What are the phases of a Malediction round?

Refresh (draw cards, gain echo, refresh units, bid for initiative), Deploy (players deploy in turn), Action (players alternate activations), and End (claim relics, check for victory).

What is echo in Malediction?

Echo is the resource spent to play cards and deploy units. It refreshes each round, so most competitive decks keep a low echo curve to guarantee a play every round.

What is mastery in Malediction?

Mastery is the score. Clash and Dominion are played to 40 mastery; the team modes Allegiance and Nemesis are played to 50. The first Seeker or team to reach the total wins.

What is the difference between Shift and Move?

Move costs 1 AP and provokes retaliation. Shift costs 2 AP, requires Line of Sight, moves up to the unit's movement value and does not provoke retaliation.

Rules & gameplay

The complete Malediction rules guide

Malediction is played in rounds. Each round has the same four phases, and almost everything else in the game is a variation on those phases. Learn the round and the rest of the rulebook becomes reference material.

This page summarises the core loop, the basic actions every unit can take, and the official game modes. Terms are defined in the glossary at the bottom, and terrain has its own guide because it is where most rules questions come from.

Updated August 2026

The round structure

Every round runs Refresh, Deploy, Action, End. Refresh is where you draw, gain echo and bid for initiative. Deploy is where echo becomes units on the battlefield. The Action phase is the game itself — players alternate activating units one at a time. The End phase claims relics and checks whether anyone has reached the mode's mastery total.

Echo, action points and mastery

Echo is the resource you spend to play cards and deploy units. Action points (AP) are what a unit spends during its activation. Mastery is the score: you earn it by defeating enemies and controlling the battlefield, and the first Seeker to reach the mode's total wins.

Because echo refreshes each round and AP is per activation, Malediction rewards players who always have something affordable to do rather than players holding one enormous play.

Basic actions every unit can take

Move, Attack, Charge and Shift are available to every unit. Charge and Shift both need Line of Sight; Move and Charge provoke retaliation while Shift does not. Card abilities layer on top of these, and a card effect always overrides the rulebook.

Line of sight, obstacles and husks

Units, husks and any terrain section taller than a unit's base are obstacles. Sections below one inch are short obstacles and do not block Line of Sight or Line of Effect; sections an inch or taller are tall obstacles and block both. Everything outside the battlefield counts as a tall obstacle.

The four official game modes

Malediction ships with four modes. They change player count, mastery total and how much terrain comes to the table, which in turn changes what a good deck looks like — a list that wins Clash is not automatically a good Dominion list.

Frequently asked questions

What are the phases of a Malediction round?: Refresh (draw cards, gain echo, refresh units, bid for initiative), Deploy (players deploy in turn), Action (players alternate activations), and End (claim relics, check for victory).
What is echo in Malediction?: Echo is the resource spent to play cards and deploy units. It refreshes each round, so most competitive decks keep a low echo curve to guarantee a play every round.
What is mastery in Malediction?: Mastery is the score. Clash and Dominion are played to 40 mastery; the team modes Allegiance and Nemesis are played to 50. The first Seeker or team to reach the total wins.
What is the difference between Shift and Move?: Move costs 1 AP and provokes retaliation. Shift costs 2 AP, requires Line of Sight, moves up to the unit's movement value and does not provoke retaliation.