"Enjoy, and let us know what you think…"

"Enjoy, and let us know what you think…" can be read in the Revised Rule Book (p3) and we are grateful beyond words to the creators. Guardians has enriched us with countless epic experiences or guaranteed crazy fun. Of course, the timeless artworks reflected on the cards, created by renowned painters and illustrators, fascinate every mortal on earth. And as a veteran Vierkun of the Mid Realms, let me share some of my two-player experiences in some text boxes below.

At least 55 cards

"Guardians is a collectible card game for two or more players. Each player needs a draw deck of at least 55 cards to play" (p8)

With countless two player games behind, I can confirm that 55 cards are enough. And I can also say that the closer a deck is to 55 cards, the more effective it is, which is an art in itself.

Base Draw

The unmodified number of cards the most Guardians can draw is 3. You can increase this number if you have more Disputed Land Spaces (MDL) of your own (e.g. accessible by flying) and/or if you play cards that affect your draw. (Note: some guardians do not draw extra cards based on MDL.)

If you feel like you've built the strongest deck ever, playing with cards and ratios that shape your draw in the most favorable way possible, the unpredictable randomness will always be a part of the game.

Draw statistics

"There are 8 basic types of cards in the game: Guardians, Strongholds, Shields, Terrain, Magic Items, Spells, Bribery and Creatures." (p8)

Both the total number of cards (at least 55) and the card type ratios in a deck affect your draw statistics. The ratio of Shields, Terrains, Creatures and other Non-Creature cards determines it.

Ratios in the Revised Starter Deck

"Each Starter Deck contains a Guardian, three Strongholds, and a selection of random cards, including a specific number of Terrain and Shield cards. These numbers give a playable ratio" (p8)

To be precise, each Starter Deck contains 1 Rule Book, 1 Turn Phases/Combat Summary card (double sided) and 60 cards for the entire deck: 1 Guardian, 3 Strongholds, a set of 9 Shields, 7 Terrains, 2 random rare ones and 38 random Creature and other Non-Creature cards.

The number of Creatures is always more than half of the 55 which is between 28 and 33 based on the average of 10 Revised Starter Decks. The other Non-Creature cards can be any Standard Bearer, Stronghold Upgrade, Bribery, Magic Item or Spell cards. (Note: the 2 random rare cards can also include a Guardian, Creatures or Non-Creatures. The Shield/Terrain, Stronghold Downgrade and the Accessory Item cards are not included in the Basic Edition.

If we subtract the Guardian and Strongholds from the 60 cards, then 56 cards remain for the draw deck. I assume this number is not 55, because one of the two random rare cards can be another Guardian (and the 60 total is a nice round number at the same time).

The numerical structure of the game is consistent with a design that begins from a 3-based scaling. Once the structural quantities are fixed, the opening hand size (12) and deck size (55) produce hypergeometric probabilities that yield a stable starting hand (typically about 1–2 Shields, several Creatures and other Non-Creatures). This suggests that the deck size was likely tuned so that the probabilities of drawing key cards align with the intended pacing of the board.

Ratios within Card Types

"There is an element of strategy in Guardians through deck creation" (p9)

Within card type ratios, take more ratios into account:

• Ratio of the Shields can be influenced by the number of Shields, Standard Bearers, Shield/Terrains and the Footlocker of Conflagration item accessory. (Note: no more than one Standard Bearer Shield in play by each player.)
• Ratio of the Terrains can be influenced by the number of Terrain, Shield/Terrain cards, the Ancient Tome of Dispansation item accessory and an already mentioned creature, the Earth Mother.
• Ratio of the Creatures can be influenced by any of the Creature attributes: the number of types (border colors), sizes, classes, vitality numbers (including vitality limit by the shield cost/red penalty number), space limitations (e.g. by Spirit of the Hunt), the flying, the command or other abilities.

Without Shields and/or Creatures?

A) With no Shield draws and no Shield on the field, you are essentially guaranteed to lose. (Note: if no Shield is pulled from the very first draw, players can reshuffle and draw again by spending a power stone which is final.) FYI: Control Destiny and Helm of the Brotherhood spells have the ability to modify the cards on top of your deck and your opponent's deck at will.

B) In an extreme case, if no Shields and/or no Creatures are drawn, the victory is theoretically possible after all. There are some cards that force the opponent to discard Creatures in the Terrain and Settlement (TS) Phase, e.g. Famine, Pestilence spells or the Snake Pit stronghold downgrade. If no Creatures are left under a Shield, the Shield should be handed to the opponent as a tally. (Note: if a player can't settle a Terrain in the TS Phase, you can also lose the shield by discarding the last Creature from under the Shield, but it must be placed among the Discard Pile.)

Basically, the player who has more Shields on the field and whose vitality total is closer to the limit of 30 has a better chance of dominance. The more Shields you have, the better you can "play chess".

Without Power Stones?

The number of Power Stones you have is also crucial, but their complete absence does not lead directly to defeat. Power Stones are necessary for the basic rules, as well as for several other cards to be played or for their effects to be used. As a game nears its end, the number of power stones dwindles, often running out. To prevent this, it is strongly recommended that you include cards with effects that allow you to gain Power Stones (e.g. the Sacrificial Altar stronghold upgrade).

The player with more Power Stones has a greater chance of dominance too.

Balance of the Vitality points

The number of Creatures with low Vitality you possess directly impacts how many you need to draw to load Shields. Low-Vitality Creatures are also more vulnerable. For instance, the highest unmodified Area of Effect (AOE) in the game is Vensuni Inferno Swarm's 11 points, though immunity can still save Creatures. A significant advantage of lower Vitality Creatures is that they allow you to use a Command Creature more efficiently in terms of Vitality cost, and they increase the probability of using Secondary Attackers effectively.

Conversely, having more Creatures with high Vitality means fewer are needed to load Shields. High-Vitality Creatures are more tenacious; for example, a 12-Vitality Creature can survive Vensuni. However, they are more vulnerable to effects that can pick them from Combat Hand.

(Note: A Creature's Vitality Limit, determined by its shield cost/red penalty, further influences this balance.)

The Game's Increasing Complexity

"When you're comfortable with the 'feel' of the game, begin adding the special abilities, bonuses, and more complex rules of the game." (p18)

Complexity – including card texts, the power balance, the sequence of modifiers, and combos – will further influence your draw statistics, and thus significantly affect your deck building and card game strategy.

Conditions for Card Effects

Cards can also be distinguished by the conditions governing their effects. Effects with the fewest conditions are the most effective. Since the attributes of your opponents' decks are unknown and variable, this inherently imposes more conditions for certain effects to be usable. Therefore, directly supporting your Creatures with the least dependence on an opponent's setup is more effective.

Cards that don't let you "kill" anything

"There are many Spells and Items which get played during the Movement; Rooster, War, Potion of Movement Essence, Crash, Force Barrier, etc*... Since Guardians is a spatial game, cards such as these, which can give you an edge in movement, should be considered a must in any deck. Many players overlook these cards during deck construction because they don't usually "kill" anything. While it is true that these cards don't let you "kill" anything, they do give you the edge on where, when, and who fights in a given combat. Experienced players know how often a game comes down to who moves first in a crucial late turn. Games are often won and lost on these movement altering cards." (Traveler's Guide, p150-151)

*expanding this line: Arcane Infusion, Kasmir's Blitz, Master Tactician, Ongo, Peace, The Hand of Chronos, The Ol' Switcheroo, U. R. First, Work Crew. (Rooster and Potion of Movement Essence are items, the others are spells.)

More diversity, less repetition

The more diversity your deck has, the less predictable, less vulnerable, and more prepared for various situations it will be. To achieve this, use cards with return abilities, those whose effects are multifunctional, persistent or cards with multiple effects. And use Creatures from each border color (gray elemental, black external, and white mortal), primarily for the Off-color bonuses (OCB). Otherwise, too much dependence on a certain card may create a weak point.

Return cards

You can return/move/heal cards to your Combat Hand, Shield, Creature Pen, Storage Hand or even to your Deck. My favourites include Altar of Takuli, Ancient Tome of Dispansation, Champs the Wonder Dog, Eye of Missile Mayhem, Holy Grail, Rosetta Stone items and a creature, the Slippery Slime. (Note: Since Champs returns itself, it was restricted to one per deck in the US and to once per turn in HU.)

Altar of Takuli can take a Creature's place in the deck. You might lose a Creature without Takuli or heal another one with that.

Holy Grail only returns beaten Creatures, but not destroyed, sacrificed, or discarded. (Note: The Creature Pen capacity limit on the Holy Grail is incorrect, see Always follow Card Text on the Rules page. There is a printing series of the white-dotted Basic Edition where card texts are still from the Limited Edition. The Grail is one such example in the Traveler's Guide on p126.)

Multifunctionality and Persistence in Card Effects

Just briefly, along my nerve-wracking favorites.

The Hammer of Doom item and the Peace spell can: force to resettle a Terrain card; force the burning of a power stone to resettle a face-down Terrain card. Moreover, both of them along with Snake Pit stronghold downgrade force the discard of a Creature from beneath a Shield, then force the discard of a Shield in the Terrain and Settlement (TS) Phase, (but in the case of Hammer and Peace, only if no Terrain card can be settled, then no Creature remains beneath the Shield).

Hammer of Doom can also reduce card draw, can affect movement (including attacking, defending, reinforcement or retreat), can prevent Creatures from getting Terrain bonus; can destroy the special effect of a Terrain card; can be played at any time and can be returned by Champs.

Snake Pit can also exert control over an opponent's Stronghold, forcing not to remain at the affected Stronghold card. The Snake Pit can also take away e.g. the possibility of placing a Sacrificial Altar.

Peace can also prevent the opponent's movement.

40,000 Useless Warhammers item can change the playing order of Creatures; set the Base Vitality of each played Creature to 0; prevent channeling; it is also an excellent defense on your Guardian's side when it is attacked as it does not affect Guardians; being a non-Creature Command Card, it doesn't consume Vitality points; and it can be returned by Champs. (Note: Creatures with 0 Base Vitality cannot receive channeling, with the exceptions of Greater Energy Elemental, Bone Shambler, and Wraith. 40,000 only affects Creatures revealed during Combat, but not Creatures in Combat Hand or Creatures during Determining Control of the Space.)

SB Ploog's Chicken #12 can dispel any type of Command Card (both Creature and non-Creature). Notably, no card can negate the effect of a Standard Bearer. (Note: No more than one Standard Bearer Shield in play by each player.)

Staying with the title of this section, my other favorite cards include: Gaar and Siin guardians; Sacrificial Altar stronghold upgrade; Champs the Wonder Dog, Heels of Speed items; Item Accessory cards; Curse of the Betrayed, Dispel Magic, Force Barrier, Spectre's Ward spells; "Eats," Cockroach King, Ancient Ogre, Bold Mold, Cherub, Cratur Hobbs, Dachas, Energy Leech, Energy Toad, Geldspar, Grand Phooba Schnee Lorg Mole, Rik'Sook, Slim Jab, Sneaky Varmit creatures; Terrain cards with special effect and other Creatures with "in play" ability. (Note: in play ability is persistent for the duration of combat and takes effect even if picked from Combat Hand or played with Heels of Speed.)

Increase Vitality

Channeling is the most straightforward method for increasing Vitality, especially when using a Guardian. For a Guardian to channel, the player burns (discards) one power stone and adds the Guardian's CMP (Creature Magic Potential) to the receiving Creature's Vitality.

Maximize offense by incorporating as many kinds of bonuses and ranged attacks as possible into your strategy.

Survival techniques to remain on the Space

Bribe or use the Shroud of Grahzue item, especially against the most powerful enemy Creatures. Shroud can also be returned by Champs. (Note: Shroud can only affect Creatures in Primary match-ups, not Command Creatures, Ranged Attacks, or Secondary attacks. Bribery is not possible after changing a Bribery icon, because Bribery must be played before any other modifiers as a Creature is revealed.)

Disrupt your opponent's Combat Hand using Command Cards, Area of Effect (AOE), Spirit of the Hunt, and similar abilities. (Note: the AOE of a Creature picked from Combat Hand does not take effect.) The Obelisk of Bablos is worth mentioning here, being a non-Creature Command Card, doesn't consume Vitality points and can also be returned by Champs. (Note: Obelisk does not affect the opponent's already played Command Creature.)

Use Djinn's ranged attack that forces a push and return it to your Combat Hand with the Eye of Missile Mayhem item, which can also be returned with Champs.

Use Creatures that can't be attacked as Secondary, such as Roving Force Inferno.

Because it can easily destroy its enemies, the Humungus Fungus is particularly difficult to defeat when performing a Secondary attack. Moreover, it can also prevent the opponent from healing and it may also destroy a Creature that has an 'In play' ability which can no longer work. Cherry on top: unbribable (Shroud of Grahzue or no Shroud of Grahzue)

Deploy Secondary attacks. Voodoo Wizard likes it.

Some cards can bypass the 30 total vitality limit, allowing you to use more creatures or vitalities. (Example: Vestibule of Kabod item; Idiot, Rye Beaner, Reverend Smilin' Jack creatures, etc.)

Some cards can also modify your total Vitality, e.g. Large Idol.

Address your weaknesses

"There is also a large tactical element in how the cards are played." (p9)

Depending on your deck, it's crucial to insure yourself against effects.

Some examples:

• Using unbribable Creatures (without bribery weakness icons), you can avoid briberies. Only Shroud of Grahzue item can affect them in Primary match-ups.
• Using the Head of Gudea item, you can cancel the Siin guardian's ability (cancel channeling) for a turn and you can also return it with Champs.
• Using the Hammer of Doom item, you can destroy the Woods terrain card to enable ranged attacks or the Spires to enable flying, etc. And you can also return it with Champs.
• By using as many Creatures with 12 Vitality points or having immunity as possible, you can insure yourself against Vensuni Inferno Swarm. If your opponent is Vensuni and you have a Command Creature, play it to save it from AOE. Alternatively, by using Dachas, your Creatures become highly protected against all types of AOE, including neutral, fire, fear, Command Card AOE, Creature AOE, and non-Creature AOE.
• If the opponent's shield content is unknown, your lowest vitality Creatures should be your first primary attackers.

The perfect recipe?

What I have presented comes from my own experience, but there are countless other modifiers, scenarios and combos. Interestingly, the card texts reveal that the Undead Creature class benefits from the most dedicated support, with Fairies coming in a close second. The more you play with a deck, the fewer mistakes you will make. But honestly, the real joy of the game is that there is no single perfect recipe for everything, unpredictable randomness is guaranteed.