Strategy Phase

Strike Step

In this step, you may strike by either drawing or playing a combat card.

If instructed to “strike again,” you may repeat this step.

You can strike every time you perform the Strategy phase. Striking is a crucial way for you to influence how you roll dice and apply hits by creating card chains and combos.

• Draw a Combat Card.

To draw, add the top card of the Combat Deck to your hand. This may exceed your hand limit.

• Play a Combat Card.

A combat card must be played from your hand to the right of an active enemy or combat card with one or more matching nodes. This immediately activates strike effects on the new card that line up with a node on the card to the left.

» You cannot play a combat card next to a card with no nodes.

» Effects that do not match a node on the previous card are not activated.

» Never resolve an effect more than once, even if it matches several nodes.

» You can chain any number of combat cards to the same enemy.

Enemy Effects

• During effects have an ongoing impact that applies from the time the enemy becomes active until it is defeated.

• After effects trigger in the Resolve phase. They trigger even if the enemy is defeated.

• Special effects have unique timing and length of impact, as specified in the effect’s text. They trigger even if the enemy is defeated.

Commit Dice Step

Select any number and combination of dice from the dice pool, and place them in the active area. All dice in the active area, applied or not, are considered to be committed.

Roll Dice Step

Roll all of the dice in the active area at once. Items cannot be used in this step.

Apply Dice Step

Apply hits to active enemies to deal damage to them.

• Apply hits one at a time, in any order, by placing the die on the enemy.

• Each time you apply a die, check to see if that enemy is defeated, which happens when the hits assigned to it meet or exceed its Health . Any During effects on an enemy end immediately when it is defeated.

• When an enemy is defeated, rotate it 90° to track its state.

• Instant rewards on an enemy are gained immediately when it is defeated. Gaining the reward is optional.

• Item rewards, whether Single-use or Ongoing , are not gained at this time.

• You may continue to apply hits to enemies even after they have been defeated if you wish.

• You are not required to apply all rolled hits.

• Misses cannot be applied

Restrictions When Applying Dice

In Tainted Grail, you can only apply dice that are the same color as the dial’s current color. Dice that do not match the dial color can still be committed and rolled, but they cannot be applied.

Combat cards, enemy effects, and items frequently alter this rule.

Repeating the Strategy Phase

After the Apply Dice step, you may repeat the Strategy phase. The total number of times you may go through the phase (including the first) cannot exceed your Strategy .

When you repeat the Strategy phase, you may commit additional dice from the dice pool, adding them to any unapplied dice still in your active area. Then, roll all unapplied dice and apply any hit results you wish.

Keep in mind that all committed dice, applied or not, will be exhausted in the Resolve phase.

In Tainted Grail, you cannot repeat the Strategy phase if all enemies are defeated.