EKO CARD GAME RULES

EKO CARD GAME RULES

How to Play EKO TCG: A Guide for New Players

Welcome to the world of EKO TCG, where evolving aliens and ever-changing biomes create a thrilling battleground! Whether you're here to grow your ecosystem or defeat your opponents in alien combat, this guide will help you dive into the action. Ready to learn how to play? Let’s go!

Objective

In EKO, you have two ways to win:

  1. Reach a Mass of 25 by placing biomes.
  2. Reduce your opponent’s Energy to 0 by defeating their aliens.

Card Types

  • Aliens: These are your creatures. They fight, evolve, and defend your ecosystem.
  • Biomes: These are your ecosystem's habitats, providing essential resources (Mass) for your aliens.
  • Events: Special cards with unique effects that can turn the tide of battle.

Zones

  • NORTHERN Zone: Frontline for placing biomes and fighting aliens.
  • SOUTHERN Zone: Backline for more defensive strategies and long-range attacks.
  • Deck: Where you draw your cards from.
  • Grave: Where dead aliens and destroyed biomes go.

Setup

  • Each player starts with 25 Energy and 0 Mass.
  • Build a deck of 50 to 100 cards (Aliens, Biomes, Events).
  • Your total Biome resources (Mass) in the deck can’t exceed 100 points.
  • Only 4 copies of the same card are allowed in a deck.
  • Both players draw 10 cards to start.

Turn Structure

  1. Draw 1 card at the start of your turn (except the first turn).
  2. Play cards in any order during your turn. You can:
    • Play Biomes in the Northern or Southern Zone.
    • Place Aliens on biomes and use their actions.
    • Play Event cards for extra effects.
  3. End your turn when you're done playing cards.

Aliens

Aliens are your primary combat units. Here’s what to know:

  • HEART: Represents the alien’s health.
  • STOMACH: Shows how much Hunger the alien has (i.e., how much Mass it needs to survive).
  • ELEMENT: Identified by a color or letter, it defines the alien’s type and resistances.
  • WING Icon: Denotes the alien’s special ability, which is always active.
  • CLAW Icon: Represents the alien’s attack power.
  • SHELL Icon: Stands for the alien’s defense, activated when it’s attacked.

Alien Rules:

  • Aliens’ Hunger must be less than or equal to the resources in a biome pile to be played (birthed).
  • Aliens can’t attack the turn they’re played (birth turn).
  • Some aliens can sync or evolve, but not on the turn they’re born.
  • Aliens may have adaptabilities, allowing them to be played on different biomes—but they’ll need at least one biome of the same type in the pile.
  • Pay attention to an alien's Tolerances (weaknesses or resistances), which can increase or reduce damage they take.

Biomes

Biomes provide the Mass (resources) you need to sustain your aliens and win the game.

  • Your Mass is the total resources provided by all your biomes in play.
  • You can stack biomes in piles to combine resources.
  • Only the top biome’s effect is active.
  • Biomes cannot be moved once placed.
  • Biomes restore damage at the beginning of each turn.

Actions

Each alien has 1 action per turn. They can:

  • Attack with one of its claw skills.
  • Migrating to another biome or zone.
  • Feeding does 1 damage to aliens, biomes, and If your opponent has no aliens in play in that zone, your aliens can directly feed on the opponent’s Energy.
  • North zone aliens can attack north zone aliens; South zone aliens can attack south zone aliens.
  • Aliens with range can attack other zones.
  • Biomes cant be attacked when there's an alien on it

Destruction

  • Aliens damage persist and they die when their health reaches 0.
  • When an alien dies, you lose Energy equal to that alien’s Hunger.
  • Aliens do 1 damage to a biome when they feed (attack).
  • Biomes are destroyed if they take damage equal to or greater than their resources.
  • Stacked biomes are destroyed one at a time, starting from the top of the pile.
  • Destroyed biomes and dead aliens are sent to the Graveyard.
  • If a biome is destroyed and there are no biomes left in the stack, any alien on that biome dies.
  • If a biome is destroyed and resources are low, subtract the difference from the alien’s health every turn.

Events & Strategy

  • Some event cards can be played during your opponent’s turn, creating surprises and counter plays.
  • there's special types of events: food, weather, mutation, trap, Instant, and constant.
  • there are 10 ailments: Burn, Sleep, Dizzy, Soak, Sick, Blind, poison, paralyze, frozen, and wilt. 
  • Each ailment lasts for 4 turns, and players can easily keep track of this by rotating the affected card. During this period, any additional ailments inflicted on that alien will also be cleared after those 4 turns, a mechanic called the Recuperate state.
  • Always consider an alien’s weaknesses, resistances, and types to outsmart your opponent.

Winning the Game in Different Formats

EKO TCG has multiple formats to play:

  • LUNAR Format: Reach a Mass of 25 or reduce your opponent’s 25 Energy to 0.
  • PLANETARY Format: Reach a Mass of 50 or reduce your opponent’s 50 Energy to 0.
  • STELLAR Format: When both players’ Mass is equal to or greater than 100, the player with the most Mass wins, or reduce your opponent’s 100 Energy to 0.

Draws & Ties

  • If both players run out of cards in their decks, the game is a Draw.
  • If both players’ Energy reaches 0 at the same time, the game is a Tie.

And there you have it! Now you’re ready to build your deck, play your aliens, and dominate the ecosystems of EKO TCG. Whether you’re aiming for quick victories or long-term strategies, the balance of Mass and Energy will be key to your success. Good luck out there, and may your ecosystem thrive! 🌿👽

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