Zone Strike

◆ How to Play — Zone Strike

Step 1 of 7 — Overview

What is Zone Strike?

Zone Strike is a 1v1 tactical card duel. Each turn, the attacker plays an attack card aimed at one of three zones — HIGH, MID, or LOW.

The defender must predict which zone the attack is targeting and play a matching block. Guess wrong, and your guard still glances 25% of the damage away. But if you can't predict it at all, a costly Parry can redirect the damage right back.

Reduce your opponent's HP to zero to win. Every decision costs Stamina — a resource you must manage carefully.

⚔️

ATTACK

Pick a zone

→

🎯

PREDICT

Match or miss

→

💥

RESOLVE

HP changes

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🔄

SWITCH

Roles swap

Step 2 of 7 — Turn Structure

The Turn Flow

Each turn follows five sequential phases. The Attacker drives the first three phases; the Defender responds in phase four. After resolution, roles always switch — the defender becomes the new attacker.

① Draw

Draw up to 5-card hand

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② Stamina

Gain +3 Stamina (max 10)

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③ Attack

Play one attack card

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④ Defend

Defender responds or passes

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⑤ Resolve

Damage dealt, HP updated

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↺ Switch

Attacker & Defender swap

Note: The attacker draws and gains Stamina at the start of their turn. The defender does not gain Stamina on the opponent's turn — only when they become the attacker.

Step 3 of 7 — Zones

The Three Zones

Every attack and block card is tied to a specific zone. A block only works if it matches the zone of the incoming attack. Playing the wrong block still costs 1 Stamina and deals full damage.

HIGH

Flying Crane (12 DMG) Rising Palm (10 DMG) High Guard

Head & shoulders

MID

Iron Fist (10 DMG) Tiger Slam (11 DMG) Steel Wall

Torso & core

LOW

Low Sweep (8 DMG) Shin Kick (9 DMG) Low Guard

Legs & ankles

Tip: Low attacks cost only 2 Stamina vs 3 for High and Mid — useful for pressuring a low-stamina opponent economically.

Step 4 of 7 — Stamina

Managing Stamina

Stamina is the lifeblood of your strategy. Every card you play costs Stamina. Running out means you can't block or attack — leaving you completely exposed.

Max Stamina

Starting & cap

Per Turn

Attacker only

−1

Block Cost

Any block card

−2

Low Attack

LOW zone only

−3

Mid/High Atk

MID & HIGH zones

−4/5

Special Cards

Unblockable / Counter

Tip: The defender does not regenerate Stamina on the opponent's turn. If you enter defense with low Stamina, you may be forced to take damage — plan ahead.

Step 5 of 7 — Outcomes

All Possible Results

When an attack is played, one of four outcomes resolves based on what the defender plays (or doesn't).

Attack	Defense	Result	Damage
Any zone attack	Matching block	✓ PERFECT BLOCK	0 DMG
Any zone attack	Wrong zone block	✗ GLANCING BLOCK	75% DMG
Any zone attack	No block (pass)	✗ HIT	Full DMG
Death Blow	Any block	✗ UNBLOCKABLE	9 × 2 = 18 DMG
Any attack	Parry	↺ COUNTER	DMG → Attacker

Key insight: A wrong-zone block still glances 25% of the damage away for 1 Stamina — a real edge over passing for free, so guessing is almost always worth it. Only pass outright when you're completely out of Stamina.

Step 6 of 7 — Special Cards

The Game-Changers

Several cards operate outside the normal zone system and can flip momentum instantly.

💀

Death Blow

Stamina

Damage

Bypasses ALL block cards. Only a Parry stops it.

↺

Parry

Stamina

100%

Reflected

Negates ANY attack. Reflects full damage back at the attacker.

Advanced cards add more tactical depth: Ghost Strike declares HIGH zone but resolves MID — tricking ARES into the wrong block. Focus Break scrambles ARES's composure, forcing a pass. Iron Turtle absorbs 50% from any zone. Second Wind heals 12 HP at the cost of your attack turn. Chi Reversal reflects and heals 8 HP. Phantom Step can never be perfectly blocked — even a correct read only glances. Lure Strike punishes a correct block by draining 2 extra Stamina.

Step 7 of 7 — Meta Game

Contracts, Rank & Challenge

Zone Strike has a full progression layer built on top of every match you play.

📋 DAILY CONTRACTS

Three fresh contracts every day — Easy, Medium, Hard. Complete them to earn Credits and keep your streak alive. A 7-day streak doubles your reward.

⬡ RANK & SHOP

Every match earns XP — more for wins, counters, and clean blocks. Level up to unlock new content. Spend credits in the Shop on themes and card packs.

⚔ CHALLENGE A FRIEND

After any match, share a Challenge Link. Your friend plays the exact same deck and starting conditions — same seed, same ARES — and you compare results. No server. Just a URL.

You're ready to play. Good luck, duelist.

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◆ How the Deck Builder Works

🃏Card Pool (Left)

Click any card to add a copy to your deck. The badge shows current / max copies.

A gold badge means you've hit the copy limit. The card greys out.

Use the filter buttons to browse by zone or card type.

Hover any card to read its full rule as a tooltip.

📋Your Deck (Right)

Click any card in the list to remove one copy. The red ✕ appears on hover.

Progress bar turns green at 17 cards (recommended size).

Bar turns red above 20 — remove cards before starting.

The Deck Analysis shows zone balance, card counts, and avg stamina cost live.

⚖️Deck Rules

Minimum: 15 cards

Maximum: 20 cards

Recommended: 17 cards

Warnings fire if you have no attacks or no defense cards.

🔢Copy Limits

Card Type	Max
Standard Attacks	3×
Standard Blocks	3×
Death Blow	2×
Parry	2×
Iron Turtle	2×
Pressure Point	2×
Twin Fang	2×
Chi Reversal	1×

Strategy tip: Cover all three zones so ARES can't predict you. Aim for 2–3 blocks per zone (6–9 defense cards total). One or two counter/special cards add threat, but they cost 4–6 Stamina — too many will starve your economy.