Rulebook v3.0
Everything you need to start playing Starfall Catastrophe. Read this page, then try the prototype.
Contents
1. Overview 2. Components 3. Setup 4. Turn Structure 5. Card Types 6. The Four Attributes 7. Combat & Damage 8. Special Rules 9. The Six Heroes 10. Winning the GameStarfall Catastrophe is a 1v1 trading card game where each player controls a Hero with a unique 39-card deck. Your goal is to reduce your opponent's Shield to zero. Each hero plays differently — some are aggressive, some defensive, some disruptive.
There is no deckbuilding and no booster packs. Each hero's deck is complete and balanced out of the box.
Each hero deck contains 40 cards:
1 Hero Card — shows your hero's stats and ability
13 Ally Cards — permanent units that fight for you
13 Action Cards — one-time effects (damage, heal, draw)
13 Trap Cards — hidden cards that trigger on conditions
You also need a way to track Shield and Energy (dice, pen & paper, or the digital companion).
Each player picks a hero and takes their 39-card deck. Place the Hero card face-up in front of you.
Set your Shield to your hero's starting value (shown on the Hero card). Set Energy to zero.
Shuffle your deck. Draw 5 cards — this is your starting hand.
Both players roll a d6. Higher roll goes first. The first player cannot attack during their first Battle phase.
Each turn has 5 phases, always in this order:
Draw 1 card from your deck. If your deck is empty and you cannot draw, you lose (deckout).
Gain Energy equal to 3 + ⌈M÷2⌉ (where M is your Mysticism stat). Some field allies add bonus Energy.
Spend Energy to play cards from your hand. You may play multiple cards as long as you have Energy. You may also use your Hero Ability (if not on cooldown).
Each of your Allies on the field attacks the opponent's Shield for damage equal to their ATK. Summoning sickness: allies cannot attack the turn they are played.
Resolve end-of-turn effects. Ability cooldowns tick down by 1. Your turn is over — opponent begins their turn.
Stays on the field. Attacks each Battle phase (ATK → opponent's Shield). Has HP — when reduced to 0, destroyed. Max 4 allies on field. Many have on-play effects and field passives.
One-time effect. Resolves immediately, then goes to discard. Deal damage, restore Shield, draw cards, drain opponent's Energy. The backbone of your strategy.
Set face-down. Opponent knows it's there but not what it does. Triggers on conditions (when opponent plays, attacks, summons). Limited by your Tactics (T) attribute.
Every hero has four stats that define their playstyle:
All damage reduces the opponent's Shield. There is no "health" — Shield IS your life total.
Action damage: Plays immediately. "Deal 15 damage" → opponent loses 15 Shield.
Ally damage: During Battle phase, each non-sick ally deals ATK damage to opponent's Shield.
Trap damage: Triggers on conditions. Dealt when the trap fires.
Allies cannot attack the turn they are played. Their on-play effects still trigger immediately. Plan your board one turn ahead.
Roll a d6 each. Higher roll goes first. The first player cannot attack during their first Battle phase. This prevents first-move snowballing.
If you must draw and your deck is empty, you lose. Be careful with aggressive draw engines — card advantage can become a liability in long games.
Each hero has a unique activated ability with a cooldown (usually 2 turns, Arkhelios is 3). Use it during your Play phase. After use, it goes on cooldown and cannot be used again until the cooldown expires.
Heroes with M≥4 can spend 2 Energy to negate an opponent's Action card. This is a response — you declare it when the opponent plays an Action, before it resolves. Once per opponent's turn.
Many cards have "If..." clauses. "If you control a Celestial ally, deal 9 instead of 6." These check the game state at the moment the card resolves. Meeting conditions turns good cards into great ones.
| Hero | T | S | R | M | Shield | Energy | Traps | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Boon The Freeborn |
5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 110 | 5 | 5 | Tactical Override Once per turn: peek the top card of your opponent's deck. Cooldown: 2 turns. |
| High Priestess Nyra Elemental Flame |
3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 33 | 5 | 3 | Luminous Convergence First 2 times each turn you play a Mystic card, choose one: Draw 1 card OR Restore 10 Shield. Cooldown: 2 turns. |
| Virelia Cradle of the Root |
2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 55 | 4 | 2 | Ancient Harmony Restore 5 Shield and draw 1 card. Cooldown: 2 turns. |
| Sel of the Luminous Codex of the Eternal Spark |
2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 5 | 2 | Arcane Archive Reveal the top 3 cards of your deck. Choose 1 to add to your hand. Shuffle the rest back. Cooldown: 2 turns. |
| Ember Glow The Ember Ashes |
4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 5 | 4 | Ashborn Fury Deal 8 damage to opponent. Cooldown: 2 turns. |
| Arkhelios Dragon The Void Ones |
4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 5 | 4 | Void Command Opponent loses 2 Energy and discards 1 card. Cooldown: 3 turns. |
Balance note: Shield values are hero-specific and calibrated through Monte Carlo simulation (15,000+ games). Every matchup falls within a 40–60% win rate. Read the full balance report →
⚔ Your opponent's Shield reaches zero, OR
📚 Your opponent must draw but their deck is empty (deckout)
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