Mystic Vale

2016

Mystic Vale is a unique, card-crafting game for 2-4 players. As druid clans, cleanse the cursed land using strategic deck building and score victory points to win!

45
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

14+

Medium

About the game

A curse has been placed on the Valley of Life. Hearing the spirits of nature cry out for aid, clans of druids have arrived, determined to use their blessings to heal the land and rescue the spirits. It will require courage and also caution, as the curse can overwhelm the careless who wield too much power. In Mystic Vale, 2 to 4 players take on the role of druidic clans trying to cleanse the curse upon the land. Each turn, you play cards into your field to gain powerful advancements and useful vale cards. Use your power wisely, or decay will end your turn prematurely. Score the most victory points to win the game! Mystic Vale uses the innovative "Card Crafting System", which lets you not only build your deck, but build the individual cards in your deck, customizing each card’s abilities to exactly the strategy you want to follow.

Setup and rules summary

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Mystic Vale is a strategic card game where players take on the roles of druidic clans trying to cleanse the curse upon their land. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to set up and begin the game:

Place the Main Game Board in the center of the table. This board will hold the advancement and vale cards.
Separate the Advancement Cards into three different decks based on their level (I, II, III). Shuffle each deck separately and place them on their respective spaces on the game board.
Draw the top three cards from each of the Advancement Card decks and place them face up in the three spaces next to each deck.
Sort the Vale Cards into two separate decks according to their cost (1 and 2). Place them on their respective spaces on the game board.
Each player is given a Mana Token and a Cursed Land Card. The Mana Tokens are used to purchase Vale and Advancement Cards, while the Cursed Land Cards represent the land that the player must cleanse.
Each player receives a deck of 20 blank cards. These cards are used to build the player’s deck throughout the game.
Each player’s deck also includes three Fertile Soil cards that are shuffled into their deck. These cards grant the player additional mana to use during their turn.
The oldest player is the first player, and play continues clockwise.

The game setup is now complete. During the game, players will be using their mana to purchase Advancement and Vale Cards to add to their deck, increasing their abilities and scoring victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Game flow Round and round we go

Mystic Vale is a unique and captivating board game where players take on the roles of druidic clans trying to cleanse the curse upon their land. The game is played in rounds, each divided into four phases: Planting Phase, Harvest Phase, Discard Phase, and Preparation Phase.

Planting Phase:

Each round begins with the Planting Phase. During this phase, players play cards from their field into their on-deck area.
Players must be cautious while playing cards. If they play a card which causes the total number of decay symbols in their on-deck area to exceed their current mana limit, they suffer a spoil and their turn ends immediately.
If a player successfully avoids a spoil, they announce that they are pushing their luck and continue to the Harvest Phase.

Harvest Phase:

In the Harvest Phase, players collect the resources shown on their cards in the on-deck area. These resources include mana, spirit symbols, and victory points.
Mana is used to buy advancements and vale cards. Spirit symbols are used solely to buy vale cards, while victory points contribute to a player’s overall score.
After collecting resources, players can purchase advancements and vale cards to improve their deck.

Discard Phase:

During the Discard Phase, all cards from a player’s on-deck area are moved to their discard pile. This includes any cards with advancements that were bought during the Harvest Phase.
If a player had a spoil during their Planting Phase, all cards from their field are also moved to their discard pile.

Preparation Phase:

In the Preparation Phase, players prepare for the next round. They refill their field from their deck until they have three cards in the on-deck area.
If a player’s deck runs out during this phase, they shuffle their discard pile to create a new deck.
Once a player has three cards in their on-deck area, the next round can begin.

The game continues in this manner until all of the victory point tokens have been claimed. At that point, the player with the most victory points is declared the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Mystic Vale is a unique deck-building game where players control druid clans and use their powers to cleanse the cursed lands. Each player’s turn in ‘Mystic Vale’ can be broken down into several steps. These steps include preparation, planting, harvesting, and discarding.

1. Preparation:

During the Preparation phase, the active player reveals cards from their deck to their field until three decay symbols are revealed. If they reveal a fourth decay symbol, their turn ends immediately in a ‘spoil’. There are two strategic considerations during this phase:

Pushing Your Luck: Some cards have a ‘vale’ symbol instead of a decay. Players may choose to risk revealing more cards to increase their resources for the round, but risk spoiling.
Using Abilities: Some cards have abilities that trigger when revealed. Players need to decide when and how to use these abilities for maximum benefit.

2. Planting:

The Planting phase is optional. The player can place a card from their hand into their field. The strategic choice here is to decide which card (if any) to plant based on its abilities and the potential for synergy with other cards in the field.

3. Harvesting:

During the Harvesting phase, the player collects resources from all cards in their field. These resources are used to purchase advancements and vale cards. The strategic considerations during this phase include:

Choosing Advancements: Players must decide which advancements to purchase. Advancements can be added to any card in a player’s deck, modifying that card’s abilities and/or resources.
Purchasing Vale Cards: If a player has enough spirit symbols, they can purchase a vale card. These cards provide ongoing benefits and are a key part of strategy development.

4. Discarding:

In the Discarding phase, all cards in the player’s field are moved to their discard pile. Any unspent resources are lost. The player then draws a new hand of cards for their next turn. The strategic choice here is to decide which cards to keep in hand for the next turn, considering both their potential utility and the risk of spoiling.

Understanding and navigating these phases, along with making strategic decisions at each juncture, is key to mastering ‘Mystic Vale’.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

Mystic Vale is a unique card game where players take on the roles of druidic clans trying to cleanse the curse upon their land. The game ends when all victory point tokens have been claimed from the pool. The round is then played to completion so that each player has had the same number of turns.

To initiate the end of the game, a player must claim a victory point token, which are limited in number and serve as a game timer. Once a player has claimed a victory point token and there are none left in the pool, the end of the game is triggered.

Before the final scoring begins, players must complete the following actions:

Play to Completion: Ensure that the current round is played out to the end, so that each player has had an equal number of turns.
Final Card Draw: All players draw up to their current maximum hand size one last time.
Final Harvest: If players have any harvest abilities that can be activated, they do so at this time.

With these actions completed, players can then proceed to the final scoring. The victory conditions for the game are as follows:

Victory Point Tokens: Each player adds up the number of victory points they have claimed from the pool during the game.
Card Points: Players gain victory points equal to the total number of victory points printed on the cards in their deck.
Fertile Soil Cards: Players gain additional victory points for each Fertile Soil card in their deck.

The player with the highest total victory points is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most leftover mana is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player who is earliest in the turn order wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

Mystic Vale is a captivating board game that involves deck-building mechanics and a unique card crafting system. Scoring in this game is based on accruing victory points through various means.

Accumulation of Victory Points:

Advancements: Each advancement card you purchase during the game has a certain number of victory points associated with it. These points are accumulated in your score pool.
Vale Cards: Vale cards, once bought, provide a one-time victory point boost. The number of victory points awarded depends on the specific Vale card you purchase.
End of Game: At the end of the game, players earn victory points based on their accumulated mana tokens. Each mana token is worth one victory point. Some card abilities can also provide additional victory points at the end of the game.

Tie-breaking Rules:

If two or more players have the same number of victory points at the end of the game, the player with the most leftover mana tokens is declared the winner.
If there’s still a tie, the player who has the most advancement cards in their deck wins.
If the tie persists, the player with the most Vale cards wins.
If a tie still remains even after considering all these factors, the game is considered a draw.

Mystic Vale is a game of strategic decision-making, where each choice can contribute to victory. Your goal is to maximize your victory points through careful management of your deck, timely purchases of advancements and Vale cards, and prudent use of your mana tokens.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Mystic Vale is a unique card-building strategy game that incorporates an innovative card crafting system. While the basic rules are relatively straightforward, there are certain special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that players should be aware of:

1. Field Limit: One important rule to note in Mystic Vale is the field limit. While it may seem tempting to simply keep adding advancements to your cards to make them more powerful, each card is limited to three fields (top, middle, and bottom). This means you cannot add more than one advancement to a field on a card.

2. Harvest Phase: Unlike other games where resources are collected at the start of a turn, in Mystic Vale, players gather resources during the Harvest Phase, which is the second phase of their turn. This can take some getting used to for new players.

3. Spoiling: In Mystic Vale, there’s a unique mechanic called spoiling. If a player reveals too many decay symbols (more than their current Spirit Symbol count) during their turn, their field spoils. While a player’s field is spoiled, they can’t gain any resources or effects from their cards until their next turn.

4. Decay and Growth: It’s important to note that the number of decay symbols a player can reveal before their field spoils increases as they acquire more Growth symbols. Growth symbols can be gained through card advancements and vale cards.

5. Vale Cards: Vale cards have two important rules associated with them. Firstly, they can be bought in addition to advancements during the Planting Phase, not instead of. Secondly, vale cards are not part of a player’s deck and do not get shuffled in.

6. End Game: The game ends when the pool of victory points runs out. However, to ensure equal turns, play continues until the player who goes first finishes their turn. This can sometimes lead to the pool of victory points going into the negatives.

7. Tie Breaker: In the event of a tie, the player with the most vale cards is the winner. If there is still a tie, then the player with the most advancements on their cards wins.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Mystic Vale is a unique and engaging board game that requires strategic thinking and careful planning. Here are some strategies, tips, and common mistakes to avoid that can help you optimize your gameplay.

Advanced Strategies

In the later stages of the game, it’s important to focus on purchasing Vale cards. These cards provide powerful abilities that can significantly impact the game. They are also worth victory points, which are necessary for winning.
Try to limit the number of cards in your deck. While it might be tempting to purchase every card available, having too many cards in your deck can dilute your strategy and make it harder to draw the cards you need.
Pay attention to your opponents’ strategies. If you notice that an opponent is collecting a particular type of card, consider buying those cards yourself to deny them the advantage.

Beginner Tips

Start by focusing on cards that provide mana. These cards are essential for purchasing other cards and can help you build a strong foundation for your deck.
Don’t be afraid to push your luck. Mystic Vale includes a unique mechanism that allows you to risk drawing more cards in exchange for potential penalties. While this can be risky, it can also lead to significant rewards.
Take the time to understand the different card combinations. Each card in Mystic Vale has a unique effect, and understanding how these effects interact can help you build a powerful deck.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t ignore the Vale cards. While these cards can be expensive and difficult to acquire, they provide powerful abilities and are often worth the investment.
Avoid focusing too much on one type of card. While it can be beneficial to specialize in a certain type of card, having a balanced deck is often more effective.
Don’t forget to manage your mana. Mana is an essential resource in Mystic Vale, and failing to manage it effectively can leave you unable to purchase the cards you need.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Always have a strategy in mind. Whether you’re focusing on mana production, card acquisition, or Vale cards, having a clear strategy can help guide your decisions and improve your gameplay.
Take advantage of card synergies. Many cards in Mystic Vale have effects that can complement each other. Identifying and taking advantage of these synergies can greatly enhance your deck’s power.
Keep track of your victory points. Victory points are the key to winning Mystic Vale, so it’s important to always be aware of your current total and how you can earn more.