Theming: What’s the point?
Create fantastic creatures, give them Traits, and collect Energy from mystical Sources. The first player to transmute three creatures wins.
The key race
- Energy is scarce and comes from the current Source.
- A creature needs four Energy at the start of its own turn to transmute.
- Creatures cannot die, so disruption delays opponents rather than removing them.
Setting up: How to get started?
Shuffle the Energy Source and Evolution decks. Reveal an Energy Source and add its player-count Energy tokens, make the Energy, Sleep, and Transmutation supply available, then give each player one facedown starting creature and five Evolution cards.
Table checklist
- Shuffle Energy Source cards and reveal the first Source.
- Put the player-count Energy on both parts of that Source as shown.
- Make Energy, Sleep, and Transmutation tokens available.
- Shuffle Evolution cards and leave room for their discard pile.
- Deal one facedown starting creature and five cards to every player.
- Give the First Player token as directed by the rulebook.
Rounds and Phases
Players take clockwise turns until all creatures are asleep, which ends the round. On a turn, a player may create a creature and add a Trait, then must activate an awake creature. After activation, it gains Energy, transmutes, attaches, or sleeps. At a new round’s start, players may redraw their hand once.
A turn in order
- Optionally play one Evolution card facedown to create a creature.
- Optionally play one card face-up under a creature as a Trait.
- Choose one non-sleeping creature and activate it.
- Resolve its Traits, then choose its resulting action.
- Check whether a transmutation has produced a third marker.
Important exceptions
- A sleeping creature may receive a new Trait.
- A creature may not have two copies of the same Trait.
- Friendly creatures may attach to one another.
- If the Evolution deck runs out, reshuffle its discard pile immediately.
Scoring
There is no final point count: a player wins immediately on transmuting a third creature. A creature can transmute when it has four Energy at the start of its turn.
Endgame check
Do this check as soon as a creature transmutes. Do not finish the round once a player has three Transmutation markers.
Terminology
- Creature: An Evolution card placed facedown; creatures do not die.
- Trait: A face-up Evolution card attached to a creature.
- Energy Source: The current card from which Energy can be gained.
- Sleep: A token showing a creature cannot activate again that round.
- Transmutation: A marker showing a creature has ascended.