RULES/Q&A

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◆ Card Breakdown

 

 

 

◆ Card Types

Followers

The brunt of your army, these cards are unable to attack on the turn they're played.


Evolved Followers

Use these cards to evolve your followers. Only specific followers can evolve, but they become more powerful by doing so.


Spells

Cards that take effect when played and are put into the cemetery immediately afterward.


Amulets

Powerful objects with a variety of abilities. Some take effect immediately when played, while some take effect after paying a cost and/or putting them into your cemetery.


Leaders

Your comrade in arms and your avatar in the game world. When your leader's defense drops to 0, you lose the game. On the other hand, leaders can gain defense beyond their starting value.


Tokens

Cards that are not part of your deck, but instead summoned via abilities. Tokens are removed from the game if put into any area except the field or EX area. (They aren't placed in the banished area.)

 

◆ Deck Construction

First, select a leader. Build your deck based on that leader's class or universe. If basing your deck around their class, you may only use cards from that leader's class and/or the Neutral class. If basing it on your leader's universe, you may only use cards from their universe. Both your main deck and evolve deck can have up to 3 copies of the same card, unless otherwise specified.

 

 

Classes

 

Universes

 

Leader


 

Main Deck

Your main deck should contain 40–50 cards, consisting of followers, spells, and/or amulets.

 

Evolve Deck

Your evolve deck should contain 10 cards or less, consisting solely of evolved followers.

 

THE IDOLM@STER™ CINDERELLA GIRLS & ©Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

 

◆ Game Accessories

These are aids to assist in playing the game. Set them aside in a place visible to all players.

 

Evolution Points

When you pay an evolve cost, you may use 1 Evolution Point card in lieu of 1 play point. Only 1 of these cards can be used per turn.


 

Defense Counter

Use this to keep track of your leader's defense.


 

Status Counters

Set these on top of your cards to indicate persistent abilities and effects, such as changes to attack or defense. This includes decreases to defense through damage.

 

◆ Playmat

 

① Leader

Place your leader here.

② Deck

Place your main deck here facedown.

③ Evolve Deck

Place your evolve deck here facedown.

④ Cemetery

Place destroyed followers/amulets, played spells, and discarded cards here.

⑤ Field

Place amulets and followers here when playing them. Your field holds up to a maximum of 5 cards.

⑥ EX Area

This area acts as a second hand. It holds up to a maximum of 5 cards. Cards in your EX Area can be played like cards in hand (just pay their cost to play them).

⑦ Banished

Place your banished cards here.

⑧ Max Play Points

Mark your maximum number of play points here. You can't have more than 10.

⑨ Remaining Play Points

Keep track of your remaining play points for any given turn here. You can't have more than 10.

 

◆ Victory Conditions

You win if any of the following conditions are met:

・The enemy leader's defense is reduced to 0.
・Your opponent must draw a card but they have no cards in their deck.
(If both players would win or lose simultaneously, the game ends in a draw.)

 

◆ Before the Game

 

① Put your leader card facedown into the leader area. When all players have placed their leader cards, flip them over.

② Both max and remaining play points start at 0. Your leader's defense starts at 20.

③ To choose who plays first, play rock-paper-scissors or roll a dice. The player going second gets 3 Evolution Point cards.

④ Shuffle your deck. Draw 4 cards. This is your starting hand.

⑤ Look at your cards and decide if you want to mulligan (redraw your hand). To mulligan, put your starting hand on the bottom of your deck in any order and draw 4 cards. You may only mulligan once. The player going first decides whether to mulligan first, followed by the player going second.

 

All players shout a hearty "Shadowverse showdown!"
And then the game begins!

 

◆ Turn Progression

Turns are split into 3 phases: start phase, main phase, and end phase.

 

Start Phase

 

① Add 1 to your max number of play points, then set your remaining play points to the same value.

② Refresh (vertically turn) your engaged (horizontal) cards.

③ Draw a card from your main deck. (The player going first does not draw on their first turn.)

 

Main Phase

 

If you have any "at the start of your main phase" abilities, resolve them. Then, perform the following actions any number of times, in any order:

・Play a card

・Use an activated ability

・Attack with a follower

・Evolve a follower

(You may evolve only once per turn.)

 

End Phase

 

 

① Resolve any "at the start of your end phase" abilities.

② Engage (horizontally turn) any number of followers on your field with Ward.

③ At this point, your opponent may play cards with Quick.

④ If you have 8 or more cards in your hand, discard down to 7.

Finally, let your opponent know your turn is over and pass it to them.

 

To opponent's turn

 

◆ Main Phase Actions

Playing Cards

Play a card by spending remaining play points equal to the card's cost.
When played, followers and amulets are put directly onto the field. Spells, however, take effect immediately and are then put into your cemetery.

 

Using Activated Abilities

Activated abilities, denoted by 《Activated Abilities》, can be activated by paying their applicable costs (everything before the colon). If a follower's activated ability cost requires you to engage (horizontally turn) it, you may do so the turn it comes into play.

 

Attacking with Followers

 

Select a reserved (vertical) follower to attack with.

(Followers can't attack on the turn they come onto the field.)

① Select your attack target: either the enemy leader or an engaged (horizontal) enemy follower.

② Declare your attack and engage your attacking follower.

③ Take care of any Strike abilities, if applicable.

④ At this point, your opponent may play cards with Quick.

 

If you chose to attack a follower, exchange damage. This means the attacking follower deals damage equal to its attack value to the enemy follower's defense, and vice versa.

 

※Notes on Tracking Damage

・Follower Damage
Damage is persistent. Place status counters on a follower to indicate damage to its defense. Destroy the follower if its defense reaches 0 or lower.

・Leader Damage
Track damage to your leader's defense with the defense counter.

 

Evolving Followers

Evolve your followers on the field by paying their evolve cost. After paying, find the evolved version of that follower from your evolve deck and place it on top of that follower.

・After evolving, followers have the stats and abilities of their evolved versions.
・Status counters (damage, buffs, etc.) remain on followers when evolving.
・If a follower is played and then evolved in the same turn, it can attack engaged enemy followers.
(If it was played during the previous turn, it can attack enemy leaders, as normal.)

 

What to do if evolved followers are moved from the field to other areas:

Place the follower's evolved card on top of your evolve deck facing up. (Faceup followers in the evolve deck are considered removed from the game.)

Example:
Your evolved follower takes lethal damage, dropping its defense to 0. Put the evolved card faceup on your evolve deck. Put its unevolved version in your cemetery.

 

◆ Keywords

《Fanfare》 Fanfare
Found on followers and amulets, this is an ability that takes effect when the card is put onto the field. Fanfare takes effect when the card is played from hand or put onto the field by other abilities.
《Last Words》 Last Words
Found on followers and amulets, this is an ability that takes effect when the card is moved from your field into the cemetery.
《Quick》 
《Q》 Quick
Cards with Quick can also be played during your opponent's turn at the following timings:
(1) When an enemy follower attacks
(2) During your opponent's end phase
《Activated Abilities》 Activated Abilities
Found on followers and amulets, these are abilities that can be activated anytime during your main phase. Activated abilities may be activated on the turn a card comes into play, even if the activation cost involves engaging (horizontally turning) the card.
Strike
An ability that takes effect during your turn when your followers with Strike attack, but before combat damage is dealt. Follower Strike takes effect when attacking a follower; Leader Strike takes effect when attacking a leader.
Intimidate
Followers with this ability can't be attacked by enemy followers, but they can still be selected by abilities.
Aura
Cards with this ability can't be selected by enemy abilities, but they can still be attacked.
Assail
Followers with this ability can attack reserved (vertical) enemy followers, unless they have Intimidate.
Ward
When attacking, if your opponent has any engaged (horizontal) followers with Ward, you must select one of them to attack.
You may engage (horizontally turn) your followers with Ward at the following timings:
(1) When they're put onto the field
(2) During your end phase
Storm
Followers with Storm may attack the enemy leader or engaged enemy followers the turn they are put onto the field.
Rush
Followers with Rush may attack engaged enemy followers the turn they are put onto the field.
Drain
When one of your followers with Drain deals combat damage while attacking, your leader gains the same amount of defense.
(No defense is gained when your follower is being attacked.)
Bane
When one of your followers with Bane deals combat damage to an enemy follower, destroy the enemy follower after damage is exchanged.
Combo (X)
Combo abilities take effect if you've played at least X cards that turn.
(Cards with Combo count themselves.)
Spellchain (X)
Spellchain abilities take effect if there are at least X spells in your cemetery.
(When you play a spell with Spellchain, that spell is not included.)
Earth Rite
Earth Rite abilities take effect by removing 1 Stack counter from your field.
You do not have to perform Earth Rite abilities, even if you have Stack counters.
Stack
Cards with Stack are put onto the field with 1 Stack counter and have the following 3 abilities:
・When it would leave your field, remove 1 Stack counter from it instead.
・When it has 0 Stack counters remaining, destroy it.
《Activated Abilities》《Activated Abilities》 : Select another amulet with Stack on your field and transfer all this card's Stack counters to that card.
Overflow
Overflow is considered active when your maximum number of play points is at least 7.
Necrocharge (X)

Necrocharge abilities take effect if you have at least X cards in your cemetery. (When you play a spell with Necrocharge, that spell is not included.)

Sanguine
Sanguine is considered active if your leader's defense has decreased during a turn. Even if your leader's defense increases afterwards, Sanguine is still considered active for that turn.