To comprehend all the game niceties and be successful against real opponents in the Internet, you need to know some basic rules and restrictions that will help you to predict opponentâs deck and moves.
Each player has cards of 5 Elements (4 basic Elements and 1 special Element, related to the specific mage type). The deck is displayed by 5 vertical rows; each row is connected with a particular Element: Fire, Water, Air, Earth and the specific Element. Each Element card has its cost, i.e. the amount of mana of a particular Element you need to spend to be able to play this card. Cards of each Element are ordered corresponding to increasing values in their vertical rows: the cheapest cards are on top, the most expensive are on bottom. Herewith, there is a particular table (watch the table below), that shows the rules of deck formation.
The first 5 columns are indicating playerâs deck; the numbers in each cell are indicating the cost of the cards that can be located there. For example, the numbers 1-3 in the first cell of the second column mean that the top water card in playerâs deck can be a 1-mana water card («Meditation»), or a 2-mana water card («Sea Sprite»), or a 3-mana water card («Merfolk Apostate»). Higher cost cards canât be located in this cell! The sixth column illustrates the formation of special cards of «Goblin Chieftain», as this class differs from other â his cheapest card costs 0 mana, the most expensive one costs 7 mana.
To make predictions about the content of your opponentâs deck you need to know the basic rule that says that players canât have the same cards in their decks. So, if you have some particular card in your deck, you can be 100% sure that opponent doesnât have this card. But Cleric against Warrior Priest is an exception, because these classes have 2 general cards: «Angel» and «Divine Justice». So, in this kind of duel both players can have the same cards mentioned above.
Another important rule that will help you to analyze your opponentâs deck is the «1% rule». It says that if you have a card, there is less than 1% chance you also have the adjacent card, one mana higher/lower. For example, itâs utterly unlikely that a player will have both «Ice Guard» and «Merfolk Elder» in his deck. But there is an exception: the rule doesnât apply to Fire cards with cost from 1 to 8 and 9-10.
KEY CARDS IN THE DECK Besides the listed rules of deck formation there are also some rules that apply to the content of each playerâs deck.
· Each deck necessarily has only one mana generator from 1 of 3 basic Elements: Fire («Priest of Fire»), Air («Merfolk Elder») and Earth («Elf Hermit»). Wherein, the starting mana resources are always distributed in a way, where you can play your mana generator on the first turn.
· Each deck necessarily has at least 2 healing cards from the basic Elements, but not more than 4 healing cards (healing cards from special Elements are not counted). There are 7 healing cards from basic Elements in total. Water healing cards: «Ice Guard», «Water Elemental». Air healing card: «Faerie Sage». Earth healing cards: «Elven Healer», «Natureâs Ritual», «Rejuvenation», «Master Healer».
· Each deck necessarily has only one mass destruction spell aimed at the enemy and his creatures or only at enemy's creatures («sweep» on the game slang) from the following list - «Flame Wave», «Chain Lightning», «Inferno».
· Each deck necessarily has at least one, but not more than two direct damage spells - «Armageddon», «Lightning Bolt», «Chain Lightning», «Natureâs Fury».
Thus, each player necessarily has at least one mana generator from the basic Elements in his deck; from 2 to 4 healing cards from the basic Elements; one mass destruction spell aimed only at the enemy and/or his creatures; from 1 to 2 direct damage spells. All other cards are distributed randomly in the deck, according to the rules mentioned previously.
BANNED COMBINATIONS Some of the combinations are way too effective, so they are banned and canât be the part of the deck.
Basic Houses: «Orc Chieftain» + «Forest Sprite»
«Meditation» + «Stone Rain»
«Inferno» + «Armageddon»
«Elf Hermit» + «Natureâs Fury»
«Phoenix» + 2 mass destruction spells: «Acidic Rain», «Armageddon», «Stone Rain», «Drain Souls», herewith one of these spells will always be in the deck if Phoenix is there.
6 fire mana by the second player at the beginning of the duel + «Fire Elemental» + «Merfolk Apostate»
Death: «Meditation» + «Cursed Fog»
«Ice Golem» + «Cursed Fog»
Illusions: «Armageddon» + «Wall of Reflection»
«Natureâs Ritual» + « Wall of Reflection»
Demons: «Armageddon» + «Greater Demon»
Sorcery: More than 4 water mana at the beginning of the duel + «Sacrifice» + «Mind Master»
More than 4 water mana at the beginning of the duel + «Sacrifice» + «Astral Guard»
Goblins:
«Ice Golem» + «Army of Rats»
«Elf Hermit» + «Rescue Operation»
Time: «Chrono Engine» + «Natureâs Ritual»
Forest: «Orc Chieftain» + «Forest Wolf»
Vampires: «Orc Chieftain» + «Devoted Servant»
«Sea Sprite» + « Chastiser»
«Giant Spider» + « Vampire Mystic»
«Orc Chieftain» + «Giant Spider»
Cult: «Ice Golem» + «Greater Bargul»
«Nature's Fury» + «Greater Bargul»
«Astral Guard» + «Reaver»
«Ice Golem» + «Astral Guard»
«Natureâs Fury» + «Astral Guard»
«Cursed Unicorn» + 2 mass destruction spells: «Acidic Rain», «Armageddon», «Stone Rain», herewith one of these spells will always be in the deck if Cursed Unicorn is there.
Craft: «Ice Golem» + «Stone Rain»
«Ice Golem» + «Armageddon»
«Armageddon» + «Stone Rain»
BINDING COMBINATIONS Some of the cards can only be in the deck if there are a certain number of support cards.
«Phoenix»: «Phoenix» can be in the deck only if there are exactly one mass destruction spell («Acidic Rain», «Armageddon», «Stone Rain», «Drain Souls») and exactly one support card: «Armageddon», «Merfolk Apostate», «Merfolk Elder», «Greater Demon», «Divine Intervention», «Insanian Peacekeeper».
«Dragon»: «Dragon» can be in the deck only if there is at least one support card: «Call to Thunder», «Lightning Bolt», «Chain Lightning», «Natureâs Fury».
«Cursed Unicorn»: «Cursed Unicorn» can be in the deck only if there is exactly one mass destruction spell: «Acidic Rain», «Armageddon», «Stone Rain».
MANA DISTRIBUTION At the beginning of the duel different amounts of mana are given. A player that goes first is given 21 points of mana (the sum of mana of all Elements). At the same time, a player that goes second is given 20 points of mana. But after the first player will make a move, the second player will receive 5 mana (+1 to each Element) and his overall mana points will be 25.
Mana is distributed in the following way: the starting overall number of mana points in basic Elements is equal 19 for the first player, and 18 for the second player. Besides, the starting number of mana points in each basic Element can range from 3 to 6 mana points. What concerns mana in special Element, it always equals 2 mana points for both players.
As it was mentioned before, the starting mana is distributed in a way where each player can play his mana generator from the basic Element on the first turn.
HOW ATTACKING SPELLS WORK There multiple attacking spells in the game, but all of them work in the same way. Some of the phases can be skipped if a spell ignores some conditions initially. All the phases are listed in a priority order and work successively.
1) Damage to opponent is dealt. (For example, «Armageddon» strikes for playerâs Fire power +8).
2) Damage to opponentâs creatures is dealt. (The creatures are remaining on board even if they have lost all their health points).
3) Extra effect from a spell is performed. (For example, «Acidic Rain» reduces all enemy powers by 1, «Wrath of God» increases playerâs Holy power according to the number of survived creatures, etc.).
4) Damage to your creatures is dealt (The creatures are remaining on board even if they have lost all their health points).
5) The certain amount of mana is subtracted for using the spell.
6) The duel ends, if a player dies. (Your opponent or you, for example if «Wall of Reflection» was on board).
7) Opponentâs creatures die. (different effects and abilities are performed, for example increasing/decreasing mana, rebirth, etc.).
8) Your creatures die. (Watch the previous point).
9) Your creatures perform an attack.
10) The turn ends.
BASIC BATTLE MECHANICS The turn in Spectromancer â is a period of time that is given to each player alternately for making different moves and to their creatures to perform attacks and abilities. Each turn consists of 4 phases:
1) Phase of gaining mana;
2) Phase of creaturesâ effects;
3) Phase of playerâs moves;
4) Phase of creaturesâ attacks.
The âleft to rightâ rule â the rule that indicates the order of the effects, creaturesâ attacks and dealing damage with spells. This order is determined by the creaturesâ positioning, for example, creatures that are positioned to the left attack first. If a player has creatures on board with various effects that are automatically performed at the beginning of his turn (after the phase of gaining mana), the effects of creatures that are positioned to the left will be performed first.
So, for example, «Sea Sprite» that is positioned to the left of «Elven Healer» will deal 2 damage to its owner before the player will be healed for 3. Also pay attention, that Vampire Lordâs ability to drain health points from his creatures works after the phase of gaining mana, but before the phase of creaturesâ effects.
When dealing damage to creatures with spells that influence all opponentâs creatures, the creatures that are positioned to the left will receive damage first. If a spell influences both sides (for example «Stone Rain»), at first the damage will be dealt to the opponentâs creatures from the left to the right, and then the damage is dealt to casterâs creatures from the left to the right.
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Special thanks to
Egeon for great assistance in the preparation of this material, as well as personal support. Without his participation this article wouldn't be so deep and completed.
Thanks to Vadim for the systematization of reference materials on the Prospectro website. Thanks to his recent activities I was able to gather all the necessary materials quickly.
Thanks to TosheR for the materials on the mechanics of spells.
Thanks to Cooler for his constant feedback, personal support and assistance in adding materials on banned and binding combinations in the game.
Thanks to Krugopryad for his help with translation of this text into English.
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Thanks to Ñommunity players from China for his help with translation of this text into ä¸å½. Special thanks: Reafer. Link to Chinese version of the article: https://yadi.sk/i/60hr_oO0pcjin
Thanks to MikeBnDe for his help with translation of this text into Deutsch. Link to Germany version of the article: https://yadi.sk/i/Kzf7BzaVptLAQ
Thanks to Martzukov for his help with translation of this text into Românesc. Link Romanian version of the article: https://yadi.sk/i/iAhDBqkjpvK8N
Thanks to greatRutto for his help with translation of this text into Italiano. Link Italian version of the article: https://yadi.sk/i/qMvgvYfMq5oGk
Thanks to MalakoiHebraico for his help with translation of this text into Portugues (Brazil). Link Portuguese (Brazil) version of the article: https://yadi.sk/i/PyeL4DYf3QJ7bd
