Altered Glossary
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.
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.