Game Rules
Whether you're playing Invasion TCG casually with friends or you're heading to a competitive level event, knowing the rules of the game is important. Players and Event Judges are encouraged to actively use these Game Rules during play.
To make sure the game is being played consistently, the full Games Rules will be kept up to date on this page. Announcements about new or changed rules will be made across social media profiles and the blog.
Resources for Players and Event Judges
The following resources and information pages have been created to help players of Invasion TCG and Event Judges:
- Learn to Play Invasion TCG
- Card Interaction Rulings
- Individual Card Rulings
- Additional Tournament Rulings
- Event Judge Program
- Information for Parents
Game Set Up
1.1 – Deck
Two players begin the game with a customized deck of exactly 30 cards each. Players may have up to three copies of any named Invasion TCG card in their deck unless a card effect states otherwise.
1.2 – Dice
All references to dice in the rules of the game refer to standard D6 dice.
1.3 – Play Space
Each player should make a space to keep their deck and a graveyard. A player's graveyard is where players put cards which have been destroyed or used. Unless card effects states otherwise, Creatures and Battlefields remain on the field of play until they have been destroyed while spells go into the graveyard after they have been played and their effect has resolved.
1.4 – Life Points
Each player starts the game with 20 life points. Players may keep track of their life points during the game via any method, including dice, pen and paper, or an app.
1.5 – The First Turn
Both players roll two dice. The player with the highest combined score may elect to take the first turn of the game or allow their opponent to go first. If both players roll the same combined score, both players reroll both dice until one player has a higher combined score.
1.6 – Opening Hand
Players start the game by drawing five cards from their deck after thoroughly shuffling their deck.
1.7 – Hand Maintenance
There is no hand size limit.
Game Play Rules
2.1 – Main Draw Step
At the beginning of a player's turn, they must draw two cards from their deck before they are able to take any other action or play any other cards. Other players are not able to play any cards or take any actions until a player has completed their draw step. The player who takes the first turn of the game does not draw two cards to begin their turn. The Main Draw Step is the only mandatory thing a player do during their turn unless a card effect states otherwise.
2.2 – Additional Draw Step
Once per turn, on their turn only, a player may discard a card from their hand and draw an additional card from their deck. The player who takes the first turn of the game is able to trigger this additional draw step even though they skip the main draw step.
2.3 – Deck Recycle
When a player attempts to draw a card(s) from their deck, but does not have the required amount of card(s) remaining in their deck, they draw as many as they are able to before shuffling their graveyard and putting it face down as their deck. They then continue to draw the required number of cards.
2.4 – Playing Cards
Players may play up to any two cards of their choosing on their turn. They may also play up to any two Spell cards on their opponent’s turn. Cards are considered to be played when they are put onto the field of play. Activating the effect of a Battlefield or a Creature already in play does not count towards the quota of cards a player is allowed to play per turn, and nor does triggering the Additional Draw Step.
2.5 – Third Card Rule
Once per game per player, if a player has fewer life points than their opponent, they may opt to play three cards during a turn. A player playing three cards during a turn is still restricted to being able to play only Spells on their opponent's turn unless a card effect states otherwise.
2.6 – Playing Cards in Response
Players can respond to any card played by their opponent as long as they have not already played the maximum number of cards per turn allowed. All cards played do not resolve until the opposing player confirms they do not wish to respond to it. If a card is played in response, it enters 'the stack' – a physical pile of cards – whereby the last card played that's not responded to resolves first down through the pile of cards stacked to the first card played which resolves last.
2.7 – Stack in Motion
Once a stack of cards begins resolving, new cards and effects cannot be put into play and added to it unless a card effect states otherwise.
2.8 – Responding to an Effect in Motion
Once a card effect has begun to resolve, new cards and effects cannot be put into play to respond to it until the effect has fully resolved. Players must declare their intention to trigger a card effect so their opponent may be given the chance to respond by playing a card or using a card effect of their own.
2.9 – Responding to Creature Effects
Creature effects do not enter the stack and therefore Spell cards that are played in response to the summoning of a Creature resolve first. Once all cards in the stack have resolved, Creature effects then resolve.
2.10 – Targeting
If a card effect targets another card or player, the target must be declared when the card is played. A player may not change a declared target unless a card effect states otherwise. If the originally declared target becomes a non-valid target due to another card effect, the original card effect fails to trigger. If a Spell card fails to trigger it should be put into the graveyard without resolving. If a Battlefield or a Creature's effect fails to trigger, new targets cannot be declared that turn unless a card effect states otherwise.
2.11 – Search Effect
When a card effect allows you to search your deck or your graveyard for a card(s) for any reason, you must show your opponent which card(s) you have searched for.
2.12 – Failing a Search Effect
When a card effect allows you to search your deck or your graveyard for a card(s) for any reason, you may choose to 'fail' the search and not complete the card effect. In this situation, rule 2.11 does not apply and so you do not have to reveal any cards.
Card Rules
3.1 – Card Effects and Rule Conflicts
Should a card effect conflict with the rules of the game, the card effect takes precedence over the rules of the game.
3.2 – Card Wording
Players must be able to fulfill the entire text of a card effect in order to be able to play the card with the effect on. However, card effects that states 'may' in their text are conditional and therefore a player can attempt to fulfill the ‘may’ part of the card effect.
Creature Cards
4.1 – Summoning Sickness
When a Creature is put onto the field of play, they are not able to attack during the same turn, unless a card effect states otherwise. The effects of a Creature card may be activated upon summoning or in the same turn they have been summoned.
4.2 – Creature Effects
Creature effects may only be triggered once per it's player's turn per copy of the Creature that’s in play unless a card effect states otherwise. If a Creature leaves the field of play and is re-played within the same turn, it is considered a new card and therefore the effect can be triggered again.
4.3 – Attacking With Creatures
When a Creature is able to attack, a player may choose to attack with it. A player must declare all Creatures they wish to attack with at once. To see if the attack hits their opponents' life points, the player rolls a dice – one per creature that is attacking. An even number rolled on each dice is a hit while an odd number rolled is a miss. For example, if a player rolls three dice on their attack step and two are hits and one is a miss, this would deal the defending player two damage. Players must roll all dice as part of an attack step together at once.
4.4 – Attacking Life Points
Only a hit reduces the defending player's life points. All hits reduce a player's life points by one unless a card effect states otherwise. The defending player may not 'block' a hit unless a card effect allows them to.
4.5 – Removing an Attacking Creature
Once a dice has been rolled as part of an attack step, even if an attacking Creature is removed from play by a card effect, the dice roll still counts as part of the attack step.
4.6 – Attacking and Rerolling Effects
A card effect may allow a player to reroll dice during their attack step. Players must declare the number of reroll effects they have in play before they enter their attack step. If a player has multiple card effects in play that allow them to reroll dice, these rerolls stack and a player may choose the reroll the same dice multiple times. Players do not have to activate reroll effects and so may choose to activate none, some, or all reroll effects they have available.
4.7 – Lifepoint Damage on Attack Steps
Both players must acknowledge the amount of damage to life points by Creatures in an attack step before the dice are scooped up and the game continues.
4.8 - Attack Step
If a player decides not to attack during their turn, this in itself is considered an attack step, therefore cards that affect the game during that attack step would trigger at time a player declares they are not going to attack.
Battlefield Cards
5.1 – Single Copy
Each player may only have one Battlefield in play at any one time on their side of the field of play.
5.2 – Multiple Copies
If a player plays a Battlefield when they already have one in play, they must discard the original Battlefield.
Winning the Game
6.1 – Win Condition
A player wins a game when their opponent is reduced to zero life points.
6.2 – Simultaneous Win Conditions
If both players simultaneously are reduced to zero life points, tiebreakers are used to decide the winner of the game.
6.3 – Tiebreakers
If tiebreakers are required, the player with the most cards in play is declared the winner. If both players have an equal number of cards in play, the player with the most cards in their hand is declared the winner. If both players have an equal number of cards in play and the same number of cards in their hand, both players roll two dice. The player with the highest combined score of the dice rolls is declared the winner. Should the combined score of the dice roll be the same, players reroll until each player scores a different combined score to each other and so a winner can be found.