Ashfall Trail is playable now
The current browser build ships Stage I with route choices, shops, stage-only reward cards, and a proper stage clear.
The Frontier Code
How to Play
Every duel on the Wild Frontier follows the same ruthless code. Frontier Run uses that same combat inside a longer roguelike campaign climb.
FR Frontier Run
Frontier Run is the website's branching roguelike campaign mode. Ashfall Trail keeps the same lane combat, Mana, Gold, Deputies, and Sheriff rules as a normal duel, then wraps them in a longer solo climb.
Same combat, longer run
You still play by the core TCG rules, but your trail HP, route decisions, and rewards carry the run instead of resetting after one fight.
The campaign is expanding
Ashfall Trail is the first campaign stage and the foundation for a bigger roguelike frontier over time.
- Start Stage I with 150 trail HP instead of the normal one-duel health flow.
- Choose an issued crew so the campaign can hand out lore-specific cards, starter unlocks, and stage rewards cleanly.
- Move across branching route choices that lead to battles, outposts, shops, and the stage clear.
- Add stage-only reward cards during the run and decide how to preserve HP for later fights.
- Classic Skirmish is still the fastest one-match duel. Frontier Run is the longer solo campaign climb.
01 Setup
- Each player starts with 30 Hit Points.
- Build a 52-card deck using up to 2 main races. The frontier factions currently in rotation are Humans, Goblins, Desert Devils, Straw Elves, Gnomes, and Dwarves. Gnome decks can also field Golem forms -- they count as part of the Gnome faction, not a separate race choice. Beasts are wild cards -- you can mix in as many Beast cards as you want alongside your chosen races.
- For online play, use only cards labeled Online Legal. Items and spreadsheet Deputy cards remain visible in the gallery as tabletop references, but they are not active in live website matches yet.
- Select 2 Deputies that stay outside your deck and are not drawn normally. Starter decks come with their issued pair; custom decks let you choose your 2 online Deputies directly in the deck builder.
- Shuffle your deck and draw 7 cards to form your opening hand.
02 Win Conditions
You win by achieving either condition:
- Reduce your opponent to 0 HP through creature attacks and spell damage.
- Deck Out -- if your opponent cannot draw a card during their Draw Phase, they lose.
03 Turn Structure
Draw Phase
Draw 1 card from your deck. If you cannot draw during your Draw Phase, you lose the duel.
Resource Phase
Your Mana replenishes to the turn count with no cap: turn 1 = 1 mana, turn 2 = 2 mana, and so on. Gold refreshes to a flat 1, plus any bonus Gold earned from damage you dealt to the enemy sheriff last turn.
Action Phase
Play cards, activate abilities, and attack with your creatures. You may perform actions in any order and as many times as your resources allow.
End Phase
Your turn ends. Any "until end of turn" effects expire. Play passes to your opponent.
04 Resources: Mana & Gold
Mana
Increases by 1 each turn with no cap. Turn 1 gives 1 Mana, turn 2 gives 2, and so on. It fully replenishes at the start of each turn and pays the mana cost on cards.
Gold
You receive a flat 1 Gold per turn -- it does not ramp like mana. You also gain +1 Gold for each instance of damage dealt to your opponent, and that bonus carries into your next turn. Gold pays for gold-cost cards, special abilities, and Deputy plays, and it currently has no cap.
Cards cost Mana + sometimes Gold. A card listed as 3M/2G costs 3 mana and 2 gold to play.
05 The Battlefield: Lanes
Combat takes place across 7 lanes arranged in two tiers. Click any lane slot below to see its attack targets.
Opponent
♥ 30 HP
High-Rise
HR
High-Rise
High-Rise: Fresh units dodge single-target attacks and effects until they attack. Board wipes still hit.
HR
High-Rise
High-Rise: Fresh units dodge single-target attacks and effects until they attack. Board wipes still hit.
Middle
1
Lane 1
Middle Lane: Must destroy blocker before attacking elsewhere.
2
Lane 2
Middle Lane: Must destroy blocker before attacking elsewhere.
3
Lane 3
Middle Lane: Must destroy blocker before attacking elsewhere.
4
Lane 4
Middle Lane: Must destroy blocker before attacking elsewhere.
5
Lane 5
Middle Lane: Must destroy blocker before attacking elsewhere.
Battlefield
Middle
1
Lane 1
Middle Lane: Attacks opponent in same lane, or opponent directly if lane is empty.
2
Lane 2
Middle Lane: Attacks opponent in same lane, or opponent directly if lane is empty.
3
Lane 3
Middle Lane: Attacks opponent in same lane, or opponent directly if lane is empty.
4
Lane 4
Middle Lane: Attacks opponent in same lane, or opponent directly if lane is empty.
5
Lane 5
Middle Lane: Attacks opponent in same lane, or opponent directly if lane is empty.
High-Rise
HR
High-Rise
High-Rise: Fires at High-Rise or Middle Lane creatures only, ignores Cover in the middle, and cannot hit the enemy sheriff directly.
HR
High-Rise
High-Rise: Fires at High-Rise or Middle Lane creatures only, ignores Cover in the middle, and cannot hit the enemy sheriff directly.
♥ 30 HP
You
Click a lane slot to see its attack targets
High-Rise Lanes
- 1 creature max per lane
- Fresh High-Rise creatures dodge single-target attacks and effects
- Once a High-Rise creature attacks, it can be targeted normally
- They can fire at other High-Rise or Middle Lane creatures, including over Cover in the middle
- Board wipes still hit them, and they cannot attack the opponent directly
Middle Lanes
- Up to 5 creatures across the middle
- Must destroy blocker in same lane first
- If opposing lane is empty, attacks opponent directly
- Standard placement -- the main battleground
06 Deputies
Deputies are your most trusted allies -- powerful units kept outside your deck. In online play, starter decks use their issued deputies, while custom saved decks choose 2 deputies from the live website roster.
- Only 1 Deputy may be on the field at a time.
- You can summon a Deputy from the Deputy Zone during your Action Phase by paying its Mana and Gold costs.
- While a Deputy is still off-board, its Off-Board button can spend Gold for that Deputy's listed ability. Current online Deputies use the website roster, not the spreadsheet Deputy card versions.
- A Deputy on the battlefield fights like a creature with its on-board stats and keywords, and its off-board ability is unavailable until it returns to the Deputy Zone.
- They are never drawn from your deck and cannot be discarded from your hand.
- The gallery still shows tabletop Deputy cards for reference, but website matches currently use the site deputy roster for balance and implementation.
07 Online Rules / Online Supported
Browser matches use the online-supported ruleset first. The full physical card pool still matters for collecting, lore, and future tabletop design, but the website only queues cards and mechanics that are marked live for the current engine.
Core duels, sheriffs, and Frontier Run Stage I
Lane combat, High-Rise targeting, Cover Tokens, sheriff passives, online Deputies, Frontier Run, and the supported browser card pool are the live foundation for website matches.
Some edge-case card text is still tightening up
Choose-a-target effects and temporary "until end of turn" style text work in many spots, but they are still the main area where the online ruleset is catching up. Use individual Online Legal labels.
Physical / full pool cards stay visible
Items, item attachments, and spreadsheet Deputy cards remain visible in the gallery for the broader physical vision, but they are not part of the active browser card pool yet.
Sheriffs
Choose 1 sheriff before the match. Current browser sheriffs are live: Calloway gains Gold every third turn, Zix starts with 8 cards and has one discard-for-2 draw, Malachar boosts the first attack each turn, Reedwick starts with Cover and gains later Mana when it breaks, Cogsworth starts with extra Gold and cost trims on even turns, and Ironhold starts at 35 HP with damage reduction.
Deputy Zone + Off-Board Abilities
Online decks bring 2 site-roster Deputies outside the 52-card deck. During your Action Phase, an off-board Deputy can spend its listed Gold cost for its Off-Board ability, or be summoned into an empty lane if you can pay its summon cost. Only 1 Deputy can be on your field at a time.
Online Supported Card Pool
Core Humans, Goblins, Desert Devils, Straw Elves, Gnomes, Golem forms, Dwarves, Beasts, and individually supported spells are active online when labeled Online Legal.
Broad Targeting + Temporary Modifiers
Complex targeting language, modal spell choices, variable-count effects, and delayed cleanup text are still label-gated. Some are implemented, but do not assume every temporary stat or keyword effect is fully online.
Physical / Full Card Pool
The full pool includes reference-only Items, item attachments, and tabletop Deputy cards. These remain outside live browser deck lists until attachment flow and card handling are fully implemented.
Creature Cards
The backbone of current online play. Faction creatures, Beasts, Gnomes, Golem forms, and Dwarves all live here.
Spell Cards
The active browser spell satchel. Spell-heavy decks and support packages are fair game when a card is individually marked live.
Specialist Text
Read the exact card before you queue it. The wider the targeting, timing, or temporary-effect clause, the more important the online label becomes.
Item Cards
Still visible, not yet live. They stay in the gallery for worldbuilding and future support, but not for browser deck lists.
Spreadsheet Deputies
Online matches use the site deputy roster instead. Keep the spreadsheet versions as lore and tabletop reference cards for now.
If you want the cleanest deckbuilding path, browse the Online Legal card pool first, then compare each faction's style in the Faction Guide.
08 Keywords
Ambush
This creature can attack immediately when summoned.
Quickdraw
Strikes first in combat. If the enemy dies, this creature takes no damage.
Double Barrel
Can attack twice per turn.
Overshot
Excess damage spills over to the next target or the opponent, letting heavy hits break through Cover Tokens.
Flying
Bypasses Cover Tokens entirely.
High Noon
Draw 1 card when this creature is played from hand.
Gold Rush
Gain 1 gold when this creature is played.
Warrant
Forces enemy creatures to attack this creature first (taunt).
Wanted
Cannot be targeted by single-target effects such as spells and abilities.
Cover Tokens
0/1 blocking tokens generated by card effects. They absorb one hit before the creature behind them can be attacked, unless a Flying attacker bypasses them or Overshot spills through.
Last Stand
Triggers an effect when this creature is destroyed.
Heal
Restores HP to your hero or a friendly creature.
Venom
After this creature deals combat damage, the target suffers 1 extra Defense loss.
Feral
Friendly effects cannot target this creature.
Burrow
When this creature is summoned into the middle lane, it raises a Cover Token in its lane if there is room.
Pack
This creature gains +1 Attack for each other Beast you control.
Stampede
When this creature attacks and the defender survives, it can shove that defender into another middle lane and make it lose its next attack.
Flip
Gnome tech effects that trigger transformation-style bonuses on play.
Fortify
Enters with a permanent Defense boost.
Barricade
Enemies must attack this creature first, and it shaves 1 damage off incoming hits when possible.
Tunnel
Can be summoned into any legal lane regardless of normal blocking pressure.
Blast
Deals 1 damage to every creature in the attacked lane when this creature attacks.
Ironclad
Spell damage and destroy effects cannot finish this creature off as easily; it resists being blasted out by spells.
Overdrive
Lets you spend extra Gold on play for a stat boost if you can afford it.
Online Supported Keyword Matrix
This matrix summarizes current browser support. A card's Online Legal label still wins when a specific spell or edge-case text is broader than the keyword itself.
| Keyword | Public Rules Text | Engine Status | Online Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambush | Can attack immediately when summoned. | Supported | Live for online creatures and Deputies. |
| Quickdraw | Strikes first in combat. | Supported | Live in creature combat. |
| Double Barrel | Can attack twice per turn. | Supported | Live for attack-count tracking. |
| Overshot | Excess damage spills through. | Supported | Live for creature excess and Cover spillover. |
| Flying | Bypasses Cover Tokens. | Supported | Live for target selection and attacks over Cover. |
| High Noon | Draw 1 card when played from hand. | Supported | Live as an on-play draw trigger. |
| Gold Rush | Gain Gold when played. | Supported | Live as an on-play Gold trigger. |
| Warrant | Enemies must attack this creature first. | Supported | Live in attack targeting. |
| Wanted | Cannot be targeted by single-target effects. | Supported | Native Wanted is enforced; temporary Wanted-granting cards still follow Online Legal labels. |
| Cover Tokens | 0/1 lane blockers generated by card effects. | Supported | Live for middle-lane protection, Flying bypass, and Overshot spillover. |
| Last Stand | Triggers when the creature is destroyed. | Supported | Common death triggers are live. |
| Heal | Restores HP or Defense. | Supported | Hero, creature, and broad friendly heal patterns are live when labeled online. |
| Venom | Deals extra Defense loss after combat damage. | Supported | Live after combat damage resolves. |
| Feral | Friendly effects cannot target this creature. | Supported | Live for friendly effect targeting. |
| Burrow | Raises Cover when summoned to a middle lane. | Supported | Live when the lane can take Cover. |
| Pack | Gains Attack from allied Beasts. | Supported | Live as a board passive. |
| Stampede | Shoves surviving defenders and delays their next attack. | Supported | Live in attack aftermath. |
| Flip | Gnome tech effects trigger transformation-style bonuses. | Partial | Creature and Deputy-triggered Flip effects are live; Flip Spell packages remain label-gated. |
| Flip-Charged | Golem flip-state trigger separate from plain Flip. | Partial | Parsed separately online; broad Golem Flip Spell and attachment interactions remain label-gated. |
| Fortify | Enters with a permanent Defense boost. | Supported | Live as a permanent on-play boost. |
| Barricade | Acts like Warrant and reduces incoming damage. | Supported | Live in attack targeting and combat damage. |
| Tunnel | Can be summoned into any legal lane. | Supported | Live for current online lane placement rules. |
| Blast | Splashes damage across a lane or enemy middle lane. | Supported | Live for supported creature attack patterns. |
| Ironclad | Cannot be finished by spell damage or destroy effects as easily. | Supported | Live against spell damage and destroy effects. |
| Overdrive | Spend extra Gold on play for a boost. | Supported | Live for current online Overdrive creatures. |
↓ Full Rulebook
This downloadable PDF mirrors the live website rules above, including current online legality labels and deputy handling.
Download Rules PDFReady to Ride?
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