# MONSTRA — Playtest Rulebook v1.19

**Status:** Playtest rules v1.19. Each player team selects twelve different creatures and twelve different tactics from its own collection for either a duel or a Rift Guardian mission. Shuffle the two decks separately. Two creatures start active; the other ten form a face-down replacement deck. The shared Rift Guardian pack has two difficulty versions of one boss and twelve different behavior cards. Rift Snare works in both modes. The five printed signs are Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Mythic. A provisional third-knockout loss and twelve-round limit in both modes require physical playtesting. The current collection offers 30 creatures and 25 tactic designs in one shared tactic pool. All wording intended for printed cards is in English.

## 1. What is Monstra?

Monstra is a creature battle card game for **2 or 4 players in a duel**, or **1 or 2 players in the Rift Guardian mission**. Each team brings its own twelve-creature deck and twelve-card tactic deck. Two creatures fight at once; the other creatures wait face down to replace knockouts. A phone may track health and animate moves, but every rule works with physical cards and tokens alone. The [quick reference](monstra-quick-reference.html) starts with a five-step guide for a first game.

- **2 players:** each controls one team deck: twelve distinct creature cards and twelve distinct tactics, with two creatures active at a time.
- **4 players:** two teams of two; each team brings **one** twelve-creature and twelve-tactic deck, shares energy and tactics, and assigns one active slot to each partner. The partner whose creature is acting makes that creature's move and decides whether to spend the team's one tactic and shared energy before the move, after discussing it with their partner. A replacement stays under the control of the partner assigned to that slot. Do not double the team's deck size.
- **Solo or cooperative mission:** one player controls both active creatures, or two players control one each against the boss; knocked-out creatures are replaced from the shared player deck.
- **Expected length:** to be measured with the new format.
- **Win:** cause the opposing team's third creature knockout, or win the 12-round tiebreak.

The starter game uses one arena with no movement or range. Every attack can target either living enemy unless its text says otherwise. This keeps the board, cards and future AR display compatible.

## 2. Contents for one duel

| Item | Quantity | Purpose |
| --- | ---: | --- |
| Creature cards | 24 per duel | Each team chooses twelve different cards from its collection; two start active and ten form a replacement deck |
| Tactic cards | 24 | Each team independently chooses exactly twelve different designs from cards it owns |
| Health dials or damage counters | Four active dials, plus a knockout counter per team | Track current health; printed HP is the maximum |
| Energy counters | 5 per team | Shared resource |
| Shield counters | 6 per creature | Absorb damage |
| Burn, Poison and Slow markers | Several | Temporary effects |
| First-team marker | 1 | Break speed ties; alternates each round |
| Revive-used marker | 1 when using Fenara | Track the once-per-battle revival choice |
| First-use marker | 1 when using Vharax | Track the energy drain on the first use of Triune Ruin |
| Arena mat and quick-reference sheet | 1 each | Choose the [duel mat](monstra-arena-mat.html) or [Rift Guardian mission mat](monstra-mission-mat.html); both have card, counter and condition spaces |

A future play-ready Basic Set should contain **exactly twelve random, different creature designs and twelve random, different tactic designs**. Two such sets support a duel. The packing process must remove duplicate designs within each set and respect the one-premium-per-deck limit; a buyer can play immediately without another purchase. Booster packs add collection choices but need not be playable alone. A shared Rift Guardian mission pack contains two difficulty versions of the **same** boss (Standard and Expert) and twelve different behavior cards; only one boss version is used in a mission. A future boss can have its own pack with the same structure.

## 3. Card types and required printed information

### Creature card

**Front:** name, artwork, a coloured sign symbol, DNA symbol and evolution level, arrow symbol and Speed (1–3), heart symbol and maximum HP, basic move name and damage, signature move name, energy cost and exact effect, a public 18-digit copy identifier and an edition code. The card must work without scanning. EVO 1 identifies the creature's current form and has no gameplay effect in this starter ruleset. The quick reference explains the four header symbols.

**No separate Attack or Defense number:** damage belongs to each move, and defense is represented by Shield. This leaves more room for artwork and readable effects.

**Back:** the same Monstra design on all gameplay copies. A public card identifier such as `FLA-01` identifies the design, not a unique physical copy.

### Tactic card

**Front:** name, category (`TACTIC`), energy cost, timing (`Before your creature acts`), target, full effect, collector number, artwork and edition/rarity. In the starter set, a team may play **one tactic per round**. Every tactic goes to its team's discard pile after use.

**Back:** one common design for all tactics so the hidden deck remains fair.

### Ownership information

A private activation secret or serial number for account registration is **separate from the public gameplay text**. It can be concealed with scratch material or supplied as a sealed insert paired with that physical copy. Scanning and account ownership never gate an offline duel.

## 4. Build a deck from your collection

For either mode, each player (or two-player team) selects **exactly twelve different creature cards** and **exactly twelve different tactic cards it owns**. Creature cards and tactic cards form **two separate face-down decks** and are shuffled separately. Both deck sizes are exact. A collector may own duplicates, but only one copy of any design may enter a chosen deck. Both sides may choose different legal compositions.

- No repeated creature name in a team deck. Among Fenara (Founder), Aurelith, Vharax, Umbrael and Veloryn (Mythic Holo), include **at most one** total. This preliminary limit lets rare premium creatures feel special without stacking several on one side. Other Mythic-sign creatures are not restricted by this premium rule.
- Include **one copy maximum of each tactic design**. Physical ownership is required; a QR code does not create an extra copy.
- All **25 tactic designs (TAC-01 through TAC-25)** belong to one collection. Choose any twelve different owned designs. There is no mandatory starter recipe or separate mission tactic group.
- In a Rift Guardian mission, use the same 12/12 player deck and one shared boss pack. Rift Snare deals 2 normal damage to the boss instead of draining energy. The same knockout and replacement rule applies.

Common cards may be more frequent in booster packs and premium creatures rarer, but pack frequency does not increase a deck's card limit. A proposed premium booster guarantees at least one holographic creature; pack contents and exact rarity odds remain a separate product decision to set after physical balance tests. Collectors can own duplicates even though match decks cannot include duplicate designs.

### The single 25-design tactic pool

Each design may appear once in a chosen twelve-card deck. All costs use team energy; the new TAC-15–25 effects are playtest proposals.

| ID | Tactic | Cost | Effect |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| TAC-01 | Mending Brew | 1 | Heal one allied creature for 3. |
| TAC-02 | Stone Ward | 1 | Give one allied creature 3 Shield. |
| TAC-03 | Spark Reserve | 0 | Gain 1 team energy, up to 5. |
| TAC-04 | Strike Focus | 1 | Acting creature's move deals +2 damage this turn. |
| TAC-05 | Purifying Mist | 1 | Remove one condition type from an ally; if none is present, draw one tactic. |
| TAC-06 | Rift Snare | 1 | A player opponent loses 1 energy, or deal 2 normal damage to Rift Guardian. |
| TAC-07 | Rally | 1 | Heal the acting creature 2; its move deals +1 damage. |
| TAC-08 | Riftbreaker | 1 | Remove up to 2 Shield before the acting creature's damaging move; deal +1 damage. |
| TAC-09 | Battle Insight | 1 | Draw one tactic; acting creature's move deals +1 damage. |
| TAC-10 | Twin Ward | 1 | After the acting creature's damaging move, give each living ally 2 Shield. |
| TAC-11 | Tactical Exchange | 0 | Discard one other tactic, then draw up to two; another tactic in hand is required. |
| TAC-12 | Marked Prey | 1 | Acting creature's move deals +1; if its ally damages the same target later this round, that move deals +1. |
| TAC-13 | Battle Tempo | 1 | Acting creature's move deals +1 and its Speed gains 1 next round (maximum 3). |
| TAC-14 | Piercing Sigil | 2 | Acting creature's basic move this turn damages HP directly and leaves Shield unchanged. |
| TAC-15 | Ember Oath | 1 | Acting creature's damaging move deals +1; if it applies Burn, gain 1 team energy (maximum 5). |
| TAC-16 | Flameguard | 1 | Give one ally 2 Shield. If it had Burn before this tactic, remove Burn and give 1 more Shield. |
| TAC-17 | Tidal Renewal | 2 | Heal each living allied creature for 2. |
| TAC-18 | Undertow | 1 | Remove up to 2 Shield from one enemy or the boss. If it had no Shield before the tactic, draw one tactic. |
| TAC-19 | Iron Bark | 1 | Give one ally 2 Shield. If it had Shield before this tactic, also heal it for 2. |
| TAC-20 | Quake Step | 2 | Acting creature's damaging move deals +1 and applies Slow if the target survives. |
| TAC-21 | Updraft | 1 | Acting creature's Speed becomes 3 for next round's action order. |
| TAC-22 | Swift Current | 0 | Draw one tactic, then discard one tactic from your hand. |
| TAC-23 | Moonlit Bargain | 0 | Acting creature loses up to 2 HP, never below 1; gain that much team energy (maximum 5). This HP loss ignores Shield. |
| TAC-24 | Mirror Ward | 2 | Give one ally 3 Shield, then draw one tactic. |
| TAC-25 | Last Stand | 1 | Acting creature's damaging move deals +3 if it has 5 HP or less when this tactic is played; otherwise +1. |

## 5. Setup

1. Each team shuffles its **twelve chosen creature cards** separately from its tactics. Reveal the top **two** creatures face up in the arena; keep the other ten face down as the replacement deck. Creatures enter at printed maximum HP with no Shield or conditions. Use the same setup in a mission.
2. Shuffle each team's own **12-card tactic deck** and draw **three** cards. No mulligan in this version.
3. Both teams begin with **0 energy**. In a duel, choose the first team at random and give it the marker. A mission has no first-team marker; player creatures win Speed ties against the boss.
4. Begin round one with the normal Refresh step. That step gives both teams their first **2 energy**; do not add energy separately during setup.

Opposing teams may use the same creature design if each owns a physical copy. A team cannot include two cards with the same creature name.

## 6. Round sequence

### A. Refresh

1. Each team gains **2 energy**, up to a maximum of **5**. Unspent energy carries over. Do not remove Shield during Refresh.
2. Beginning in round two, each team draws **one tactic**. Maximum hand size is **5**; discard down to five immediately after **any** draw if needed. If the deck is empty, do not draw.
3. Write down the action order using current Speed. Resolve ties in favor of the team holding the first-team marker; within one team, its controller chooses the order. An effect applied later in the round cannot reorder actions already set.

### B. Creature actions

Each living creature takes **one action**, in the order set above. When its turn comes, its team may first play one tactic if it has not played a tactic this round, then choose one action:

- **Basic move:** pay 0 energy and resolve the printed damage/effect.
- **Signature move:** pay the printed energy cost from the team's pool, then resolve the printed damage/effect. The action is unavailable if the team cannot pay.
- **Guard:** pay 0 energy and give **3 Shield** to one allied living creature, including itself. A creature may hold at most **6 Shield**. Shield remains until damage uses it or the battle ends.

Playing a tactic does **not** consume the creature's action. A bonus to a creature's move applies to the move it makes this turn; if it chooses Guard or a non-damaging move, the unused bonus expires at the end of its action. A defeated creature cannot act or receive healing/Shield. If it was defeated before its scheduled action, that action is skipped.

**Replacement:** if an active creature is defeated and the team has fewer than three knockouts, draw the top card of its shuffled creature deck and reveal it **immediately into the vacant active slot**. It can be targeted by later actions this round but cannot act until the **next round**, because it was not in the order set at Refresh. Use this rule in both modes. If the replacement deck is empty, the team cannot fill the slot.

For **Riftbreaker**, remove up to 2 Shield from the chosen enemy immediately before that creature's damaging move. This removal is separate from damage; then resolve the move with +1 damage against any remaining Shield and HP. If the creature Guards or uses a non-damaging move, Riftbreaker has no effect. **Battle Insight** draws immediately when played, subject to the normal five-card hand limit; its +1 damage applies only to the acting creature's move this turn.

### C. Finish

Resolve effects that explicitly say “at round end.” Then pass the first-team marker to the other team. Begin the next round. A team loses on its **third creature knockout**. If it cannot fill an empty active slot because its replacement deck is empty, it also loses when no active creature remains. These knockout thresholds are provisional playtest values.

## 7. Damage, healing and conditions

- **Damage:** remove Shield first, then lower current HP by the remainder. HP cannot fall below 0.
- **Healing:** raise current HP, never above printed maximum. Healing does not restore a defeated creature unless an effect explicitly says **revive**.
- **Shield:** damage absorption, maximum 6 per creature. It remains on that creature between rounds until damage uses it; do not clear it during Refresh. A defeated creature loses its remaining Shield.
- **Burn:** at the end of that creature's **next action**, it takes 1 damage, then remove Burn. A new Burn refreshes the duration; Burn does not stack.
- **Poison:** place two Poison counters. At the end of each of that creature's next two actions, it takes 1 damage and removes one counter. A new Poison resets it to two counters; it does not stack above two.
- **Slow:** its Speed is reduced by 1 (minimum 1) for the **next round's action order**. Remove Slow after that creature's action in that next round. A new Slow refreshes, never stacks.
- **Cleanse:** remove one named condition type (Burn, all Poison counters, or Slow) from the chosen creature. It does not remove Shield.

Damage from Burn and Poison ignores Shield, because it is loss of HP caused by a condition. A condition applied before its target acts can trigger at the end of that action in the same round. Slow still affects only the next round's action order. Effects always resolve in the order printed. If an effect asks for an impossible part, resolve the other possible parts. Spark Reserve's energy may be used immediately for the acting creature's signature move.

## 8. End of game and edge cases

- A duel team loses on its **third knockout**. If both teams suffer a third knockout from one effect, the duel is a draw. A revived creature does not erase a knockout already recorded.
- At the end of **round 12**, if both duel teams are still playing, first compare their recorded knockouts. The team with fewer wins. If tied, compare combined current HP of the **active** creatures; higher wins, equal totals are a draw. Unrevealed creatures are not counted. The mission also lasts at most twelve rounds but has its own victory conditions.
- When an effect says “ally,” it may target the acting creature unless it says “other ally.”
- A revived creature returns at the stated HP without conditions or Shield and first acts in the **next round**. It enters an empty active slot; if both slots are occupied, place it face up beside the replacement deck and deploy it before drawing a new creature when a slot next opens. Revival does not erase a recorded knockout or add a thirteenth design to the deck.
- Fenara's revival choice may be used only once per battle; place the revive-used marker when it happens. Her damage choice remains available later.
- Vharax's Triune Ruin deals 5 damage whenever it is used. Only its **first use in that battle** also makes the opposing team lose 1 energy (minimum 0). Mark that first use even if the opponent already has 0 energy.
- Tactic cards may only be played before **your own** creature's action; there are no reaction windows in the first version.

## 9. First creature roster

The original eleven creatures, fifteen selected expansion creatures and four Mythic Holo creatures each use exactly one of five printed signs: the four classical elements plus Mythic. Signs express origin and visual identity and give **no strength, weakness or team bonus**. Their counts need not be equal. Ice is a Water ability, so Ilyra bears the Water sign even though her moves use frost. Storm and wind belong to Air, so Volkar and Zephyra bear the Air sign. Mythic covers creatures whose origin is not one of the four elements, including shadow, luminous magic and dawn. Ice, Aether and Dawn may still appear in artwork and move names, but are not printed signs. Expansion and Mythic Holo move values remain playtest values.

| Sign | Creatures |
| --- | --- |
| Fire | Flaro, Pyris, Brekor, Skarix |
| Earth | Brumel, Korun, Vexa, Tavros, Gravik, Sporun |
| Water | Neru, Ilyra, Thalune, Ophira, Brinax |
| Air | Volkar, Zephyra, Aerion, Vespera |
| Mythic | Sivra, Lumek, Fenara, Orynn, Astryra, Wevara, Nulori, Aurelith, Vharax, Umbrael, Veloryn |

Fenara is a **Mythic** creature in the Founder edition. Aurelith, Vharax, Umbrael and Veloryn are **Mythic Holo** playtest cards. Holographic artwork has no gameplay effect. Their stronger, higher-cost moves and the one-premium-per-deck rule need physical testing.

| Creature | HP | SPD | Basic | Signature |
| --- | ---: | ---: | --- | --- |
| Flaro | 14 | 3 | Ember Pounce: 3 damage | Flame Spiral (2 EN): 5 damage; apply Burn. |
| Brumel | 17 | 1 | Root Slam: 2 damage | Verdant Shelter (2 EN): 2 damage; heal an ally 3. |
| Sivra | 13 | 3 | Shade Claw: 3 damage | Night Leech (2 EN): 4 damage; heal self 2. |
| Volkar | 15 | 2 | Storm Claw: 3 damage | Thunder Snare (2 EN): 4 damage; enemy team loses 1 energy. |
| Neru | 16 | 2 | Tide Strike: 2 damage | Mending Wave (2 EN): 2 damage; heal an ally 4. |
| Korun | 18 | 1 | Granite Fist: 3 damage | Stone Bastion (2 EN): 2 damage; give an ally 3 Shield. |
| Ilyra | 14 | 2 | Ice Shard: 3 damage | Frost Bind (2 EN): 4 damage; apply Slow. |
| Zephyra | 12 | 3 | Gust Slash: 3 damage | Wind Veil (2 EN): 3 damage; gain 2 Shield. |
| Lumek | 14 | 2 | Glimmer Tap: 3 damage | Lantern Flash (2 EN): 3 damage; draw one tactic. |
| Vexa | 13 | 2 | Spore Claw: 3 damage | Venom Bloom (2 EN): 4 damage; apply Poison. |
| Fenara | 15 | 2 | Dawn Talon: 4 damage | Phoenix Pact (4 EN): choose 5 damage or revive a defeated ally at 5 HP (revive once per battle). |
| Tavros | 17 | 1 | Maze Horn: 2 damage | Labyrinth Guard (2 EN): 3 damage; gain 2 Shield. |
| Pyris | 12 | 3 | Glass Claw: 3 damage | Magma Flash (2 EN): 4 damage; apply Burn. |
| Thalune | 19 | 1 | Coral Ram: 3 damage | Reef Refuge (2 EN): 1 damage; gain 4 Shield. |
| Aerion | 13 | 3 | Sky Talon: 3 damage | Cloud Dive (2 EN): 3 damage; apply Slow. |
| Orynn | 16 | 1 | Omen Claw: 2 damage | Star Omen (2 EN): 3 damage; opposing team loses 1 energy. |
| Astryra | 13 | 3 | Moon Thread: 2 damage | Astral Bloom (2 EN): 3 damage; heal an ally 2. |
| Gravik | 18 | 1 | Jade Claw: 2 damage | Stone Roll (2 EN): 3 damage; gain 2 Shield. |
| Sporun | 17 | 1 | Shell Press: 2 damage | Garden Rain (2 EN): 2 damage; heal an ally 3. |
| Brekor | 15 | 2 | Ember Tusk: 3 damage | Furnace Rush (2 EN): 4 damage; apply Burn. |
| Skarix | 12 | 3 | Glass Pincer: 3 damage | Sun Prism (2 EN): 4 damage; opposing team loses 1 energy. |
| Ophira | 15 | 2 | Tide Reach: 2 damage | Eightfold Tide (2 EN): 3 damage; heal self 2. |
| Vespera | 14 | 3 | Night Swoop: 3 damage | Storm Wing (2 EN): 3 damage; opposing team loses 1 energy. |
| Wevara | 14 | 2 | Glass Thread: 2 damage | Portal Thread (2 EN): 3 damage; draw one tactic. |
| Nulori | 16 | 1 | Star Nudge: 2 damage | Orbit Ward (2 EN): 2 damage; give an ally 3 Shield. |
| Brinax | 15 | 2 | Coral Claw: 3 damage | Breakwater Grip (2 EN): 3 damage; give one ally 2 Shield. |
| Aurelith | 16 | 2 | Radiant Horn: 3 damage | Celestial Oath (4 EN): 4 damage; give one allied creature 3 Shield. |
| Vharax | 17 | 1 | Eclipse Fang: 3 damage | Triune Ruin (3 EN): 5 damage; on the first use per battle, opposing team loses 1 energy. |
| Umbrael | 18 | 2 | Halo Rend: 3 damage | Eclipse Verdict (4 EN): remove up to 2 Shield from the target, deal 6 damage, then give Umbrael 2 Shield. |
| Veloryn | 16 | 2 | Starcurrent: 3 damage | Prism Tide (3 EN): 5 damage; remove one Burn, Poison or Slow from an ally. |

## 10. Solo / cooperative mission: Rift Guardian

One player controls both active creatures; alternatively two players control one each. Their shared personal deck contains **twelve different creatures and twelve different tactics**, as in a duel. Two creatures begin active and a knocked-out creature is replaced from the shuffled player creature deck. A **third player-creature knockout** loses the mission, even if other creatures remain in the deck. Rift Snare deals 2 normal damage to the Guardian, so Shield absorbs it first. Shuffle the twelve tactics and draw three. Use the normal energy rules. The shared Rift Guardian pack contains **two boss cards** (Standard and Expert versions of the same boss) and **twelve different behavior cards**, fourteen physical cards total. Choose **one** boss version per mission; do not put both in play. Standard has **44 HP**, Expert has **48 HP**; both have **Speed 2** and no energy or tactics. Shuffle all twelve behavior cards at setup; reveal one at the start of each round and discard it after use. The mission lasts at most twelve rounds, so each behavior can appear once and the discard is not reshuffled.

The boss acts once per round in Speed order. On a tie, player creatures act first. It does not play tactics or Guard unless its behavior says so. When a behavior targets a creature and several qualify, the players choose among tied targets.

The boss can receive Burn, Poison and Slow; they follow the normal rules using its action as the timing point. Its Shield persists between rounds until damage uses it, just like player Shield.

| Behavior | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| Crushing Claw | Deal 8 damage to the living player creature with the lowest current HP. |
| Rift Pulse | Deal 6 damage to each living player creature. |
| Stone Mantle | Boss gains 4 Shield; deal 5 damage to the living player creature with the lowest current HP. |
| Energy Break | Player team loses 1 energy; deal 6 damage to the living player creature with the highest current HP. |
| Dark Renewal | Boss heals 4 HP; deal 5 damage to the living player creature with the lowest current HP. |
| Rushing Fang | Deal 7 damage to the living player creature with the highest printed Speed. |
| Rift Fracture | Remove up to 3 Shield from the living player creature with the most Shield; then deal it 6 damage. If all living creatures have 0 Shield, use the normal tied-target choice. |
| Void Blight | Deal 5 damage to the living player creature with the highest current HP, then apply Poison to it if it survives. Poison follows the normal two-counter rule. |
| Gravity Well | Deal 5 damage to the living player creature with the highest printed Speed. Apply Slow to each player creature still living after the attack. Slow affects its next round's action order. |
| Mana Maw | Player team loses up to 2 energy. The boss gains Shield equal to energy actually lost, up to the normal Shield maximum of 6. Deal 5 damage to the living player creature with the highest current HP. |
| Null Tempest | Remove up to 3 Shield from each living player creature, then deal 5 damage to each. Resolve Shield removal before damage. |
| Cinder Rift | Deal 4 damage to each living player creature. Then apply Burn to the living one with the highest current HP; if tied, players choose. |

In **both versions**, the player team wins immediately if it defeats the boss **and at least one player creature survives that action**, provided it has suffered fewer than three knockouts. If the third knockout occurs simultaneously with the boss's defeat, the boss wins.

- **Standard:** the team may also **seal the Rift**. After all actions and condition damage in round 12, it wins if it has suffered fewer than three knockouts, at least one creature is alive and the boss has **8 HP or less**. Otherwise the boss wins. This alternative gives defensive teams a route to victory without dealing all 44 HP.
- **Expert:** there is **no seal victory**. Defeat the 48-HP boss by the end of round 12 while at least one player creature survives; otherwise the boss wins. The boss and its behavior cards are otherwise unchanged.

Both objectives are **balance prototypes**; compare their difficulty in physical playtests before production printing.

## 11. What to test before printing a production set

1. Duel length, number of rounds and how often tactics stay unused.
2. Whether the first-team marker or Speed creates an unfair opening.
3. Each creature's win rate across different partners, especially Fenara's revive and the four Mythic Holo cards.
4. Legibility of English move text on actual **63 × 88 mm** cards.
5. Whether all conditions can be tracked with a few physical tokens without the app.
6. Readability of the chosen Monstra logo as a small mark and full card-back design.

After these tests, freeze wording and numbers; then prepare production vector logos, illustrations, card backs, bleed, color profile and print proofs.