Keyword Glossary

ATTACK

Attack effects harm your opponents using effects like forcing them to discard or dust cards from their hand. Some attacks like Flameblade Drifter’s even let you dust a card of your choice from an opposing player’s discard pile.

Block

Blocking occurs when you have an active shield ally that you use to prevent the harmful effect of an attack that would hurt you. To block, you discard your active shield ally.

Discard

Place a card on top your discard pile. This action occurs: whenever you end your turn with leftover cards in hand, when you acquire an ally or relic using energy coins as part of the purchase, when you are harmed by an attack effect.

Dust

Place a card from your hand on the dust playmat. You are required to dust one card per relic you have at the start of your turn. You may also optionally dust one card per turn using your Dust Action. Opponents can also dust cards of their choice from your discard pile using allies like Flameblade Drifter.

Efficient

You may play any number of efficient allies during your ally action phase. Powerful allies can also be made efficient by using cards like Fusegate Keeper.

Powerful

You may only play one powerful ally during the ally action phase of your turn. If you make other powerful allies efficient, they can also be played during the same turn.

Recall

Choose a card in your discard pile and add it to your hand. If you don’t have a discard pile, this effect doesn’t occur.

Retrieve

Choose a card, other than a Relic, on the dust playmat and add it to your hand. The retrieve effect is optional, so if a player does not want a card from the dust pile, they may choose to skip it.

Shield

You may have one shield ally active at a time, unless otherwise stated on a card like Towershield Guards or Mountaintop Tortoise.

FAQ

Are Energy Coins discarded or dusted when I acquire new cards?

Energy coins are always discarded when you acquire any new card, be it an ally, resource, or relic.

When are energy coins discarded, if they’re spent to acquire allies, resources, or relics?

Energy coins are discarded after they’re counted during the last part of your turn. They persist as cards in your hand until the new allies, resources, or relics are acquired. Therefore, if you have 3 energy coins in your hand, you cannot spend them before playing Wellspring Portal to draw additional cards (you would only draw 1 card).

If I Retrieve an Ally from Dust and add it to my hand, can I play it? 

If still you have your Ally Action or the Ally you retrieved is Efficient, absolutely!

Do I have to block with my active Shield?

No, blocking with your active shield is always optional. 

If my hand is already down to 3 cards at the start of my turn and then my Relic(s) requires me to Dust 1 or 2 cards, do I get to draw back up to 3 cards? 

No, you’ll be working with fewer cards this turn. 

What’s a hand minimum? 

In Dust to Dust, your hand minimum is 3 cards. That means that when an ally would cause you discard or dust cards to put your hand below this count on an opponent’s turn, you draw up back to 3 cards again immediately. The hand minimum does not apply to your own dust action or to relic dust effects.

Is there a hand maximum?

No, you can have as many cards in your hand as you can get.

Is it possible to acquire 2 relics in one turn to have 4 relics at the end of dust to dust?

Yes! Good luck, though :)