How to Play
Master the tactical battlefield in ED5 TCG Studio
Objective
Destroy your opponent's Castle to win the game. Each player starts with a castle on opposite sides of the battlefield.
- Deploy units to attack the enemy castle
- Use spells and traps strategically
- Build defenses to protect your own castle
Mana & Economy
Every card costs mana to play. You start with 1 mana and gain +1 max mana per turn, ramping up as the game progresses.
1
Starting Mana
+1/turn
Mana Growth
Full Refill
Mana resets each turn
Spend mana wisely — playing all your mana on units leaves nothing for defensive spells or traps.
Turn Structure
Draw
Draw a card from your deck
Play
Play cards from hand (costs mana)
Move
Move your units on the grid
Attack
Attack enemies in range
Summoning Sickness
Newly played units cannot move or attack on the turn they are deployed. They become active on your next turn — unless they have the Haste keyword.
Auto-End Turn
When all of your units have finished moving and attacking, and you have no mana remaining, your turn ends automatically.
Card Types
Units
Units are the core of your army. Deploy them to the battlefield to attack enemies and defend your castle.
Spells
Spells are instant-use cards that create powerful effects. They can damage enemies, buff allies, heal, or manipulate the battlefield.
Buildings
Buildings are static structures that provide persistent effects. They can attack, defend, summon units, or provide utility. Buildings can occupy multiple tiles.
Traps
Traps are hidden cards that trigger when enemies meet certain conditions. Place them strategically to surprise your opponent!
Combat System
Damage Types
Physical
Dealt by Melee and Ranged units. Strong against Magic Shields, weak against Melee Shields.
Magical
Dealt by Caster units and spells. Strong against Melee Shields, weak against Magic Shields.
Attack Types
Melee
Can only attack adjacent units (range 1). Deals physical damage. No resource cost.
Ranged
Attacks from distance. Deals physical damage. Uses ammo — when empty, falls back to half-damage melee.
Caster
Magic attacks from range. Deals magical damage. Uses mana — when empty, falls back to half-damage melee.
Combat Rules
Attacking Consumes Movement
When a unit attacks, it uses all remaining movement for that turn. Plan your positioning before striking!
Retaliation
Units with the Retaliation tag strike back when attacked — if the attacker is within the defender's range. Works for melee, ranged, and casters.
Cleave
Units with Cleave deal 50% splash damage to all enemies adjacent to the primary target.
Chain Damage
Some effects deal chain damage that bounces between nearby enemies, hitting multiple targets in sequence.
Shield System
Shields absorb damage before health. The shield type determines multipliers — matching the wrong damage type against a shield can be devastating or ineffective.
Magic Shield
Resistant to Magic (50% damage) • Weak to Physical (200% damage)
Melee Shield
Resistant to Physical (50% damage) • Weak to Magic (200% damage)
Shield overflow: When shields are depleted mid-hit, the remaining base damage spills over to health. Shields regenerate only through effects or items.
Unit Resources
Mana (Casters)
Casters spend 1 mana per magic attack. When depleted, they switch to half-damage melee (physical). Resources slowly replenish over time.
Ammo (Ranged)
Ranged units spend 1 ammo per shot. When depleted, they switch to half-damage melee (physical). Resources slowly replenish over time.
Auto-Replenish: Resources regenerate 1 point every few turns automatically. The replenish rate is based on the unit's max resource capacity.
Status Effects & Keywords
Buffs
Divine Shield
Absorbs the first instance of damage completely, then breaks.
Stealth
Unit is invisible to enemies and cannot be targeted. Breaks when the unit attacks.
Taunt
Enemies must attack this unit first. Forces the opponent to deal with your tank.
Haste
Unit can move and attack immediately when played — ignores summoning sickness.
Lifesteal
Heals the attacker for the amount of damage dealt.
Retaliation
Strikes back when attacked, if the attacker is within range.
Cleave
Deals 50% splash damage to enemies adjacent to the primary target.
Flying
Can move over obstacles, buildings, and other units. Still must land on an empty tile.
Debuffs
Frozen
Unit cannot move OR attack for the duration. Visually dimmed on the grid.
Stunned
Unit cannot attack for the duration, but can still move.
Poisoned
Takes damage at the start of each turn for the duration.
Burning
Takes fire damage at the start of each turn for the duration.
Cursed
All healing received is reduced by 50%.
Doomed
When the status expires, the unit is instantly killed.
Duration: Most status effects tick down 1 turn at the start of the affected player's turn. When a status expires, its effects are reversed (stat buffs removed, movement restored, etc.). Some statuses trigger special effects on expiration — like Doomed instantly killing the unit.
Advanced Mechanics
Sacrifice
Some powerful units require you to sacrifice existing friendly units on the board to be played. The sacrifice count and eligible units are listed on the card.
Count
Number of units you must sacrifice
Faction Lock
Some require same-faction sacrifices
Specific Units
Some require specific card types
Synergies
Place multiple units of the same faction, card type, or shared effect on the board to activate synergy bonuses — stat boosts, special abilities, or auras.
Same Faction
Group enough units from one faction to trigger tribe bonuses
Adjacent Bonus
Some synergies only activate when matching units are next to each other
Shared Effect
Units with the same effect keyword can empower each other
Special Effect Actions
Cards and effects can trigger a wide variety of special actions:
Push / Pull
Displace units across tiles
Teleport
Instantly move a unit
Resurrect
Revive a dead unit
Convert
Steal an enemy unit
Transform
Change a unit into another
Draw Card
Draw extra cards
Gain Mana
Bonus mana this turn
Summon
Create new units
Movement
Straight
Moves in 4 directions
Diagonal
Moves in 4 diagonal directions
Both
Moves in all 8 directions
Movement Steps: Each unit has a movement value determining how many tiles it can move per turn. Terrain can affect movement cost — swamps and difficult terrain cost extra steps to traverse.
Flying: Units with the Flying tag can move over obstacles, buildings, and other units. Non-flying units are blocked by unwalkable terrain and must path around obstacles.
Tile Effects: Some biomes apply effects when a unit steps on them — poison swamps deal damage, lava burns, and special tiles can buff or debuff.
Game Modes
Standard 1v1
Classic head-to-head battle. Destroy your opponent's castle to win.
2v2 Teams
Partner up! Work together to defeat the enemy team's castles.
Free for All
Every player for themselves. Last castle standing wins! Deathmatch kicks in after turn 20.
Castle Defense
Defenders protect their castle while attackers try to destroy it within a time limit.
Capture the Flag
Capture enemy flags and return them to your base. First to reach the target wins! Drop the flag on death.
FFA Deathmatch
In Free for All mode, after turn 20, Deathmatch activates all units on the board take 1 true damage per round (ignores shields). This prevents stalling and forces aggressive play in the late game.
Dungeon Crawl
The Dungeon is a roguelike PvE mode where you descend through increasingly deadly floors. There are no decks here — just your hero, the loot you find, and your will to survive. Death is permanent.
How It Works
Enter the Dungeon
Start a run solo or with up to 4 players. Your hero begins with base stats — no cards, no deck.
Fight Through Rooms
Each floor has procedurally generated combat rooms with enemy parties that scale in difficulty.
Loot & Equip
Find chests containing equipment (weapon, armor, gloves, boots) and consumables (potions, scrolls).
Descend Deeper
Clear the floor and descend. Enemies gain more HP and attack with each level. How deep can you go?
Equipment & Items
Weapon
Boost attack, grant range, or add ammo
Armor
Increase HP and add shields
Gloves
Enhance attack and apply effects
Boots
Improve movement speed
Consumables
Potions heal HP, restore mana or ammo, or apply temporary effects. Use them wisely — they're one-time use.
Rarity Matters
Items come in Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary rarities. Higher rarity = stronger bonuses and unique effects.
Depth Scaling
The dungeon grows more dangerous with each floor:
×1.15
Enemy HP / floor
×1.10
Enemy ATK / floor
+XP/Gold
Better rewards deeper
Dungeon Survival Tips
- Equip gear as soon as you find it — empty slots are wasted potential
- Save consumables for boss floors and dire situations
- A shield can save your life — match the shield type to enemy attack types
- Co-op is easier — bring friends to share the pain
- Retreat is not an option. Only the strong emerge from the abyss.
Beginner Tips
- Start with a balanced deck — include units, spells, and at least one building
- Control the center of the battlefield for strategic advantage
- Save some mana for defensive spells or traps — don't spend it all on units
- Match your damage type to the enemy's shield weakness: use physical attacks against Magic Shields, magic against Melee Shields
- Position before attacking — attacking consumes all remaining movement
- Use Taunt units to protect your fragile Ranged and Caster units
- Don't overextend — a slow push is often better than an all-in rush
- Watch your ammo and mana resources — a Ranged unit without ammo is just a weak melee fighter
- Build faction synergies in your deck — same-faction units empower each other on the board
- Use Flying units to bypass obstacles and reach the enemy backline
- Beware of Retaliation — attacking a unit with Retaliation means taking a hit back