Game Mechanics (i.e. The Expanded Rules)

[smuglapse]

Game Mechanics (i.e. The Expanded Rules)
There seems to be some confusion among many players about why certain cards act the way the do.  So I've created this reference to help in understanding the principal workings of the game.

If you understand the fundamentals then you can figure out how each card works without being confused by "special cases."  This can in turn help you understand new cards that are implemented as well as how to better integrate a card idea with the game.

This resource was made from accumulated knowledge around the forum, wiki, and in-game testing.  It may have several similarities to other guides but this puts the emphasis on the basic structure of the game.  I have tried to incorporate all of the "unwritten rules" specified in this thread (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,4461.0.html).  Thanks go to all who have created articles, posts, and discussions that have helped countless improve their performance and enjoyment of Elements.  And of course, thanks go to Zanzarino, the most player-focused web game developer in the history of the medium.

Note: Whenever a specific card is listed it refers to both the upgraded and un-upgraded versions unless otherwise stated.
Jump to a specific topic: Game Conditions (#post_conditions), Cards (#post_cards), Turns (#post_turns), Creatures & Permanents (#post_candp), Creatures (#post_creatures), Passive Skills (#post_passive), Status Effects (#post_status), Transformations (#post_transform), Info Box (#post_box), Special Permanents (#post_special), Quanta-producing Permanents (#post_quanta), Marks (#post_mark), Shields (#post_shield), Weapons (#post_weapon), Spell & Skill effects (#post_effects), Abilities with further elaboration (#post_elaboration).

Game Conditions
These are the variables or "elements" that determine the status of the game and can be manipulated by cards.  Each player has identical variables related to their status.

(http://imageplay.net/)

Health Points (HP) - If at any point in the game a player's HP reaches zero, that player has lost the game.

Deck - The number of cards remaining in the player's deck is reduced by 1 each time a card is drawn.  If there are no cards remaining when a player attempts to draw that player loses the game.

Poison/Purity Counter - An indication of how many HPs a player will lose or gain after the opponent has finished their turn.  It remains hidden for each player until a Poison or Purify spell is used on that player.  Blue means the counter is positive, purple means it is negative, and yellow means that the player will add -1 each time they play a card (nuerotoxin).

Quanta - Units of an element generated by various cards and used to pay for the use of other cards and abilities.   Quanta are separated by their element but may be converted to other elements through spells and abilities.  If a card's quanta cost is not of a specific element the quanta is chosen randomly from any available quanta.

Hand - May hold up to 8 cards to be played during the player's turn.  There can only be a maximum of 7 cards at the end of the player's turn or the player will be forced to discard one.  Normally a player can not view their opponent's hand but the cards that are played during their turn are revealed.

Cards
Cards are the tools each player has available to them to manipulate the game conditions and the opposing player's cards.  Cards are divided into 3 types: creatures, permanents, and spells.  Creatures and permanents have the potential to remain on the board indefinitely, while spells are resolved the instant they are played.  Creatures and permanents have specific areas of the board where they are generated when played and from which there are 23 slots available for creatures and 19 slots available to permanents.  Once a card is played it vanishes.

Turns
At the start of a game a coin toss determines which player will go first.  Players alternate turns and must wait for the opponent to finish before starting their turn.

At the beginning of a player's turn a card is removed from their deck and placed at the bottom of their hand.  The only exception to this is the very first turn of the game--the starting player does not draw a card.  The player may then play cards or use the abilities of the cards that are already in play.  They may play as many cards or abilities as quanta, board space, and specific card rules allow for, but they may not play the ability of any one card more than once (unless stated otherwise by the card itself).  When a player has completed their turn they click "Done" and then an automated attack phase begins.  Any creatures on their side of the board will make an attack attempt in the order determined by their position.  Then all permanents will take a turn in order by their position.  Once complete, the next player's turn begins.

(http://imageplay.net/)
(Creature turn order in yellow, permanent turn order in red.)

Creatures & Permanents
There are several characteristics common to both creatures and permanents.  They can be summoned to the board by playing the particular creature or permanent card or through the use of abilities and spells and will occupy the lowest numbered slot available of their type.  If no slots are available a warning message will be displayed to the user and the card will not be played.  Both creatures and permanents may have a skill, also known as an ability, which allows them to affect the game conditions.  There is a limit of one (primary) skill per card.  In the case of creatures the skill is displayed below the creature, and for permanents the ability is displayed at the bottom of the permanent's image.  Skills can either be manually activated or they are triggered automatically.  Activated abilities are those that can be clicked on during a player's turn to produce an effect.  They can be identified by the fact they have a cost listed.  The cost may be an elemental quantum (or quanta) or zero.  All abilities may be used every turn unless removed (either innately or externally).  Automatic abilities do not have a quanta cost and can not be controlled directly; they are performed either during the attack phase or in response to a game situation.  All creatures and permanents are subject to a "summoning sickness", which means that their activated ability may not be used until a turn has passed since they were summoned.  Automatic abilities are not subject to this one-turn delay.  Players may only activate abilities of cards on their side of the board.  If an ability requires a target it can be canceled, however the cost is not refunded.  Once an ability has been canceled it can not be used again that turn.

Creatures
Creatures have additional traits that are unique from permanents: their attack and HP stats, passive abilities, and some status effects.

(http://imageplay.net/)

Name - An identifier that dictates the creature's image and passive skills.  It also determines the creature's primary skill and stats prior to any buffs, spells, or status effects.

Attack|HP - Known collectively as the creature's "stats".  The attack (or attack power) is the number subtracted from the opponent's HPs during the attack phase minus any shield defense.  Negative attack thus adds the attack to the opponent's HPs.  If a creature's HP is brought to zero through a spell or ability during a turn it is considered dead and vanishes from the board.  A creature can also die if its HP is zero or becomes zero during its attack--the creature's attack damage is inflicted before the creature dies, unless frozen or delayed.

Primary Ability - As discussed earlier creatures may or may not have one primary skill.  In the picture the Elite Scarab's skill is one that has a cost, thus it can be activated by the player during their turn.  The primary ability of a creature can be removed or replaced (lobotomize, butterfly effect, and liquid shadow).

Passive Skills - These are traits inherent to the creature and can not be activated directly by a player.  They are not removed by lobotomize, butterfly effect, and liquid shadow.

Passive Skills

airborne Characterized as being in the air and is not blocked by Wings.  'airborne' can be removed by the Web skill. burrow Enters play with the burrowed status effect.  (Exclusive to Graboid) chimera When summoned all creatures on the owner's side of the board are combined (and their images removed) to form the attack and HP stats of this creature.  All previous status effects are removed and momentum and gravity pull are added.  (Exclusive to Chimera) devourer Converts a random quantum of the opponent into for the creature's owner during the creature's attack phase.  (Exclusive to Devourer) mummy Transforms into a Pharaoh when targeted with Reverse Time.  (Exclusive to Mummy) poisonous When devoured, causes infection to the devouring creature. swarm During the attack phase, the difference in the number between this turn and last turn of the owner's similar creatures is added to the creature's current HP.  (Exclusive to Scarab) ranged Not blocked by Wings. voodoo Non-lethal damage is also inflicted on opponent.  Poison counter is copied to opponent.  Freeze and Delay are copied to opponent's weapon slot.  (Exclusive to Voodoo Doll)

Status Effects
Status Effects are conditions applied to creatures (and in some instances to permanents) by spells and abilities.  They may affect what happens to the creature during the attack phase or change how it is affected by other spells and abilities.

(http://imageplay.net/)

Status Effects

Adrenaline (http://elementswiki.co.cc/ability/adrenaline/) Allows the creature to have multiple attack attempts per attack phase.  The number of attack attempts (and subsequent damage) is determined by the creature's attack power.  The venom, deadly venom, and nuerotoxin skills and the 'devourer' passive skill are only triggered on the first and last attack attempt of that turn.  Additional applications have no effect. Aflatoxin On death the creature generates a Malignant Cell.  Does not apply to Malignant Cells, Phoenixes, and creatures that perform a self-sacrifice. Burrowed The creature can not be targeted.  It is also not affected by spells that affect all creatures (e.g. Firestorm), or abilities that affect the field (Flooding).  A burrowed creature can still be affected by shields.  The burrowed status is not copied to a new Deja Vu. Delayed The creature or weapon is unable to attack or use its activated or end-of-turn automatic skill.  Condition is removed during the attack phase after a specified number of attack attempts. Infection/Poison The creature takes damage equal to the poison counter each attack attempt. Immortal/Protected The creature or permanent can not be targeted.  It is also not affected by spells that affect all creatures (e.g. Firestorm), or abilities that affect the field (Flooding).  An immortal creature can still be affected by shields. Invulnerable (info box) The creature can not be targeted.  It is also not affected by spells that affect all creatures (e.g. Firestorm), or abilities that affect the field (Flooding).  An immortal creature can still be affected by shields. Frozen The creature or weapon is unable to attack or use its activated or end-of-turn automatic skill.  Condition is removed during the attack phase after a specified number of attack attempts.  Quintessence or Immortality cast on the creature will also remove the frozen status. Gravity Pull The opposing creatures inflict their attack damage to this creature during their attack phase until the creature has died.  A new application removes any previous application from a creature on the same side of the board.  Twin Universe and Deja Vu does not copy the condition to the newly summoned twin. Momentum Allows the creature or weapon to ignore shields.  Can be removed with the 'lobotomize' skill. Mutation (info box) When generated the creature is given a randomly assigned primary skill (with cost of 1 or 2 of the same element as the creature), a random increase in full attack and HP of 0-4, and the current attack and HP will be set to full.  The mutation status is removed if the creature is made invulnerable.

Possible mutation abilities: Hatch, Freeze, Burrow, Destroy, Steal, Dive, Heal, Momentum, Paradox, Lycanthropy, Scavenger, Infection, Gravity Pull, Devour, Mutation, Growth, Ablaze, Poison, Deja Vu, or Immaterial.

Transformations
A creature can transform into other creatures to gain new skills either inherently or through the use of external spells and abilities.
When transformed:

• The old creature does not die, so no death effects are triggered.
• The new creature is not summoned, so it remains in the same spot and is not subject to an additional summoning sickness.  However, if the transformation was activated by the same creature it will have the summoning sickness.
• Attack, HP, primary skill, and passive skills are changed to match the new creature's standard stats.
• All status effects are reapplied to the new creature.  (Exception: Evolve removes burrow and invulnerable).  The Mutation status will change the creature's skill and stats accordingly.

Transformations

Graboid Evolves into Shrieker Ash is Reborn into Phoenix Mummy is Reverse Time'd into Pharaoh Fate Egg or mutant Hatches into a random creature Any targeted creature can be Mutated into a random creature

Some creatures can not be a result of Hatch/Mutation: any flying weapon, Ash, Malignant Cell, Chimera, Fate Egg, Devonian Dragon, Scarab, and Immortal.

Info Box
Hovering the mouse over a creature will display its information box.

(http://imageplay.net/)

Current ATK and Current HP - These are the creature's stats for this turn and are the same as displayed on the creature's image.

Full ATK - This is what the creature's attack will eventually return to after the Dive or Steam abilities have expired.

Full HP - The maximum HP the current HP can be increased to by using the Holy Light spell or the Heal skill.

Frozen/Delayed - The turns remaining before the particular effect is removed from the creature.

invulnerable/mutation indication - This displays if the creature is either invulnerable (can not be targeted) or has the mutation status.  A creature can not have both status effects.

Attack order - The number in the middle of the box indicates when this creature will attack respective to other creatures on the same side of the board.

Current and full attack and HP can be a maximum of 499.  The minimum attack is -499.
All attack and HP buffs affect both the Current and Full stats except: Dive, Scavenger, Steam, Swarm and Unburrow.
The Full attack and HP can not be decreased except by the destruction of the global buff Nightfall (affects Death and Darkness creatures).

Special Permanents
Some permanents have additional traits not common to creatures or other permanents.  Weapons, shields, and the initial mark also have a reserved spot that may not be inhabited by other permanents.

Quanta-producing Permanents
Pillars and pendulums differ from other permanents in the following ways:

• They are not restricted to the normal 6-card limit when building a deck.
• They do not display their primary ability, generating quanta.
• They can be targeted by the Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nymph's Tears abilities.
• They will be stacked in the same permanent slot if they are of the same type, element, and upgrade status.
• Upgraded pillars and pendulums have a spell like effect of generating quanta when played.

Marks
A Mark is similar to a pillar in that it provides a quantum of the specified element during the attack phase and does not display this ability.  Every player chooses a mark when creating a deck and that mark is automatically integrated into their permanents section (slot 5) when they begin a game.  This initial standard mark can not be targeted and does not count as an additional card when creating a deck.  Additional Marks may be gained by redeeming codes from tournament (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,6997.0.html) wins and behave as other quanta producing permanents with the exceptions that they are limited to 6 in a deck and can not be targeted by Nymph's Tears.  However, if an additional Mark is included in the deck that is both un-upgraded and the same element as the standard mark it will stack with the standard mark when played and will gain the targeting protection.

Shields
Shields have the reserved permanent slot 4.  When a shield is played it will replace any shield already in the slot.  Damage reducing shields only reduce positive physical damage and will not reduce damage below zero.  Shields that give attacks a chance to miss affect only positive physical damage and apply to both creatures and weapon permanents.  Shields that cause a status effect or damage only do so to creatures that have inflicted positive damage that turn.

Weapons
Weapons have the reserved permanent slot 10 (which means they will act after all the other permanents on that row).  All weapons have an attack that is only displayed on the weapon card.  Using the Flying Weapon spell will cause the weapon permanent to vanish and a weapon creature will be summoned.  The weapon creature's attack and skill will match the weapon permanent and the HP is determined by the weapon type.  All flying weapons have the 'airborne' passive skill.  Status effects (immortality, frozen, delayed) will not transfer from the weapon permanent to the weapon creature.

Spells and Skill effects
Spell damage is different from physical damage and may be reflected by shields with the reflect ability, but is otherwise unaffected by shields.  Poison is the infliction of a status effect and can not be reflected.  Spells and skills that do not require a target will take effect immediately without the option for cancellation.  Spells and skills that require a target will display a reticle around eligible targets, however not all eligible targets may be affected by the spell or ability.  Quanta refunds are only provided to canceled spells.

List of Abilities (http://elementswiki.co.cc/basics/abilities/)

Abilities with further elaboration
Antimatter - Antimatter is not a status effect; it only multiplies the target creature's attack by -1, so that when it makes an attack attempt the attack power is added to the opponent.  (Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding a positive version of that number).  The vampire skill causes the amount a creature subtracts from the opponent to be added to its owner.  Therefore an antimattered vampire will subtract HPs from its owner.  The nightfall effect adds to a Death or Darkness creature's attack and when removed will subtract the same amount from the attack.  Thus a creature with -4 attack under nightfall will have a -5 attack when nightfall is removed.  Antimatter does not apply to primary skills, so the bonus damage of hammer, bow, and fiery (Fahrenheit) are still added to the creature's attack when it strikes.  Antimatter does not remove primary skills so venom, deadly venom, and neurotoxin will still take effect as normal on a successful attack.  Negative attacks are not affected by damage absorbing (Dissipation and Bonewall), damage reducing, or damage evasion (Fog and Dusk) shields because the attack is not considered "damage".  Shields that cause effects to creatures (Ice, Fire, Thorn, Procrastination) also do not affect antimattered attacks.  Wings, Gravity, and Phase shields will block the appropriate antimattered creatures.  Dive resets the creature's attack to the full attack after one attack attempt, so a creature with -4 attack will attack with -8 by using Dive, but then its attack will change to 4.

Twin Universe and Deja Vu - When a copy is produced by these abilities, the new creature is summoned to the board and will be of the same type as the original creature.  If there is no room the effect will not take place, though the cost for deja vu will be subtracted.  The deja vu skill is removed immediately before the new creature is summoned so neither copy will have it once it is used.  In the case of Twin Universe the creature's primary skill and activation cost are copied to the new creature.  Because it is newly summoned it will suffer the summoning sickness for an activated skill.  All status effects transfer to the new creature except Burrow and Gravity Pull.  All passive skills will be present on the twin that may have been removed from the original (airborne).  The creature's current and full stats will be copied as is--Dive will not reset the new creature's current attack unless the new creature uses the Dive skill itself.  The mutation status will add a new primary skill to the copy, copy the previous creature's full attack and HP and add 0-4 to each, and set the current attack and HP to full.

Burrow and Unburrow - The skill Burrow will gives the burrowed and invulnerable status effects to a creature as well as dividing its current attack in half rounded down.  The skill Burrow is removed and replaced with the skill Unburrow for zero cost.  Using the skill Unburrow removes both the burrowed and invulnerable status even if the creature was given the immaterial status effect previously.  Transforming the creature or targeting it with TU will cause the immaterial symbol to reapply.  Unburrow is replaced with Burrow with the cost of 1 regardless of the cost of Burrow previously.  The creature's current attack is doubled when unburrowing.  A creature that starts with -3 attack will become -2 when burrowed and then -4 when unburrowed again.

[jmizzle7]

Let me be the first to say that this is a killer thread. Good job.

[smuglapse]

Let me be the first to say that this is a killer thread. Good job.

I appreciate that.  Much of it is amalgamated from your replies to confused people.   

[jmdt]

This is a great work and should probably end up as a sticky and/or in the nood section.

[Scaredgirl]

Very cool. I see a lot of work has gone into this. Thanks for posting it.

Now the problem is that there might be too much stuff here. Soon you will reach the one-post letter limit. Also the bigger the wall-of-text is, the more difficult it is to use.

We will probably have to either split this into multiple topics, or use a table of contents that has links to anchors inside your post. I can do that for you if you don't know how.

[Daytripper]

I know how these people must feel. Some of the cards absolutely blew my mind and the short discription is not enough to see what an effect really does.

At one point the AI was denying me my attacks. He had no shield. I thought the game was broken. But then I saw whenever that happened a sundial? would explode, but much later. Who figured they'd do that from the line of text on it.

That just keeps happening. Whenever a new card is used against me I barely know what it does unless I read about it or try it myself. So I say always read the wiki or threads like these.

Thanks

Day

[smuglapse]

Very cool. I see a lot of work has gone into this. Thanks for posting it.

Now the problem is that there might be too much stuff here. Soon you will reach the one-post letter limit. Also the bigger the wall-of-text is, the more difficult it is to use.

We will probably have to either split this into multiple topics, or use a table of contents that has links to anchors inside your post. I can do that for you if you don't know how.

Thanks.  Are anchors the same as linking to specific messages in other topics?  Also, will the letter limit display a warning before posting or just cut off the last "however-many" letters from the end of the post?

(Going to bed now.    )

[Scaredgirl]

Very cool. I see a lot of work has gone into this. Thanks for posting it.

Now the problem is that there might be too much stuff here. Soon you will reach the one-post letter limit. Also the bigger the wall-of-text is, the more difficult it is to use.

We will probably have to either split this into multiple topics, or use a table of contents that has links to anchors inside your post. I can do that for you if you don't know how.

Thanks.  Are anchors the same as linking to specific messages in other topics?  Also, will the letter limit display a warning before posting or just cut off the last "however-many" letters from the end of the post?

(Going to bed now.    )

Anchors are a bit different. Instead of linking to a specific url (like a specific reply in a topic), they link to a specific line of text in your post.

Here's an example: http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,1190.0.html . When you click the "Aether" at the top, it jumps down to Aether part of the post using an anchor.

How was it done?

1. Insert an anchor somewhere inside your post.

Code: [Select]

[anchor=aether]Aether[/anchor]2. Insert a link that points to the anchor you just made.

Code: [Select]

[url=#aether]Aether[/iurl]
When you go over the limit, you will get a warning when trying to post. No text is cut off.

[Dragoon]

Wow!  That is some fantastic work smuglapse.  Not only is it comprehensive and informative, it is very well written and organized with some awesomely descriptive pictures.  Heck, I'd even say it's beautiful.  This most definitely needs to go somewhere stickied so we can easily point new players to this thread.  +Karma for all the hard work.

[Gyrodiot]

This post is truly awesome ! Great work...

Maybe all these information could be added on the Wiki ?

This post is truly awesome (because I had to say it again !)

+ Karma too !

[PuppyChow]

Amazing job, Smuglapse. +Karma, obviously.

Oh, and this will require a lot of upkeep when new cards come out with new status effects and such .

[jmdt]

Soon you will reach the one-post letter limit.

What exactly is the limit?  I've always been worried my ttw thread would run over.