Spells

Sanctum cards are called spells. You cast them onto targets on the game board to support your groups, advance your strategy, and defeat your enemy.

Spell Data

Spell Properties

Spell Types

Spell Target Types

Spells in Action

Stages of a Spell's Life

Targeted Spells

Active Spells

Active Spell Lists

Spell Visibility

Squandered Spells

Spell Data

Spell Properties.

• Every spell belongs to a house, which determines the 2 mana types in its casting cost.
• Every spell has a casting cost, which uses only its house's 2 mana types.
• Every spell card shows its house immediately below its name.
• Each deck can freely mix and match spells from any houses , as long as you can pay their casting costs.

Spell Types. Spell types are distinguished by their duration (how long they last).

• There are 5 types of spells in Sanctum.
• Every spell card shows its spell type immediately below its name.

Alterations and conjurations automatically leave play if their host dies or is destroyed, or if they are explicitly dispelled. Some spells can transfer to new hosts.

Spell Target Types. Every spell has a target type, which determines which part of the game board you can cast it on.

• There are 10 types of spell targets in Sanctum.
• Every spell card shows its target type immediately below its name.

Spells in Action

Stages of a Spell's Life. Each spell goes through the following stages.

1. In deck. A spell in your deck doesn't do anything until you draw it.
2. In hand. You can target spells in your hand for casting or discarding. Some spells change their casting cost at the start of every turn while in your hand.
3. Targeted. When you issue a valid spell casting order, your spell becomes targeted. You can change or cancel your spell casting orders at any time during the player control phase, until you click Confirm Orders.
4. Executing. After both players have clicked Confirm Orders, the game engine executes all cast spells. Each spell execution either succeeds or squanders (fails).
5. Active. Some types of spells remain in play after they execute, and continue to affect the game.

When a spell squanders, expires, is dispelled, or otherwise goes inactive, it leaves play.

Targeted Spells.

• Non-cumulative. Each player may target at most 1 copy of the same spell on the same spell target each turn.
  • If both players cast the same non-instant spell (alteration or conjuration) on the same target, the side with initiative will win, and the other side's spell will squander, since the first side's spell becomes active, and blocks the second copy.
  • However, if both players cast the same instant spell (manifestation) on one target, they'll both succeed, since the first spell leaves play right away, and has no effect on the second one.
• Exception: Spells that explicitly state “cumulative” or “may be cast more than once” can be multiply targeted onto the same spell target in one turn.

Active Spells.

• When a non-instant spell (alteration or conjuration) executes successfully, the spell becomes active. An active spell remains in play.
• There can be any number of active spells at the same time. Some long games can have one hundred or more active spells.
• Every active spell is owned by the player who cast it. Some active spells affect the enemy player differently from the friendly player.
• Every active spell has a spell target, or “host”. This is usually the same minion, group, structure, square, or globe on which the spell was targeted. Some spells can transfer to new hosts.

Active Spell Lists.

• Each player maintains a full list of all of his or her active spells.
• In addition, each minion, structure, square, and the globe has its own list of all active spells on itself.
• When you click on a spell target, all visible spells on that spell target are displayed in the spell list box.
• Spells in an active list are always displayed in casting order (from oldest to youngest).

Spell Visibility. Every active spell is either visible or non-visible.

• Visible spells are displayed in their host’s spell list.
  • Visible spells can be dispelled.
  • Non-cumulative. Each spell target can have at most 1 copy of each visible alteration or conjuration.
  • Exception: Some alterations and conjurations explicitly state “cumulative” or “may be cast more than once”. These spells are cumulative. A single spell target can have any number of copies of these spells.
• Non-visible spells are not displayed in any spell list.
  • Non-visible spells cannot be dispelled. They ignore all dispel-effects. (They last as long as their host does, or until they expire on their own, if applicable.)
  • Cumulative. Each spell target can have any number of copies of the same non-visible alteration or conjuration.

Squandered Spells. A spell that fails during execution is said to squander. It leaves play immediately, without any effect.

• A spell must pass all of its casting requirements before you can target it for casting.
• A spell must also pass all of its casting requirements at the instant it executes.
• If any of its casting requirements have become false at the instant it executes, the spell squanders (fails).
• This usually happens because of the results of previous spells executing earlier in the same turn. For example:
  • Minion, group, and structure spells squander if their target has died or been destroyed by an earlier spell.
  • Minion, group, and structure spells squander if their target has already left the board because of an earlier spell.
  • Square and terrain spells squander if any group has appeared in their target square.
• A squandered spell leaves play without effect. It never becomes active.
• A squandered spell does not count as having ever been cast. Some spells may be cast “only once per game”. If your first attempt to cast such a spell squanders, you can try to cast another copy of that spell later. You can repeat this until you finally succeed in casting the spell once.

v2.10.00 Last updated 2005/08/05