How to play Summoner Wars: rules, factions and how to win explained

Summoner Wars is a tactical card game that casts you as a cunning summoner leading a unique faction into a battle for supremacy. As a player, each card you play represents a unit, a spell, or even your summoner’s presence on the battlefield.

Your objective is to maneuver your forces, strategically use your cards, and outmaneuver your opponent’s summoner to secure victory. The game offers a perfect blend of deck-building, resource management, and battlefield tactics, making every match a thrilling puzzle to solve.

The game’s genius lies in its simplicity, yet it boasts incredible depth, allowing players to craft their strategies and adapt to various opponents and scenarios. Whether you prefer the swiftness of the Jungle Elves or the relentless undead hordes of the Fallen Kingdom, “Summoner Wars” offers diverse factions, each with its own playstyle and strengths.

What’s included in Summoner Wars?

Game board: Represents the battlefield divided into a grid of spaces.
Faction decks: Preconstructed decks specific to each faction, containing unit and event cards.
Summoner card: Represents your summoner character, which is placed on your side of the board.
Wound markers: Used to track damage on units and summoners.
Wall cards: Defensive structures placed on the board.
Reinforcement cards: Additional units and spells you can summon during the game.
Dice: Used for combat resolution.

How to play Summoner Wars

The goal of Summoner Wars is to eliminate your opponent’s summoner or reduce their summoner’s health to zero. Players achieve this by strategically deploying units, casting spells, and managing their resources.

Setup

Choose Factions: Each player selects a faction deck to play with. See Faction section for an overview of all factions that you can play in this game.
Setup Battlefield: Place the game board in the center of the table and decide which side each player will occupy.
Place Summoner: Each player places their summoner card in one of the starting spaces on their side of the board.
Shuffle and Draw: Shuffle your faction deck and draw a starting hand of five cards.
Place Walls: Each player places three wall cards on their side of the board in any unoccupied spaces adjacent to their summoner.

Rules for Summoner Wars

Summoner Wars is played over a series of rounds, each consisting of several phases:

Draw: At the beginning of your turn, draw a number of cards equal to your summoner’s draw value (typically 5).
Summon: Spend magic points (represented by cards in your hand) to summon units, reinforce your summoner, or cast event cards. Place summoned units on your side of the board.
Move and Attack: You can take up to two actions during this phase, which can be moving units or attacking with them. Units can move and attack orthogonally and have specific movement and attack values.
Build: Spend magic points to place additional wall cards on the board or reinforce your walls.
End of Turn: Discard any remaining cards in your hand and move any units that have been summoned this turn to the magic pile (face-down).
Cleanup: Check for the game’s end condition (usually defeating your opponent’s summoner) and prepare for the next round.

Combat: Combat occurs when one of your units attacks an opponent’s unit or summoner. Roll a combat die and compare the result to the target’s defense value. If the roll equals or exceeds the defense value, the target receives a wound marker. Units can only attack once per turn.

Winning the Game: The game typically ends when one summoner is defeated (reaches a certain number of wound markers), or one player fulfills a specific scenario condition. The player who meets the victory condition first wins the game.

Factions available from Summoner Wars

Here’s an overview of some of the main factions and their associated playstyles which are available in the base game:

Phoenix Elves:
- Playstyle: Agile and mobile faction with swift units.
- Special Ability: Phoenix Elves can move freely through their own units and walls.
Tundra Orcs:
- Playstyle: Aggressive and resilient faction with powerful brute units.
- Special Ability: Tundra Orcs thrive in cold environments and can move through glaciers.
Guild Dwarves:
- Playstyle: Defensive faction with sturdy units and strong walls.
- Special Ability: Guild Dwarves can construct and fortify walls quickly.
Cave Goblins:
- Playstyle: Sneaky and unpredictable faction with traps and swarm tactics.
- Special Ability: Cave Goblins can set traps to disrupt the opponent’s plans.
Vanguards:
- Playstyle: Versatile faction with a mix of ranged and melee units.
- Special Ability: Vanguards have flexible unit abilities and can adapt to various situations.
Fallen Kingdom:
- Playstyle: Necromantic faction that resurrects defeated units and swarms opponents.
- Special Ability: Fallen Kingdom can raise dead units as Reanimates.
Swamp Orcs:
- Playstyle: Tricky faction with poisonous attacks and board control.
- Special Ability: Swamp Orcs can create dangerous Vine Walls.
Mercenaries:
- Playstyle: Versatile and adaptable faction with hired units from other factions.
- Special Ability: Mercenaries can hire units from other factions for a cost.
Shadow Elves:
- Playstyle: Stealthy faction with hidden units and ambush tactics.
- Special Ability: Shadow Elves can hide units from their opponent until they attack.
Benders/Breakers:
- Playstyle: A Bender player isn’t interested in fighting on their opponent’s terms. Instead they will seek to control their opponent’s actions, their opponent’s units , and their opponent’s hopes of victory.
- Special Ability: Benders are able to use psychomancy to debilitate and even take over units from other players.

For the official rules, see the link below:

· Know Your Faction: Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your chosen faction. Each faction has a unique playstyle and abilities. Tailor your strategy to maximize your faction’s advantages.

· Efficient Card Use: Manage your cards wisely. Don’t overspend your magic points on summoning units or casting spells too quickly. Balance between summoning units, reinforcing, and casting events.

· Positioning is Key: The positioning of your units is critical. Place them strategically to control the battlefield, protect your summoner, and set up for future attacks. Consider both offensive and defensive positioning.

· Protect Your Summoner: Your summoner is the key to victory. Keep them safe by using walls, units, and strategic placement. Losing your summoner can be a game-ending setback.

· Use Wall Cards Strategically: Walls are not just for defense. They can be used to create chokepoints, control movement, and block enemy units. Use them strategically to shape the battlefield to your advantage.

· Plan Ahead: Think several turns ahead. Consider how your actions will affect future rounds and anticipate your opponent’s moves. This forward-thinking can help you maintain control of the game.

· Adapt to Your Opponent: Pay attention to your opponent’s strategy and adapt accordingly. If they are playing aggressively, focus on defense and counterattacks. If they are building a strong defense, look for weaknesses to exploit.

· Control the Magic Pile: Units in the magic pile can be summoned again. Keep units that you want to bring back in this pile. Use abilities or events that move units to and from the magic pile strategically.

· Don’t Waste Actions: Every action matters. Avoid moving units aimlessly or attacking without a clear plan. Be efficient in your movements and attacks.

· Be Mindful of Card Economy: Your hand size is limited. Discard cards that are less relevant to your current strategy to draw more useful ones. Card management is crucial.

· Psychological Warfare: Keep your opponent guessing. Conceal your plans and intentions as much as possible. A surprise attack or a well-timed event card can be a game-changer.

· Focus on Objectives: Understand the victory conditions of the scenario or game variant you’re playing. Prioritize actions and unit placement that work toward achieving those objectives.