserve cost (if played from the Reserve).
• Passing: A player can choose to pass their turn if they cannot or do not wish to play a card. Once a player has passed, they can no longer play cards for this phase.
• End of Phase: The Afternoon phase ends once both players have passed their turn.

• Activation of "At Dusk" Abilities: All effects or abilities of cards with an "At Dusk" trigger are activated and resolved before the advancement of Expeditions.
• Comparison of Statistics: Players compare the statistics of Characters in play for each region type (Forest, Mountain, Water).
• Advancement of Expeditions: If a player's statistics in a region are higher than their opponent's, their Expedition marker advances one space for that region. Each Expedition can only advance once per Dusk phase.
• Revelation of Tumult Cards: When an Expedition marker moves onto a face-down Tumult card, it is turned face up, and its effect is resolved.

• Rest: All Characters in Expeditions are sent to Reserve. Characters with the Fleeting status are discarded instead of going to Reserve. The Anchored and Asleep statuses are removed from Characters during this phase.
• Cleanup: Players must discard excess cards in their Reserve and Landmark zone to keep only two cards in each of these zones.

Control

A "Control" deck is a type of archetype that seeks to neutralize the opponent's threats while surviving until the late game, where it can play powerful cards to win the game. Control decks often use removal spells, counterspells, card draw, and other tools to manage the game until they can deploy their own winning strategy. The goal is to control the pace of the game, exhaust the opponent's resources, and eventually take over with powerful cards that become effective in the long term.

Gift

Grants the possibility to draw when a card with this effect is played. The effect applies either to the opponent or to both players.