Prism TCG

How to play

Prism is a card game for two or four players. You each bring a Traveler Soul and the decks that follow them. You win by reducing every opponent’s Traveler Soul to zero.

Watching a stream and just want a word? Jump to the glossary.

What you bring

A Traveler Soul
The character you play as. They sit at the head of your side of the table, they have their own health, and they are what an opponent is trying to bring down. Each of the seven has their own colour and their own way of fighting.
A Story deck
77 cards — the Characters, Actions, Artifacts, Realms and Events you fight with.
A Narration deck
23 cards — the Journeys that pay for everything else.

You open with 7 cards and choose which deck each one comes from.

Memory is the cost of everything

Cards cost Memory, and Memory has colour. Journeys are where it comes from: play a Journey, and from then on it gives you Memory at the start of each of your turns. A card asks for particular colours, so the Journeys you walk decide what you are able to play.

RedOrangeYellowGreenBlueIndigoVioletBasic

Basic is the colourless one: the Basic Journey is free and unlimited, so nobody is ever stranded without it.

A turn, in seven steps

  1. 1
    Awaken
    Your turn begins. Everything that was tapped or fatigued is ready again.
  2. 2
    Remember
    Your Journeys give you Memory for the turn.
  3. 3
    Prepare
    Draw. One card a turn by default — from either of your two decks, your choice.
  4. 4
    Main 1
    Play cards: Characters, Artifacts, Realms, Events, Journeys, Actions.
  5. 5
    Engage
    Attack. Choose who is attacking and what they are attacking.
  6. 6
    Main 2
    A second chance to play cards, once you have seen how combat went.
  7. 7
    Slumber
    Your turn ends. Discard down to 7 cards if you are over.

Drawing is one card a turn unless a card says otherwise — and you choose which of your two decks it comes from, which is a real decision every single turn.

Fighting

In the Engage step you choose which of your Characters attack, and what each one goes after: an opposing Character, or the opposing Traveler Soul directly.

Blocking. When your Traveler Soul is attacked, you may move one of your Characters in front of the attack. The blocker fights the attacker instead, and your Soul takes nothing. One blocker stands in front of an attack on your summoned Soul; any number may stand in front of an attack on its HP. A Character that is being attacked itself cannot block, and while your Traveler Soul is dormant behind The Veil, only a Guardian can block an attack that reaches it. An attack on any other Character cannot be blocked: to protect your Characters, play a Guardian, which must be attacked before the Characters beside it.

Characters that have just arrived cannot act yet — they need a turn to settle, unless something says otherwise. Most of what makes a fight interesting is printed on the cards themselves, which is what the glossary below is for.

Where cards go

The field
Where your Characters, Artifacts and Realms stand while they are in play.
The Journey Zone
Your Journeys, giving Memory each turn.
The Event Zone
Events wait here, affecting everyone, until the end of the round — once every player has taken a turn. Some linger longer.
The Remnant Field
Where cards go when they are destroyed or spent. Some cards can reach back into it.
The Forgotten Zone
Out of the game for good.

The Clash

When something is played that another player can answer, the game pauses and both sides get the chance to respond before anything resolves. Responses stack up, and the last thing added is the first thing to happen.

Keywords

Every word that does something when it is printed on a card. This list is generated from the game itself, so it always matches what actually happens in a match.

CrownCore
Active when this Shard is the top card of a stack of 2 or more.
DrainCore
When this character deals combat damage, heal it for the damage dealt. Overflow heals your Traveler Soul.
GuardianCore
Must be attacked before other characters the controller owns.
HasteCore
This character deals combat damage a second time after normal combat resolution.
InitiativeCore
Deals combat damage before characters without Initiative. If it defeats the defender, the defender does not deal return damage.
Mana BurnCore
When this character deals damage to a Traveler Soul, deal bonus damage equal to the target's total Memory pool.
NexusCore
While in play, each other Shard you control grants +1 ATK to all your characters.
SacrificeCore
You may send this character to the Remnant Field as an action during your main phase.
ScepterCore
Active when this Shard is a middle card in a stack of 3 or more.
ShatterCore
Triggers when this Shard is destroyed.
SuperiorityCore
Excess damage beyond the defender's HP is dealt to the opposing Traveler Soul.
ThroneCore
Active when this Shard is the bottom card of its stack, or stands alone.
War CryCore
When this character attacks, all other attacking characters you control gain +1 ATK until end of combat.
ArmorCommontakes a number
Reduce incoming combat damage by X after DEF is applied.
AssassinateCommon
This Character can attack a Dormant Traveler Soul.
BraceCommon
Once per game, prevent the next time this character would be defeated. Then this character loses Brace.
Cannot BlockCommon
This Character cannot be assigned to block an attack.
CleaveCommontakes a number
When this character attacks a character, deal X damage to all other enemy characters.
DreamwalkCommon
The first time in a turn this card would be destroyed it is returned to its owner's hand instead. Triggers once per turn.
InfiniteCommon
When this card resolves from the Clash Zone, return it to your hand instead of the Remnant Field.
IntrusiveCommon
This card may be played directly from the Forgotten zone by paying its normal cost.
PreparedCommon
This Character may attack or use abilities immediately when summoned. Enters the battlefield ready (not Fatigued).
RegenerationCommontakes a number
At the end of each of your turns (Slumber step), this Character heals X HP. Cannot exceed maximum HP.
RelentlessCommon
This Character ignores the Guardian keyword: it may attack any Character, Guardians or not.
ResourcefulCommon
This Character does not become Fatigued when it attacks.
ShroudCommon
This card cannot be targeted by Action cards. Non-targeting effects still apply.
SteadfastCommon
This Character may block while Fatigued (a Fatigued Steadfast Guardian still forces attackers to target it first).
StealthCommon
This Character cannot be targeted by Action cards or attack targeting. Stealth is permanently removed the first time this Character attacks.
Time ShiftCommon
This Character card may be played at any time as though it had the Reaction keyword.
UnblockableCommon
This Character cannot be blocked: its attack on a Traveler Soul cannot be intercepted.
UndeadCommon
This Character may be summoned from the Remnant Field by paying its normal cost. If defeated again after being summoned from it, goes to the Forgotten zone instead.
AscendUncommon
Gains +1 Attack and +1 Defense for each Journey you control. Maximum +4.
FatedUncommon
This Character cannot be defeated or destroyed: damage that would defeat it leaves it at 1 HP.
HeroismUncommontakes a number
When this Character would be defeated it instead remains at 1 HP. May occur X times; consumed uses do not reset.
ParryUncommon
When this Character is attacked and the attacker's ATK does not exceed its DEF, deal damage to the attacker equal to the difference.
PyreUncommontakes a number
When this character is defeated or sacrificed, deal X damage to all enemy characters and the opposing Traveler Soul.
VeteranUncommon
Whenever this Character survives combat it gains a permanent +1 ATK and +1 DEF counter.
BoundRare
When this Character enters, choose another Character you control. Both gain +1 Defense, and whenever either takes damage, the other takes the same amount. Lasts while both are on the field.
CorruptionRare
A Character damaged by this one withers: it loses 1 HP at the start of each of its controller's turns.
LingeringRare
This Event does not leave the Event Zone at the end of the round. It stays until the condition printed on it is met.

Showing 40 of 40. A keyword marked takes a number is printed with one — Armor 2, Cleave 1 — and the number is what it does.

Still stuck? The card catalogue shows every card in the game, and the three guided lessons walk you through a turn on the real board.