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Cards and Deck

Cards are either instant or duration; duration cards sit on a publicly visible burn-down track as persistent buffs, and a player's deck draws from stock, arena, and character sources. Every card also carries a water cost and prestige points.

Card anatomy

• Duration (top-left): 1, 2, or 3 — how many rounds the card stays on the burn-down track (duration cards only).
• Name (top-center).
• Cost in water (top-right): paid in water drops — see Water and Prestige.
• Type (bottom-left): Arena, Player (character), or Stock.
• Prestige points (bottom-right): earned for playing the card — attacks earn more, and so do fancy flips.
• Art in the middle.

The user's original sketch: card anatomy (duration, name, water cost, type, art) and the water debt rule — when a card falls off the burn-down track, pay its water debt or go to last legs; next turn you die.

Hand

• Players hold a hand of 6 cards, drawn from their deck at the start of each round.
• One card played (or a pass) per second — 6 seconds play through the hand. See Rounds and Seconds.

Card duration

• Instant cards (0 duration) resolve immediately and go straight to the water debt pile, where they sit until end of round.
• Duration cards are placed on the burn-down track on the player mat, in the column matching their duration (1–3).

The burn-down track

• The track sits on the player mat with columns 3 → 2 → 1, then expiry.
• Cards can stack within a column.
• While on the track, a duration card is an active, persistent buff — not a delayed effect that fires once later.
• Burn-down tracks are visible to all players. There is no hidden duration information; the model is closer to Warhammer Underworlds than to a standard hidden-hand CCG.
• Cards shift one column right at the end of each second — see Rounds and Seconds.
• When a card falls off the track, it goes to the water debt pile — nothing is paid until end of round — see Water and Prestige.

Deck composition

A player's deck draws from three sources:

1. Stock cards — common basics every fighter knows; see the Stock card set below.
2. Arena cards — the weapons available in the specific arena being played.
3. Character ability cards — special to the character; may be race-based or class-based.

Weapon and shield cards are assigned to hand slots during setup rather than played from hand — see Loadout and Setup.

Stock card set

The common basics every fighter's deck includes — enough to start playtesting. Durations are written in seconds (one burn-down step per second; see the burn-down rate open question). Water and prestige numbers are provisional.

Movement

• Move-1 — instant, 0 seconds, 0💧. Step one hex; costs no time. 🎯
• Duck — instant, 1 second, 0💧. Evade high attacks this second. 🎯
• Dodge — instant, 1 second, 1💧. Sidestep; void the incoming attack line. 🎯
• Jump — instant, 1 second, 1💧, +1★. Clear sweeps and low attacks; the crowd likes air. 🎯
• Lunge — instant, 1 second, 1💧. Explosive advancing step; sets up the next attack. 🎯
• Move-Circle — duration 2, 1 second, 1💧. Circling footwork; keep facing on your foe while repositioning. 🎯

Attacks

• Stab — instant, 1 second, 1💧, +1★. Quick thrust. 🎯
• Swing-Low — instant, 1 second, 1💧, +1★. Basic rising hew. 🎯
• Swing-High — instant, 1 second, 1💧, +1★. Basic descending hew. 🎯
• Attack-Swing — duration 3, 1 second, 2💧, +2★. The big committed swing, in motion for 3 seconds; threatens its arc while on the track. 🎯

Defense

• Parry — instant, 1 second, 1💧. Turn the blade aside. 🎯
• Kron — instant, 1 second, 1💧. Roof block overhead against descending cuts. 🎯

Flourish

• Kip-Up — instant, 1 second, 1💧, +1★. Snap from prone to standing after a knockdown. 🎯
• Swashing — instant, 1 second, 0💧, +2★. Slash your own buckler; make noise, show off. 🎯

Arena and character sets are still open. Candidate cards from historical research (net casts, master-cuts, binds, disarms, grapples, capoeira flourishes) are proposed but not yet approved.