ERA Comprehensive Rulebook

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    • This Comprehensive Rulebook is the ultimate authority of rules (including card legality and rulings) for ERA. In a case where the text of this rulebook conflicts with rules indicated elsewhere (including on cards), this rulebook is correct. This page is always current, and any prospective rule changes are not officially in effect until included on this page.

    This document was last updated 21/05/2024, and is current. The revision ID of this version is 1127.

    Background Information and Core Principles

    • Extinction: Rift in the Aether (ERA) is a light-hearted competitive Player-vs-Player (PvP) card game, themed around elemental dinosaurs (known as dinos) battling each other to conquer the era. You take actions, equip your dinos with weapons and armour, and battle with them.
    • ERA has been designed intentionally to have very simple game mechanics that are difficult to master but very easy and straight-forward to learn.
    • Games of ERA should not take a long time to complete. An average game between two players should span approximately 8 turns, and take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete (when played by players who are familiar with the game).
    • ERA is designed primarily to be played by two players (duel), but is compatible with multiplayer involving 3+ players as well.
    • The four elements bound together by the Aether are Earth, Air, Fire, Water.
    • You can join the community by visiting the Goober Games Discord

    Deck Construction

    Each player must construct their game components before the game begins. The components the player must prepare are:

    • 3 dinos
      • A player can select any 3 dinos they wish, however cannot select more than 1 of a unique dino.
      • Selected dinos can be of any element.
    • 3 crystals
      • Crystals must match the elements of the selected dinos.
        • For example, if you select 2 Air dinos and 1 Earth dino, you must have 2 Air crystals and 1 Earth crystal.
    • 30 card deck
      • The deck consists of 3 event cards and 27 other cards.
      • The 3 events must match the elements of the selected dinos.
        • For example, if you select 2 Water dinos and 1 Air dino, you must have 2 Water events and 1 Air event.
      • A unique event card can only be selected once. As an example, if you have 3 Water dinos, you must have 3 Water events, but each of those Water events must be a different unique event card.
      • The 27 other cards can be any combination of Action and Equipment cards. A deck can have up to 3 copies of any unique Action or Equipment card.

    Players should refer to Card Legality for information on which cards are allowed to be included in ERA decks.

    Card Types

    Dino

    • Begin the game face down, are all flipped face up at the start of their player’s first turn of the game.
    • Each dino card has the following information:
      • Name
      • Element (Air, Earth, Fire, or Water)
      • Power (represented by a sword icon)
      • Stamina (represented by a shield icon)
      • Hitpoints (represented by a heart icon)
      • Ability
    • Unless they’ve died, dinos are always on the battlefield, in one of two possible states:
      • Ready: Regular orientation, available to perform actions. This is the default state when the dino is flipped face up.
      • Exhausted: Turned 90 degrees, considered “used” and not available to perform most actions.
    • Unless an applicable effect says otherwise, each dino becomes ready at the start of the upkeep phase of its controller’s turn.
    • Each dino has 2 equipment slots: Weapon and Armour
      • Equipment slots are located on the battlefield just behind the dino (between your dinos and your crystals).
      • The weapon slot is on the left side, while the armour slot is on the right side.
      • Each slot can only have 1 equipment of the corresponding equipment subtype at any time.
      • If you play an equipment card to an equipment slot that is already occupied, the current equipment is destroyed and replaced by the newly played equipment.
    • Dinos are the only card type that can engage in combat.
      • A ready dino can attack a dino an opponent controls. The dino exhausts when it attacks.
      • A ready dino can intercept an incoming attack from an attacking dino that is aimed at a different dino you control. The dino exhausts when it intercepts.
      • An exhausted dino cannot attack or intercept, but exhausted dinos can be attacked by dinos your opponents control.
    • Dinos are the only card type that can be damaged and subsequently suffer wounds.
      • A dino can take damage from a variety of sources, but during combat is the most common.
      • Damage is checked against a dino’s stamina. If at any time, a dino has damage on it equal to or greater than its stamina, it suffers a wound and becomes exhausted. A dino can only suffer one wound in a single turn. A dino that has suffered a wound this turn cannot be attacked.
      • In some rare cases, a dino may have a wound placed on it without “suffering” that wound (as would happen if it had been dealt damage that exceeds its stamina). In these cases, the wound is simply placed on the dino, but because it was not “suffered”, the dino doesn’t become exhausted, and it is still able to be attacked and suffer a wound later in the same turn.
      • If at any time, a dino has wounds on it equal to or greater than its hitpoints, it dies. Remove it from the battlefield and any equipment attached to it is destroyed.

    Crystal

    • Begin the game face down, one is flipped face up at the start of each of that player’s first 3 turns of the game.
    • Each crystal card is of a single element, either Air, Earth, Fire, or Water.
    • Crystals are always on the battlefield. Once each crystal has been flipped face up, it will always be in one of two possible states:
      • Ready: Regular orientation, available to be exhausted to produce energy. This is the default state when the crystal is flipped face up.
      • Exhausted: Turned 90 degrees, considered “used” and not available to be exhausted.
    • Crystals can be charged by their controller.
      • Up to once each turn, a player can charge a crystal they control.
      • To charge a crystal, that player puts any card from their hand face down under the crystal they wish to charge.
      • Charged crystals produce additional energy when exhausted for each charge they have.
      • You can charge a crystal when it is ready or exhausted, however if you charge a crystal that is already exhausted, it will not produce additional energy until the next time it becomes exhausted.
    • A ready crystal can be exhausted by its controller at any time in order to produce energy.
      • The energy produced is always of that crystal’s element type.
      • By default, a crystal produces 1 energy when exhausted. However, if that crystal has been charged, it produces an additional 1 energy when exhausted for each charge on it at the time that player exhausted it.
    • Energy is available to you until the end of turn in which it was produced.

    Cards in your deck

    Event

    • Each event card has the following information:
      • Name
      • Type (Event)
      • Element (Air, Earth, Fire, or Water)
      • Rules Text
    • If a player draws an event card for any reason, instead of putting it in their hand, they reveal it, it takes effect and resolves, then it’s put on the bottom of their deck (this still counts as having been drawn; they don’t draw again after the event happens).
    • A player cannot choose to put an event card in their hand when they draw it, they must reveal and resolve it.
    • Event cards can never be in a hand or graveyard. They will always be put back into their owner’s deck.
    • Event cards will always be in their owner’s deck except when they are in the process of resolving.
    • If any effect would put an event card into a hand or graveyard, it’s put on the bottom of its owner’s deck instead (but its effect does not happen; the effect only happens if it would have been drawn).

    Action

    • Each action card has the following information:
      • Name
      • Type (Action)
      • Element (Air, Earth, Fire, or Water)
      • Cost
      • Rules Text
    • Unless otherwise indicated on the card, actions can be played during any player’s turn.
    • Actions are played from your hand. You must pay the required cost for the action in order to play it.
      • You pay the cost by paying an amount of energy equal to the cost written on the action card.
      • The cost is always energy of the same element as the action card. For example, an Air action card with a cost of 3, means it requires payment of 3 Air energy to be played.
    • When an action is played, unless it is interrupted by some effect, it resolves.
      • When it resolves, it applies its effect, then is put in your graveyard.
    • Action cards will always be in your deck, in your hand, in your graveyard, or face down under one of your crystals (if used to charge that crystal).
      • Cards that are face down under crystals are inaccessible as long as they’re there.

    Equipment

    • Each equipment card has the following information:
      • Name
      • Type (Equipment)
      • Subtype (Weapon or Armour)
      • Element (Air, Earth, Fire, or Water)
      • Cost
      • Rules Text
    • Each equipment has a subtype, either Weapon or Armour. This determines which Slot it occupies on the battlefield.
      • Weapon: Equipment with the subtype Weapon can only occupy a dino’s Weapon slot. Weapon equipment cards typically have some effect that either makes a dino stronger or has an ability relevant when attacking.
      • Armour: Equipment with the subtype Armour can only occupy a dino’s Armour slot. Armour equipment cards typically have some effect that makes a dino tougher, harder to kill, or has an ability relevant either while intercepting or outside of combat all together.
    • Equipment cards can only be played during the main phase of your turn.
    • Equipment cards are played from your hand. You must pay the required cost for the equipment in order to play it.
      • You pay the cost by paying an amount of energy equal to the cost written on the equipment card.
      • The cost is always energy of the same element as the equipment card. For example, an Air equipment weapon card with a cost of 3, means it requires payment of 3 Air energy to be played.
      • When you play an equipment card, you declare a dino you control that this equipment will be attached to.
    • When an equipment is played, unless it is interrupted by some effect, it resolves.
      • When it resolves, it’s put onto the battlefield attached to the dino you declared when you played it, in the corresponding slot (a weapon equipment goes to that dino’s weapon slot, and an armour equipment goes to that dino’s armour slot)
      • If the corresponding slot already has an equipment when this equipment is put on the battlefield, the current equipment is destroyed and this one replaces it.
      • In a rare case where the dino you declared when playing the equipment dies before the equipment resolves, the equipment is immediately destroyed when it resolves.
    • Equipment cards will always be in your deck, in your hand, in your graveyard, on the battlefield in an equipment slot attached to a dino, or face down under one of your crystals (if used to charge that crystal).
      • If an equipment is on the battlefield, it will always be in an equipment slot and attached to a dino.
      • If a dino dies while it has equipment attached to it, that equipment is destroyed.
      • Cards that are face down under crystals are inaccessible as long as they’re there.

    Abilities

    Activated abilities

    • Have an activation cost, indicated by a colon:
      • COST: EFFECT
    • You pay the cost and then the ability’s effect resolves in essentially the same way as an action would have (except it isn’t put into your graveyard).
    • Unless otherwise indicated, activated abilities can be activated at any time.

    Triggered abilities

    • Happen when some condition occurs
    • No activation cost, they simply resolve when the criteria is met
    • As an example, a triggered ability could be “when this dino attacks, draw a card” - the trigger is “when this dino attacks” and “draw a card” is the effect of the ability.

    Static abilities

    • Abilities that are simply always the case when the card with the ability written on it is on the battlefield.
    • As an example, a static ability could be “this dino can’t intercept” - which is always the case as long as that dino is on the battlefield.

    Playing the Game

    Starting the Game

    • For the game to begin, each player must have 3 dinos, 3 crystals, and a deck of 30 cards (see Deck Construction section for specifics)
    • Preparing for the game to begin:
      • Each player puts their 3 dinos and 3 crystals face down on the battlefield in front of them. The 3 dinos are put in front of the 3 crystals.
      • Each player shuffles their deck and puts it to the right of their side of the battlefield.
      • Decide randomly which player will go first.
      • Each player draws their starting hand:
        • Draw a starting hand of 6 cards from the top of your deck and look at it. If you like your starting hand, tell your opponent that you are keeping your hand.
        • If you don’t like your starting hand, set it aside and draw a new hand of 5 cards. If you like your new hand, tell your opponent that you are keeping your hand, then shuffle the previously set aside hand back into your deck. If you don’t like your new hand either, you can repeat this process any number of times, drawing 1 fewer cards each time.
        • If, while drawing an opening hand, you draw an event card, simply set that event card aside, do not count it as part of your hand, and continue drawing your hand. Once you have decided to keep a hand, shuffle any event cards that had been set aside during this process back into your deck.
    • Begin the game by following the steps detailed in the Components of a Turn section.

    Components of a Turn

    • The following actions can be taken at any time by any player, regardless of who’s turn it is, or what phase it is:
      • Exhaust a crystal: Generate energy of that crystal’s type equal to 1 + the number of charges it has.
      • Play an action card
      • Activate an activated ability
    • Each turn has 3 phases:
      • Upkeep phase - the following steps occur in order
        • Flip all of your dinos face up (only happens on each player’s first turn of the game)
        • Flip 1 of your crystals face up (only happens on each player’s first 3 turns of the game)
        • Ready any exhausted dinos and crystals you control
        • Draw a card
      • Main phase - the following actions can be taken in any order, and unless otherwise indicated, can be taken any number of times
        • Charge a crystal (maximum of once per turn): Place a card from your hand face down under that crystal to increase its yield when exhausted.
        • Play an equipment card
        • Attack with a dino: Exhaust the dino you wish to attack with, and specify a target dino an opponent controls as the target of the attack, then handle combat as detailed in the Combat section. Exhausted dinos can be the target of an attack, but exhausted dinos cannot themselves be chosen as an attacker, and exhausted dinos also cannot intercept.
      • End phase - the following steps occur in order
        • Remove all damage on all dinos (but not wounds; those persist between turns).
        • Any unused energy that has been produced this turn disappears.
        • Declare that your turn is over, then the next player begins their turn.

    Damage & Wounds

    • Definitions:
      • To be “dealt [damage]” means a dino has had damage marked on it, typically as the result of either being attacked during combat, or an action card indicating it has been dealt damage.
      • To “inflict [a wound]” means to cause a dino to suffer a wound.
      • To “suffer [a wound]” means that a dino gets a wound because the sum of damage dealt to that dino this turn is greater than or equal to its stamina.
        • Note: If a dino has a wound placed on it for some other reason, like a card indicating as much, it has not “suffered” that wound.
    • Damage:
      • Dinos can be dealt damage any number of ways (typically through being attacked by another dino, or targeted by an action).
      • Damage persists until the end of the turn in which it was dealt.
      • Unless otherwise stated, the source of damage in any given instance is the game object (such as an Action card) that instructed you to deal that damage.
      • If at any point during a turn, the sum of damage dealt to a given dino is greater than or equal to its stamina, that dino suffers a wound.
    • Wounds:
      • Wounds persist between turns. Unless a card’s effect specifically directs the removal of a wound, wounds persist until the death of the dino they are on.
      • Wounds on dinos should be represented visually in some way. Six-sided dice are a great choice for this, but if you don’t have any dice readily available, any other visual representation is completely fine, as long it’s clearly understood by both players.
      • When a dino suffers a wound, it becomes exhausted.
      • A dino can only suffer 1 wound during a single turn.
      • If at any point, the number of wounds on a dino is greater than or equal to its hitpoints, it dies.

    Combat

    • General principles of combat:
      • No damage is dealt to attackers during combat.
      • A dino that has already suffered a wound during this turn cannot be attacked.
      • A single attacking dino can only be intercepted by a single dino defending player controls.
      • Exhausted dinos can be the target of an incoming attack, but exhausted dinos cannot themselves be chosen as an attacker, and also cannot intercept.
      • During combat, the player who controls the attacking dino is referred to as the attacking player, and the player who controls the dino that was attacked is referred to as the defending player.
    • Once an attack is declared, the following steps occur in order:
      • The attacking dino becomes exhausted.
      • Defending player decides if they wish for one of their ready dinos to intercept the attacking dino.
        • If a dino is chosen to intercept, it becomes exhausted.
        • If the attack was intercepted, the attacker will deal its damage to the intercepting dino rather than the original target of the attack.
      • Apply any relevant effects, including actions and equipment to the attacker’s power.
      • Damage is dealt equal to the attacker’s power, including any relevant effects (such as actions or equipment that could modify its power).

    Ending the Game

    • A player loses the game when all of their dinos are extinct (dead).
    • If all remaining dinos are destroyed at the same time (typically as a result of the same effect), the game is a draw.
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