Beginner's guide 2.0 revamped

[diesbudt]

BASIC TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

Movement: Each character can move up to 5 spaces and attack on the same turn. This can be attack than move, or move than attack. But they can only move 1 time a turn per unit. (So you cannot move 3, attack, than move 2 more spaces).

--Sprint: If a unit does not attack on a turn, they may move an extra time of a random 2-7 spaces. You may only sprint every other turn, so be wary of it.
     ***This is an important ability for Heroes, as they can move, cast a spell, and then sprint back behind a wall to safety. Or if in trouble move and then sprint away.
     ***Remember, your Mage is the commander of your army and the only unit able to cast spells, so you should protect him/her from as much damage as possible. You should not try to move them out into the open or within 5 spaces of other chars unless you have a good reason too, or if you have access to a defensive spell or ability to protect you.

--Positioning: This is of high importance, and one of the key pieces of strategy in this game. As said before keeping your hero out in the open will spell disaster for them, as they will be at your opponent’s mercy. Also, keeping a hero too close to your opponents units is bad.
     ***Line-of-Sight (LoS): This is the key in range position strategy. If you don’t know where LoS is on a certain tile, there is an eye icon button on the bottom right of the screen; you can use that and click on a tile to see what is in line of sight on that tile.

Attacking: Attacking of course is the way to do damage. Each unit has the ability to roll X amount of dice (X = a units strength) against an adjacent unit (some exceptions). If any dice is equal to or greater than a units defense, they take 1 damage. Any dice though that rolls a natural 20, will always hit no matter how high defense is. A key thing to remember when attacking though, never over-extend your units and get them too close to be swarmed by all your opponents’ units, it will not turn out well.

--Mages: These units, are the most important on your team. (In chess it is like a King and Queen put together, without it your odds of winning are slim, and they are the most powerful). They can attack just like any other unit, but they can also cast spells from your hand (which you see at the bottom of the screen.) The mage also earns new abilities based on how much valor they have earned (explained a little later)
   
      ***Spells: You start the game off with 7 spell cards in your hand. To cast a spell, you must spend mana, which you start off each turn with 3. There are 5 schools of magic spells in the deck: Summon, Restoration, Augmentation, Manipulation and Destruction. At the end of a turn, all unused mana will convert into the number of cards you draw. ONLY a mage may cast a spell.
          **Summons â€" These are extra units you can summon onto the field adjacent to your mage. They are not as strong as your 3 starting units, but they each bring a special ability into the game and can be quite fierce. You may only have 1 summon card out on the field at any time (Unless your mage is a Summoner). The summoned card can move (and sprint) and attack on the first turn it is summoned.
          **Restoration â€" As you can guess these cards heal your units and ally units and don’t need much explaining.
          **Destruction â€" These cards are of course the spells that damage opposing units. Some spells hit all units in line of sight, some spells require you to be in melee range. These spells act just like an attack, and rolls X amount of dice specified on the spell.
          **Manipulation â€" This school is a variety of spells that can change the game drastically if used right. They can range from stunning a unit, to changing 2 units’ positions in line of sight on the map.
          **Augmentation â€" This school is basically the spells that buff and make friendly units stronger or more defensive, or debuff enemy units making them weaker or easier to hit.

--Guardians: These units are basically your mage’s “bodyguards”. Their job is to protect your hero and kill other units. Each guardian comes with 2 abilities they can use, and finding the perfect combo can help you overcome many horrible situations. Guardians cannot cast spells.

--Valor: Valor is used to unlock your mages abilities to make them stronger and gives them more resources to overcome difficult situations. Each mage has 3 unlockable abilities. (5 valor, 10 valor, and 15 valor)
     
     ***Ways to gain valor:
-Everytime one of your units attacks an opponent, you get 1 valor (up to a maximum of 3 valor a turn)
-If 2 different players attack one of your units between your turns, you will gain +4 valor as a “Ganging up rule”
-Also in multi-player games if you attack 2 different players’ units on the same turn, you will gain and additional 2 valor (for each other player you attack in the same turn)

Special Tips
-If you have a stunned unit (especially a mage) and do not have a paladin who can cure it with her ability Bless, you may have one of your own units attack the stunned character to free them from the stun. Yes you may take damage, but damage you can control (1-2) is better than sitting there next turn and allow your opponent to set up an all-out assault to finish the unit off.

-At the start of your turn, if you don’t like some or all of the cards in your hand you can just discard 3 (to draw 3 new cards from unused mana) and try to get a hand you can work with.

-Every spell and unit in the game is useful, some more than others however, as some require good planning or a combo to be most effective.

-Fireball, is a strong destruction spell (and sorceress ability) that can hit any unit in Line of sight, but also does damage to all units surrounding it. Sometimes your opponent will have 2 characters close but not touching, so what you can do to remedy this, is either send a high Def. guardian of yours, or summon you have out to stand on the space to “connect” them, than fireball your own unit.

-Don’t be too defensive or offensive. If you stay back and wait for your opponent to come, you are giving them time to make a better hand for better combos to beat you with. If you go at them too fast, odds are you will be too vulnerable if countered well. You have to find a middle ground. Position on the map is key! Like chess, whoever holds more of the board under their control, has the options to do more.

-Also the second most important tip of all time…. This game is about 60% luck. No matter how good someone is, no matter how well positioned or poised they are, if they can’t get the rolls to kill, they won’t win. Simple as That. But do remember this game does have plenty of skill (card combos, unit combos, positioning).

-The final most important tip: HAVE FUN.

Of course if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask me online or here on the forums.