Impressions: collectible card game “Berserk. Heroes. Berserker - duel set Knights and adversaries

In the far, far away world of Laar, a once prosperous place, powerful sorcerers control entire armies. For eternity, they fought only for their own survival in this world of dark forces, scorched by the fire of the Cataclysm, but the moment came when you also had a chance to gather your own army and write your name in the history of Laar! Fierce battles await you, in which your life and the lives of your warriors will depend only on your skill as a strategist and commander. And then, in the heat of battle, you will one day forget about your wounds, about the future and about the past - and you will understand why this is not just a game. This is Berserk!

About the set

The board game “Storm of the Elements” is 6 fully prepared decks for the strategic board game Berserk. An incessant Storm has been raging across the lands of Laar since the Cataclysm... Will you be able to cope with it? You have to recruit your army, stand at the head of a squad of fantastic creatures, think about how to deploy your troops, where to strike, and when to bring reserves into battle. And don’t dare give the enemy even the slightest chance to come to his senses!

Purpose of the game

Berserk is a card-based wargame, with a battlefield and an incredible number of different strategies and options for your army. The goal of the game is to win a duel with another player. In Berserk, victory is usually awarded to the player who destroys all of the opponent's creatures. To do this, you need to assemble an army with which you will be confident of victory...

How to play?

Before the start of the battle, it is determined which of the players will be the attacker and who will be the defender. Then players recruit troops using the received crystals and place them on the playing field. On his turn, the player can move his creatures, as well as act: each creature can attack an adjacent enemy card with a simple blow or use an action described in its game text. Thus, players take turns attacking, using special abilities and blocking attacks and fight for the right of the strongest.

Tame the storm of the elements!

Rules of the game "Berserk"

The essence of the Berserk game is combat between squads of creatures depicted on the cards. It begins with each player recruiting such a squad, and then the participants try to defeat their opponents using the capabilities of the cards they have. The winner is the one who first destroys the entire enemy squad.

The game has the following types of cards:

• creature;
• terrain;
• artifact;
• equipment.

Artifacts do not move and are deprived of the right to simply strike. Terrain and equipment cards also do not move, have no lives and no simple strike. Creatures move, have extra lives and can deal a simple blow. They happen different types and perform various functions.

Features of cards in Berserk

Creatures. Berserk has flying and ground creatures. Terrestrials are divided into symbiotes and independent creatures. After the cards are revealed, players place independent creatures on the battlefield, with symbiotes placed on top. There is an additional zone for flying creatures. When a participant recruits a squad, he does not have the right to spend more than fifteen crystals on them;

Terrain. Maps of the area are located in the additional area. They cannot be attacked, do not take part in the battle, and are not injured. During the battle, each player has only one terrain;

Artifacts. Artifact cards are located directly on the battlefield. They do not have the right to be defenders, repel blows, have extra lives, heal, or attack with a simple blow. Artifacts cannot be poisoned or finished off, and it is not possible to apply vampirism to them. Equipment is not placed on artifacts;

Equipment. Equipment includes: weapons, armor, shoes, shield and potion. It is placed before the battle on a creature with a class - the owner of the equipment. Such a master cannot be classless, flying and incorporeal creatures. Then, when the owner of the equipment becomes flying, incorporeal, or leaves the battlefield, it is destroyed. If a creature loses a class during the game, the equipment remains with it. A creature can have several equipment of different types. The equipment can only move with its owner. She does not participate in the battle, is not attacked and is not injured.

Start of the game

The beginning of the game in Berserk consists of the following stages:

1. Squad Recruitment;
2. Placing cards on the battlefield;
3. Showing cards and moving on to battle.

Before recruiting a squad, players roll the dice. The participant who got the most great value, has the opportunity to choose which way to go - first or second. If he decides that he will go first, he becomes the First Player. If he chooses the second move, he turns into the Second Player.

Before the start of the battle, the first player receives twenty-four gold and twenty-two silver crystals to recruit a squad. The second participant gets one gold and one silver crystal more.

If a player's squad has more than one element, for each additional element he is fined one gold crystal. At the same time, neutrals do not belong to the elements. Multi-elemental cards are penalized for all of their elements. In the case when a squad is formed only from neutrals, the number of silver and gold crystals the player has remains unchanged.

To assemble a squad, players shuffle their deck and deal themselves fifteen cards. This distribution includes elements for forming a squad. If it does not suit the participant in the game, he can re-deal the cards. To do this, the first deal is shuffled from the deck, from which one card is then removed. That is, the second distribution will be made from a reduced deck. You can mulligan several times in a row, but at the same time constantly reducing the deck by one more card.

In order for a card to be included in the squad, it must be purchased by paying with crystals. The cost of each card is indicated in its upper left corner. This game has elite and ordinary cards. Ordinary cards can be purchased for both gold and silver crystals. Their elite series can only be purchased for gold. It is better to collect elite types of cards first, and use the remaining gold and silver to purchase ordinary cards. Cards not included in the squad are returned to the deck. When recruiting it, it is not necessary to use all the crystals.

Under the battlefield in "Berserk" there is a space consisting of six rows. Each row has five cells. The player's half of the battlefield consists of the three rows closest to him. The three furthest rows are half of the enemy.

Participants place units on their half of the battlefield. The cards are placed face down. The First Player initially has the opportunity to place cards only in the center of his half of the battlefield. It is a section of 3x3 cells. After this area is occupied, the cards are laid out in empty cells of the second and third row. The cells of the first row are dealt with cards last.

The second player can immediately use all the cells of the first row and the center of the second and third row. After filling them out, the cards are placed in the empty spaces of the second and third rows. Maps of the area, artifacts, symbiotes and equipment are also laid out in separate cells.

After placing all the cards on the battlefield, they are revealed by the players. The Second Player has the right to leave the third row of cards face down until his turn. If any card from this row begins to act or is attacked by an enemy, subject to a spell, etc., it is revealed.

Terrains and flying creatures are moved to an additional zone. Then, first Player One, followed by Player Two, place equipment and symbiotes on the creatures of their squads. Equipment and symbiotes that were not decomposed die. After such preparation is completed, you can begin the battle.

Stages of the game "Berserk"

During their turn, players move their cards and act with them. This can be done any way you like. You can move one card and then act with it, and then move and act another, you can move all the cards at once, and then proceed with the action. It is not necessary to use all squad cards during a turn.

Every exposed creature has the right to move around the battlefield. You are allowed to move in both directions and back and forth. You cannot move cards diagonally or change their places. How many squares a creature moves in one move determines the number of units of its movement. One such unit is spent when moving a creature one square. The card can move until it runs out of movement units. They are restored when the card is revealed or at the beginning of its next turn.

All exposed creatures can protect against a simple strike and attack with a simple strike. In addition, players have the right to use them individual features. After the card has performed some actions, it is closed by turning it at a right angle. A face down card has no ability to act or move.

Simple strike and defense

Every creature in Berserk can attack with a simple strike. The force of such a blow consists of:

• the force of a weak simple blow X;
• average simple impact force Y;
• force of a strong simple blow Z.

An attack with a simple blow is directed only at the card located nearby, including the one that stands diagonally. They repel the attack of creatures with open cards. In such a battle, attacking players roll a white die, and those who repel attacks roll a black one.

After a creature declares a target for a simple blow, a defender can be assigned to the creature that reflects it. It becomes any nearby open creature of the opponent. It must be located simultaneously near the attacking object and the target of its attack. Such a defender takes the blow and reflects it. You can assign a defender only during the opponent's turn and only with a simple strike.

Since designating a defender is an action, its designating creature is covered along with the attacking creature's card. Then, when the reflecting creature is closed and has no defender, it does not take part in the battle. This means that the reflecting player does not roll the die. It is thrown only by the attacking participant. The number rolled on the die indicates the strength of a simple blow. It looks like this:

• a weak simple blow is applied when the number reaches three;
• the average simple blow is struck at numbers four and five;
• A strong simple blow is delivered when the number is six or more.

Deciding when to attack and who to defend with is one of the most important strategic issues in the game. Hitting closed cards is almost always successful, since open creatures have the opportunity to parry the blow.

Game rules for flying creatures

Flying creatures have the right to attack with a simple blow to any enemy card located both on the battlefield and in the additional zone. A flying creature can be protected from a blow by either another flying creature or a ground creature located near the object being attacked. A flying creature cannot become a defender of a ground creature if a simple blow is also struck by a ground creature. However, a flying object can protect a flying creature from being hit by a ground creature.

In the case when only flying creatures remain in the squad of one of the participants, his opponent has the opportunity to close with a simple blow to the flying one. Such a closed creature gets the right to make one attack on a flying target on one of its turns.

A creature closed in this way can attack the flying one once with a simple blow on its next turn.

Using the features of cards and chips in the game

Card text in Berserk has icons that indicate a trait that can be used in the game. Creatures have the right in this case to replace the attack with a simple blow. To use this feature, you must specify a target who, in such a situation, cannot defend, fight, or strike back. The type of card feature determines its ability to select targets. They can be more than just adjacent cards. The number of wounds inflicted here is determined in the same way as when attacking face-down cards. In particular, if the dice is rolled with a value of three or less, the shot will be of weak force. If four or five is an average shot. If six or more - a strong shot.

Then, when a card's trait is listed as "throw for two", it means that the throw deals two wounds. Melee attacks are made only on adjacent cards. Ranged attacks do not hit these cards. They are designed to hit from a distance and can be used to hit flying objects.

Actions and spells are not attacks. They can be used either on all cards, or as indicated in the text of the card. The type of map feature is highlighted in italics in the text. If it is not clearly stated, the feature is an impact.

Chips are marked on the cards with special icons located in front of the feature icon. There may be a number in front of the chip icon. For example, the number 2 means that the card must collect two chips before its proper action. To do this, she needs to close within two moves. Once the card has two chips on it, it gets the opportunity to take an action in which the chips are lost. The card is closed again until the chips accumulate.

Cards in Berserk have surprise action and special features. The participant has the right to use them at any time during his or his opponent’s turn. A sudden action can be used in response to any, including sudden, action of the enemy. If several sudden actions are used in a row, they should be started from the last one announced. However, it is not necessary to use all the cards. For protection or for sudden actions, you can leave several open cards.

Any successful attack inflicts wounds on the enemy card. This does not apply to attacks on 0. Wounds accumulate, and after their number equals or exceeds the number of life of the card, it dies and is sent to the graveyard.

After one player stops moving and playing cards, his turn is transferred to another player. The second player's turn begins with the cards being revealed. The opponents take turns. At the beginning of the moves, the cards are revealed, after which they can move and act according to the rules. The winner in Berserk is the one who is the first to destroy all enemy creatures.

In the event that the text of a card contradicts the rules, the advantage in the game is given to this text. If a card feature cannot be used due to non-compliance with the rules or discrepancies with its text, it will be canceled without payment of the cost.

Equipment

• 6 decks (30 cards each, of which 1 is a promo card);
• 33 additional cards (of which 7 are promo cards);
• Chips of wounds and effects;
• 6 reminder cards;
• 2 playing fields;
• 2 cubes;
• Rules;
• Comic.
• Card size 63x89

« Where is my axe, where is my meat? Oh no, it's poisoned...»

I went through a period on the blog where I wrote a series of reviews of collectible card games. There was also a popular MtG, and my favorite LegendoftheFiveRings, and smaller representatives of card games. I was planning another review of a Russian card game, but the stars didn’t align in the sky, I got tired of writing about CCGs and switched to regular board games. But after looking through the telescope this evening, I realized that the stars had finally aligned, and I simply had to write a review of the game Berserk.

One article is definitely not enough to cover the entire game with its rich history, so I will limit myself to the latest special issue entitled “ Elemental Storm».

What is Berserk?

Once upon a time, around the time when dinosaurs were still running around the Earth, Ivan Popov and Maxim Istomin got acquainted with the game Magic:theGathering(I can't keep silent about this game). And they liked the “hoe” so much that they decided to make their own game. With beautiful cards, a field and its own unique world. That's pretty much how the game came about Berserk.

This is a strategic collectible card game, in which creatures fight each other on a battlefield. The one who manages to defeat the opposing army wins.

As in any typical CCG in Berserker Each player has his own deck of cards. Cards range in rarity from common to legendary. In this regard B(Berserker) doesn't have much difference. But the gameplay is unique, especially if we talk about this within the Russian gaming industry.

Gameplay

All cards in Berserker– these are creatures, areas, artifacts and equipment. A starting deck is made up of at least 30 cards and no more than 50. Cards are taken from special sets - starters and boosters. There are 6 elements in the game (once there were 5), into which the cards are divided - steppes, forests, mountains, swamps, darkness and fire.

Out of 30 cards, each player deals himself 15. Yes, this is the main catch - you will not be able to play all the cards, no matter how much you want to. After which the formation of detachments occurs. Each card has a value in the upper left corner, displayed in gold or silver crystals. Depending on the number of elements to which the cards in your deck belong, and the turn order (you go first or second), you recruit a squad for a certain number of crystals. For example, for a two-element squad, the player who goes first is given 23 gold crystals and 22 silver crystals. And if the second player has one element, then he has 25 gold and 23 silver. Accordingly, the fewer elements, the more crystals you will have.

After recruiting a squad, each player begins to place cards on the field.

The point is that Berserk A bit atypical CCG. It's more of a wargame. Players fight on a 5x6 field. The formation takes place in their own half of the field according to special rules, which I will not dwell on. And as soon as you lay out the cards on the field, the game turns into chess. Each card has a health level, movement points, a unique property, and attack indicators.

And yet the English text is here for a reason...

At the beginning of the game, you lay out cards in the available three lines. Tanks are logically placed in front, then followed by magicians, archers and other ranged warriors. The deployment of troops should be taken seriously, as this is one of the keys to victory.

On their turn, players can move and take actions. Moreover, this can be done with all cards at once, and not one card at a time, passing the move to the opponent.

Revealed creatures (i.e. untapped) can move a certain number of squares on the field. On a free cell on the right, left, above or below, but not diagonally (unless the card has such a unique property).

A revealed creature can take one of three types of action:

- attack with a simple blow;

- act as a defender from a simple blow;

- use card abilities per turn.

After using an action, the card must rotate 90°, which means it can no longer move or act. This system is well known to experienced kish players.

Now I’ll briefly go over the types of actions.

Simple Strike Attack. Each card has magic numbers like 1-2-2 or 3-4-5, etc. - it's a simple blow. The first number is a weak blow, the second is medium, the third is strong. A simple blow can only attack a nearby card. If the attacked creature is exposed, it fights the attacking creature. Each player rolls the dice. First, it turns out who threw away more. Then the difference in throws is calculated. For example, the attacker rolled 4, the defender – 1. The difference is 3. We look at the special table to see what happened in the end. Striker throws more + difference 3 = striker hits a midrange hit that deflects a miss.

From this table you can also find out that it is possible for the attacker to receive damage from the defender if he throws more and with a big difference. So in this game you can easily step on a rake.

Only if the defender is turned, he will not be able to strike back. The attacker deals a weak hit on a die roll of 1-3, a medium hit on a 4-5, and a strong hit on a 6+.

Appointment of a defender. You can assign any face-up creature card that is adjacent to both the defending and attacking creatures at the same time as a defender. In this case, the defender says - I'm sorry, you're not attacking this creature, but me. This is good in cases where you need to save an important card. Defenders are very important in Berserker.

Using the turn feature. Some cards have such properties - they are indicated by a special rotation icon. As a rule, this is some kind of special blow. Only in this case the creature cannot receive a retaliatory blow.

If a creature has wounds equal to or more hit points, it is destroyed. The game ends when one side is completely eliminated.

Elemental Storm

This is a special set in which you will find everything you need to thoroughly get acquainted with the game. Namely:

- rules;

— 6 decks of different elements;

— a deck of neutral cards;

— 2 playing fields (for each player);

- cubes;

- all the necessary chips.

The rules are bright and colorful. Everything you need for the entry level is described there. But I still recommend that after studying this book of rules, download the extended rules from the official website. There are a lot of pages in small print, but all the nuances are described in detail. But you will still have questions sooner or later.

As I already mentioned, in Berserker there are 6 elements. IN Storm of Elements all these elements are represented by full-fledged decks consisting of 30 cards. You can build your own decks from any number of elements, you can add neutral cards, or you can play with mono-decks, which I recommend doing if you are unfamiliar with the game.

Double sided comic

Let's talk about each of the elements, because they differ not only in emblems and card colors.

Akkenians (steppe element). Good warriors who have both strong healthy tanks and small weak warriors who have the skill of throwing and shooting. They often have the “avant-garde” property, which allows them to carry out one unanswered attack with a simple blow to the nearest opponent before the start of the battle. They often know how to “give” opponent’s creatures the “vulnerability” property, which allows Akkenians to inflict more wounds when attacking.

Archaalites (swamp element). These comrades are masters of poisoning. They have little health, their attacks are very weak, but they have the ability to poison and deal additional damage to poisoned creatures. In addition, when a poisoned creature turns around, it loses health equal to the level of poisoning. Thus, the archaalites simply try not to die before their opponent dies from poisoning. They can also throw and use the Arhaal shield ( are you poisoned? Then I have protection from your non-magical attacks!), and some creatures can also heal if a poisoned creature dies. One of my favorite elements.

Linungi (mountain element). Very interesting guys who master magic. The main mechanics of this element are meditation (allows you to use chips from other cards), spells, discharges and accumulate chips. For discarding counters, the creature can do something super-duper cool. For example, deal 4 damage to all cards in the selected vertical row. It's powerful, believe me. They have protection from ranged attacks and armor. Dedicated to magic lovers.

Guardians of the forest (forest element). Secretive warriors of the forest who, in addition to excellent shooting skills, can gain extra lives. And if you don’t pay attention to some especially well-regenerating creatures, then out of the 4 initial lives they can easily have 15 additional ones.

Slua (element of darkness). The main feature of the darkness cards in this set is vampirism. Extremely dangerous creatures, because when they strike, they are healed for the same number of lives. In addition, the Atalle card can also fly. Difficult opponents.

Draconids (fire element). A completely new element for me. It turned out to be an interesting element. They know how to throw, shoot, can be strong dragons, burn both strangers and their own, have the skills of jumping over cells, and also have the property of scales - they receive damage only from simple blows while they have 5 or more wounds.

I don’t want to focus too much on neutrals. Except that the Priest of Cthulhu card smiled (once again they remembered Lovecraft).

I was very pleased with the presence of fields. Nice, cardboard ones, with lovely art. Of course, you can’t really bring them to the club with you, but if you take the game for home gatherings, then they are very much in the theme.

There are only 2 cubes, and you don’t need more. Each player gets a dice.

Tokens are offered in bulk on all topics - wounds, poisoning, vulnerabilities, negative effects, extra lives - everything is there.

About the game in general

In this part of the review I will express my thoughts about the game. Berserk. You never know when someone hears about it for the first time and wonders whether it’s worth buying it at all.

Many people compare any collectible card game to Magic for similarities. So here it is Berserk doesn't look like magic. There is no concept of mana, cards move across the field, all selected cards are available at once, there is no random set of cards every turn. This is practically a wargame, but instead of figures there are cards. We immediately have a powerful full-fledged army, which will become weaker with each move. The idea of ​​the game is more reminiscent of chess than Magic: the Gathering.

My opinion about Berserker It's always been like this: a good game for beginner CCG players. This is when you don’t really feel sorry for the money spent, because you’ll learn how to assemble decks, the boosters in the game are inexpensive, and the tournament support is excellent, and if you suddenly get bored, you always have the opportunity to jump to Magic. To be honest, I never wanted to get newbies hooked on expensive games right away.

I have always seen a lot of children in clubs who actively play Bers. Moreover, they only have decks of any kind, at best rarki and promki from free Friday beginner tournaments. And they have fun, they play with pleasure. Older players are looking for ultras in boosters, even buying entire displays for this. But the fact remains that Berserker a deck without super rare cards can beat an expensive deck.

Players often complain about this, because sometimes the cube starts to become very harmful and ruins the whole game. And the seemingly weak enemy army continually delivers strong blows.

Another weak side of the game is that out of your entire deck, only 15 cards will play at most. And who knows what cards they will be. Maybe the ones you're counting on, or maybe the cheap junk you used to plug holes in your deck. On the other hand, other CCGs also have the concept of a starting hand and subsequent drawing of cards every turn. There, too, the cards you may receive are completely different from what you were hoping for. Those. V Berserker your own version of random. Some people like it, some don't.

Another ambiguous option is that all cards are open. There is no surprise from the hand. When you play with a hidden hand, your opponent has no idea whether you are sitting with strong cards or nonsense.

Berserk offers no surprises in this regard. Just like in chess, which I constantly think about today. Everyone clearly knows how the rook moves, the only question is which way it will go. I know for sure that that card over there makes a shot at 2, the only question is who the shot will go to.

Now there are many similar games - SummonerWars, MageWars, For example. There are also fields and its own army, which is laid out on the field, moves along it and inflicts damage on the opponent.

It is very important to try to study the properties of the cards in the deck in advance. Otherwise, the first games have the potential to be boring and tedious.

“I shoot this creature at yours.

- No, brother, he has protection from shots.

- Then that one.

- And he also has protection.

- Who can I use?

- This one, but his defensive reaction will work, and he will respond with a return shot.

- Hm…»

Although there is nothing wrong with this, since all card games require studying the cards. IN Berserker a sea of ​​special terms, so at first the rule book will be very popular with you. What is a blessing? Armor? Vampirism? Shot? Anger? Ranged attack without range indication? Soul catcher? And so on. Be prepared.

35 pages

And the glossary starts from the 15th

For me, this is a relaxing game, a chance to think about who to hit, and enjoy leaving the dice.

About the new release

Either last year or the year before the publishing house Hobby World wanted to launch B abroad, but in the form of LCD, not CCI. And then they added that this version of the game will be intended only for foreigners, and we will remain with the good old collectible format. And I felt sad.

Managed to pick up extra lives

Well, I don’t like CCG, I’m tired of it. A race with legalities, searching for the right cards, opening dozens, or even hundreds of booster packs... no, I definitely don’t want to. I would love to play a free format game where everything is legal and new standard sets are released periodically.

What about that English version? B So still nothing is known. But at the end of last year, a special gift set was released, which I am talking about today.

Previously, all sorts of duel sets for two players have already been released. There you could find tokens, rules and 2 decks of different elements. In the gift set we receive 6 elements at once, which is good news.

Honestly, I'll say that the set Elemental Storm made me happy. Everything a beginning player needs is in this box. Even if you doubt which elements to play, then Elemental Storm corrects this misunderstanding and allows you to replay with all the elements.

This set can be played quietly at home with family or friends. But with deck building, it probably won’t quite work out. Because it takes time. I can’t imagine a situation where friends who are unfamiliar with the game come to me, I give them a box of cards and say - you choose something for the deck... Most likely I’ll have to put something together for them myself or just play with decks with one element.

It’s even easier when each player has such a set - then you won’t have to argue about who will take the good card. Yes, and it will be possible to play mirror - like a swamp on a swamp.

I enjoyed looking at the draconians, playing with vampires, which I had never played with before (I’m closer to demons and soul catchers with reapers). Once again I was convinced that I love playing in the swamp =)

In general, I felt a wave of nostalgia. For some, this set will be the first step in understanding the world of Laar, followed by tournaments, purchases of boosters, etc. And this set is enough for me to sometimes play with my friends.

I still hope that such sets will still be released, and maybe the CCG format will turn into something else, more interesting to me. Although I recently talked with my friend the head of the club board games and he said the following: " If they (Hobby World) change the format, they will bury the game, definitely" So who cares what.

I like this set. For those who wanted to get acquainted with the game, this is the best option. Game cost – 1140 Russian rubles, which is inexpensive.

Our attention was drawn to the striking similarity with computer game. See for yourself:

It’s strange to accuse someone of borrowing from her - she herself will copy whatever you want. I don't believe that pioneers have the right to rest on their laurels for life. If their idea blossoms in the wrong hands, it’s better for us, the players! Another thing is trying to make a “clone” without really understanding the original.

However, the process is very different, and not better side, because many important details are missed. Thus, the blocking system, instead of daring “exchanges,” encourages sitting in the rear; most useful abilities do not work automatically, but require turning, which prevents half of the creatures from fully participating in the game. Finally, modest opportunities to replenish the hand force half the party to sit without cards.

All these changes ruin the dynamics at the root and make “Berserk. Heroes" similar not to creation, but to their common ancestor - Magic: The Gathering. True, even in comparison with it there are plenty of shortcomings. It seems that the game is aimed at beginners, but the effects of the cards are overloaded with little things that need to be kept in mind. In particular, you have to regularly endow your and enemy fighters with different properties, and it’s simply impossible to play without a handful of multi-colored coins - there’s nothing to note the effect with. Even the permanent effect of the spell is for some reason implemented using instant spells: the card is immediately sent to the discard pile, and how to record the consequences is your problem. Or, for example, armor that allows you to ignore the first wound every turn. Will you be able to remember which of your five dwarves has already been wounded this turn and which has not? What if some of them are poisoned and receive damage automatically?

The main advantage is unexpected care for newcomers. In each starter set, in addition to a full deck of one of the heroes, there is a kind of “bot” on which you can practice and learn the rules, and then disassemble them into spare parts for your deck. But fights with real opponents are fraught with problems: in the basic sets, balance did not last the night.

The archaic nature of the rules and general sloppiness are amazing: something similar could have appeared 15 years ago, when the shelves were not yet filled with CCGs and “board games” in all their diversity. Perhaps, in those days when Magic: The Gathering was not translated into Russian, Berserk. Heroes" and would have found its fans. But it is not clear who will like the game today: for beginners it is too cumbersome, and for veterans it is too old-fashioned and primitive.

The Berserk Online game is a battle between squads of creatures. There are two different starting decks of cards in the game: a deck of mountain and forest creatures, as well as a deck of swamp and steppe creatures (you will receive one of your choice for free immediately after registering and logging into the game). It's easier to play with the "Swamps-Steppe" set, but the "Mountains-Forests" set provides more room for strategic maneuver.

The starting deck consists of 30 cards. You can expand your army by purchasing new cards at the Market (subroom of the "Trading Rows"), or by purchasing a booster (a set of 7 cards, one of which is rare or ultra-rare) or a display (a set of 48 boosters with 2 guaranteed ultra-rare cards) at "Trading rows". The created deck can contain no more than three identical cards. There can be a maximum of 50 cards in a deck. Minimum - 30 cards.

Determining the number of magic crystals

According to the legend of the game, you become a wandering Ungar and gain the ability to “subjugate” creatures to yourself. You do this with the help of magic crystals - gold and silver. To recruit your combat squad, you have 23 gold and 22 silver crystals, which are spent according to the cost of the creature cards. There are also fights involving a non-standard number of crystals. Tables with non-standard match conditions are displayed darkened. The number of crystals and time for selecting a deck, a squad, and arranging cards on the field are set when creating a challenge.

Choosing the first move

After creating a battle, the server determines the players' turn order. If you go first, it is more profitable for you to take archers and magicians, who immediately accumulate chips and on the second turn can already attack and use their features to their full potential, but if you go second, it is better to take warriors. If you go second, it is advantageous for you to take creatures that have the ability of sudden action - after all, it can be used by you during the enemy’s turn, i.e. a creature with a sudden action gets an extra turn. The player who goes second receives an additional +1 silver crystal when recruiting a combat unit.

Formation of combat units

After determining the turn order, the server distributes 15 cards from the deck to the players. The remaining cards go back into the deck. All creatures in the deck are divided into “ elite" And " privates”. “Elite” creatures are more resistant to being subdued and can only be subdued using gold crystals. “ Privates” can be subdued with both gold and silver crystals. The cost of the card is displayed on its picture. The player can mulligan his cards if he doesn’t like the deal that came, each such mulligan will cost him 1 gold crystal.

When creating a squad, it is first advisable to select “elite” creatures, which usually play a key role in the battle. If after selecting “elite” creatures there are extra gold crystals left, then they can be used when recruiting “ordinary” creatures. The main goal of each player at this stage of the game is to create a balanced army of creatures with a sufficient number of warriors, archers, magicians and flyers to carry out the battle.

Note that each of the starting decks only uses creatures from two different elements (as well as neutral creatures). Let's assume, however, that by combining additional cards, you decide to create a deck that uses 4 different elements. When recruiting a detachment, even such a powerful Ungar as you will find it difficult to keep such a motley army under control. Therefore, in this case, you receive a penalty - minus one gold crystal for each additional element in your squad over two. On the contrary, the player whose combat squad consists of only one element receives an advantage: +1 gold crystal.

The neutral element does not affect the number of gold crystals in any way. When recruiting a squad only from creatures of a neutral element, you do not receive any additional bonuses besides those specified above, i.e. You will have 24 gold and 22 silver crystals at your disposal.

Zones in the game Berserk

The game has the following play areas:
1. Battlefield - this is where the main battle takes place.
2. Deck - from where some creatures can be summoned to the battlefield already during the battle. The deck consists of those cards that did not come to you during the distribution and those that you did not take into your squad.
3. Additional zone - flying creatures and terrain are located here.
4. Cemetery - where all cards killed in battle are placed. Some creatures can be summoned from the graveyard back to the battlefield during battle.

Battlefield and map placement

The general battlefield is a conventional space measuring 6 cells high and 5 cells wide. It serves for the initial placement of cards and the battle. The opposing armies are located close to each other. Each occupies his own half of the battlefield. When placing a combat unit, each player places his cards in three rows:

The first row is usually made up of warriors who do not allow the enemy into the rear of their army.

The second row contains weak archers and creatures with a cross-row attack.

In the third row, magicians and long-range archers are hiding behind the warriors.

The cards are placed face down so that the enemy does not see the battle formation before the battle begins.

First player, who attacks, can only use the central zone of his half of the battlefield to place his cards: 3x3 cells and move to the sides only on your turn.

Second player when placing warriors in the first row, he can immediately use 5 cells of your first row.

If there are more than 9 cards in the squad, then when placing them you can use the free side cells of your half of the field. In this case, filling the cells begins from the second or third row, and the side cells of the first row are filled last.

Start of the battle

Once both units are deployed, players turn the cards face down. In this case, players get the opportunity to study each other’s cards before the start of the battle. Please note that the first player must turn over all of his cards, and the second player can leave the cards in the third row face down until his turn. This allows him to temporarily hide his sorcerers and archers from the ranged attacks of the first player, who can only attack these cards blindly. In this case, the second player must turn over the attacked card. If this card is protected from this attack, the attack is wasted.

First player's turn

Player's turn: In Berserk, players take turns, and a player's turn refers to the phase of the game where he can move and act with his cards.

Movement: Each card indicates how many cells it can move within the conditional battlefield. You can move forward, backward, right or left, only to free space. You cannot move diagonally or change places with other cards. Once the card has moved, it can act. The card can operate without moving.

If there is a "0" after the icon, this means that the card has no move. If there is an "X", this means that such a card, in principle, cannot be played.

Flight:cards with this feature are placed along with other cards on the conditional battlefield before the cards are revealed. After opening the cards, they move to an additional zone. They don't move, but they attack anyone. Those who fly cannot be protectors of creatures on the ground. The defender against the flyer can be the one who stands next to the reflector, or another flyer (accordingly, the flyer can become a defender against the flyer). Regardless of the range of the attack, the shooter will always finish off the flying one. The flying one can hit the flying one.

Action: Involves Attacking or Using the Traits of creatures with the icon. After a card is acted, it is “closed” and cannot move or act that turn.

Feature usage: This is any action with a card. When using features, as well as when attacking, the map must close.

Attack: This is an action of a card in which it can inflict wounds on an enemy creature that does not have any defenses (or even on its own creature).

Lives: A card dies when its life total becomes equal to or less than zero. After which she is removed from the battlefield to the cemetery.

Second player's move

It starts with him turning over the hidden cards in the third row and “revealing” all his cards. Now, the second player moves and acts with his cards. The game continues according to the same principle, the opponents take turns, and at the beginning of their turn, each of them “reveals” all of their cards. The battle ends when all of one player's creatures have died. In rare cases, a game may end in a draw.

Attacks

When your creature attacks an enemy creature with a simple melee strike, the enemy can:

take a hit;

appoint a defender;

use sudden action

Take the hit

If the blow hits an open card, both players roll the die. Depending on the difference in the number on the die, the server calculates the damage from the attack. The attacker “closes” after the blow. Reflective - remains “open”.

Beat Table

Appoint a defender

To avoid hitting a valuable card, especially if it is covered and cannot be fought back, the attacker can assign a defender to it. The defender can be any open card that is on the field next to both the attacking and the attacked card. The defender reflects the blow as an open card (according to the table) and then closes. B. Use sudden action.

In rare cases, the attacker can stop the attack with a sudden action that is a feature of one of his cards.

The features of the card may indicate the features of simple strikes.

1. Focus. A defender cannot be assigned against a directed strike.
2. Unresponsiveness. You cannot assign a defender to an unanswered blow; it is always dealt as if it were a face-down card, even when the attacked card is open.
3. Vampirism. A feature of a simple blow, which means that, having dealt X damage, the creature “sucks” X life from the victim (i.e., the creature that dealt the damage is cured of X wounds). Does not work against incorporeal creatures.
4. + X to hit. Feature of a simple strike. +X to the damage caused by this blow.

Also, the features of a simple strike may include spells and effects accompanying the strike: (for example, poisoning, stunning, etc.)

Special Strike: Melee attack. Its meaning is usually indicated in the card's features. Protection from simple blows does not protect against special blows. They can't fight off a special blow.

Shot: ( Usually the card says Shot on X). A shot at X is a ranged attack that deals X wounds. Some cards say, for example, the shot: 2-3-4. In this case, the damage caused by the shot is determined by rolling the dice. You cannot assign a defender from a shot. A shot, like a simple blow, can have its own properties (for example, accompanying poisoning, range).

Throwing:(Usually the card says Throw to X). A special long-range attack in which the damage dealt is determined as if it were fired. Protection from shots and discharges does not protect against throwing.

Hit across a row: This is a ranged attack. Apply through your warrior or an empty cell vertically or horizontally. You can't hit diagonally. You also cannot hit through the enemy's card. A hit across a row is usually a 1 unless its value is specifically stated on the card.

Impact: The impact can be either a universal attack or the use of a card feature. A description of the effect is printed on the card.

Finishing on X: Impact - destruction of a nearby card that has X lives left. Does not work against incorporeal creatures and symbiotes.

Poisoning on X: An effect in which, upon revealing itself on its turn, the poisoned creature loses X lives. Poison has no effect on incorporeal creatures. If the creature is not revealed at the beginning of its turn, as a result of any influence or spell cast during the enemy's turn, the poisoning has no effect.

Magic Strike: melee magic attack. A magic strike is always dealt as if it were a face-down card, even when the attacked card is face-up. You cannot assign a defender against a magical strike.

Discharge:(Usually the card says Rank by X). A magical ranged attack in which the damage dealt is determined as if it were fired. If the card does not indicate the strength of the discharge, then the initial discharge is 0.

Spell: the spell can be either a universal magic attack or use of a card feature. The spell's description is printed on the card.

Chips: To use some features, the map must be closed (an action icon followed by a description of the feature on the map). If the action icon is preceded by, for example, the number 2 and an icon, this means that to use this feature, the creature must accumulate 2 tokens (close within 2 turns, accumulating 1 token per turn). And the creature itself can only use the feature by “closing” when there are already 2 counters on it.