If one rule separates strong Goblins and Gunslingers players from new ones, it is a clear understanding of open combat. Unlike card games that lock creatures into rigid lanes where they can only fight the enemy directly across from them, Goblins and Gunslingers lets any creature attack any enemy creature standing in the open. That freedom changes everything about how you plan a turn. Add in Cover Tokens that hold a lane and High-Rise lanes that keep a creature concealed, and combat becomes a puzzle of who attacks what, in what order. This guide breaks down the real rules so you can stop guessing and start dictating the board.
What open combat actually means
The core principle is simple: combat is not lane-locked. Any of your creatures can attack any enemy creature in the open, whichever Middle lane it stands in. There is no forced one-to-one matchup. You choose your attacker and you choose its target, which means combat is about math and sequencing rather than luck of placement. The two exceptions are the ones this guide is about: a creature standing behind a Cover Token, and a creature perched in a High-Rise lane. If you are coming from a lane-locked game, what lane combat means here is a useful primer.
This is why initiative matters so much. The player taking the turn picks the trades, so when you attack you should already know which exchanges you win and which you want to avoid. The full ruleset lives on the how to play page, but the practical skill is learning to read the board and line up favorable trades before you commit.
Cover Tokens: the wall in front of the hero
You cannot just swing at the enemy Sheriff whenever you like. Cover Tokens are 0/1 blocking tokens that sit in a Middle lane and intercept attacks down that lane. A Middle-lane attacker only has a line to the Sheriff when the enemy lane across from it is empty of both creature and cover, and a creature standing behind a Cover Token cannot be attacked until the cover is broken. You have to clear the cover first.
Two things to remember about Cover Tokens:
- They are not automatic. They are generated by specific card effects, not handed out for free, so a deck that wants to stall has to run cover-makers.
- Any creature can attack a Cover Token to destroy it. Because a token is only a 0/1, even a tiny creature can pop one, but every attacker you spend clearing cover is an attacker not hitting something else.
That tension is the heart of cover play. On defense, Cover Tokens buy you time to stabilize and deny the gold your opponent would earn from face damage (remember, they get 1 gold for each instance of damage they land on your hero). On offense, you have to decide whether clearing the wall this turn is worth more than developing or trading elsewhere.
Flying: the keyword that ignores cover
There is one clean answer to a wall of Cover Tokens, and it is Flying. A creature with Flying bypasses Cover Tokens entirely and can strike the hero even while cover is up. If your opponent leans on cover to survive, a single Flying threat can completely undo their plan. This is why Desert Devils, who carry Flying on many of their demonic creatures, are so punishing against defensive decks. The keyword glossary lists every combat keyword, including Overshot, which lets an attacker fire past a Cover Token at the creature behind it and spill excess damage onward to the next target or the hero.
High-Rise lanes: the untargetable perch
The board has two kinds of lanes, and the difference is one of the most important strategic levers in the game.
- The 5 Middle lanes are standard placement. Creatures here can attack any enemy creature in the open, or the enemy Sheriff directly down a lane with no creature or cover in it. This is where most of your attacking happens.
- The 2 High-Rise lanes hold only one creature each, and they come with powerful rules. A fresh High-Rise creature is concealed: it cannot be attacked or targeted by single-target effects until it attacks (board wipes still hit it), making it the safest seat on the board for a key threat. It can attack other High-Rise creatures or Middle lane creatures, firing over cover in the middle, but it can never attack the enemy hero directly. And only Flying creatures or your own High-Rise shooters can reach an enemy High-Rise at all.
That trade-off defines High-Rise strategy. You give up the ability to swing at the face in exchange for concealment. Park a fragile, high-value creature up top and your opponent simply cannot snipe it with a targeted spell or an attack until it has fired. Once it attacks, it is exposed and can be targeted normally, so the timing of that first shot matters.
Overshot from the High-Rise
One subtle rule catches new players off guard. When a High-Rise creature with Overshot kills its target, the excess damage hits other Cover Tokens or creatures, but it never spills over to the player. The no-direct-attack restriction on High-Rise creatures holds even for Overshot. So if you want Overshot damage rolling into the enemy hero, your Overshot attacker needs to be in a Middle lane, not perched up top.
Putting it together at the table
Here is how a sharp player uses all of this. They protect their best engine or threat in a High-Rise lane so it survives the removal it would otherwise eat. They keep Cover Tokens up while behind to deny face damage and starve the opponent of gold. They hold a Flying creature as the answer to enemy cover. And when they attack, they sequence carefully: clear blockers and cover first, then push lethal through the gap. Because open combat lets any creature hit any creature in the open, the player who plans the order of operations wins the turn.
Practice your combat reads
Open combat clicks once you stop attacking on instinct and start asking which trades win you the board. The fastest way to internalize Cover Tokens, High-Rise lanes, and Flying is to play through them. Try the interactive tutorial to see the lanes in action, then test your combat math in the no-account AI demo. Goblins and Gunslingers is free in your browser and on Steam, so jump in and start mastering the board today.
When you are ready for the full table, the Online Outpost has the tutorial, three AI difficulties, and online duels, all free.
