Reading a Card

Every power card in Spirit Island carries ~7 pieces of information packed into its layout. Reading them correctly in order is a trainable skill; doing it fast is what separates confident play from tabletop fumbling.

This chapter walks through the anatomy of a power card.

The anatomy

A standard power card has:

1. Name — top. Used for reference + community jargon.
2. Type — Minor / Major / Unique. Distinguishes deck pool.
3. Cost — energy cost to play. Top-left corner (by convention).
4. Speed — Fast or Slow. Determines timing phase.
5. Elements — icons showing which elements this card contributes when played.
6. Target — valid targeting range + land requirements.
7. Effect — the rules text of what happens.

Reading order (in play)

When you pick up a card from hand and consider playing it, read in this order for efficient decision:

1. Cost — can I afford it? Check energy pool.
2. Speed — is this the right phase? Fast cards pre-ravage, Slow post-ravage.
3. Target — can I legally target what I want? Check presence + range.
4. Elements — do I care about the element contribution this turn?
5. Effect — does the effect solve my current problem?

Beginners read in order 1 → 7 as printed. Experienced players read in priority order above. Skipping to target first (when targeting is the question) saves mid-game time.

Target types

Targeting is often the trickiest part. Common target types:

• “A land with your presence” — your presence must be in the target land (Range-0).
• “Range N from your presence” — target up to N adjacent lands from any land with your presence.
• “Range N from a source of your presence” — same, with “source” terminology.
• “Sacred Site” — the target must have 2+ of your presence.
• “Any land” — no range restriction (rare).
• “Coast” — a land bordering ocean.

Terrain restrictions stack on top:

• “Jungle or Mountain” — target must be jungle or mountain.
• “Any terrain” — no terrain restriction.

Speed matters

Fast cards resolve in the Fast Powers phase (before Invader Phase). They’re used to:

• Kill Explorers before they become Towns.
• Defend against upcoming Ravages.
• Push invaders out of Build lands.

Slow cards resolve in Slow Powers phase (after Invader Phase). They’re used to:

• Clean up invaders that survived Ravage.
• Generate fear from kill-damage.
• Set up positions for next turn’s Fast plays.

Same effect on a Fast vs. Slow card is not the same card. Timing shapes use.

Elements

Elements on a card contribute to your elemental total when played. Each card contributes:

• 1–3 elements per card (depending on card).
• Once per play (not per turn-wide effect).

Elements drive innate power activations. Check your spirit’s innate threshold requirements and track element totals each turn.

Effect reading

The effect text uses game keywords:

• Damage — lethal to invaders at 1 per HP (Explorer 1, Town 2, City 3).
• Defend N — reduce next Ravage damage by N in target land.
• Push / Gather — move invaders or dahan.
• Destroy / Remove — kill or remove token (context-dependent).
• Fear — add fear to pool.
• Blight — add blight token.

Many effects chain: “Destroy 1 Explorer; gain 1 energy.” Both clauses resolve when the card plays.

Conditional effects

Some cards have conditional text:

• “If target land has dahan: deal +1 damage” — dahan must be present at the moment the card resolves.
• “If this card’s element threshold met: additional effect” — threshold check at play-time.

Check conditions before committing the play. Some conditions reveal the play’s inefficiency.

Unique cards vs. pool cards

• Unique — starts in your hand; spirit-specific.
• Minor — universal pool; cheap.
• Major — universal pool; expensive and powerful.

Unique cards sometimes have spirit-specific rules printed in smaller text (e.g., “only Shroud can play this” in an aspect variant).

The “looks cool” trap

The single biggest reading mistake: taking a card because its effect sounds impressive, without checking:

• Can I afford the cost?
• Can I hit the element threshold for the full effect?
• Can I target what I need to target?

A “destroy all invaders in target land” Major at 8 energy with 3 Plant threshold requires playing conditions that may not align with your spirit. Read the fine print.

Cross-references

• Tempo — timing + cost.
• Terrain — target restrictions.
• Adjacency & Range — range rules.
• Card Draft Theory — evaluating cards before gain.

Last revised: 2026-04-19