NEON
How to Play NEON
Your Mission
Starts Here
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Making a deck
In order to play NEON, each player obviously need a deck! Here is what you need to have a complete deck to play with:
Step 1 - Choose your hero
Choose the hero that appeals to you the most! Your choice will then determine what cards you can put in your deck. Look for the icon in the top right corner. You can put cards with that symbol in your deck, as well as generic cards which have the asterisk symbol.
Step 2 - Chose 5 Evos
Evos stay with you all game and are always available. Chose 5 of them to add to your deck. This part should be easy, since there are only 5 evos currently available for each hero, but in the future, more options will be added!
Step 3 - Create your deck
A deck is made of exactly 40 cards. You can add 2 copies of any card that can be played by your hero. You can also have 2 copies of all versions of a card if you need redundancy, up to 6 times the same card. Try to find the cards that work well for your hero and your playstyle!
Before you play
Now that both players have their decks ready, here are additional things you need to have before starting the game:
A way to track resources
Each player starts the game with 80 life, have 4 movement points per round, and may gain other resources during the game. Make sure you have a way to track these! Either a pen and paper, dice, tokens, a digital app, or any combination of these.
An arena to play on
NEON is played on a 3x6 grid battlefield. You can either print one, draw one on a piece of paper, or use one of our official playmats! Make sure both players have their own side of the battlefield with plenty of space to place their decks, discard pile, backups, hero and evos.
Your smile
Don't forget to have fun! NEON is a game made to be enjoyed, not stressed over. Make sure to keep a positive attitude, and remember that winning isn't everything. Always try to be the player you would like to play against!
Start of Game
It's time to start playing! Here is how a game of NEON starts:
1. Each player places their hero in the middle of their half of the arena, then the starting player is decided randomly. The player winning the random choice decides who goes first.
2. Both players choose 3 Evos they will have available throughout the game, then they reveal them at the same time. This will help you decide how to shape your strategy for the game.
3. Both players may now change cards in their deck for cards in their sideboard. Your final deck must have at least 40 cards. This is your last chance to tweak your deck before the game starts!
Round 1, Fight!
In NEON, the game is played in rounds, with rounds being made of turns. Here is how the first round starts:
Each player draws 4 cards and gain 4 movement points. Then, if they are any start of round effects, they are resolved now.
The active player (the player that goes first) then starts his turn. If they are any start of turn effects, they are resolved now. It is during your turn that you can move, play cards and activate abilities.
During your turn, you may spend 1 movement point to move 1 square on the battlefield, either before or after doing any action. You can only move to an adjacent square that is not occupied (adjactent means horizontally or vertically, not diagonally).
You can also play cards from your hand or activate abilities on your Evos and Hero. You may do as many actions as you want during your turn, as long as they all have Continue. Otherwise, you must stop after each action.
One last thing you can do during your turn is backing up cards. You may place a card face down in your backup zone, up to two cards. These can be used in later rounds to either add to your hand or draw new cards.
Very important: during you turn, as long as you have cards in hand, you must do something! You cannot just pass your turn if you have cards available. You must either move, play an action, activate an ability, or backup a card. If you have no cards in hand, you may pass your turn.
Once the active player ends his turn, the opposing player then starts his turn. This then repeats until both players have no cards in hand and both players end their turns without doing anything. The round then ends, and the next round begins.
Round 2 and beyond
From round 2 and onward, each round follows the same structure as round 1, with a few additions:
Change the starting player. The player who went second in the previous round now goes first.
After you draw your cards at the start of the round, for each card you have backed up, you may choose to either add it to your hand or discard it to draw another card. This is where backing up cards becomes very useful!
Types of cards
There are many types of cards in NEON, each with their own rules and uses. Here are the main types of cards you will find in the game:
Actions
Action cards are the most common type of cards in NEON. They represent one-time effects that you can play during your turn. Once played, they go to the discard pile, like all cards played from your hand.
Attacks and Spells
Attacks and Spells are the main way to deal damage to your opponent. Their damage is shown in the bottom left corner of the card.
Machines
Machines are special cards that stay on the battlefield once played. They can attack and be attacked, and often don't last long! They can only be deployed on adjacent squares to your hero. Make the most of their effects before they are destroyed.
Reactions
Reactions are special cards that can be played outside of your turn, usually in response to an action from your opponent. They can turn the tide of battle in your favor if used wisely. Once a reaction is played, it must resolve before the next reaction or action can be taken.
Instants
Instants are similar to reactions, but can be played in response to a reaction. They are versatile cards that can be used in many situations. Instants can also be played in response to other instants, creating a chain of effects.
Attack Patterns
Attacks and spells have attack patterns that determine which squares they can target. Here are the symbols used in attack patterns and what they mean:
Self Attack Pattern The green square with a circle represents the caster. This is often used to indicate the origin of the attack or spell.
Hit Attack Pattern The red square with an x represents a square that will be hit by the attack. There can be multiple hit squares in an attack pattern.
Projectile Attack Pattern The blue square with an arrow represents a projectile. It will travel in a straight line until it hits a target.
Here are some examples of attack patterns and how they work:
Melee Attack Pattern This attack pattern represents a melee attack that hits the square directly in front of the caster.
Melee Attack Pattern This attack pattern represents a melee attack that hits the three squares in front of the caster in a line.
Hit Attack Pattern This attack pattern represents a ranged attack that hits a single square, anywhere on the battlefield.
Melee Attack Pattern This attack pattern represents a ranged attack that hits a wide area in front of the caster, covering three squares in width two squares ahead.
Projectile Attack Pattern This attack pattern represents a projectile that travels in a straight line and hits all squares around the target hit.