Elestrals

In a game of Elestrals, your Spirit cards are your most important resource: they are your health, and also the fuel that you use when playing cards and attacking your opponent! Knowing when to use your Spirits and when to save them is a key strategy.

There are five types of Spirits. Most decks have a mix of different types, and the Elestrals and Runes that you Cast will often need specific Spirits or even combinations of them!

Spirits start the game in your Spirit Deck, and they’re used whenever you Cast an Elestral or Rune card or if you have to expend Spirits - usually in battle. Attacking your opponent will make them expend Spirits, and if they run out, then you win!

Board Overview

Spirits

Your Elestrals defend your Spirits from your opponent, and let you attack them back! Having strong Elestrals on your field is the key to victory. Each one has its own powerful effect, as well as Attack and Defense stats that determine how they do in battle.

An Elestral’s Enchantment Requirement shows how many Spirits it needs! If your Elestral ever has fewer Spirits than this, it’s destroyed and goes to the Underworld. If it has the right number of Spirits but they’re the wrong Elemental type, then it’s **Misenchanted**; it stays on the field and can still use its Attack and Defense in battles, but its effect is **negated** and doesn’t work.

An Elestral’s effect is beneath its stats. Some effects start with “when” and describe an event; those activate each time that event happens, even several times a turn! Other effects start with “you can”; those can be activated once on each of your turns. A few effects don’t start with either, they just declare something that’s true. Those are always working as long as the Elestral is Enchanted correctly!

Your Runes unleash magic that can strengthen your Elestrals, weaken others, draw cards, or even directly damage your opponent! Each has an Enchantment Requirement just like Elestrals do. Some Runes use the rainbow symbol; they can be cast using any of the Spirits.

There are five types of Runes: Invoke and Counter Runes are Instant, and Artifact, Divine, and Stadium Runes are Continuous.

**Instant** Runes have a powerful effect on the game immediately when you Cast them, and then they’re destroyed along with the Spirits Enchanting them. Counter Runes are unique; they have to be Set facedown for a turn, but after that, you can Cast them on either player’s turn!

**Continuous** Runes stick around after you Cast them until they’re destroyed or they don’t have enough Spirits Enchanting them. Artifacts are also destroyed if the Elestral they’re Empowering leaves the field for any reason. Artifact Runes strengthen one of your Elestrals; Divine Runes let you Disenchant a Spirit once per turn to channel the Gods’ powers; and a Stadium Rune changes the field for you and your opponent.

Runes

Each player’s field is broken up into specific zones. At the start of a game, your Spirit Deck and Main Deck are put in the bottom corners of your field. The rest of the field starts out empty. Here’s what that looks like:

In the top left of your field there’s a Stadium slot, where your **Stadium** Rune goes when you Cast one! Only one Stadium can exist at a time; if either player Casts a Stadium when there’s already one Enchanted, it gets destroyed so the new one can enter the field.

In the top right of your field is your **Underworld**; that’s where any cards that you discard or destroy get sent, in a face-up pile. You can look through this pile and ask to look through your opponent’s any time you want.

Between those there are four slots in your **Elestral Row**! Any Elestrals that you play go there, along with the Spirits Enchanting them. If all four slots are filled on your field then you are allowed to Ascend an Elestral, but not Cast any new ones.

Your **Spirit Deck** goes into the bottom left of your field, and your **Main Deck** goes in the bottom right. Your Main Deck gets shuffled at the start of the game, and also gets shuffled any time that you Search it for a card. Your Spirit Deck isn’t shuffled; you look through it any time you Cast a card or Expend Spirits, or whenever you want!

Between them are the four slots in your **Rune Row**! Any Runes (except Stadiums) that you Set or Cast go there, along with the Spirits Enchanting them. If all four slots are filled then the only way to Cast more is with an Invoke Rune - they’re allowed to take Spirits from an Enchanted Rune and replace it.

And last, there’s your **hand**, which doesn’t have a place on the field - you hold it! There’s no limit to cards in your hand, but still, be careful not to draw too many... You lose the game if your Main Deck runs out of cards and you have to draw again!

Zones

Month 1 of Shattered Stars packs are expected to be shipped by January 31, 2024. Month 2 will not be charged until AFTER Month 1 has been shipped.

Shattered Stars

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Itching to pick up a deck and start playing? Check out the pages in this series to help you discover the card types and game mechanics of this magical world!