The Chronicle of Glyphs of Legends (Comprehensive Ruleset)
1. What You Need Before You Start
Two players (Glyphbinders). Each needs a 60-card deck. Play area with zones: Deck (face-down), Hand, Creature Zone (up to 4), Trap Zone (up to 2 set face-down), Discard Pile, Banish Zone. Use counters or notes to track Life Points (LP) and Mana.
2. Deck Construction
Deck size: Exactly 60 cards.
Copies: Up to 3 of the same card name.
Card types: Creature Glyphs, Magic Glyphs, Trap Glyphs, Rune Glyphs, Zone Cards.
Legendary: Only 1 Legendary creature of the same name may be controlled by a player at a time. Legendary Runes may only be equipped to Legendary creatures.
Global Rune Cap: At most 4 Runes in play on your field.
3. Duel Setup
Shuffle both decks. Decide who goes first. Initial hand: 5 cards. Both start at 5000 LP and 2 Mana. Important: The first player cannot attack on their very first turn.
4. Turn Structure
A) Start Phase: Resolve 'start of turn' effects (Wither, Poison, etc.). Both players gain +2 Mana.
B) Draw Phase: Draw 1 card.
C) Main Phase: You may Summon a Creature, Cast a Magic Glyph (Max 3/turn), Attach a Rune (see Section 10), Set a Trap (Max 2), Play a Zone Card, or Sacrifice for Mana (Max 2/turn).
D) Battle Phase: Declare attacks. (First player skips this on Turn 1).
E) End Phase: Resolve 'end of turn' effects and pass.
5. Combat Rules
ATK vs DEF: If ATK > DEF, defender is destroyed. If ATK < DEF, attacker is destroyed.
Protector: Must be attacked first.
Piercing/Trample: Excess ATK over DEF deals LP damage.
Non-Combat Damage: DEF is reduced permanently. If DEF ≤ 0, creature is destroyed.
6. Traps
Set face-down (max 2). Pay cost only upon activation. Traps use The Stack. Negates cancel unresolved effects.
7. Zone Cards
Only 1 Zone active at a time. Playing a new Zone destroys the old one.
8. The Mana System & Sacrifice for Mana
Start with 2 Mana. Gain +2 per Start Phase.
Sacrifice for Mana: (Up to 2x per turn). Discard a card from hand; gain Mana equal to half its cost (Rounded Up).
9. Tokens
Created by effects. If they leave the field, they are removed from play (do not enter Discard).
10. Keywords & Rune Limits
Banish: Remove from play.
Freeze/Stun: Prevents attacking for a specified duration.
Swift: May attack the turn it is summoned.
Poison/Wither: Permanent DEF reduction during Start Phase.
Legendary: 1 per name on field. Legendary Runes only for Legendary creatures.
Rune Attachment (Revised):
Capacity: 1 Rune per creature (2 if card text permits).
Attachment Limit: Only 1 Rune may be attached to a specific creature per turn.
Turn Limit: You can attach 4 total Runes in one turn IF they go to 4 different creatures.
Global Cap: Max 4 total Runes on your field.
11. The Stack
Last-in, first-out. Simultaneous triggers are ordered by the active player first, then the opponent.
Worked Example: The Rune Play
Player A's Field: 3 creatures (Stone Golem, Wind Elemental, Gryphon Knight).
Player A attaches Aegis Rune to Stone Golem. (Golem capacity 1/1).
Player A attaches Haste Rune to Wind Elemental. (Elemental capacity 1/1).
Player A cannot attach a second Rune to the Stone Golem this turn (Limit: 1 attachment per creature per turn).
Player A can attach a third Rune to the Gryphon Knight because it is a different creature.
If Player A summons a 4th creature, they can attach a 4th Rune, hitting the Global Cap.
Capacity: Each creature may have only 1 Rune attached to it at a time. If a creature's card text explicitly states it can hold more, its capacity increases to 2 Runes.
Per-Creature Attachment Limit: No more than 1 Rune may be attached to the same creature per turn, regardless of where the Rune is coming from (Hand or Discard Pile).
Per-Turn Global Limit: A player may attach up to 4 Runes per turn, provided each Rune is attached to a different creature (respecting the 1-per-turn-per-creature rule).
Global Field Cap: A player may have a maximum of 4 Runes in play on their field at any time.