Heroic characters and Warlords represent the most commonly used cards, and it is their actions in battle that determine the course of the great war that wracks the kingdoms of the World of Accord. Game-play is fast and furious, but is also packed with a great deal of strategy.

Each character enters the game in a row (or rank) numbered from one to five, with one being the front rank ­ closest to the opponent ­ and counting backwards from there. A character's starting rank is equal to his level. Players may start the game with three level one characters in the first rank, two level two characters in the second rank and his Warlord in the third rank. A player can never have more characters in a higher numbered rank than in a lower numbered rank.

Players then draw a hand of five cards and rolls off for initiative. Starting with the winner of the highest initiative roll, each player then takes one action; moving cards from rank to rank, making an attack, equipping a character or with an item, and so on until both players pass (i.e. are out of cards or wish to perform no more actions). The first player to eliminate his opponent's Warlord wins the game.

Choosing when to move and when to attack are both key to the basic strategies of the game. For players new to collectible card games, the strategy is simple to grasp and the game is fun to play for it's most basic "hack and slash" feel. But for experienced players, the deeper levels of strategy will keep them engrossed and focused through thousand's of games. As players build more and more competitive decks, they will naturally uncover many of the hidden meta-strategies.