How to play — Illustrated manual | Sky World TCG

Follow the chapters and card annotations, from your first turn to evolution.

Your first match

Your goal is to reach 20 Faith. Use characters to score, face your opponent and make way for evolutions. Earned Faith belongs to the player, not the cards.

Each deck has 50 cards and one Hero. Your field holds up to five characters. You start with no Essences in the Bank and one awakening per turn.

Both players start with six cards. The mulligan is the same for both: before playing, each may exchange some or all of their hand once, or keep their cards. At the start of later turns, refill your hand to six. Your hand never exceeds six cards.

At the start of your turn, refill your hand to six cards. Draw the remaining cards in your deck; your opponent gains 1 Faith for each missing card, up to the goal of 20. Example: with three cards in hand and an empty deck, the opponent gains 3 Faith. A full hand grants no bonus; neither do draws from abilities or evolution.

With five cards in hand and none in your deck, one draw is missing: your opponent gains 1 Faith at the start of your turn. If you use all five cards and reach your next turn with an empty hand and deck, six draws are missing: your opponent gains 6 Faith. The bonus is calculated at the start of each turn of the player who cannot refill their hand.

In online matches, each player has 2 minutes per turn.

Both players can inspect the cards in both Banks. The amber conversion mark and lock icons appear when the effect happens.

The basic tutorial ends at 11 Faith to teach a shorter first match. In regular matches and the advanced tutorial, the goal is 20.

Learn to read a card

First read the requirement: how many Essences you need in the Bank. Then check whether the card also requires consumption, shown by red skulls.

Power decides combat. Faith shows how much the card adds to your score when channeling. The Roman numeral I, II or III is its Stage, not its requirement.

An ability shows its effect and its trigger. Read the conditions before choosing your move. A card without an ability can still attack and channel normally.

Morteus requires 4 Essences in the Bank and consumes 1 when awakened. He has 6 Power, 2 Faith and is Stage I.

Awaken and prepare your field

Meet the requirement, pay any consumption and choose a free field slot. Awakening spends one awakening. “Without spending an awakening” only waives this use of the turn limit; requirements, consumption and the previous Stage still apply. On entry effects happen on arrival.

A card normally enters in Preparation, shown by the hourglass: it cannot attack or channel yet. At the end of the turn, Preparation ends and the hourglass disappears; attacking or channeling still requires its owner's turn.

An ability that says the character enters ready allows it to attack or channel on its entry turn. Permission to attack in Preparation alone does not allow channeling or grant another action. Ending Preparation does not ready cards that have already attacked, channeled or become vulnerable.

Some cards stay in Preparation longer, such as Sião, Deus do Sinal. Follow the duration printed on the card. A character prepared during the opponent's turn can only act on its owner's turn.

Elyra requires 1 and consumes no Essences. She enters in Preparation; on your next turn, you may choose to attack or channel with her.

Channel to earn Faith

A prepared character normally takes one action per turn: attack or channel Faith. Channeling adds the card's Faith to your score. Acting makes the character vulnerable and spends its action.

When a character becomes ready again, it regains its action, respecting Preparation. This does not reset per-turn ability limits. If it becomes ready at the end of the turn, it cannot act again: the turn is already ending.

An ACTIVATION ability may be used on your turn even if the character is vulnerable, including after attacking or channeling. It cannot be used during Preparation. Activating neither spends nor restores the attack or channel action. Activations follow the usage limits and costs printed on the card.

You have 19 Faith. Nina channels 1: you reach 20 and win immediately. If Nina is destroyed beforehand, the points she already generated stay on your score.

Build your Essence Bank

Normally, you may use Become Essence on one card from your hand per turn. The second player may convert up to two cards, only on their first turn; on later turns, the limit returns to one. Each card leaves the hand and enters the Bank, adding 1 Essence. More Essences let you meet higher requirements.

The newly converted Essence turns amber and already counts toward requirements. It only becomes available for consumption at the start of its owner's next turn; it stays amber during the opponent's turn.

Destroyed characters normally go to their owner's Bank and become available immediately. A card sent to the Bank by evolution or an effect does not use your turn's manual conversion. Consumed cards, cards in the Trail and attached cards do not count as Essences.

You convert a card and go from 0 to 1 Essence. You awaken Elyra, whose requirement is 1. Since she has no consumption, your Bank stays at 1.

Choose your battle

Normally, you can only attack a vulnerable enemy. Channeling gives the character a gold outline; attacking or being exposed by an ability gives it a red outline. An ability may allow other targets.

Compare final Power, including active bonuses and reductions. The higher value survives and the lower is destroyed. On a tie, both are destroyed. Attacking grants no Faith and spends the attacker's action.

Protections may prevent destruction as described in their text. Combat normally uses one applicable protection; equivalent next-combat Attachments end together. Also read effects that ignore protection or redirect the target.

Flor has 5 Power and faces a vulnerable enemy with 2 Power: the enemy is destroyed and goes to its owner's Bank. Flor survives but becomes vulnerable with its action spent.

Zero Power destroys

When a character's current Power on the field reaches zero, it is destroyed and goes to its owner's Bank. This applies to Power reductions, expiring bonuses and lost Attachments.

The rule is checked after each effect resolves. This is neither combat nor Execute: a shield against combat destruction does not prevent it, and no reward for winning an attack is granted.

Safeguard prevents enemy abilities from targeting the character. Protection stating that it cannot be destroyed also remains in effect. These rules must be respected before destruction.

A character with Power 2 and a combat shield receives Intimidate 2. Its Power reaches zero: it is destroyed despite the shield.

Awakening Counter

While Aurora's Counter is active, the opponent may only awaken or evolve by spending a normal awakening. Abilities that spend this allowance, such as Arthur's, remain allowed. Counter does not increase your awakening limit.

An attempt without spending a normal awakening is prevented: the candidate is destroyed before entering, pays no awakening costs and does not trigger On entry. When an evolution is prevented, its predecessor remains on the field.

For voluntary plays, the warning offers Cancel or Destroy before confirmation. Automatic Attach + Awaken returns are destroyed without interrupting the match. Aurora's ribbon shows the reason and an effect reaching the card.

Safeguard on the candidate itself prevents the enemy Counter from affecting it, even before entry. It may be awakened by the ability, meeting all other requirements and costs.

At the start of each owner's turn, Aurora on the field permanently loses 1 Power. At zero, she is destroyed and her Counter ends. From hand, Counter lasts until the end of the next enemy turn.

Arthur spends a normal awakening: his evolution is allowed. A free awakening of a card without Safeguard is prevented by Aurora.

Use a hand ability

If the card allows it, use its ability directly from your hand. This does not spend an awakening or put the character on the field. First check its requirement, targets and all costs.

From your hand, lock the card’s requirement plus any Lock cost in its ability. On the field or when awakening, lock only what the effect requires. Locking automatically reserves an amount from the Bank until your next turn, without selecting cards. Pay consumption costs separately.

Each padlock represents 1 unit of reserved capacity without tying up a card. A newly converted Essence counts for locking but cannot be consumed or awakened this turn. Amber still marks conversion; padlocks appear when the effect is shown.

The ability's source goes to the Trail and is consumed on its owner's next turn. If attached, it follows the Attachment rule. Become Essence is an independent action, before or after using abilities: one conversion per turn, or up to two only on the second player's first turn.

With 3 Essences, use Lotus from your hand, choose Nina and lock 2. Nina gains +1 Power this turn. The Bank still counts as 3 for requirements, but only one Essence is available for other payments.

Evolve and draw a card

A Stage II card replaces a Stage I card. A Stage III replaces a Stage II of the same Insignia. Do not skip Stages. Meet the requirement, pay consumption and use an awakening, unless the effect says it does not spend an awakening.

The evolution occupies the same slot and keeps Preparation, vulnerability and whether its action is available or spent. The replaced card goes to the Bank unless a Legacy specifies another destination, such as becoming attached.

Each evolution draws one card, without exceeding six in hand. A Stage II or III card on the field counts as one evolution for the Hero: going from II to III does not count as two.

If time runs out after confirming an awakening or evolution, the card stays on the field. The entry ability still awaiting your choice is skipped.

Flor I has already channeled. You replace it with Flor II and draw a card: the evolution still has its action spent. The previous Flor enters the Bank.

Consuming removes the Essence

The red skull indicates consumption. Select available Essences and remove them from the Bank. They leave the match and stop counting toward requirements. Locking, by contrast, does not reduce the Bank's total.

With 6 Essences and 2 locks, you can consume any 4 eligible cards. The selection shows all options except this turn’s newly converted Essence and any other card restrictions. The game checks the free amount before opening payment.

“May consume” lets you decline the payment. If you accept, you must complete the stated outcome and choose the required targets. Without a legal outcome, payment is not confirmed. Canceling preparation also cancels the cost selection.

Registering an effect for the next turn completes that effect. There is no refund if the opponent does not channel later. Likewise, “if it survives” only grants the outcome when the character survives; dying in combat does not refund consumption already paid.

Awakening for free only means not spending an awakening when the text says so. Requirement, consumption, space and previous Stage still apply. A card awakened from the Bank never pays its own consumption.

You have 5 Essences. You awaken Morteus, who requires 4 and consumes 1. After payment, your Bank has 4. Strengthen 1 grants an ally +1 permanent Power.

Increase your Awaken limit

You start with one awakening per turn. Once per turn, you may consume 4 available Essences to permanently increase that limit by 1, up to a maximum of four.

The new allowance is available on the turn you purchase it. At the start of each of your turns, the renewed limit lets you awaken or evolve again. This upgrade is different from evolving a character.

Check how much will remain in your Bank after paying. Being able to awaken more cards does not waive the requirements of the cards you want to use.

With your right to awaken already used this turn and 4 available Essences, you increase the limit to two cards. The Bank drops to 0; Nina, whose requirement is 0, can still fill an empty slot.

Attach, Legacy and Trail

Attach links a card to a character. The source leaves its previous zone and neither counts as an Essence nor occupies a character slot. When its last link ends, the source is consumed.

Legacy happens when a card is replaced by an evolution. Follow the written effect: Arthur must become attached to the evolved character and grant his attack permission. This permission does not grant an extra action or bypass Preparation.

Attach + Awaken has a different destination: when the link ends, the source returns to its reserved field slot in Preparation. Do not confuse this effect with Attach. Inspect a character's Attachments to see each active link.

Charles, Passagem pelo Vazio carries Gili, Fúria do Vazio. If Charles is destroyed, he goes to the Bank. Gili loses her last link and is consumed: she does not create a second Essence.

Your Hero takes part too

The Hero sits outside the five character slots. Its power has its own cost, limit and conditions; using it does not spend an awakening or a character's action.

Count the Stage II and III cards on the field. Evolution ×2 requires two evolved cards, not a single Stage III. Read your Hero's tier: Morteus of the Reserve unlocks locked Essences, costs zero and requires two evolutions.

All Heroes have the secondary power Drain Faith 2: consume 4 available Essences and remove 2 Faith from the opponent, without going below zero. It is repeatable if you can pay, independently of the main power. It does not transfer those points to you.

Anastacia, Banner of Ascension has a passive from the first evolution: replace each Essence that would be consumed for that evolution with Lock 2. Consumption 2 becomes Lock 4. The requirement and previous Stage remain mandatory.

You have a Stage I, a Stage II and a Stage III character: there are two evolutions on the field. If there is only a Stage III, there is just one evolution.

Read the keywords

Starting Exchange is optional. After choosing an available Essence from the Bank, you must bring it to your hand and then must send another card from your hand to the Bank. Meet the Stage restrictions. The sent card becomes available immediately.

Reserve N checks the number of Essences at the indicated time. Apogee requires a Stage III on your field. Formation requires Stages I, II and III on the field. Inspire N increases Power this turn; Strengthen N grants permanent Power.

“May” allows you to decline the step; “must” makes it mandatory when applicable. An optional choice can initiate a mandatory consequence. Per-turn limits do not reset when a card becomes ready.

Ward prevents enemy abilities from targeting the character. It allows allied abilities and does not prevent attacks or effects without target selection. Execute does not compare Power, but respects immunities, redirection and applicable protection. Search reveals options only to the player resolving the search.

Anastacia, Rising Banner may awaken from the Bank without spending an awakening. The requirement, consumption and previous Stage still apply. Apogee allows choosing Stages I, II or III.

Activation, source and duration

ACTIVATION is a trigger you choose to use on the field, on your turn and outside Preparation. You may activate before or after attacking or channeling, even if an ability made the character vulnerable. Activation neither spends nor restores the character's action; targets must still meet the effect's conditions.

Pay the costs and respect each card's usage limits. Becoming ready or evolving does not let you repeat an activation already used this turn. Evolution keeps the previous card's Preparation, vulnerability and available or spent action.

After use, the card shows ACTIVATED. If an effect from that activation is still ongoing or waiting for its moment, it shows ACTIVE ACTIVATION. Destroying the source ends those effects; it does not refund costs or undo resolved draws, Faith or evolutions.

From the hand, the written duration applies. The Trail lets you inspect the source without requiring a character on the field. Automatic triggers, such as On entry, also follow their text: the ACTIVATION source-destruction rule does not apply to every trigger.

Dudurima may channel and then activate by consuming 1 Essence. It remains vulnerable. The activation prevents the first channel from granting Faith during the opponent's next turn. If Dudurima is destroyed before then, the restriction ends. From the hand, the effect follows its written duration and is identified in the Trail.

Triggers: how to use them

Read the trigger badge together with the text. The trigger defines the timing; “may”, “must”, costs and limits define how to resolve it. An automatic trigger does not make an optional choice mandatory.

On entry can happen during Preparation. ACTIVATION cannot be used in Preparation, but may be used while vulnerable, after attacking or channeling, on the owner's turn.

ACTIVATION: You choose when to use it, on your turn, with the character on the field and out of Preparation. You may activate while vulnerable, including after attacking or channeling. Activating neither spends nor restores the character's action. Pay costs and respect use limits; becoming ready or evolving does not reset them. Destroying the source ends any effects of that activation that are still active.
ON ENTRY: Happens when this character enters the field, including as an evolution. Preparation does not prevent this trigger. Resolve the written choices and costs.
CONTINUOUS: Applies the rule continuously while its source and written conditions are present. Does not require pressing Use ability.
IN PREPARATION: Works while the character is in Preparation, at the events specified by the ability. Ends when that Preparation ends; it does not grant an attack or channel by itself.
LEGACY: Happens when this card is replaced by an evolution. Follow the indicated destination: for example, attach it to the evolved character.
HAND ABILITY: You use the effect from your hand without awakening the character. Pay applicable lock and consumption costs. The Trail identifies the source; duration is as written in the effect.
BANK ACTION: You use the ability of an available card in the Bank, paying its costs and meeting its conditions. It is not an activation of a character on the field.
HERO POWER: You use the Hero's power when its cost, evolution tier, and limit are met. It does not spend an awakening or a character's action.

Triggers: combat and channeling

On attack happens before combat; On surviving an attack only happens afterward, if the attacker remains on the field.

ON CHANNELING FAITH: Happens when this character channels. Channeling and the effect are separate steps: check whether the text requires the channel to have granted Faith.
ON BECOMING VULNERABLE: Happens when this character becomes vulnerable. Remaining vulnerable is not a new change of state.
ON ATTACK: Happens at the start of this character's attack, before comparing Power. Does not grant an attack by itself.
ON ATTACKING OR CHANNELING: Happens both when starting an attack and when channeling with this character. Each occurrence respects the ability's limits.
ON ATTACKING A FAITH CHANNELER: Happens when this character attacks an enemy that is vulnerable from having channeled Faith.
ON DESTROYING BY ATTACK: Happens when this character's attack destroys the enemy. Attacking alone is not enough: destruction must happen.
ON DESTROYING A CHANNELER: Requires this character's attack to destroy an enemy that has already channeled Faith.
ON SURVIVING AS ATTACKER: Happens after combat if this character was the attacker and survived.
ON SURVIVING COMBAT: Happens after combat if this character survived as attacker or defender.

Triggers: events and turns

At the end of your turn happens before passing the turn. If the text says “may”, you still choose whether to use it.

ON A DUDURIMA ENTERING: Happens when another allied Dudurima enters while the source is ready and has its action available. The source does not trigger itself on entry.
ON ENTRY · LESS FAITH: Happens when this character enters, only if you have less Faith than the rival at that moment.
ON DEATH: Happens when this character is destroyed. Returning to hand or being replaced by an evolution is not dying.
ON AN EXECUTION: Happens when an execution is completed. The ability specifies targets and consequences; ordinary combat destruction is not an execution.
TURN START: Happens at the start of this card's owner's turn, before free play.
AT THE END OF YOUR TURN: Happens at the end of this card's owner's turn. Resolve its choices before passing to the rival.
TURN START · EMPTY SLOT: Happens at the start of your turn if there is an empty slot on your field.
TURN START · MORE ESSENCES: Happens at the start of your turn if your Bank has more Essences than the rival's.
FIRST HAND ABILITY: First, arm the ability when allowed. It waits for your next hand ability use, then resolves the indicated effect, respecting the card's limit.

Effect keywords

In the examples below, 1 represents the value printed on the card. Readiness and Reinvigorate always have a number; Safeguard does not. Readiness chooses allies in Preparation. Reinvigorate chooses vulnerable allies that have left Preparation.

Inspire 1 increases Power until end of turn. Strengthen 1 increases Power permanently. The duration may end earlier if a source-binding rule applies.

Search 1: Search 1 (reveal 1 card from the top, choose one for your hand and put the rest on the bottom) One search per turn across your Search abilities.
Ward: Ward (cannot be targeted by enemy abilities)
INTERCEPT: Intercept (the first attack against your allies must target this character; refreshes when it becomes vulnerable again)
INTERCEPT + EXECUTIONS: Intercept + Executions (the first attack or execution against your allies must target this character; one shared charge, refreshed when it becomes vulnerable again)
Drain Faith 1: Drain Faith 1 (The rival loses 1 Faith.)
Readiness 1: Readiness 1 (choose an ally in Preparation. It leaves Preparation and becomes ready to attack or channel this turn)
Reinvigorate 1: Reinvigorate 1 (choose a vulnerable ally outside Preparation to become ready again)
Inspire 1: Inspire 1 (An ally receives +1 Power this turn.)
Intimidate 1: Intimidate 1 (An enemy loses 1 Power this turn.)
Strengthen 1: Strengthen 1 (An ally receives +1 permanent Power.)

Conditions, links and choices

For Exchange, the reminder is always the same. Who can be exchanged, requirement reductions and the subsequent awakening are defined by the card's specific conditions.

Exchange: you must bring an available Essence from the Bank to your hand and then must send another card from your hand to the Bank. Meet the Stage restrictions stated after the reminder.
Deposit N: Send the indicated number of cards from your hand to the Bank as available Essences. One Deposit per turn, shared across your cards.
Lock N: Reserve N units of free Bank capacity until your next turn without choosing cards. The Bank’s total still counts toward requirements and Reserve. Locks reduce the amount you can consume or lock again; they do not prevent choosing a card to awaken, return or Attach.
Consume N: Remove N available Essences from the Bank and the game. They no longer count toward requirements and Reserve. If you accept the cost, you must complete the result; without a valid result, payment is not confirmed.
Reserve N: Requires at least N Essences in the Bank. Check at the time indicated by the text, including before or after consumption when specified.
Apogee: Requires at least one Stage III character on your field.
Formation: Requires Stage I, II and III characters on your field.
Attach: Attach the card to the indicated character. It leaves its previous zone; when its last Attachment ends, the source is consumed.
Legacy + Attach: When an evolution replaces this card, attach it to the successor and grant the printed effect. Evolving again retains previous attachments and adds the new Legacy. Attachments do not count as characters on the field.
Attach + Awaken: The Attachment reserves a slot. When the link ends, the source returns to the field in Preparation, as specified by the effect.
Execute: Destroy the target without comparing Power. Respect applicable immunities, required targets, redirections and protections.
May / must: May allows refusal. Must requires resolution when applicable. Accepting an optional step can initiate a mandatory consequence.
Once per turn: The limit does not reset when the character becomes ready. It is shared across copies only when the ability's rule says so.

Your turn, step by step

Start your turn: renew your right to awaken and your actions, release your locks, resolve start-of-turn effects and refill your hand to six. The regular source from the previous Trail is consumed.

During your turn: choose the order of your moves. You may convert a card, awaken, evolve, use abilities and powers, attack or channel, always respecting requirements, costs and conditions.

Before passing: check whether any characters can still score or attack. Resolve end-of-turn effects, durations and Preparation. The opponent starts their turn; your spent cards stay exposed until your next turn unless an effect says otherwise.

If there are two or more end-of-turn triggers, choose which to resolve first before selecting targets or paying costs. Finish that entire ability, then choose the next one. Copies of the same card also resolve separately.

Leon, Voice of Legacy may Lock 3 to ready another vulnerable ally; with Formation, up to two. They regain their actions but still respect Preparation and ability limits. Leon, Voice of Formation acts at the end of the turn: the ally becomes ready for protection, without acting again.