After totaling the Strength of their armies, both players gather their hand of 7 Tactic Cards, and each secretly selects one card to play. In the event that one or both players have no Units or Structures remaining in the Region due to spells or abilities, the Battle ends and no Tactic Cards are played.

The amount of the card adds is listed in its upper left corner. Any other bonuses the player might get (sometimes dependent on whether a specific Tactic Card is played by the opponent) are described in the bottom half of each card. If a Tactic Card is cancelled by the opponent card or by any other means, the one who played it does not have to pay for it and doesn't get or from it (either +/-).

Note: The Conscripts Tactic Card may change the composition of the Armies, which may change the ability bonuses of the Heroes, Vessels, and Structures. Win or lose, each player must pay the cost of the Tactic Card, and each player gains the listed on the Tactic Card they played. If both players played Conscripts, the defender resolves it first, then the attacker.

When players select a Tactic Card, they must factor in these two rules:

• The player MUST be able to afford the cost of the Tactic Card, as noted on the upper left of the card, and MUST Spend the appropriate Resources AND/OR Sacrifice Units (see Sacrificing Units in Battle).

• Some Tactic Cards may only be played by an attacking or defending player, and some may not be played if there are only Serfs in the army and no Structures.

Note: If a player cannot pay the cost and meet the requirements then their card is ignored and considered a . A player may NOT choose to not pay the cost of their selected Tactic Card if they can afford to pay the cost, in Resources and/or in Units. If a Tactic Card or other ability cancels your Tactic Card, you do not have to pay the Resource cost, nor do you gain its VP (positive or negative).

In this example, players simultaneously reveal Tactic Cards:

• The Human army with reveals the First Strike Tactic and pays 4 Mana to use it, so their final total is and the player gains .

• The Orc army with reveals the Charge Tactic Card and must pay 6 Mana to use it even though they only have 4 Mana. They intend to sacrifice 1 Warrior () to pay the difference (see Sacrificing Units in Battle, below). Since the enemy played First Strike, the Orcs receive a bonus, and their final total is and the player gains .

With the higher strength (15 vs. 12), the Orc army is victorious, but now that the Battle is resolved the Orc army must lose a Warrior to finish paying the cost of their Tactic Card.