Below you can find a summary of the most important rules of the game. For more detailed rules and graphic examples, see the rulebook (link on the bottom of the page).
Turn structure
In Mystling Academy, Players alternate turns . Each Player’s turn follows the same sequence of steps, structured around managing Action cards, spending Power, and positioning on the Arena.
A turn consists of the following five phases, performed in order:
1. Use Bonus Action(s) (optional)
At the beginning of your turn, you may spend Power to perform Bonus Actions. They are found on Elemental Help cards, Ability cards, and sometimes, even on Action cards or Arena effects. Bonus Actions found on Help cards are always available.
To use the Bonus Action you must spend the number of Power tokens indicated to the left of the Bonus Action, then resolve its effect.
You may only use each Bonus Action once during your whole turn.
E.g., if you used the Dash Bonus Action in step 1 of your turn, you cannot resolve it again during this or any other step. However, you may still use the Prepare Bonus Action if you haven’t used it yet.
2. Resolving one Action card
This step is the main part of the Player’s turn and is mandatory, even if you wouldn’t do anything during resolving the card.
- Choose one Card Slot with a card in it. Note: You may choose any Slot, even if you cannot apply the effect of the card in it (e.g., the effect of the Action card is Attack, but there is no opponent in range 1).
- Gain Power tokens equal to the number above that Slot.
- Resolve the effect of the card, from top to bottom, left to right. You must resolve all effects on the card unless you are unable to do so, or the effect states otherwise. Remember that card effects always overwrite the rules.
- Place the resolved card face up on top of the Action cards discard pile, to the right of the Card Slots.
You may only resolve one Action card per turn.
3. Use Bonus Action(s) (optional)
Follow the rules from step 1. Remember that each Bonus Action may only be used once per turn.
4. Draw cards
Slide all remaining Action cards to the right to all any empty Slots.
Then, draw new cards from your deck to all the remaining empty Slots, starting from the rightmost available Slot.
Your Mystling should always have four Action cards slotted at the end of your turn. When you need to draw a card and your deck is empty, you must reshuffle. To do so, discard all your attached Upgrades, shufe your discard pile and create a new deck.
5. End of Turn
Resolve any end of turn effects in an order of your choice. Discard 1 Condition token of each type, if you have any. Proceed to the Opponent’s turn.
Combat Keywords
Every Mystling has their own way of fighting — some strike hard, others slip past defenses, some unleash raw elemental magic.
Instead of writing out full instructions every time, the game uses simple terms like Attack, Move, or Trigger to keep cards clean and quick to read. Keywords on Action cards are written in bold.
Attack
When a card instructs you to Attack, your Mystling deals Physical Damage equal to its current Attack value to a valid target in range 1 (adjacent space). Some cards may allow you to modify this Damage or Attack multiple targets, e.g., “Attack +1”
means that for the purpose of this Attack, your Mystling Attack value increases by 1.
Physical Damage is reduced by the target’s Defense value (to a minimum of 0), and you deal the rest Damage to the Enemy. If the resulting Damage is equal to or greater than the target’s remaining Health, they are defeated.
Heal
When you Heal, you remove a number of Damage tokens from your Mystling equal to the specified value. Healing cannot increase your Health beyond your maximum. If a card reads “Heal 3,” you remove up to 3 Damage from your Mystling.
Move
When you Move, your Mystling may change its position on the Arena by a number of spaces equal to its Movement value.
You move one space at a time, choosing the adjacent space for each step, up to the total allowed.
All movement is resolved during a single Move effect, but you may choose to move fewer spaces than the maximum. Some effects may temporarily increase or decrease your Movement. For example, if a card says “Move +1”, treat your Movement value as one point higher for that Move.
Trigger
You may use Trigger once per turn. When a card includes the Trigger effect, it allows you to resolve an additional Action card from your Slots during the same turn.
To do this, choose another Action card from your Slots and resolve it immediately. You do not gain Power from its Slot. After resolving the Triggered card, discard it as normal. Then, nish resolving the original card that initiated the Trigger and discard it as well.
If multiple Trigger effects appear in the same turn, only the first one may be used. All additional Trigger effects are ignored.
Deal X Magic Damage in Range Y
Check whether the target Mystling is within the specified number of spaces from your Mystling. Then, reduce the Damage by their Willpower value (to a minimum of 0), and apply the Damage.
If the effect deals Damage multiple times you can choose the target for every Damage instance. The Willpower applies every time separately in those cases.
If the resulting Damage is equal to or greater than the target’s remaining Health, they are defeated.
Full rules
Full Mysting Academy rules:
Full Dragon Eclipse rules (for solo mode check page 14):
