Water Tower 2023 is behind us, as is the wonderful Frogman Festival! Minds and eyes look onward to the Earth Tower in April. What will we see as an undiscovered Meta takes shape?
As in our previous installments, we’ll go over important rules, rulings, and errata that will play a role at the Earth Tower and Native Release Event!
Please make sure to read and check in on the official documents regularly at the MetaZoo Games Gameplay website! With the Native Set dropping at the same time as the Tower we may get some new surprises!
Rulebook 2023 3/1/23
Determining a Page’s Aura Type:
The Base Aura Type(s) of a Page is what Aura Type(s) that the Page
belongs to without other Effects or Modifiers. Dual Aura Pages are considered to have 2 Base Aura Types. If a Page has more than 1 non-Neutral Aura Cost, that Page belongs to all Aura Types with its Aura Costs (i.e., if a Page’s Aura Cost is 1 Spirit and 1 Dark, that Page is considered a Spirit and Dark Beastie).
–Tower Info:
A Caster must have a minimum of 40 Pages in their Spellbook and no more than 15 Pages in their Archive. Additionally, Casters’ Spellbooks must consist of Pages totaling at least 60% of that Tower’s Aura, not including Aura Pages. The only exception to this rule are Pages with dual Auras. You are allowed an Archive of 15 Pages that you can use to modify your Spellbook between games. A Caster may not make any changes to the contents of their Spellbook or Archive once the event has started.
Terra Bonuses:
Give you boosts when you are within or nearby a certain place or object in real life. Unless otherwise specified by a Page, “nearby” means within 5 miles or within eyesight. Terra that has been Contracted into the Arena activates Terra Bonuses for all Casters in the game. Terra cannot be/is not controlled by any Caster in the game.
–Tower Info:
Tower events may have certain Terras “active” during play. These Terras do not need to be Contracted in order to be considered active, and conversely, those Terras cannot be destroyed by Page Effects. In addition to this, all Terra Bonuses active and specific for that Tower will have a 3x multiplier.
Official Tower Document FAQ
Are Terras that are “active” in a pseudo environment considered owned by either Caster?
-No. Terras active in pseudos are not considered owned by either Caster. This means Pages such as Land Tax would deal 0 Damage.
4th Wall Effects:
Some Page text may reference items that wouldn’t normally exist in the game, like “dirt” or “a source of fire.” Text that interacts with anything outside the game is considered a 4th Wall Effect. These can call for objects to be within eyesight or within arm’s reach. Some Effects call for actions such as singing and creating a shadow in the area to trigger. Others simply take into account the age or nationality of the players.
–Tower Info:
Players will be asked to claim/submit four 4th Wall Items from the Offical List. Players are required to have physical representations of the items with them at the event. The Tower Event may have its own active 4th Wall Effects during the event, so keep an eye out for those to be announced!
Native Release will bring new 4th Wall items as well so keep an eye out for them!
Keywords/Static Effects:
ENTER: Effects that resolve when a Page enters the Arena. (A
Page being Contracted into the Arena is still considered to have
entered the Arena unless the Page is a Spell or Potion).
Static Effects: Page Effects that are considered “rules” of the Page and are constantly applied/checking once a game has begun. They only become active while the Page is known information (Example: Searching your Spellbook, while in Chapter, while in a public zone, etc.) Some of these Static effects will only function while in the Arena. Static Effects will not be denoted by a keyword and will rather be at the top of the Effect text box. Sometimes these effects will be bolded or italicized.
Spellbook Restrictions: A type of Static Effect that is applied outside of the game while constructing your Spellbook and at all times during the game. These effects will include a clause similar to “You may not include this Page in a Spellbook-”, “[Page Name] may not be included in a Spellbook with-”, or any other effects written similarly.
Cryptid Nation Set Clarifications:
‘Enter’, ‘Static Effects’, and ‘Contrat’ classifications have been applied to all Cryptid Nation Set cards that previously did not have clarification. This allows Cryptid Nation card effects to have these specific game mechanics to be tied to them.
These clarifications will not be considered Errata to any Page and will primarily focus on Beasties and Artifacts intended functionality.
Status Effects / Traits:
“Status Effects are dangerous conditions that may be inflicted upon Beasties, Artifacts, or Casters. A target may only have 1 Status Effect Indicator of each type on it (except for Poison)….”
“…In cases with multiple Defenders, Status Effects may only affect the primary Defender. When a Page “automatically” inflicts a Status Effect, place that Status Effect Indicator on the target unless another effect would modify the coin flip past the automatic infliction. If an Effect would attempt to affect an automatic coin flip, resolve the Effects as if the coin flip is/was modified.”
–Tower Info:
It is valuable to read up on all the effects as there has been some new clarification to them. Status effects may take a back seat in this Tower, but Traits like Burrow, Stone Skin, Defender, Unblockable, and Regeneration will be key to holding a defense and avoiding destruction.
Burrow: At the start of each turn, you may declare that a Beastie with Burrow is burrowed until the end of that turn. A burrowed Beastie cannot declare an Attack, be declared as a Defender, or activate a Power. Any Spell, Artifact, or Power cannot target a burrowed Beastie. Traits, Potions, and Page Effects can affect burrowed Beasties. A burrowed Beastie may only be targeted for an Attack if the Attacking Beastie has Burrow or a Page Effect says otherwise. This Trait functions only while in the Arena.
Stone Skin: A Beastie with this Trait reduces all Damage besides Attack Damage to 0. This includes damage dealt from Effects during Combat. Stone Skin does not prevent Effects that would cause a Beastie to “lose” LP. This Trait functions only while in the Arena.
Defender: A Beastie or Artifact with this Trait doubles its maximum LP at the start of an opposing caster’s turn after all other modifiers. At the end of that turn, that Beastie or Artifact loses all LP gained by this Trait. This Trait functions only while in the Arena.
Regen: For each Regen Trait a Beastie has, it recovers 10 LP at the end of each turn. This Trait functions only while in the Arena.
LP Loss vs. LP Gain
Life Point (LP) Loss is an Effect that acts the same as Damage (injuries received on a Page or Caster). However, LP Loss is NOT the same as a Beastie receiving Damage. LP Loss would not activate Effects based on a Beastie receiving Damage. LP Loss does NOT reduce the maximum LP of a Beastie.
Life Point (LP) Gain refers to a Beastie’s maximum Life Points increasing. When a Beastie gains LP, it still keeps any Damage or LP Loss it currently has.
Newer Glossary Terms:
Just some of the updated terms in the Rulebook.
Any Time: The ability to take an Action on your turn or during a generated priority window.
Attack Damage: Any Damage beside the Attack Name that is printed in red. Damage Modifiers are applied in Attack Damage.
Aura Effects: Effects that ONLY generate Aura and have no other Effects. These Effects can be used without passing priority. Only Aura Effects with “any time” clauses, or Aura Pages, may be used in a
generated priority window. Unless an Effect would state otherwise.
Combat Damage: Any Effect Damage or Attack Damage that an Attacker or Defender in Combat produces.
Effect Damage: Any Damage from a written Effect on the Page not including Attack Damage.
Nullify: (Interchangeable: “Do not resolve”) To not resolve the Effects
or Traits of a Page.
Private Zone(s): Chapter or Spellbook
Public Zone(s): Arena, Limbo, Cemetery, Afterlife