So lets talk about a topic that has been a long time coming, the Gameplay of Destined Legends. You can begin by watching our overview video (below), if you haven't already. Then continue reading to learn about how the game is played, in our extensive Gameplay Breakdown.
Your Deck
To play Destined Legends, you and your opponent each need a Battle Deck. As of now, Destined Legends is a 2-player game. A standard Battle Deck in Destined Legends is made up of 60 cards. There are 5 major types of cards in the game:
Legend Cards - Each deck contains 3 Legends. These are your main character cards. Your Legends all start at Level 1 and have 10 Health Points (HP) to start. You gain more HP as you level up your party.The object of the game is to defeat your opponent's Legends before they defeat yours.
cedric
Weapon Cards - Your battle deck contains 20 weapon cards. These cards define your Legend's abilities. Each Legend can have one Weapon Card attached at a time. Your Legends can only equip weapons that are at your party's level or below. If a weapon's level is higher that your's, you must wait until you reach that level to be able to attach it to a Legend.
masamune
Creature Cards - Your battle deck contains 20 creature cards. The primary use for creature cards is to level up your party. You can play a creature card anytime during your turn. When you play a creature card, place it in any open tile on the battle grid. Once a creature is defeated by your party, you level up.
chimera
Items - Your deck contains 16 item cards. In place of combat, your Legend may cast an item card from your hand. Read and follow the instructions on the card, then discard the card once the instructions are complete.
treasure
Dragons - Dragons are some of the strongest and most useful cards in your game. Each Battle Deck contains one Dragon card. You may play a dragon in place of combat. You play a Dragon card by placing it on any open tile on the battle grid. A dragon becomes a fourth party members, with its own turn and combat phase. Dragons are able to target random cards and have different effects depending on whether you are a friend or foe.
onyx
Setup
Destined Legends uses the cards in your deck in random order. To setup the game, first take out the 3 Legend cards and place them, spaced out in a row in front of you . Then shuffle the remaining 57 cards and place them to the right of your game-space. Your opponent does the same thing. Leave enough space between the two rows of Legends for a middle empty row. After everything is placed, it should look like the example below.
Yep, we just revealed the final Playboard design.
The middle row is used to play Creature Cards for your party to fight. Eventually, once you feel confident enough, you can step your Legends up to the middle row to attack your opponent Legends directly. The collection of all of these tiles are referred to as the battle grid.
Next, each player draws a hand of 7 cards. Flip a coin to decide which player goes first. You are ready to begin.
Your Turn
You begin your turn by drawing one card from the top of your deck and placing it into your hand. Once during your turn you may play a Creature card from your hand to any available spot in the middle row of the battle grid. Your turn is broken down into 3 Legend Phases. Each Legend you control is granted its own full Legend Phase. During each Legend phase, you may:
1. Equip a weapon or exchange your weapon with one from your hand. 2. Move your Legends forward or backward on the battle grid. 3. Enter Combat, cast and Item or cast a Dragon.
Combat
Perform the following steps when entering combat with a Weapon Card attached.
die
1. Charge Roll a die to determine which abilities you can use. This is called “Charging.” No Charging is required for Melee.
2. Choose an Ability Reference your Legend’s current Weapon card to see which abilities you are able to perform. You can only use an ability if you rolled one of the ability's numbers when you Charged.
3. Choose a Target Choose a Target based on your chosen ability’s Range. The term “Target” refers to any battle participant. This includes Opponent Legends, Ally Legends (members of your own party), Creatures or Dragons.
4. Perform the Ability If the ability has Direct Damage, reduce that amount from your target’s remaining HP. If an ability has Direct Damage, you will see a number to the far right of the ability. After applying the damage, read and perform the instructions (if any) of that ability.
5. Target’s Counter Some targets have a Counter ability. If your target is hit with Direct Damage by your ability, the target performs its Counter. If your target is a Creature, your opponent player may roll for the Creature’s Charge.
Just A Glace
I hope you enjoyed this deeper look at Destined Legend's gameplay. There is much more to learn about the game including exactly how Dragons are played during battle. And of course, it will all make much more sense once you all have a chance to have it front of you and play along. The full rulebook and how to play guide will be available at launch, in July.