Every character remains available. Choose full faction decks or use the custom editor. Companions sit outside the 30-card deck; Vanta remains Mythbound with a one-per-deck limit. See the current card catalog for every card, path and Ascension.
Original creature cultures · lore archive
Two guilds, four creature cultures. Shared anatomy, materials and movement connect each family; personalities and poses distinguish individuals. In the current four-faction/custom balance draft, Ironmaw gains 1 Renown from its first own-turn Challenge defeat of an opposing Ally, maximum 1 per turn in new matches. Direct Tactics and Cleave spillover do not trigger it. All eight newcomers now have individual illustrated portraits in their cards, hand and inspector; the original concept sheets are preserved below. Portraits are draft game art. Articulated character animation and final print-art review remain pending.
Hearthbound · Lanternkin
Wickmender
“Nobody gets left in the dark.”
A compact, elderly badger with a broad low body, amber throat lantern and moss-woven medicine pack. Rounded shells, warm internal light and soft moss unite the Lanternkin. Wickmender kneels beside the injured rather than standing in a battle pose.
A stubborn roadside medic who repairs everyone except himself. He wants to reopen the lost infirmary, but must learn to accept Cindertusk’s protection. Their lanterns respond to care, not rank.
Motion direction: rummage through the pack, warm pulse travels from throat to paw, gentle healing touch. Concept direction, not a new animated asset.
2 Charge · F1 / G3 / I1 · Lantern Care heals another friendly character here by 2 on entry.
Hearthbound · Briarclad
Cindertusk
“These scars still have work to do.”
A mature, heavy-shouldered tusked beast with uneven bark armor, branching horns and ember-lit old scars. Briarclad share forward-weighted builds, thorn ridges and woody plates. His braced, side-on stance makes him visibly older and heavier than young chargers.
A former pathbreaker ashamed of a road he burned while rescuing travelers. He escorts Wickmender to rebuild it. His anger protects others but can become recklessness.
Motion direction: measured breathing and planted feet; damaged bark cracks brighten before a shoulder-led Challenge.
4 Charge · F3 / G5 / I0 · Kindled Fury adds 2 Force while damaged. Healing him fully removes that bonus.
Skyrunners · Cloudstriders
Reedrunner
“There’s always another crossing.”
A young marsh hare with long reed-like legs, feather fins and a wind-ribbon tail. Lean frames, long movement arcs and pale teal accents unite Cloudstriders. Reedrunner is caught mid-vault, ears forward and rear legs stretched, never in the heavy Briarclad stance.
A courier who treats every delivery as a race, until the missing road strands a passenger who cannot keep up. Glass Lynx teaches him to watch before leaping.
Motion direction: low crouch, springing lane leap, ribbon catches the wind; a paid Lightfoot landing ends balanced and ready.
2 Charge · F2 / G2 / I1 · Lightfoot pays 1 extra Charge on a normal move to remain ready. Still only one normal move each turn.
Skyrunners · Starweavers
Glass Lynx
“Watch the gap, not the crowd.”
A mature, low-stalking feline with crystal whiskers, constellation spots and suspended glass ornaments. Sleek nocturnal silhouettes and patterned starlight unite Starweavers. Its head turns toward a chosen defender while its body stays still.
A patient route-reader who trusts patterns more than strangers. Reedrunner’s unpredictable kindness forces her to revise her maps. She seeks the constellation erased when the road vanished.
Motion direction: freeze, whiskers align, a narrow light marks the chosen ready defender, then one short pounce.
3 Charge · F3 / G2 / I1 · Precision chooses a ready defender. It cannot bypass ready defenders to attack an exhausted character.
Opening story: The missing road leads to a shuttered infirmary. Wickmender follows its fading lanterns, Cindertusk carries the doors he once broke, Reedrunner brings an undelivered message, and Glass Lynx discovers the road disappeared from the stars before it disappeared from the ground.
Lanternkin · Hearthbound
Hearthshell
“Rest here. I’ll hold the road.”
An ancient, broad-backed guardian whose mossy lantern shell once sheltered the infirmary’s waiting room. Slow to trust change, he must choose between guarding its ruins and helping Wickmender build a new refuge. His warm amber glow shares the Lanternkin language; his immense low silhouette makes protection unmistakable.
3 Charge · Force 1 / Guard 6 / Insight 0.
Sheltering Glow: other friendly characters at this lane take 1 less Challenge damage, minimum 1 for positive damage. Multiple sources do not stack. Works while exhausted; Hearthshell needs another Hearthshell to receive protection himself. Tactic damage is unchanged.
Play pattern: protect an injured Cindertusk without healing away Kindled Fury. Answer: challenge Hearthshell first or use damage Tactics.
Motion direction: lower shell, brace feet, warm halo expands to an ally when damage is reduced.
Briarclad · Hearthbound
Thornrush
“Then I’ll make a way.”
A young thorn-maned charger with fresh green shoots between light bark plates. He idolizes Cindertusk’s strength but mistakes caution for fear. When he discovers why the old pathbreaker bears his scars, he learns that opening a road includes protecting those behind him.
3 Charge · Force 4 / Guard 3 / Insight 0.
Breach: gain 1 Renown when this character defeats a ready opposing character through its own Challenge. Includes a Companion’s defeat and return. No bonus against exhausted targets. Victory is still checked at end of turn.
Play pattern: turn clearing a blocker into progress toward victory. Answer: the defender chooses a survivor, protection reduces the hit, or vulnerable characters act before the attack.
Motion direction: scrape forehoof, flare thorn mane, launch a fast shoulder-led charge; Renown pulse only on a qualifying defeat.
Cloudstriders · Skyrunners
Veilwing
“You watched the gate. I watched the wind.”
A pale, ribbon-tailed glider whose wing edges catch teal light. Veilwing once carried messages past closed borders and now hides a letter that names the missing road’s keeper. Reedrunner wants to deliver it; Veilwing knows delivery can endanger its recipient.
3 Charge · Force 3 / Guard 2 / Insight 0.
Slipstream: choose any opposing character at this lane for a Challenge, even an exhausted one behind ready defenders. This changes targeting only. Veilwing still exhausts to Challenge and cannot bypass Explore blocking.
Play pattern: reach a fragile support character. Answer: Veilwing has only 2 Guard; remove it or separate vulnerable characters into other lanes. Sheltering Glow still protects its target.
Motion direction: bank behind a wind veil, slip past defenders and strike the chosen target; no invisible extra movement between lanes.
Starweavers · Skyrunners
Duskquill
“A map is a question with good handwriting.”
A compact, curious owl with a star-map fan hidden in its midnight feathers. Glass Lynx charts what the stars predict; Duskquill studies what they omit. His flaw is endlessly comparing possibilities. The lost infirmary forces him to choose a route before certainty arrives.
2 Charge · Force 1 / Guard 3 / Insight 1.
Star Chart: on entry, privately inspect up to the top 3 cards of your deck. Keep one; put the rest on the bottom in your chosen order. Resolve the choice before another action. An empty deck gives no selection; this effect does not reshuffle the discard.
Play pattern: find the healing or movement card you need now. Answer: this costs Charge and supplies only one card, not all three. Duskquill still needs an unblocked lane to Explore.
Motion direction: unfurl star feathers, three small lights appear, one joins the hand and the remaining lights settle beneath the deck.
The next chapter: Hearthshell reveals the infirmary’s lantern never went out. Thornrush clears its buried threshold; Veilwing’s sealed letter identifies a road the Atlas deliberately forgot. Duskquill must choose whether to restore that road before knowing why it was erased. These story beats add no hidden gameplay rules.
Elusive remains reserved. No current faction card may Explore past a ready opposing defender.
Nine-faction prototype: play the Vigilant Array or Elderwake against any existing faction. New rules and stats are experimental; their illustrations are pending. Practice opponent and shared-device hotseat are available. This is not remote multiplayer. Return to the seven-faction release · New cards, rules and test results
Choose Hourglass Covenant against any current faction, or test any pairing in this isolated laboratory. Each has a 30-card deck with 20 Allies and 10 Tactics, plus two Companion options. Veilborn explores the temporary Netherway; Ironmaw builds Force and chains Challenges. Open the complete rules and character reference.
Race to 20 Renown. Explore to score, protect routes with ready units, or challenge opponents to open a path.
Charge grows with experience: each player begins with 1 Charge capacity, gains +1 on each later turn, and eventually refills to 6.
Explore the AtlasMove across three Routes and turn Insight into Renown.Grow your CompanionEarn journey marks, then choose a permanent adult path.Outplay the tableUse specialists, Tactics and challenges to open a scoring window.
Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced describe learning complexity, not faction strength. You can also choose any two factions freely.
Turn order and shuffleCustom build · edit your selected faction decks
Start from each full faction list and edit either or both decks. Exactly 30 cards per deck; no required Ally/Tactic/Construct ratio. Use up to three copies per identity, except Vanta: maximum one. Companions and path references stay outside the deck.
Complete starter deck contents
Guided tutorial · prepared mid-match position
Opponent turn playback
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Match log
Allies of the Atlas
Working story canon. Personalities explain the cards; they add no extra gameplay abilities. Ally names describe species or roles, so three copies represent different individuals.
How to play · full alpha rules
New-match trial: After choosing a path, earn three more Journey marks and pay 3 Charge to ascend once. Keep the path; gain +2 Force / +2 Guard and a new ability. All eight Companions start with Guard 5. Existing path stats remain unchanged. Companion defeats reset all Journey marks and skip two owner turns. Glass Orchard grants +1 Force. Start a new match to use these rules; older saves retain their rules. Goal: finish your turn with at least 20 Renown. At the end of round 12, higher Renown wins, then Companion journey marks; a further tie is a draw.
Current four-faction/custom balance opening: the first player cannot Explore on their first turn. The second player receives +1 available Charge on their first turn only; capacity and later income do not increase.
Both Companions start ready at Lantern Crossing. Each 30-card deck draws five. Each player may replace their full opening hand once.
Start a turn: ready your units, reset movement limits and turn effects, draw one, then refill charge. If your hand is empty at the start, draw five instead of one (as many as available). Emptying your hand does not draw immediately. The first player skips their first normal draw. Capacity starts at one, rises on each later turn, and caps at six.
Pay charge to play Allies ready at any open Route. There is no character limit. New Allies may Explore (when opening rules allow), Challenge or move immediately; normal movement exhausts them. On-entry choices happen immediately.
Each ready unit may normally move once to an adjacent route for one charge. Moving into Windbridge is free. Explicit card effects ignore readiness and normal movement limits.
Explore: exhaust a ready unit and gain Renown equal to Insight. ANY ready enemy at the same Route blocks Explore, regardless of Guard or Insight. Exhausted enemies do not block it. Each Companion earns at most one journey mark per turn.
Challenge: declare with a ready unit. If the opponent has one ready unit at that Route, it defends automatically; with several, the defending player chooses one. If there are no ready defenders, the attacker chooses any opposing unit there. Exhaust the attacker and deal its Force with no retaliation; the defender stays ready. Damage persists. At damage ≥ Guard, an Ally is discarded; a Companion returns exhausted to Lantern Crossing, clears damage, loses all journey marks, and keeps its chosen path. It stays exhausted through its next two owner turns, with no active abilities; it readies on the third. It remains vulnerable to attack; another defeat restarts recovery.
At three journey marks, pay two charge and permanently choose a path. Keep location, damage, readiness and marks. Hearthkeeper: 1/7/2, Explore heals another friendly unit here by one. Trailblazer: 3/5/1, first normal move free. Windguide: 2/5/2, first normal move free. Stormwing: 4/5/1, its own Challenge defeat of an Ally scores one Renown.
Glass Orchard gives every character there +1 Force. Lantern Crossing has no extra effect.
Ironmaw Claim the Way in the current four-faction/custom balance draft: gain 1 Renown from the first own-turn Challenge that defeats an opposing Ally, maximum 1 per turn in new matches. Companions, direct Tactics and Cleave spillover do not count.
Act in any order on your own turn. The opponent makes defender, dodge and Cleave choices when prompted; Tactics remain main-phase actions. Win is checked when you end your turn; otherwise discard to seven, clear temporary effects, and pass. Empty decks recycle their discard pile; if both are empty, skip the draw.
Expansion paths: Korr chooses Shellwarden or Bridgewright; Nima chooses Chartweaver or Stormdancer. Resolve actions and defeats before path triggers. The first Ally played anywhere this turn counts for Bridgewright, even before transformation. Movement attached to Explore or Challenge is optional: choose the action with movement or the plain action to skip it. Rooted Allies cannot move; Swift only changes normal move cost.
A normal move exhausts the moving unit. Movement printed as part of a card or ability does not exhaust unless that effect says so. Card effects with no legal target do nothing; the card still costs charge. You choose healing and movement targets explicitly. The optional experimental first-player rule prevents only the starting player's first-turn Explore.
Layout 0.3 uses separate journey reference cards outside the decks. Original starter costs and stats remain alpha 0.2. Expansion cards use draft 0.3.
Playtest debriefSpecialist playtest tracking
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Use Export playtest log above for notes, deck lists and the full action history.