Understanding The Playing Field

In Infinity Wars, the Playing Field represents the board on which each game is played and where the action takes place. Around it, are various important elements and other numerous interactive options. 

The Playing Field is organized into a series of Zones and the Heads Up Display (HUD) provides a multitude of information.

As many cards reference certain zones on the Playing Field, it is vital for the players to understand and identify which zones are being referred to.

Additionally, properly using and understanding the actions and informations provided by the HUD, is also paramount to success.

This page is designed to provide a more effective comprehension of the Playing Field, a better understanding of the HUD and other key characteristics involving them.

Overview

Hand

​The player’s Hand is composed of cards drawn from the main deck. They are located at the bottom edge of the Playing Field and are revealed.

Players begin the game with a hand of 5 (five) cards and draw 1 (one) extra card at the beginning of every subsequent turn.

Players have a maximum hand size of 8 (eight) cards. At the end of planning phase, if a player has more than 8 cards in hand, he must discard down to 8. Discarded cards go the the Graveyard.

Selected cards may be played or deployed from the hand during the match for their Resource Cost.

What else is good to know:

• The cards at the top edge of the screen (with their backs facing you) are your opponent's hand, so, you can always know how many cards he has on his hand, just by mousing over it;
• Non-Ability cards are deployed directly into the Support Zone (unless otherwise stated on the card);
• Deployed cards from the hand are Exhausted, which means that they cannot be moved or activated during the turn they are deployed (there are some exceptions here, for example, cards that have the Keyword Ability Haste);
• Some faction, like Exiles or Sleepers, can take advantage of the discarded cards from a players hand, as they have ways to interact with the Graveyard.

Zones and Their Concepts

Command Zone

At the beginning of the match, the Command Zone contains 3 (three) Character Cards in it. These are the player’s Commanders.

Any Character card that is compatible with the Purity of a legal Deck can be used as Commander.

Any Activated and Passive Abilities Characters cards may have at his/her Ability Text can be activated or triggered from the Command Zone, as long as the player has the resources and fill the requirements of the ability usage, unless otherwise stated on the card.

To move a Character out of the Command Zone, they must be deployed, by paying its Resource Cost.

Unlike when a Character is deployed from the hand, a Character at the Command Zone can be deployed directly into any of the other zones (Support Zone, Assault Zone or Defense Zone) and is not Exhausted upon being deployed. 

What else is good to know:

• Character cards at the Command Zone ARE considered to be "in play";
• The Command Zone is NOT a part of the "Deployed Area" (so, the Characters cards in it are NOT considered to be deployed);
• The Command Zone is NOT a part of the Battlefield;
• A few Character cards can leave the Command Zone without needing to pay its Resource Cost (e.g. Gao Han, The Stalwart and the Pilgrimage Monk);
• Characters can never be moved from another zone of the Playing Field to the Command Zone.

Support Zone

The Support Zone is where most Characters Cards enter play when deployed. Characters in the Support Zone can use any Activated and Passive Abilities they have (as long as the player has the resources and fill the requirements of the ability usage), but, from this zone, they cannot attack the opponent Fortress or are able to defend (by blocking) their own.

Artifact, Location and Mission cards always stay in this zone after being deployed.

What else is good to know:

• Character cards at the Support Zone ARE considered to be "in play";
• The Support Zone IS a part of the "Deployed Area" (so, the Cards in this zone ARE considered to be deployed);
• The Support Zone is NOT a part of the Battlefield;
• When Character, Artifact, Location and Mission cards are deployed, they will start out exhausted in the Support Zone, unless specified otherwise;
• If a deployed Character card becomes Exhausted for whatever reason, they will automatically be moved to the Support Zone;

Assault Zone

The Assault Zone is where a player may place any number of deployed Characters with which they plan to attack the opponent Fortress during the turn. The player’s Assault Zone sits opposite from the opponent’s Defense Zone.

During Combat, Characters in the Assault Zone will attempt to attack the opponent’s Fortress, one at a time, in the order they are placed, from left to right, while Characters in the Defense Zone attempt to block them from doing so.

More informations about how Combat resolves are described at the guide Turn Structure.

What else is good to know:

• Character cards at the Assault Zone ARE considered to be "in play";
• The Assault Zone IS a part of the "Deployed Area" (so, the Cards in this zone ARE considered to be deployed);
• The Assault Zone IS a part of the Battlefield.

Defense Zone

The Defense Zone is where a player may place any number of deployed Characters with which they plan to block during the turn. The player’s Defense Zone sits opposite from the opponent’s Assalt Zone.

In other words, the Defense Zone is the line between your opponent's Assault Zone and your Fortress.

During combat, Characters in the Defense Zone will attempt to block, one at the time, in the order they are placed, from left to right.

A Character in the Defense Zone will keep blocking all attackers until it is killed, at which time the next Character in line in the Defense Zone will block. If a defending Character is unable to block an attacker due to an ability or effect, then the first Character in line who is able to block the attack will do so instead.

More informations about how Combat resolves are described at the guide Turn Structure.

What else is good to know:

• Character cards at the Defense Zone ARE considered to be "in play";
• The Defense Zone IS a part of the "Deployed Area" (so, the Cards in this zone ARE considered to be deployed);
• The Defense Zone IS a part of the Battlefield.

"The Battlefield" Concept

"The Battlefield" is the area comprised of the Assault and Defense Zones of both players. Support Zones and Command Zones are not considered part of the Battlefield.

"Deployed Area" Concept

The "'Deployed Area" correspond to the zone comprised of the Battlefield and the Support Zone of both players. Any Characters, Artifacts, Locations, or Missions in these zones are considered to be “deployed” or "in play". A card “leaves the Deployed Area” when it is either destroyed, removed from the game, returned to the hand, etc.

The Command Zones are not considered part of the Deployed Area.

"In Play" Concept

Cards are considered to be “In Play” if they are either in the Deployed Area or the Command Zone. A card “leaves play” when it is either destroyed, removed from the game, returned to the hand, etc.

Other Elements from the Playing Field

Deck

The Deck is where the player’s main deck sits during the game. At there, are all the cards a player haven't drawn yet, randomly shuffled and stacked.

By default, players will draw 1 (one) card from the Deck per turn, unless some other modifier is in effect.

What else is good to know:

• If a player's deck runs out or cards, it's owner will lose 10 Morale per turn;
  
• Mousing over either player’s deck will show how many cards are left in it;

• Certain cards and actions allow you to interact in different ways with the deck, for example, by shuffling cards from your graveyard back in it, or searching the deck for specific cards to put into your hand.

Graveyard

The Graveyard is where Character cards go to after been killed, destroyed, died, sacrificed, etc.

After played and resolved, Ability cards also go directly to the Graveyard.

Artifacts cards that have been destroyed, also go there, as well as Missions Cards that have been completed.

Finally, discarded cards are also placed into the Graveyard.

What else is good to know:

• Both players’ Graveyards are considered to be public knowledge, and may be inspected by either player at any time during a match by clicking on it;
• Certain cards allow you to interact in different ways with the Graveyard, for example, by raising characters from it or moving cards from your deck directly to there.

HUD (Heads Up Display) Elements

Avatar

The Avatar is a small portrait each player uses to represent themselves.

The Health/Morale Bars

The Health/Morale Bars show how much Health and Morale a player currently has.

At a match, both players starts it with 100 (one hundred) points in each bar.

Should either bar reach and remain at 0 (zero) for a player at the end of a turn, then that player loses the match.

Since the status of both Health and Morale bars are only checked at the end of a turn, it is possible for matches to end up in a draw, which can occur when 2 players lose simultaneously.

It is also possible for a player’s Health or Morale to reach 0 during the course of a turn, but if the player is able to recover their Health or Morale to be higher than 0 by the end of the turn, then that player will not have lost and play continues onto the next turn.

Health Bar

The Health Bar is displayed as a yellow bar bellow each player's name, and it represents the amount of damage a player's Fortress can stand.

When the Fortress Health Bar is depleted (reached 0), it means that your Fortress was destroyed or that your troops have been defeated.

The most common way that players can use to cause "damage" and subtract points from the opponent Health Bar, is by attacking his/her Fortress with the characters located at the Assault Zone.

Of course, the opposing player can use his/her own characters to defend his own Fortresses, as explained above.

What else is good to know:

• It is possible to cause "damage" (by taking points from the Health Bar) to an opponent Fortress via Activated and/or Passive Abilities of Characters, Abilities, Artifacts and Locations cards;
• Players can "heal" (by adding points to the Health Bar) a Fortress through some Activated and/or Passive Abilities of Characters, Abilities, Artifacts, Locations and Mission cards;
• Fortresses can have their maximum health modified by certain cards like The Great Fortress of Xia Han, that allow the Health Bar to have a higher maximum;
• Some cards can prevent a player's Fortress from being destroyed, even if its Health Bar would be depleted at the end of turn (e.g. Jialan, Guardian of Life and Die Another Day).

Morale Bar

The Morale Bar is the blue bar displayed below the Fortress Health bar, and it represents the capacity of a player to maintain the will to fight. When the Morale Bar is depleted (reached 0), it means that your unit's morale cracked, making them to surrender or just give up the fight.

The most common way for a player to lose morale (take morale damage) is by having their Character Cards killed or destroyed, which subtract points from the Morale Bar according with that Character Morale Cost.

What else is good to know:

• It is possible to cause "damage" (by taking points from the Morale Bar) to an opponent Morale via Activated and/or Passive Abilities of Characters, Abilities and Artifacts cards;
• Players can "gain" Morale (by adding points to the Bar) or reduce the morale damage they would take through some Activated and/or Passive Abilities of Characters and Abilities cards;
• The max limit of the Morale Bar cannot grow above 100;

• A player will lose 10 morale per turn if his/her deck runs out of cards.

Resource Indicator

The Resource Indicator shows the maximum and remaining resources a player has during the turn. Basically, each turn, players can use the maximum number of resources he/she has at the indicator.

At the beggining of the match, both players start with their maximum resources at 1 (one). Each turn, automatically, the players maximum resources increase by 1, until it reaches 10 (ten). Once a player maximum resources reach 10, it will no longer increase automatically.

What else is good to know:

• If a player's maximum resources is reduced below 10 by any card Activated and/or Passive Abilities, it will start increasing again, until it reaches 10;
• Bonus resources gained by players via the Trading Post or by other cards do not count towards the base maximum resources of 10. For example, if a player gained 2 (two) bonus resources from some source, his/her maximum resources would not stop increasing until it reached 12;
• As every card has a Resource Cost, a player that has the right amount of resources can use them to deploy Characters, Artifacts, Locations and Missions cards and/or activate any abilities of deployed cards and/or play Ability Cards;
• Having insufficient remaining resources means no more cards may be played nor any Activated Abilities with a resource cost can be activated;
• All resources previously used during a turn will be refilled by the beginning of the next turn.

For more informations about Resources, see the Turn Structure Guide.

Initiative Indicator

The Initiative Indicator is a yellow dot that can be found near the players name, next to the Resource Indicator.

This indicator switch from player to player every turn, showing who has the Initiative for the turn.

When a player has the Initiative for the turn, it means (among others) that his/her Activated or Passive Abilities will resolve first, and that his/her Characters will also attack first during combat, while the Characters belonging to the other player will defend first.

For more informations about Initiative, see the Turn Structure Guide.

Undo Button

The Undo Button allows the player to take back a planned action for the turn.

Before the end of the Planning Stage, actions like deploying Characters, Artifacts, Locations, Missions and playing Abilities cards can all be undone. Activating the abilities of cards in play can also be undone.

The same applies to some start of turn decisions, such as the decision to sacrifice a character to Vasir, the Demon Prince or to pay 2 resources to keep the Bomb-bot from exploding.

Some actions cannot be undone, but that will be specified.

What else id good to know:

• Actions taken with the Trading Post cannot be undone with the Undo Button;
• Some Abilities cards states that them "Cannot be Undone", which means that the Undo Button can't allow the player to undo this action.

Trading Post

The Trading Post is the "Scales of Justice" icon in the lower right corner of the HUD, and it enable the player to perform the following special actions, during a turn:

1. "Shuffle hand into deck: draw a new hand minus 1 (first turn action only);
2. "Pay 3: Shuffle a card from your hand into the deck, draw a card.";
3. "Pay 5: Draw a card.";
4. "Pay 9: Increase base resources by 1";

When the Trading Post reffers to "Pay 3", "Pay 5" or "Pay 9", these numbers are the amount of resources the player must spent in order to use the elected action. A player may use these special actions as long as he/she has resources to pay for it.

What else is good to know:

• The Mulligan option (special action number 1 - "Shuffle hand into deck: draw a new hand minus 1 [...]") can be used more than once, but every time the player draw a new hand it will be one card smaller than the previous one;
• The player can choose which card will be shuffled back at the deck when he/she uses the action number 2 ("Pay 3: Shuffle a card from your hand into the deck, draw a card.");
• Every time a player acquire the base resources given by the special action number 4 ("Pay 9: Increase base resources by 1"), it allows the player maximum resource to keep increasing beyond the natural limit of 10 (ten);
• Actions taken with the Trading Post CAN NOT be undone with the Undo Button;

End Planning Button

The End Planning button is clicked by players to indicate they are done with the Planning Stage of their turn and are ready to move on to the Resolution Stage.

In Player versus Player games, a timer appears near this button to indicate how many time the players have until the end of the turn. Once both players have hit their End Planning buttons, or the timer has expired, the turn moves to the Resolution Stage.

What else is good to know:

• Once the End Planning button is pressed, the player’s board is locked, no movement or plays may be executed and no actions can be undone;
• As long as your opponent did not end his/her Planning Stage, a player can press this same button to cancel his/her intention to end the Planning Stage and resume planning their turn;
• A player can gain some extra time to finish his/her Planning Stage by pressing "Extend" bellow the End Planning button;

Acknowledgement

This page incorporates information from the Infinity Wars Comprehensive Rules and Mechanics Guide, brought to us by the awesome folks of the http://www.twitch.tv/nexustavern . The complete guide can be found here . At the moment, this guide is being updated by NatoPotato .

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