CRD 2.0 Update – Highlights!

Part One – Rules Changes

We’re talking the parts of the rules that have explicitly changed from how things have been done before. This is a very important section – if you read nothing else, read about these. They will affect your games.

1) Secondary conditions (“ifs”) are easier

See an example:

You’re playing a very silly Infinity deck, and your opponent just wiped your board with Be Prepared. Luckily, you had three copies of Mufasa – Betrayed Leader in play. Three instances of The Sun Will Set go into the bag, and you proceed to resolve them. First off the top of the deck is a copy of Stitch – Carefree Surfer, who has an ability that lets you draw 2 cards if you have 2 or more other characters in play when he is played. That “if” bit, “if you have two or more other characters in play”, is a secondary condition.

Right now, you have no other characters in play so his ability would not go into the bag under the old rules. But with CRD 2.0, it does! You can save it for later. You resolve another Mufasa ability and reveal another copy of Stitch, whose ability also would not have been able to go into the back under the old rules, but now it can. You resolve the last Mufasa, playing yet another Stitch, who would previously have been the only Stitch whose ability would have been able to be resolved as you do now have two other characters in play – his secondary condition is true when he triggers.

But now the fun part! You get to check all of those secondary conditions as we resolve each Stitch‘s ability. Do you have two other characters in play as we resolve the first one? Yes! Draw! Do you have two other characters in play as we resolve the second one? Yes! Draw again! Do you have two other characters in play as we resolve the third one? Yes! Draw again! Under CRD 2.0, you get to resolve all three abilities, and get all six cards!

6.2.4. - Some triggered abilities are written as “[Trigger Condition], if [Secondary Condition], [Effect].” Such an ability checks whether the secondary condition is true only when the effect resolves. If the condition is false, the ability resolves with no effect. If an ability has multiple “if [Secondary Conditions],” all of them are checked as the effect resolves.

2) “For free” is now an alternate cost

Previously, you have been able to choose to pay alternate costs when playing a card “for free”, like with Down in New Orleans. Players have grown used to the ability to shift a character, or even sing a song, they are playing for free. But this is no longer the case. “For free” is now a mandatory alternate cost, which means you cannot sing a song played by Powerline – World’s Greatest Rock Star, or shift a character played by Circle of Life.

This also changes the kind of costs that “for free” lets you skip paying. Previously, only ink costs were affected by “for free” effects, but now all costs except for exertion are covered. This is definitely something to watch out for in the future, as we may see more effects that allow us to activate abilities on cards in play for free!

See an example:

Previously, it would have been legal to use Retro Evolution Device to banish a 1-cost character of yours in order to play Mickey Mouse – Brave Little Prince by shifting onto another copy of Mickey Mouse already in play. This would let you immediately access the benefits of Crowning Achievement without paying his shift cost.

Now, though, you cannot choose to shift when playing the new Mickey Mouse, so he can only enter play as a new character without the benefits of Crowning Achievement.

1.5.5.3 - An ability or effect that allows a player to play a card “for free” is an alternate cost and means they may play that card without paying its cost.
1.5.5.4 - An ability or effect that allows a player to use an ability “for free” is an alternate cost and means they may use that ability without paying any costs except {E}.
4.3.2.2. - [...] If the card is played for the alternate cost of “for free,” that alternate cost is immediately chosen, and the player ignores all costs to play the card and skips directly to 4.3.3.

3) “Takes damage” & “is/was damaged”

An old glossary entry for “is/was damaged” specified that this term was equivalent to “is/was dealt damage”, which restricted its application to only certain ways of damaging characters. That glossary entry has been replaced, and a rule added that states it now means “takes damage”. This change also affects cards that use the trigger condition “is/was dealt damage”, which is… just Hydra – Deadly Serpent.

So… what does “takes damage” mean? That’s new too! “Takes damage” means any way of receiving damage counters – dealing damage, putting damage counters, and moving damage counters. Anything! Now you can trigger that old Beast – Relentless with Malicious, Mean, and Scary!

See an example:

Previously, if you activated Devil’s Eye Diamond after using Mosquito Bite to put a damage counter on one of your characters, you would not gain a lore. That’s because Mosquito Bite does not deal damage, so Devil’s Eye Diamond would not see that your character “was damaged”.

Now that “was damaged” is equivalent to “took damage”, and “takes/took” covers all forms of damage placement, this (really bad) combo will actually work.

1.9.1.5. - Take – A character or location takes damage whenever damage is dealt to, put on, or moved to that character or location.
1.9.2. - Some card text refers to a character or location that “is damaged,” “was damaged,” “is dealt damage,” or “was dealt damaged.” These references mean the same as “takes damage” for cards printed with that text.

4) You now deck out at the end of your turn

You will no longer lose the game at the next Game State Check when attempting to draw from an empty deck. With the new CRD, you now get a little extra chance to refill your deck before the end of the turn. If your turn ends with an empty deck, that’s when you lose.

Note: This does not mean when you declare the end of your turn – you also have the End-of-Turn Phase to get cards back in the deck, if you can. There is a Game State Check that occurs after the End-of-Turn Phase, and that’s the one that will cause you to lose if your deck is empty.

See an example:

You and your opponent have drawn through most of your decks, and you play A Whole New World, forcing each player to draw their last four cards. Under the old rules, both players lose the game during the next Game State Check and as you are the active player you would “lose” first and officially lose the game.

Under the new rules though, you still have the opportunity to play the Come Out and Fight! that you just drew, putting five cards back into your deck from under a Cheshire Cat – Inexplicable (and drawing one more). The turn ends, and you avoid losing the game because your deck is no longer empty. Can your opponent put anything back into their deck and escape their fate?

1.8.1.2. - If a player’s turn ends with no cards in their deck, that player loses the game.

5) Replacement effects are simplified

6.4.5. - Effects that “skip” a step or phase of the game are static effects. [...]
6.7.8. - Some effects modify how a card enters play. These effects resolve along with the card being played.
8.8.1. - The Resist keyword represents a static ability that modifies the amount of damage dealt to the card with the keyword. Resist +N means “Damage that would be dealt to this character or location is reduced by N.” Resist is a damage reduction. [...]

6) [A] to [B] is (usually) no longer a Cost

Alright, hang on to your hats, because this is a funky one. Previously, effects like Teeth and Ambitions that use the format “[A] to [B]” were defined as having Costs, because you had to “pay” by dealing two damage to one of your characters in order to resolve the following effect of dealing two damage to another character. Now, these are called “sequential effects”, which comes with a few changes.

First of all, replacement effects will now stop the [A] effect from being considered resolved. This didn’t happen when they were Costs. If a replacement effect prevents you dealing damage to your character with Teeth, you can no longer deal damage to another character (and remember, Resist isn’t a replacement effect anymore – Resist doesn’t stop these effects being considered resolved).

Also, because they are no longer Costs, they can be affected by other abilities that change how effects resolve. Check out the example below to review that in more detail.

You may have noticed that I put “usually” in the title to this section – that’s because if the [A] effects happens to include paying any ink, then that is still considered a Cost (such as Pongo – Determined Father). I told you it was a funky one.

See an example:

If you have Kronk – Laid Back in play and quest with your Maleficent – Vexed Partygoer, you’re going to run into some issues. Previously, choosing and discarding a card for What an Awkward Situation would not have been affected by I’m Lovin’ This because it was considered a Cost, not an effect. Now though, it is simply a sequential effect, which means you are prevented from discarding a card by Kronk. You can therefore never successfully resolve Maleficent‘s ability to use the second effect of bouncing a chosen card to its player’s hand while Kronk is in play. Womp.

6.1.5. - Some effects are considered sequential effects. These effects require a player to make a decision or pay a cost in order to resolve them. These are normally written as “[A] to [B], “[A] or [B],” or “[A]. If you do, [B].” Note that both [A] and [B] can have multiple parts.
6.1.5.1. - If the effect is “[A} to [B}” or “[A]. If you do, [B],” [A] is required as a part of the resolving effect. [A] can include paying {I}, and that ink is paid as the effect is resolving. If [A] can’t be completely performed, the effect can’t continue in sequence.

7) “Inking” is clarified (and changed a bit)

The turn action of “putting a card into the inkwell” is getting simplified to “ink a card”, to better mirror player behavior and improve readability of card text. This also affects cards like Sail the Azurite Sea, which grant an additional turn action to (now) ink.

This also brought a small change to how “additional” ink actions are counted throughout a turn. Previously, returning a Belle – Strange but Special to your hand and playing another copy would have given you a total of three ink actions to use during your turn, but that doesn’t work anymore. While you have a Belle in play, you have one additional ink action – if you use it, then bounce and replay Belle, you have already used that one additional ink action. You don’t get a new one.

4.2. - Ink a Card
4.2.3.1. - Some effects allow a player to put “additional” cards into their inkwell. These effects continually adjust the once-per-turn limit of the turn action for as long as the effect allowing the additional cards into the inkwell applies.

Part Two – Rules Additions

This section covers the things that are newly added to CRD 2.0 that explain how some of the new Winterspell cards will work, or answer some other previously unanswered questions.

1) Damage must be moved to “another” card

The rules now clearly state that effects which move damage must move the damage to “another” character (or location). Before, this was implied by card text but never directly stated in the documents or ruled upon by fiat (as far as I know). It’s great to have this one squared away before it caused any potential issues.

1.9.1.4. - Move – Taking off a number of damage counters from one character or location and placing them on another character or location as a result of an effect that moved damage to them.

2) “Can’t be reduced below” is explained

The rules now include a section that explains how to calculate ability modifiers when that stat “can’t be reduced below” a specific value. In effect, you add up all the positive and negative modifiers first, and compare the result to the restricted value – if it’s below that value, then it becomes that value. The restriction does not change the calculation before the end.

See an example:

You have Elisa Maza in play, preventing your characters from having their strength reduced below their printed value. Your opponent chooses Captain Hook for the effect of Trials and Tribulations. Hook‘s Strength is currently affected by a -4 modifier, but stays at 1 because that is the printed value.

On your next turn, you choose to challenge with Hook, adding his Challenger +2 to his Strength. He now has 1 Strength, with a -4 modifier and a +2 modifier, adding up to a total of -1. However, his Strength still cannot fall below its printed value of 1, so he deals 1 damage in his challenge.

6.6.4. - If an effect says a characteristic “can’t be reduced below” a specified value, that characteristic’s value can’t be less than the specified value after modifiers to determine that characteristic’s value have been applied.

3) A full breakdown of effect resolution

The rules now fully break down exactly how to resolve card effects from both actions and abilities. They give an order for determining the count of certain abilities, when to calculate damage being dealt, and even when choices are made while resolving an effect. This clarifies a lot of questions we had about, for example, the new John Smith – Undaunted Protector card that has an ability that requires him to be chosen for actions and abilities whenever his opponent is able.

6.7. - Resolving Cards and Effects
This is a huge section, so I'm not going to reproduce the whole thing in here. Look it up!

4) An “event” is finally defined

We’ve long wondered exactly what an “event” was in terms of a replacement effect, usually interpreting it as a very small, individual thing happening, such as a single card draw. Now, we know an event is the resolution of an effect as a whole, sometimes even including multiple effects. This may impact how replacement effects alter game events in the future, as we see new ones introduced to the game.

However, there is still something missing here – what about events that aren’t effects at all, such as damage being dealt in a challenge? Room for improvement yet!

6.5.2. - An event is the resolution of an effect as a whole. If an event contains multiple effects, all of those effects are considered to be part of the same event.

5) Challenge Declaration step

A common criticism of the previous editions of the CRD was that the steps of a challenge were confusing, particularly the most recent version prior to CRD 2.0. Now we have a much clearer process detailed for the two main steps of a challenge – the (new) Challenge Declaration step, and the Challenge Damage step.

The Declaration step groups together the steps required to begin the challenge, and is also followed by a very clear description of which triggered abilities are triggered and resolve before damage calculation, which is a marked improvement over prior versions. The Damage step also includes an improved process for calculating damage that is significantly easier to follow.

4.6.4. - Challenge Declaration step
4.6.5. - Any “challenges” or “is challenged” triggered abilities are added to the bag and resolve from the bag along with any other triggered abilities that were added to the bag during the Challenge Declaration process. Once all effects in the bag have resolved, the challenge moves to the Challenge Damage step.
4.6.6. - Challenge Damage step
4.6.6.1. - First, calculate the total amount of damage dealt to each character in the challenge, taking into account any current effects that modify Strength {S} and damage. Apply Strength {S} increases and {S} decreases first, then damage increases and damage reductions. The resulting number is the final amount of damage that character deals. If a character’s {S} is negative, it counts as 0 {S} for the purpose of determining how much damage is dealt during the challenge.

6) Durations and static conditions

6.1.13. - Some abilities or effects specify when an effect can happen, known as durations. They use certain words or phrases to define when the ability’s effects occur or apply. Durations are indicated by the following words or phrases: “during,” “once,” “until,” “this turn,” and “while.”
6.2.2. - Triggered effects start with “When,” “Whenever,” “The first time,” "The second time," “The next time,” “At the start of,” or “At the end of” and describe both the game state that causes the abilities to trigger and the effects of the abilities. [...]
6.4.4. - Conditional static abilities tie their condition and effect together with the word “unless” or the word “if.” [...]

Part Three – Rules Formalizations

Here, we’ll discuss the ways in which CRD 2.0 makes rulings previously only issued by fiat, usually over Discord, into officially documented rules. This is a great step towards equalizing rules enforcement across stores and events – Lore Guides no longer have to hang on every word Kyle posts in #rules-discussion!

1) Drawing cards happens one at a time

We’ve long known that drawing multiple cards in one go really happens one-by-one, ever since we’ve had things like Merlin’s Cottage requiring us to reveal everything we draw with A Whole New World. And now it’s official.

1.12.2. - Cards are drawn one at a time. If an effect instructs a player to draw more than one card, they draw the number of individual cards in succession.

2) Cards reducing what you pay for them

Cards like Gadget Hackwrench – Brilliant Bosun taught us back in Set 6 that cards can only affect their own cost if they specifically say that they do. Gadget is an Inventor character whose static ability reduces what you pay to play Inventor characters, but she can’t reduce her own cost. Only effects like Winterspell’s Underdog abilities that specifically say “you pay 1 less ink to play this character” can do that. And now the rules tell us that too.

4.3.6 - [...] Some cards have a self-referential payment modifier that functions while the card is in a non-Play zone, meaning it applies to the card it’s listed on only when that card is played. A modifier that isn’t self-referential functions only while the card it’s listed on is in play.

3) We know when a character “has quested”

Isabela Madrigal – Golden Child made us ask “when has a character officially quested” due to ability interactions with one of her siblings copying lore values way back in Shimmering Skies. Now we can officially say it happens after lore is gained from questing, but before any triggered abilities are resolved.

4.5.2. - Once the lore is gained by the questing player, the questing character has “quested.” Triggered abilities that were added to the bag during the process can now resolve.

4) When an optional “once” ability is “used up”

Azurite Sea brought us several cards, including the rules-community-famous Mr. Litwak – Arcade Owner, which have optional once-during-your-turn triggered abilities. Immediately, we all needed to know whether they were “used up” even if we chose not to resolve the effect. Now, looking at a couple of different rules, we can piece together the official explanation that a “once” ability is only “used up” when it has been fully resolved, and not if part of the resolution is declined.

Of course, Winterspell also brings us an ability that can occur “twice during your turn”, rather than once. We assume it works the same way, but that’s not exactly in the rules yet…

6.1.1. - [...] An ability is considered to be fully resolved if all of its effects have fully resolved. If an ability has an effect that has yet to fully resolve, such as one that didn’t happen or resolved with no effect, that ability isn’t fully resolved.
6.1.13.2. - Once – An ability with this duration can happen only a single time within the specified period listed after the word “once.” The ability checks to see if it has fully resolved previously. If it has, it resolves with no effect. If a player has two or more abilities with the same name, each ability checks independently.

5) Resolve effects in the order they are written

It seems so obvious that it shouldn’t even need to be said. And yet, it absolutely does. Card effects resolve in the order they are written, left to right, top to bottom (in English, at least). We’ve known that was the case for a long time, and my long campaign to get it written into the rules has finally come to fruition.

6.1.2. - [...] When an ability or effect begins to resolve, follow the order the effects are written in. [...]

6) [A] or [B] must be resolvable

I believe Megara – Captivating Cynic is our first real example of this ruling being made, although it could probably have also applied to the earlier Madam Mims from Rise of the Floodborn. If an ability requires you to choose one effect or another, you must choose an effect you are able to resolve – you may not choose to discard a card, for example, if you do not have any cards in your hand when resolving Megara‘s ability. You must banish her instead.

Note that this only applies to this specific sentence construction. For Do You Want to Build a Snowman on the other hand, the player is just choosing between YES or NO rather than the effects directly. This choice is much closer to a “choose one” ability like on Simba – Fighting Prince.

6.1.5.2. - If the effect is “[A] or [B],” the player is required to choose [A] or [B] as part of the resolving effect. If [A] can’t be chosen, then [B] has to be chosen, and vice versa.

7) When to count “for each” and “until”

The Queen’s Castle – Mirror Chamber was the first time I remember the “for each” phrasing creating a rules question, although the term itself has been in the game since The First Chapter. We needed to know when that number was counted, and if it resolved individually or collectively, with Light the Fuse really driving home the need to clarify the latter. Now we officially know, counts like these are calculated at the very start of resolving an ability, and are resolved as a single instance of an effect.

6.1.8. - Some abilities and effects have the language “for each” to define a single number used in that ability or effect. This can be used on any type of ability or effect. If a non-static ability has “for each,” the number defined is counted once during the process of resolving the effect. If a static ability has “for each,” the number defined is continuously counted for as long as the static ability remains active.
6.1.8.1. - Some abilities and effects instruct the player to draw or discard cards “until” a specified number of cards is met. This functions similarly to 6.1.8, where the number of cards needed to meet the specified number is counted once during the process of resolving the effect.

8) Define “last known information”

Both Whispers in the Well and Winterspell have introduced cards with abilities that rely on knowing something about them from before they left play, generally after being banished. Both Merlin – Completing His Research and Time to Go! want to know if a character had a card under them while in play, and Wreck-It Ralph – Raging Wrecker wants to know what his strength was while in play. Until now, these effects worked just because the ability text said they had to, but now we have a rules basis for that last known information (LKI) too.

6.7.6. - If an ability or effect needs to reference a card’s characteristic from when it was in play but that card isn’t in play anymore, the ability or effect references the last known value for that characteristic from before the card left play.

9) Loss of card information when leaving play

Cards have always been able to gain (and sometimes lose) abilities and effects while in play. Lots of effects can give a character Support, for example. We also know that cards aren’t affected by their own abilities unless they are in the play zone (generally speaking). But… do cards keep applied abilities like Keywords when they leave play? We only had a rules basis for cards losing information when going to a private zone, but that doesn’t cover the discard. Can Dragon Gem pull a card I previously gave Support to from the discard pile? Well, no. And now we have a good rules-reason why not.

7.1.6. - If a card enters any other zone from play, all gained effects, damage, and other gained characteristics are removed, and that card becomes a new card. Some abilities and effects may still refer to the card in its new zone.

10) Moving to the same location

Into the Inklands brought us characters like Peter Pan – Lost Boy Leader and Heihei – Accidental Explorer who have abilities that trigger when they move to a location. The rules have long said we cannot move out of a location without a location to move to, but they’ve never said whether we can move a character to a location that they are already in – probably because that concept barely makes sense.

Now, though, it’s official. Characters cannot leave locations unless they are being moved to another location.

4.7.2. - Players can’t move a character from a location unless that character is being moved to another location.

Part Four – Tiny Curiosities

If you’ve made it this far, honestly, congratulations. You are so well prepared for Winterspell and beyond that it’ll impress anyone. Maybe. Welcome to the section for things that are interesting to the rules nerds, and basically no one else. Enjoy!

1) Start-of-Turn triggers don’t just hang out

One of the strangest quirks of the old versions of the CRD was that Start-of-Turn triggered abilities triggered in the Ready Step of the Beginning Phase, and then hung out somewhere in the ether. They didn’t go into the bag where they belong until the Set Step – at which point they immediately resolved.

Thankfully, now Start-of-Turn abilities get to go directly into the bag when they trigger. No more awkward standing around while players gain lore from their locations.

3.2.1.4. - Triggered abilities that happen “at the start of your turn” or that occur at any time during the Ready step are added to the bag but don’t yet resolve.

2) Actions enter the Play zone

Speaking of hanging out in the ether… The question of where actions go after being played and while they are resolving has been answered for a long time – “somewhere”. The rules never put the card anywhere specific, they just told us it left the hand and then waited to enter the discard. Now, though, they actually get to chill with their friends in the Play zone. This has no impact on gameplay (for now); it just makes things a little cleaner. And I never have to hear about the made-up Yzma Zone ever again!

4.3.3.2. - If the card is an action, the card enters the Play zone and its effect resolves immediately. [...]

3) Singing songs technically works now

Yeah, I know, it’s always “worked”… But it actually hasn’t. You know how all the songs say (A character with cost 3 or more can {E} to sing this song for free.) or whatever? Well, that’s just reminder text, which we all know isn’t rules text. The instructions for singing a song in the rules use “N” for the cost of the singer, but never actually define it as referring to the cost of the song being played. Singing has never officially worked!

But now, finally, it does. The endless grouching of the rules community has fixed one of the core mechanics of the game. You’re welcome.

5.4.4.2. - [...] Being a song means “You may pay, ‘{E} a character with ink cost N or greater’ to play this card instead of its ink cost,” where N equals the ink cost of the song. This is called singing the song.

4) What are “after the challenge” abilities?

4.6.7. - After the Challenge Damage step and once all effects have been resolved and there are no more abilities in the bag, effects that apply “while challenging” or “while being challenged” end and the challenge is over. Any abilities that occur “after the challenge” happen now and resolve. Then, the player can choose their next turn action.

5) Housekeeping

Another thing CRD 2.0 does quite nicely is to shuffle around some of the most important information related to some of the more frequently asked questions. Rules about paying exert costs with drying characters have been added to the “Use an Activated Ability” section, rules about negative lore values have been added to the “Quest” section, and rules about putting and moving damage counters have been added to the “Resist” section. It’s great!

4.4.2.1. - Some activated abilities {E} a character as a part of its cost. Only dry characters can be used to pay that cost.
4.5.3.1. - If a questing character has a negative lore value, the questing player gains no lore.
8.8.3. - Damage put or moved onto a character with Resist isn’t affected by the ability.

And with that… we’re done! Thank you for checking this post out, and I hope it helped bring you and the new CRD closer together. Enjoy Winterspell!