Shards of Infinity rules: how to play and how to win

Shards of Infinity quick rules

The goal

Shards of Infinity is a deck-building game. Everyone starts with 50 health, and there are two ways to win: eliminate all your opponents by bringing their health to zero, or raise your mastery to 30, then play your Infinity Shard card, which gives you infinite power.

Resources

Gems recruit new cards from the Center Row, the row of six cards in the middle. Power attacks enemy champions and players. Health is your life, never more than 50. Mastery is never spent: it rises and makes your cards stronger. Unspent gems and power are lost at the end of the turn.

A turn

In the play phase, in any order, play your cards, activate your champions, recruit from the Center Row and attack enemy champions; once per turn, Focus turns one gem into one mastery. In the attack phase, split your remaining power among your opponents. Finally, discard everything and draw five cards.

Allies, champions, and mercenaries

A recruited card goes to your discard pile. Allies apply their effect, then are discarded at the end of the turn. Champions stay in play and activate once per turn; to destroy one, deal it as much power as its health in one go. A mercenary can be fast-played: pay its cost to play it right away, and it goes to the bottom of the Center Deck at the end of the turn.

Mastery and shields

Some cards have mastery thresholds, like 10, 20 or 30: if your mastery has reached one when you play the card, you get the stronger effect. When an opponent attacks you, you can reveal shield cards from your hand: each prevents as much damage as its value, and stays in your hand for later.

Beginner traps

Players are only attacked in the attack phase, after everything else; champions are attacked during the play phase. A shield never protects a champion, and damage on a champion doesn’t carry over to the next turn. A banished card leaves the game for good: handy for getting rid of your starting Crystals.

How to win Shards of Infinity

No points

Shards of Infinity has no points: health and mastery are tracked on the dials of your Character card.

Victory by elimination

Bring all your opponents’ health down to zero. Each point of power spent in the attack phase removes one health, minus what their shields prevent.

Victory by the Infinity Shard

Reach 30 mastery, then play your Infinity Shard card: it gives you infinite power.

Victory by

The Ludingo sheet records, for the story, how the game was won: elimination or the Infinity Shard.

Example ending

Jake has 12 health. In the attack phase, Emma sends 9 power his way; Jake reveals a card with a 3 shield, which prevents 3 damage. He loses 9 − 3 = 6 and drops to 12 − 6 = 6. His shield card stays in his hand.

Common mistakes

• Attacking players during the play phase: they’re only attacked in the attack phase.
• Using a shield to protect a champion: it only protects you.
• Going above 50 health: that’s the maximum.
• Playing the Infinity Shard below 30 mastery and thinking you’ve won: infinite power only comes at 30.

How to set up Shards of Infinity

Setup takes about 3 minutes. The first player is chosen at random, and your starting mastery depends on your place in turn order.