Frustrated at what some of the mechanics actually do? Surprised that some effects provide unintended outcomes? In this very guide, we will cover the function and definition of each keyword, including their unique interactions, lest you are caught by surprise in-game!

While playing, hover your cursor over the words, logos and numbers. Most of the time, a tooltip will pop up! Those are the official descriptions, and they are very accurate and handy, and should be suffice to dispel some of your assumptions.

Before continuing, guide's formatting is as follows:

"Keyword" (Image reference number)
• Word for word description or summary given by the game when hovering over the keyword.
  
• Note: Additional info, usually revolving interaction with other mechanics.

You may view image references in the 'Gallery' section.
Use ctrl+f to to search efficiently! Add " " to the search field to accurately find keywords.

Below are phases of a match in the correct sequence.

Lane phase

There are four phases in each lane

• "Before the action phase"
  
  • Many reactive abilities trigger automatically. All triggers happen simultaneously.
    
  • Note: If the tower goes down, the Ancient that replaces it will still be immune. Since abilities trigger simultaneously, they can land on units with negative health.
• "Action phase"
  
  • Players alternate playing cards or abilities.
    
  • Note: Player with initiative will take the first action. Otherwise, Radiant goes first. When it is your turn, you will receive 5 invisible seconds before the timer begins ticking.
• "Combat phase"
  
  • Each unit battles its combat target simultaneously.
    
  • Note: Player without initiative passes their turn for the lane to enter this phase. Combat damage effects will trigger after the damage is dealt.
• "After the combat phase"
  
  • Many reactive abilities trigger automatically. All triggers happen simultaneously.
    
  • Note: This ends the lane, not the round. Hence, effects that last "this round" will persist until lane 3 ends. Similarly, effects that last until "the next combat phase" will not disappear when round ends if the affected unit is moved out of the lane.

Round Phase

There are two phases in between rounds. These phases are played by both players simultaneously.

• "Shopping Phase"
  
  • Players purchase cards from the item shops using gold.
    
  • Note: Hold: "Hold" the secret shop item until the next shopping phase for 1 gold
• "Deployment phase"
  
  • Lane creeps are revealed and players choose which lanes to deploy their read heroes into.
    
  • Note: By default, two cards are drawn after this phase. The 2 Melee creeps are deployed randomly unless influenced by ability.

"Active Ability" (1)
• An active ability may be used during the action phase. An active ability will a cooldown may not be used again until that number of rounds have passed. Active abilities may not be used if their owner is stunned or silenced.
  
• Note: All non-heroes start with their abilities ready to use. Heroes, on the other hand, begin the game with their abilities on cooldown, even if they are not yet deployed. For example, a hero with 2 cooldown deploying on mana 4 must wait 1 more round before their ability can be used.

"Accessory Item" (2)
• A type of item that is equipped in a hero's accessory slot. All accessories increase a hero's Health.
  
• Note: Tampering with equipped Accessory may lead to death. Read keyword 'Health' for more information. Accessory are a popular choice due to their ability to instantly grant the wearer 4+ additional health, often saving them from lethal.

"Allied Neighbors" (3)
• The units directly to the left and right of a unit.
  
• Note: If that combat position is empty the effect does not get transferred to the next one.

"Armor" (4)
• Armor reduces each incoming damage source by that amount.
  
• Note: Armors blocks EVERY INDIVIDUAL incoming damage by flat amount no matter the source, as long it isn't piercing damage. Negative armor amplifies incoming damage.

"Armor Item" (2)
• A type of item that is equipped in a hero's armor slot. All armors increase a hero's Armor.
  
• Note: Armor Items are often underutilized due to their cost comparative to Accessory items, but do not underestimate Armor's long term value and the utility each Armor Item brings!

"Attack" (4)
• The amount of damage a unit deals during battle.
  
• Note: Attack value can go negative. Negative damage will not heal its target, but if the target has negative armor they can still be damaged if the math checks out.

"Battle"
• When a unit battles, it deals its Attack damage to its target. When units battle each other, they deal their damage simultaneously. Combat attributes such as Armor, Retaliate, and Piercing are applied.
  
• Note: This is different from Combat Phase where more attributes apply, such as Regeneration. To know what applies and not, check other keywords, if they only trigger during specific phases, then it does not happen here.

"Battle Damage"
• Any damage assigned during a battle, most often during the combat phase.
  
• Note: It means damage done with Attack value whenever the unit slams into another. Does not apply if the resulting damage is 0. Is affected by other combat modifiers, such as Cleave, Siege and Retaliate. A unit with Retaliate will deal Battle Damage twice when trading hits.

"Bounty" (7)
• The amount of gold awarded to the opponent when this unit dies.
  
• Note: Killing your own unit will still award your opponent with bounty in full.

"Cleave" (6)
• When blocked during the combat phase, in addition to the battle damage to the blocking unit, also deal the Cleave damage to that unit's neighbors.
  
• Note: The passage says 'during the combat phase', so it won't trigger off forced Battle such as Duel and Gank. Cleave does not interact with Towers in any way. Unless enhanced by Piercing, Cleave's damage is reduced by Armor.

"Condemn"
• Mark a unit, improvement, or equipment for death. Death Shields may save a condemned unit, but Damage Immunity does not.
  
• Note: The ultimate removal. Condemning a unit with Death Shield will remove the Death Shield and leave that unit with 1 health.

"Consumable" (2)
• A type of item that is not equipped and is played during the action phase like a spell. Consumables do not cost mana to play and may be played without a hero in the lane.
  
• Note: One out of four consumables will appear on the side shop, at random: Town Portal Scroll, Fountain Flask, Healing Salve, and Potion of Knowledge. Consumables are one-time-use.

"Creep" (5)
• A creep is a non-hero unit. Unlike a hero, a creep cannot equip items, and does not return to play after it is killed. It is worth 1 Bounty to the opponent when killed.
  
• Note: When creeps switch sides (taken control by opposing player), their combat position are still "occupied" until they complete their transition. This means they have a chance to land across their previous combat position.

"Cross Lane" (1)
• When played, Cross Lane cards use mana and heroes from the active lane, but can be played into any lane.
  
• Note: Cross Lane cards are notified by the two arrows beside the card's mana cost. Most improvements are Cross Lane, but only few spells are (usually repeated in card description).

"Damage Immunity" (7)
• A unit with Damage Immunity does not take damage. It will still die when condemned.
  
• Note: While they do not take damage, they can still die if health is taken away via modification / accessory removal.

"Death Effect"
• An effect that is processed after this unit dies.
  
• Note: Death Effect triggers AFTER death, which means its effects will only kick in after simultaneous actions resolve.

"Death Shield" (7)
• If a unit would die, instead remove its death shield and it survives with 1 Health. A unit may only have one death shield at a time.
  
• Note: Units with Death Shield will endure when they receive lethal hits from multiple sources simultaneously. Death Shield survives Condemns.

"Disarm" (7)
• A disarmed unit does not attack its target during battles.
  
• Note: Disarmed unit effectively have its Attack set to 0 until Disarm wears off.

"Enemy Neighbors" (3)
• Any enemies in the three enemy combat positions closest to this unit.
  
• Note: Disregard combat arrow, it is always the units directly across, even if there are no enemy in any of the combat position.

"Fountain" (10)
• When heroes die they are placed in the Fountain zone for a full round before becoming ready to redeploy. When heroes enter the Fountain they are fully healed and temporary effects on them are purged.
  
• Note: Fountain is a unique zone similar to the Graveyard of card game fame. All non-modify effects are removed, continuous effects such as Items and Abilities remain.

"Get Initiative" (1)
• After you play this spell, you get the initiative coin and may immediately take another action. If you use this action to pass, you will retain initiative and may act first in the next lane.
  
• Note: It is possible to chain multiple initiative cards to take consecutive actions. Initiative is very important as it dictates who will go first in the next lane. When a player plays a card that doesn't Get Initiative, they give initiative to their opponent.

"Gold Cost"
• The card costs X gold to buy. Once purchased, items do not cost gold or mana to play.
  
• Note: Artifact often does simple math when it comes to addition or subtraction. As such, items with negative Gold Cost will give you Gold when bought.

"Health" (4)
• The amount of damage a unit can sustain before dying. Damage persists across rounds.
  
• Note: When a unit is modified with health, its current and maximum health increases. Likewise, when that modification is taken away, the unit's current and maximum health is subtracted. If a unit's health falls under 0 this way, it WILL die.

"Hero" (5)
• A hero is a unit that allows you to play cards of its color in its lane. A hero can equip items. When it is killed, it is worth 5 Bounty to the opponent and returns to the Fountain to be redeployed later.
  
• Note: When a hero is killed, they must wait for that round to end, be absent for another entire round, only then they may be redeployed. A hero dying before they can do anything are effectively out for 2 rounds, this is known as 'upkeep kills'.

"Item" (2)
• An item is a card that can be purchased during the shopping phase using gold. A Weapon, Armor, or Accessory item is equipped onto a hero to buff its stats. A consumable item has a one-time effect and is then removed from the game.
  
• Note: Items are bought in "card draw" fashion and there is no way to refresh the shop. Item cooldowns are not tied to heroes, as items will have their Active Ability ready to use upon replacement.

"Improvement" (8)
• An improvement is a card that has a permanent effect on a tower. Improvements are cross lane cards (when played, they use mana and heroes from the active lane, but can be played into any lane.) Improvements are not units and do not occupy combat positions.
  
• Note: There are three types of Improvements: Active, Reactive and Continuous, each indicated by spikes surrounding its icon.

"Lock" (9)
• Cards cannot be played as long as they are locked. Lock is applied for a duration in rounds. At the end of a round, all locked cards lose 1 Lock.
  
• Note: Locked cards can still be affected by card effects, including modification, discard, and more Locks. Lock applies to card in hand, not in lanes.

"Mana"
• Mana is a resource used to play non-item cards. Each round, towers refresh their mana and increase the amount by 1.
  
• Note: Effects that give Mana will increase both current and maximum mana. Not to be confused with "restore your tower's Mana", which only provide current mana. Mana going into negatives have no significant impact.

"Modify"
• When an effect modifies another card it applies a permanent buff or debuff to the target. Heroes retain modifiers through death.
  
• Note: Non-permanent buffs or debuffs usually use the keyword "give" and states how long it lasts.

"Piercing" (6)
• Piercing damage is not reduced by the target's armor.
  
• Note:They are not REDUCED by armor, so negative armor will boost their damage. A unit with piercing will also enhance their other offensive combat attributes, such as Siege, Cleave and Retaliate.

"Play Effect"
• An additional effect that is processed at the time you play this creep.
  
• Note: When played, the effect will go off before any other reactive triggers.

"Pulse" (1)
• A delay between the effects of a spell or ability. Continuous effects are updated, reactive abilities are processed, and units that have been condemned or dealt lethal damage are destroyed.
  
• Note: Placed in between card texts, it means the board state will resolve before the card resumes its multi-step effect. Does not contribute to "after playing a card" reactive abilities until the card FULLY completes its job.

"Purge"
• Removes modifications and temporary effects, but not damage. Purging does not affect base abilities or external effects, such as those from equipped items and continuous effects from neighbours or improvements.
  
• Note: Read 'Health' to understand how it is possible to kill a unit by purging their health buffs. Be very mindful on what a card purges, when it reads "opponent's effects" it means it will not get rid of stuns caused by your own card. Modifications done to items such as Stonehall Plate are unaffected unless specified.

"Quicken"
• Reduce cooldown by 1, but not below 1.
  
• Note: Relatively new mechanic rarely seen yet.

"Rapid Deployment" (7)
• When a hero with Rapid Deployment dies, it is immediately ready for deployment, so it can be deployed at the start of the next round.
  
• Note: Rapid Deployment triggers on death, so it doesn't matter if the Rapid Deployment is lost during the Fountain.

"Regeneration" (6)
• The unit heals this amount during the combat phase. Regeneration is applied before checking for death.
  
• Note: Heals can not exceed maximum health. Be mindful on the wording "during the combat phase", this means the heal will only come during that phase, nowhere else.

"Retaliate" (6)
• When attacked during a battle (even outside of the combat phase), deal this much extra damage to the attackers.
  
• Note: The damage from Retaliation is considered battle damage, thus it can apply effects and benefits from Piercing. Retaliation is a separate instance of damage from Attack, is subjected to Armor values and it will do extra damage against negative Armor. Retaliate will still damage the attacker even if the user takes no damage, or attacked by Cleave or Siege.

"Siege" (6)
• When blocked during the combat phase, in addition to battle damage to the blocking unit, also deal the Siege damage to the enemy tower.
  
• Note: The passage says 'during the combat phase', so it won't trigger off forced battles such as Duel and Gank. Siege does nothing when directly attacking the tower. Unless enhanced by Piercing, Siege's damage is reduced by Tower's Armor, if any.

"Signature Card" (5)
• This card was automatically included in your deck by X.
  
• Note: During deckbuilding, each of the 5 hero will each put 3 predetermined exclusive card with into your deck, which counts toward the minimum deck size of 40 (not including item).

"Silence" (7)
• A silenced unit cannot use its active abilities or item active abilities. A silenced hero cannot be used to play cards of its color.
  
• Note: Silenced heroes will still retain their color, they do not become colorless.

"Summon"
• Create a unit and immediately put it into a random empty combat position.
  
• Note: Summoned unit does not trigger Play Effects and starts with their Active Ability on cooldown.

"Spell" (5)
• A spell is a card that has a one-time effect and is then removed from the game. Spells deal damage, modify objects in play temporarily or permanently, summon units, or draw cards.
  
• Note: Although spells do require hero of matching color in active lane to be used, that hero is not the 'attacker' or 'caster' when the spells is used to interact with other mechanics.

"Stun" (7)
• A stunned unit is silenced (cannot use any active abilities and cannot be used to play cards of its color) and disarmed (does not attack its target during battles).
  
• Note: A stunned unit's passives and modifications will still function, and can still be targeted by spells to do things (e.g. move to another lane).

"Taunt"
• When a unit taunts all of its enemy neighbors change their combat target to that unit.
  
• Note: Taunt does not persist. Enemies can still immediately change combat target with spells and abilities. Everything will return to normal next round.

"Tower"
• Each lane contains an allied tower that must be defended and an enemy tower that must be destroyed. The objective of the game is to destroy any 2 enemy towers. The tower can be a target of some spells and abilities.
  
• Note: By default, towers start with 40 health. When is one destroyed, an Ancient spawns in its place, and gains damage immunity only for that round. Ancients have 80 health. Towers can also be modified with other keywords such as Retaliate and Armor, only by cards that specifically says so.

"Unblocked"
• A unit is unblocked if its combat target is the tower.
  
• Note: smOrc. A unit is always unblocked if the unit across them is removed.

"Unit"
• A unit is any creep or hero in a combat position. Towers are not units.
  
• Note: Unless labelled allied or enemy, that means anything in the lane that isn't the tower, including your stuff. Many cards are flexible, allowing you to buff your enemies or damage your own if required.

"Weapon Item" (2)
• A type of item that is equipped in a hero's weapon slot. All weapons increase a hero's Attack.
  
• Note: Weapon Items add into the hero's Attack and are not separate instances of damage.

Thanks for browsing! Hope you learned a thing or two, and this guide served as an apt reference. Remember: read the card wordings carefully, and you will find that most cards are surprisingly flexible!

If you find anything missing or inaccurate, please let me know in the comments.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1630132756
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1644886985
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1646956312

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