1. Classic Setup
- Players: 2 operatives.
- Battlefield: 4 columns x 2 ranks (Front/Back).
- Initial Hand: 12 cards each.
- Deployment: Deploy alternately until all 8 slots are filled. 4 cards remain in hand.
- Initiative: P2 deploys first. P1 attacks first.
Quick Players Guide (v1.0)
This is the authoritative quick-start guide for Phalanx Duel. For deep tactical analysis, see the Full Tactical Briefing.
2. Turn Lifecycle
- Start Turn: Resolve start-of-turn effects.
- Attack Phase: Choose ONE column to initiate an attack.
- Resolution: Calculate the cascade (Front -> Back -> Player).
- Cleanup: Remove destroyed cards from the grid.
- Reinforcement: Deploy ONE card from hand to an empty slot.
- Draw Phase: Draw until hand size is 4.
- End Turn: Pass initiative to the opponent.
3. The Cascade (Attack Logic)
Damage flows front-to-back in a deterministic sequence. Every column is a independent lane of combat.
- Source: Your Front Rank card in the chosen column.
- Target: The opponent's column (Front Defender -> Back Defender -> Player).
- Carryover: Excess damage after destroying a card continues to the next target.
- Deterministic: Identical inputs ALWAYS produce identical outcomes. 0% RNG.
4. Suit Timing & Mechanics
| Suit | Timing | Tactical Effect |
|---|---|---|
| ♦ Diamond | Card -> Card | Reduces carryover damage hitting your Back Rank. |
| ♣ Club | Card -> Card | Doubles carryover damage hitting the opponent's Back Rank. |
| ♥ Heart | Card -> Player | Reduces final damage reaching the Player LP. |
| ♠ Spade | Card -> Player | Doubles final damage reaching the Player LP. |
Hearts and Spades only apply if the last card in the column was that suit when destroyed (or if attacking through an empty column in some formats).
5. Special Operatives
- Ace: Front-rank Ace is only destroyable by another Ace. Overflow damage still passes through.
- Face Cards: Can only be destroyed by Face Cards of equal or lower rank (J < Q < K).
- Logic: Rank 10 cannot destroy a Jack, but it still deals damage to it and passes carryover.
6. Victory Conditions
- Annihilation: Reduce the opponent's LP to 0.
- Forfeit: Opponent passes more than 3 times consecutively or 5 times total.
- Deck Out: An empty deck is NOT a loss, but limits reinforcement and draw options.