HEX: Shards of Fate - beginner's guide to decks, characters, shop & tournaments

HEX: Shards of Fate (Hex TCG) brings a lot of tactical depth and classic TCG feeling. Immediately after the introduction to the game, players can choose between individual starter decks. The choice depends strongly on the favored approach in the game.

Can currently choose from four different map packages, the further course of development more decks are implemented. The balance of the card is always at the forefront. Players who commit themselves at this stage on a deck, so don’t worry that in the future lose their laboriously collected cards of value or impact.

Dwarfs

The dwarves build on cautious approach. Slowly but surely the masters of their mines and artifacts robot into play. In the depths of decks the dwarves perform a unique artifact, while not intervene in the fight, but can quickly make every match a decisive turn by their special abilities. The Dwarven deck making it suitable for players who prefer a defensive approach and wish to add with patience through passive skills the enemy damage.

People

Totally classic fantasy ideas accordingly, men build chivalry and the inspiration of their own troops. Alone the units of the people are their enemies usually inferior to the battlefield. However, a variety of support units and passive healing and strengthening mechanisms can even make to game-winning heroes simple farmers. Players who are looking for an easily accessible Deck and rely on team play in their ranks, are well advised with this deck.

Orcs

Not known for their patience and discipline, represent the orcs in HEX: Shards of Fate what TCG player called Rush deck. In a short time they send powerful forces in the field and share so high claims already in the early rounds of a match. In return, the passive and defensive capabilities of their units are not particularly pronounced. In the hands of a skilled player and with a little luck cards, the orcs but many opponents quickly bring in distress.

Shin'Hare

Away from the usual ideas about orcs, humans and dwarves are the Shin'Hare. Despite their cute appearance, it have these fellows sly old ears. In its expansion, the delusion Shin'Hare build on a classical cannon fodder strategy. Send Quick oodles cheaper units in the field, to force through the sheer majority in the knee without regard to losses and so the enemy is their classic approach. Like the Orcs offers Shin'Hare deck players with a penchant for rapid action much variety.

If you put the beginning of a career as a military leader in HEX: Shards of Fate for a cover fixed, it is not necessarily bound later it. The cards of each starter and booster packs can be combined and their playability depends only on the selected resource. An unholy alliance of Humans and Orcs Nothing stands in the way. Clever strategists make their own deck and adjust it gradually throughout their preferences. So you have enough room to build their own deck and its strategy from the start and implement.

An army is only as good as the champion who leads it. If one has initially decided on a deck, it is now necessary to choose an appropriate commander. Currently available in beta are twenty-five so-called champions to choose from, which offer all with unique abilities. These legends are fundamentally different from each other and want to be adapted in their choice on their own procedure. So it is "Gozzog, Lord of the Necromancer" for example possible to add directly damage the enemy heroes and thereby to heal itself by the same amount, while other heroes can continuously bring units into play, without consuming valuable resource.

Getting Started

Who has dealt before with physical trading card games knows that this can sometimes be enormously complex. HEX: Shards of Fate is no exception and requires an in-depth examination of the underlying game mechanics. The tutorial takes the players left on the hand and leads him well understood in the different phases and actions of HEX.


So Duels are explained step by step, starting from its own initial phase, up to the execution of counter-spells during your opponent's turn. TCG typically only one resource may be played, so that the duels build slowly at first for each of his train in the main phase. Resource cards are each player the way from the start and need not be purchased in addition on Map Packs.

The duels are divided fundamentally in different phases. The gameplay in HEX always is based on a strategic approach and a good knowledge of their own decks.

The division of the individual trains in different phases allows players to react to the opponent's actions and adapt their own steps to the cards played.

The individual phases are broken down as follows:

Initial phase

In the initial phase of its own train by drawing cards is prepared.

Main phase

In the first step of the main phase is basically possible to play off a resource and as to bring the own cards into play. Only one resource card can be played, but any number of other cards, as long as the resources and requirements for these cards are available per train.

Combat phase

As in the main phase, the player can here bring more cards into play, provided it has the necessary resources. The player is even in the attack, he can now select individual cards that attack the enemy champion directly. An attack of the enemy forces is possible only through special skills. So it is important to think before each attack, with which map the own attack could be blocked or if the attack can penetrate fully to the enemy champion.

Be sent troops in the attack, they are in fact in the next round, so to use not for defensive purposes in the attack of the enemy. They are tapped. The map changes its position on the field and to indicate that she has used up its energy for this stage.

Is just on the part of dwarves, however, the possibility of its own troops by so-called artifacts "leach" to generate charges for each special ability of the card. Are the artifacts fully charged, you get either special forces into play or solve other effects. No matter which deck, the lack of hustle and bustle of the phase division also here with a good overview and introduction to the gameplay of HEX.

Defense

The located respectively in the passive role player chooses its not tapped cards from those who want to block the opponent's attack. The material distributed damage is thereby directly deducted from defense value of the troops. Should it dip below zero, the card leaves the field and is lost.

Each unit can be used per round for either the attack or later the enemy attack blocking. However, multiple units can attack a single card blocking and so absorb the damage. Here, however, is that the attacking player determines the order in which the damage is distributed among the defending troops.

Offensive designed decks must therefore cause great damage to the enemy as quickly as possible so you do not end up the way missing a strong but slowly built up defense to break through. The selection of units to be sent forward to the attack, is still strongly influenced by any necessary defensive measures in the defense round shaped and asks the player a greater foresight, as he likes to be used to from other games.


Second main phase

Following the attack phase followed by the second main phase, can be brought into the turn card, depending on the availability of resources, into play, in order to strengthen its own defense for the next round or to replenish their own troops.

Final phase

In the final phase, the player can so-called "Quick Actions" perform or use the special abilities of his cards. After the final stage of a new round begins and the defense values of all cards are completely regenerated, unless they have been permanently reduced by magic.

Counter

During any time of your opponent's turn, the player has the opportunity to carry out counter-magic, if they are on his hand. The deceleration of the game providing the ability to actively intervene into the game during the phases actually passive. It is worthwhile in any case, to look at every card played by opponents just before the train is free.

Resource Management

As mentioned at the battle phase, playing resources and their management in HEX: Shards of Fate a central role. As with almost all trading card games is the energy, mana, or even here the shards of fundamental importance for the strategy that lies behind the deck of the player. Users who compose yourself your deck should always make sure to carry such supply of resources in the deck in order to take advantage of all of their cards.

With an average deck with 60 cards a share of 20 Shards is recommended. Because the deck-size is not limited in HEX, players must adjust the number of their resources to their own needs. The resources needed to at HEX: play off of the hand Shards of Fate cards are divided into five categories: wild, blood, ruby, diamond and sapphire.

Whether you can play a card depends on whether enough Shards a particular source were played. Two energy sources play a role: Some cards need a general power supply of a number of arbitrary resources and additionally played a certain number of one of the five categories. Play of the energy resources will therefore be well thought out by the player in each train.

Regardless of the source of a point of the champion receives at every shard the played card in his personal energy bar. If this bar is filled, the player can activate the unique ability of his hero and use the collected energy. The individual skills of the heroes range from simple healing, to playing off single special units, which can give the game the decisive turn.

More cards!

The private deck is steadily expanding core of each trading card game. To give the players already to start an impression of the extensive deck-building system and to allow him to adapt his own starter deck are in HEX: Shards of Fate after the tutorial called starter Trials available. These small tournaments against AI opponents make it possible to practice the learned mechanics from the tutorial and keep new, specially tailored to the chosen cover maps as a reward ready.

Only practice makes perfect

In the "training ground" are the players AI opponents available. Those who like to measure with human opponents can search here with no risk duels and so get to know one's own deck better. Is already in beta here a lot of activity, so that games come quickly materialize. Both the varied matches against the computer as well as duels against other players on the training ground not affect its own deck.

Real challenge: The Frost Ring Arena
Those who prefer to look for a real challenge, can be measured in the Frost Ring Arena. Here it is with a deck one after twenty computer opponent to defeat, including four bosses crisp. These are put together by chance in front of a Arena run to increase the voltage. The challenge in mind: If you lose three times the tournament has to end. The farther you go, the more rewards there are: Gold to buy especially powerful cards that can be used only against computer opponents. The increase chances in the arena, not in battle against other players but available.

Crafting, shop and auction house

To refine your own deck or building a second deck, the player needs additional cards that he can acquire at the auction house. The sale of own cards which are not required to earn here both the normal game currency as well as the premium currency Platinum allows. In addition to individual tickets also all booster packs are traded at the auction house. These are also available to premium currency in-game shop. The booster packs contain, in addition new maps, no additional benefits, so that no unfair advantage is created in the match.

About a crafting feature many cards can also be adapted to their own style of play. The required "gems" are each player from the outset available. By capping the card receive this additional capabilities, such as "flying".

Tournaments

Without risk no fun. The tournaments that are already available in the beta available, ask for a small entry fee or the use of booster packs. Currently reigns 8-128 players in three different modes. For each player at the end of a tournament provides a reward. The value of the gain of course depends on the cut. However, since no player gets nothing, there is no risk, money or valuable booster packs to waste.

The individual modes at a glance:

- Constructed: The players compete with their own deck to the tournament.
- Draft: Each participant throws three booster packs in the "Pott", alternately cards are now selected and compiled decks from all open packs. These "ragtag" decks, players compete against each other.

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