Introduction

Mythrel is a versatile and engaging trading card game that can be enjoyed both offline and online. Our guidelines ensure that physical gameplay adheres to specific rules, while digital play is supported by code that enforces those rules, allowing for a seamless and fair experience. Mythrel is a turn-based game that utilizes "Mana", which increases gradually, to unleash powerful combos and strategies to defeat your opponents. The game features three major card types: Creatures, Spells, and Equipment. Each card has a mana/life cost, attack value, and defense/health value. Some creature cards come with unique abilities, such as Blocker, Swift, Ward, Toxic, or Frost, adding depth and variety to the gameplay. Whether you prefer to play offline or online, Mythrel is easy to learn and set up, taking only about 10 minutes to get started. With its strategic depth, unique card abilities, and seamless gameplay, Mythrel offers a truly immersive and thrilling gaming experience that is sure to captivate players of all skill levels.

Objective

In Mythrel, the ultimate goal is to emerge victorious by reducing your opponent's health to zero. At the beginning of the game, each player starts with 1 Mana, which increases incrementally up to a maximum of 10 as the game progresses. Additionally, each player begins with 35 Health (also known as Life) and is allowed a maximum of 40 cards in their deck. The game is won when either your opponent's health reaches 0 or they exhaust all the cards in their deck.

Health (Life) and Mana

You start a game match with 35 Health/Life. You start with 1 mana and cumulatively gain +1 mana every time it is your turn during the game match up to a maximum of 10 Mana. Mana is used to play cards from your hand and is represented by a mana counter.

Deck Construction

When building a deck for Mythrel, players must adhere to the following rules:

A minimum of 25 cards and a maximum of 40 cards in the deck
A maximum of 4 copies of any card except for Mythical and Exotic cards, of which there can only be 1 copy per deck.
A maximum of 1 copy of a Life Cost Card no matter the rarity per deck.
A maximum of 1 copy of a Promotional Card per deck.
A maximum of 2 copies of "Elysia's Drake" Mythical card per deck.
A maximum of 2 copies of "Within Reason" from any set per deck.

Start of Match (Realm)

Any form of randomness may be used to determine which player goes first to start the match. An example of this is flipping a coin, rolling a die, or drawing a card.
When the match starts, each player draws 5 cards from their deck. Both players must shuffle their decks before the match and then can choose to Mulligan. (Explained below) Once the starting player is decided, the second player is allowed to draw 1 more card from their deck to have a total of 6 cards in their hand.

Mulligan

At the start of a match, each player draws 5 cards from their deck. If a player does not like their hand, they can choose to discard their hand and draw 5 new cards. This process is called a "Mulligan". Players can only Mulligan once per match. Players have 30 seconds to decide whether or not to Mulligan, if they do not Mulligan within 30 seconds, they must use their current hand.

Hands

You can have any number of cards in your hand at any time during the match. You can play cards from your hand during your turn, if you have the required Mana Cost or Life Cost of the card.

Turns

Turns last up to a maximum of 60 seconds per turn, during the start of your turn, you gain +1 mana, up to a maximum of 10 mana during a match. You draw 1 card at the start of your turn from your deck.
Each turn consists of several phases:
-Draw phase: The player draws a card from their deck.
-Main phase: The player can play cards from their hand according to their available Mana or Life, attack with creatures and use spells or equip equipment.
-End phase: The player's timer ends or chooses to end their turn and the opponents turn starts into the draw phase.

Battlerealm and Graveyards

In Mythrel, each player has a battlerealm and graveyard. The battlerealm is where players summon their creatures, cast their spells, and equip their equipment, with a maximum of 6 creatures summoned at anytime during the match. The graveyard, on the other hand, is where cards go when they are destroyed, discarded, or used up. When a creature is destroyed by an opponent's creature or spell, it is sent to the graveyard. Similarly, spells and equipment are sent to the graveyard when they are used or discarded. This allows players to keep track of the cards they have used and provides valuable information about the state of the game.

Creatures (Species)

Creature (Species) cards can be played during your turn if you have sufficient mana to do so. When a creature is played, it is considered "summoned" and is placed on the battlerealm in front of you. If your creature has the ability of "SWIFT" it can attack right after summon, otherwise all summoned creatures are in a "sleeping" phase until woken up on your next turn.

Creature Abilities

Creatures can have different abilities as specified on their card: BLOCKER, SWIFT, WARD, TOXIC, and FROST.

-Blockers must be attacked by the opponent over any other creature on the battlerealm.

-Swift creatures are able to attack directly after being summoned from your hand.

-Ward creatures deflect their first amount of damage no matter the amount, then Ward dissipates. Spells ignore Ward abilities and damage is dealt as normal.

-Toxic creatures give POISON to creatures they damage in combat. Poisoned creatures take 1 damage at the start of their controller's turn.

-Frost creatures give FROZEN to creatures they damage in combat. Frozen creatures cannot attack during their controller's next turn, then thaw.

Spells

Spell cards can be played like any other card in Mythrel during your turn only, they can do things like provide multiple creature buffs or destroy your opponents creature. These feature a "Mythrel Gem" in the top right corner of the card.

Equipment

Equipment cards are played like spell cards but give one of your creatures a buff of attack and/or defense. Equipment cards can only be played on creatures that are summoned in the battlerealm. Equipment cards feature an "Eye of Protection" in the top right corner of the card to signify that they are equipment cards.

Mana Cost Cards

Some cards have a "Mana Cost", signified by a white colored number in the top left hand corner of a card. If a card has a Mana Cost, the summoning player must pay that amount of Mana in order to play the card. If the player does not have enough Mana to pay the cost, the card cannot be played. So players cannot play a card that costs 4 Mana if they only have 3 Mana available on that turn.

Life Cost Cards

Some cards have a "Life Cost", signified by a red colored number in the top left hand corner of a card. If a card has a Life Cost, the summoning player must pay that amount of life in order to play the card. If the player does not have enough Life to pay the cost, the card cannot be played. So players cannot play a card that costs 4 life if they only have 3 life (health) remaining. You may only have one life cost card per deck maximum.

Draws

In the very rare event that both players run out of cards in their deck, or both players end up at 0 health at the same time, the game is considered a draw.

Deck Swapping

Deck Swapping is the process of swapping decks before a match. Players are allowed to swap decks between matches in a future tournament setting or between realms in the digital game. Each player must follow the Deck Construction rules. It is recommended that a player maintains at least two decks for any tournament or League Play.

Tournament and Weekly League Play

In future tournament settings, players are expected to bring their own deck and a method of tracking their own health and mana. It is also recommended that players bring their own timers, dice, or devices to keep track or use our counter at https://codex.mythrel.com/counters. Prototype and Test Print cards from our Kickstarter campaign are not legal in official tournament or league play. In the digital Weekly League Play, players are able to compete against other players in a digital setting that goes for a set time of 7 days and rewards the top players with booster packs at the end of the week. The #1 top player gets a randomized promotional card for that week.

Penalties

Players found to be cheating or breaking tournament rules may be subject to penalties, such as losing the game or disqualification from the tournament. Digital players may be subject to penalties such as a permanent ban from the game. If playing in any digital mode except Tranquil Realms, like an Origin Realm or League Realm, you will accrue a loss if you leave a game match (realm) before it is finished.

Conceding

Conceding is a voluntary forfeit of the match by one player, typically done when they believe they cannot win or to save time. In the digital version of Mythrel, the concede button is located in the top left corner of the match (realm). If a player concedes, they automatically receive a loss if they are playing in Origin, Vortex, or League realms. The other player must continue to beat the conceding opponent at their current health to win the match (realm).

End Game

The match ends when one player has 0 health or when a player runs out of cards to play in their deck. The player who reaches either of these conditions loses the game. Wins and Losses in the digital game are recorded for the global Rankings list.

ELO

ELO is a widely used rating system also used to rank players in Mythrel. The ELO rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor. When a realm match ends ELO is calculated based off your ELO rating for that realm mode and your opponent's ELO rating for that realm mode.

ELO is calculated as such:

ELO = ELO + (K * (S - E))

Where ELO is the players current ELO rating, K is a constant, S is the score of the player, and E is the expected score of the player. The expected score is calculated as such:

E = 1 / (1 + 10^((R - ELO) / 400))

Where R is the ELO rating of the opponent. The K constant is calculated as such:

K = 32 / (1 + 10^((R - ELO) / 400))

Where R is the ELO rating of the opponent. The score of the player is calculated as such:

S = 1 if the player wins

S = 0.5 if the player draws

S = 0 if the player loses

Mythrel Players start at an ELO of 1200, with a minimum ELO of 100.

Mythrel Game Match (Realm) Layout

Additional Rules for Digital Play

In digital play, players are able to play against opponents from around the world. The rules for digital play are the same as physical play, but with the added benefit of code enforcing the rules and automating certain processes such as drawing cards and tracking health and mana.

In digital play, players are only able to play against one opponent at a time.

In digital play, players are also able to purchase additional card packs and add them to their collection. These card packs will contain a randomized selection of cards, including new creatures, spells, and equipment. All cards in the digital game are transferable to other Mythrel players.

In conclusion, Mythrel is a strategic and fast-paced trading card game that can be played both physically and digitally. With its unique creature abilities, spell and equipment cards, players must use strategy and quick thinking to outsmart their opponents and claim victory. The rules and guidelines provided here should be used as a reference for players to have a better understanding of the game and enjoy the full experience of Mythrel.

Mythrel Glossary and Keywords

Attack: The act of a creature dealing damage to an opponent's creature or player.

Ability: A special effect that a creature has that is activated upon summon.

Battlerealm: The area where creatures, spells, and equipment are played and battle takes place between players.

Blocker: A creature ability that forces the opponent creature to attack it instead of any other creature on the battlerealm or player.

Booster Pack: A collection of physical or digital random cards that can be purchased or earned in Mythrel.

Buff: A term used to describe a card, typically an equipment card, that increases the attack or defense of a creature.

Combo: A combination of cards played in sequence to create a powerful offense or defense.

Creature: One of the three major card types in Mythrel, representing creatures that can be summoned onto the battlerealm.

Deck: A player's collection of cards used in a game of Mythrel. 25 card minimum, 40 card maximum.

Defend: The act of preventing damage dealt to a player or creature.

Digital Play: Playing Mythrel in its digital online format.

Draw Phase: The first phase of a player's turn in Mythrel, where they draw one card from their deck.

Dragon Scales: A currency used in Mythrel, used to unlock and purchase cosmetic items. Can be earned by playing games of Gauntlet.

Effect: A special ability or action that a card can perform.

ELO: The Elo rating system used for the player's stats and overall performance

End Phase: The final phase of a player's turn in which the player's timer ends or they choose to end their turn, and the opponent's turn starts with the draw phase.

Equipment: One of the three major card types in Mythrel, representing equipment that can be equipped to buff creatures on the battlerealm.

Exotic: The rarest card rarity in Mythrel. Only 1 copy per deck.

Eye of Protection: A symbol found on Equipment cards. Also a Mythical equipment card.

Frost: A creature ability that gives Frozen to creatures it damages in combat.

Frozen: A status that prevents a creature from attacking during its controller's next turn, then thaws.

Game: A single instance of playing Mythrel, which can consist of one or multiple "matches".

Gauntlet: A game mode in Mythrel where players can play against other players with random decks (currently over 28+ of them) to earn rewards. Gauntlet rewards 1-4 Dragon Scales and costs 1 Dragon Scale upon loss.

Gem: A symbol found on Spell cards indicating a special ability or effect.

Graveyard: A location on the battlerealm where discarded, destroyed, or used cards are placed.

Health/Life: The amount of damage a player can take before losing the game.

Life Cost: The amount of a player's life that must be paid to play a specific card in Mythrel. Only one "Life Cost Card" can be added to a deck.

League Play/Realm/Match: A game mode in Mythrel where players can play competitively to win prizes. League Ranked Weekly. Requires Level 5 in the digital game.

Main Phase: The second phase of a player's turn in Mythrel, where they can play cards from their hand, attack with creatures, and use spells or equipment.

Mana: A resource used to play cards in Mythrel.

Mana Cost: The amount of a player's Mana that must be paid to play a specific card in Mythrel.

Match: A single instance of playing Mythrel against an opponent.

Mythical Card: A very rare card type in Mythrel of which there can only be one copy in a deck.

Mulligan: The act of shuffling a player's hand back into their deck and drawing a new hand of cards at the start of a game.

Mythrel: The name of the trading card game being played and the name of the lands of the first realm discovered.

Opponent: The player that a player is playing against in Mythrel.

Origin Realms: The first realm discovered in Mythrel. Also a digital game mode in Mythrel for "Standard" play. Ranked. Grants Origin Wins which attribute to your digital Mythrel account Level rank. (Level calculated Math.Round(Wins / 10) + 1 = Level), Level 5 is required to play League realms.

Penalties: Punishments for breaking tournament or game rules in Mythrel.

Play Network: The physical event system for Mythrel by Carde.io

Poison: A status that deals 1 damage to the affected creature at the start of its controller's turn.

Random: The term for using a randomizer to determine the outcome of an action in Mythrel.
For example, a roll of dice, a coin flip, or a random number generator.

Realm: The term for a single game or match of Mythrel, typically used in digital play.

Rel: Rel aka "Relics" are used in the Mythrel lore to store Dragon Scales which are used as a currency in the realms of Mythrel and lore. The more ornate and beautiful the Rel, the wealthlier the owner.

Set: A collection of cards that share a common theme, mechanic, or identifiers.

Set the: The amount to apply to a target creature to the specified values for attack and defense.

Spell: One of the three major card types in Mythrel, representing magical spells that can be cast during a player's turn.

Swift: A creature ability that allows the creature to attack immediately after being summoned.

Target(ing): A term used to describe the act of choosing a specific creature or player to be affected by a spell or equipment or to be attacked by a creature.

Tournament: A physical competition in Mythrel where players compete against each other to win prizes.

Toxic: A creature ability that gives Poison to creatures it damages in combat.

Tranquil Realms: A game mode in Mythrel where players can play without rankings or penalties. Unranked.

Turn: A sixty second period of time in Mythrel where a player takes their actions, consisting of a draw phase, main phase, and end phase.

Vortex Realms: A digital game mode in Mythrel where players can play for free with a random deck (currently 20+ random decks). Vortex ELO is rated separately from Origin ELO and League ELO.

Ward: A creature ability that deflects the first amount of damage dealt to the creature, after which it dissipates. Spells ignore Ward abilities and damage is dealt as normal.

Weekly League Play: A type of digital League Play in Mythrel that occurs during a 7 day time period and rewards top five players with booster packs. The number one top player for the week gets a random promotional card.

Rules last updated 6/15/2026