Shadows Flicker Like Flame

Spirit Overview — Framing

Shadows is a base-game Fear-5 spirit with low Defense (per the Wiki’s own power-summary ratings). The design-space is: generate maximum Fear per turn, control Explorer movement via Gather/Push, leverage Dahan adjacency for spatial flexibility — and accept that board-clearing damage is someone else’s job.

Wiki-printed playstyle note (verbatim for accuracy):

Good at causing Fear and picking off lone Explorers and Towns, containing the Invaders. Not so good at massive damage — may need to rely on allies to handle thoroughly colonized lands. The ability to boost Range gives more flexibility to Range 0 Powers, and can be important in larger games.

The honest complexity signal: Low is correct. 4 Uniques, 1 Innate, 1 Special Rule, 3 single-choice growth options. Strategic depth is in when to trigger Innate Level 1 (Gather) vs. Level 2 (Destroy) + which Unique to play per turn.

Starting Setup

Put 3 Presence on your starting board: 2 in the highest-numbered Jungle and 1 in land #5.

Growth Options (growthtype: “one” — pick one per turn)

Each growth option has a “first” and “second” effect, both resolved together when chosen:

Note: Shadows picks one of these per turn — unlike multi-growth spirits that pick multiple. This is a tight constraint. Most turns: G2 early (card-heavy); G1 when hand needs refresh; G3 for energy spikes.

Presence Tracks

As presence leaves each track, these values are revealed (cumulative per-turn gain):

• Energy track (6 slots): 0 → 1 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 Energy per turn as track fills.
• Card-play track (6 slots): 1 → 2 → 3 → 3 → 4 → 5 cards per turn.

Starting: 1 Energy, 1 CP (implied from track-0 values). Opening the track quickly unlocks 3 Energy (significant for the 1E-per-turn Shadows-of-the-Dahan rule).

Core Mechanics & Special Rules

Special Rule: Shadows of the Dahan

Whenever you use a Power, you may pay 1 Energy to target a land with Dahan regardless of the Power’s Range. (Power Cards or your Innate Powers.)

Strategic implication: the most flexible targeting rule of any base spirit. Budget 1 Energy/turn for this; Dahan preservation directly expands Shadows’s reach.

Innate: Darkness Swallows the Unwary

• Speed: Fast · Range: 1 (optionally from a Sacred Site) · Target: Any land

Level	Thresholds	Effect
1	2 Moon + 1 Fire	Gather 1 Explorer .
2	3 Moon + 2 Fire	Destroy up to 2 Explorer . 1 Fear per Explorer destroyed.
3	4 Moon + 3 Fire + 2 Air	3 Damage. 1 Fear per Invader destroyed by this Damage.

Key decision: Level 1 gathers (repositions) an Explorer without killing — useful to move Explorers out of upcoming Build lands. Level 2+ destroys for fear. Don’t over-rush Level 2 if Level 1 solves the land.

Unique Cards (all 4, Wiki-verified)

Concealing Shadows

• 0 Energy · Fast · Range 0 · Any Land · Moon, Air
• 1 Fear . Dahan take no Damage from Ravaging Invaders this turn.

Free-to-play defensive + 1 Fear every turn. Pairs with Favors Called Due (preserves Dahan to outnumber Invaders).

Crops Wither and Fade

• 1 Energy · Slow · Range 0 · Any Land · Moon, Fire, Plant
• 2 Fear . Replace 1 Town with 1 Explorer . OR Replace 1 City with 1 Town .

Downgrade, not destroy. Softens Ravages + 2 Fear per play. A City → Town reduces that land’s Ravage damage by 1 and removes a Build upgrade path.

Favors Called Due

• 1 Energy · Slow · Range 1 · Any Land · Moon, Air, Animal
• Gather up to 4 Dahan . If Invaders are present and Dahan now outnumber them, 3 Fear .

Massive conditional fear spike (3 Fear ). Needs gatherable Dahan + Invader-present target + post-gather Dahan > Invader count.

Mantle of Dread

• 1 Energy · Slow · No Range · Any Spirit · Moon, Fire, Air
• 2 Fear . Target Spirit may Push 1 Explorer and 1 Town from a land where it has Presence.

Partner-support (target Any Spirit). In multiplayer, hands a partner a free push on one of their lands. In solo, self-target.

Key Strategic Principles

1. Fear output is huge. Concealing (1) + Crops (2) + Favors (3 conditional) + Mantle (2) + Innate L2 (up to 2) = up to 10 Fear in one turn at the peak. Shadows has the base game’s strongest per-turn fear ceiling by raw card output.
2. Shadows of the Dahan = spatial superpower. Budget 1E/turn for range extension. Dahan density across the board directly expands Shadows’s reach.
3. Crops Wither is downgrade-not-destroy. Use to soften Ravages + bank Fear, not to kill. The “replaced” Invader remains in the land.
4. Innate Level 1 is positional. Gather an Explorer out of a Build target → no Town next turn. A single growth option can solve a land via innate L1 without spending cards.
5. Moon + Fire is load-bearing. L1 = 2M+1F, L2 = 3M+2F. Draft Moon + Fire Minors aggressively.
6. Favors Called Due wants Dahan density. Preserve Dahan (Concealing) so gather + outnumber triggers.
7. Mantle of Dread targets a Spirit. In multiplayer, always a partner-help card if their turn is tight.

Possible Openings

Three Rei-format opening variants. Each is a turn-by-turn rehearsal for the first 3 turns + a T4 state audit. Pick the variant that matches your adversary + scenario before game start — don’t improvise T1. And don’t execute the opener on auto-pilot: each turn block below has a Pause-point callout flagging the decision that most often gets mis-made on that turn. Cross-reference Deliberate Play for the universal per-phase checklist.

Confidence scale: 🟥 tentative · 🟨 somewhat tested · 🟩 well-tested.

Shared starting state (all openings)

Verified per si-rules-check shadows-flicker-like-flame:

• 3 Presence on board: 2 in highest-numbered Jungle, 1 in land #5.
• 4 Uniques in hand: Concealing Shadows (0E Fast, 1 Moon + 1 Air), Crops Wither and Fade (1E Slow, 1M+1 Fire+1 Plant), Favors Called Due (1E Slow, 1M+1A+1 Animal), Mantle of Dread (1E Slow, 1M+1F+1A).
• Starting income: 0 Energy, 1 Card Play (first-uncovered Energy track slot energy0, first-uncovered CP track slot card1).
• Growth type “one”: pick one of G1/G2/G3 per turn. Presence placement reveals one track slot; it doesn’t reveal both.

Base-deck invader phase by turn (affects Ravage-protection cards)

Growth-option decoder (T1 income branches)

Fast-phase element ceiling — load-bearing constraint

Shadows’s innate Darkness Swallows the Unwary is Fast. Fast innates check thresholds using only elements from Fast cards played before the innate resolves. Mantle/Crops/Favors are all Slow — their elements arrive after the Fast innate’s resolution window and cannot trigger it.

Fast-phase Moon/Fire available from Uniques alone:

• Concealing Shadows — the only Fast Unique — gives 1 Moon + 1 Air.
• Fast-phase Moon ceiling from Uniques = 1. Fast-phase Fire from Uniques = 0.
• L1 needs 2 Moon + 1 Fire. Shadows cannot fire L1 in Fast phase from Uniques alone.

Minimum requirement for L1 to fire: a drafted Fast Moon+Fire Minor. Wiki-suggested candidates: Land of Haunts and Embers (0E Fast, 1M+1F+1A — drafts + plays in the same turn) or Visions of Fiery Doom (1E Fast, 1M+1F — needs energy). Hitting L1 T1 is entirely draft-dependent and not guaranteed.

Opening A — G3-via-CP Double-Card Fear Opener 🟨 (default)

When to pick this: default against Brandenburg-Prussia, England, Scotland, Habsburg Livestock — fear-friendly adversaries. G3-via-CP is the only T1 growth choice that affords a 0E + 1E two-card play from a 0E start, giving the highest T1 Fear + material-effect output.

Target arc: 3 Fear T1 · L1 fires first at T3 after reclaim + Fast Moon+Fire Minor · Terror 2 flip T5–T6.

Turn 1

Growth

G3 revealing CP track — gain +3 Energy + 1 Presence Range 3

Income

3E 2CP

Fast plays

Concealing Shadows

Slow plays

Mantle of Dread (self) · 1E spent

Fast-phase elements

1 Moon + 1 Air · L1 does NOT fire

End of T1

3 Fear generated 2E banked 1 + 1 pushed

Invader card

Stage I — Explore only

• Growth: G3, revealing CP track (uncover card2). Post-growth: 3E / 2CP. 1 Presence placed Range 3; “+3 Energy” is a this-turn-only effect.
• Fast phase plays: Concealing Shadows (0E, target one of your Presence lands — jungle #6 or wetland #5).
  • T1 gain from Concealing: +1 Fear . Elements 1M+1A into Fast pool. “Dahan take 0 Damage from Ravaging” clause is dormant this turn (no Ravage until T3). Concealing discards.
• Fast innate check: pool = 1M+1A. L1 needs 2M+1F → does NOT fire T1.
• Invader phase: Explore (Card 1 = Stage I). Explorers arrive in any land adjacent to a City/Town/ocean (coastal). No Build, no Ravage.
• Slow phase plays: Mantle of Dread (1E, target self).
  • T1 gain from Mantle: +2 Fear . Push 1 Explorer and 1 Town from one of your Presence lands — removes 2 Invader units from the board. Elements 1M+1F+1A into Slow pool. Mantle discards.
• End of T1: 3 Fear generated · 1E spent (Mantle) · 2E banked · 0 CP left · 4 Presence on board (3 starting + 1 G3) · Hand: 3 Uniques (Concealing + Mantle in discard) · Tracks: CP at card2 (2 CP sustained from now), Energy still at energy0.
• Pause-point (pre-Mantle-target): self-target is the default, but Mantle’s target is “Any Spirit” — in multiplayer, check whether pushing from a partner’s Presence land solves a bigger T2-Build threat than pushing from yours. Solo: choose the Presence land whose Explorer+Town pair creates the largest T2 Invader-count reduction in the land most likely to Ravage at T3.

Turn 2

Growth

G2 revealing Energy track (energy1) — gain 1 Minor + 1 Presence Range 1

Income

2E banked + 1E income = 3E 2CP

Slow plays

Crops Wither 1E Favors Called Due 1E

Fast-phase elements

0 — no Fast cards played · L1 does NOT fire

End of T2

2–5 Fear 1 City → Town (if targeted) Dahan gathered

Invader card

Stage I+II — Build + Explore (first Build)

• Growth: G2, revealing Energy track (uncover energy1 → 1E permanent income from now). Post-growth: 2E banked + 1E income = 3E / 2CP, +1 Minor drafted.
• Draft priority for the T2 Minor: Fast Moon+Fire (Land of Haunts and Embers 0E, Visions of Fiery Doom 1E). Enables T2 Fast innate firing.
• Fast phase plays (if Fast M+F Minor drafted): drafted Minor alone (no Concealing in hand — it’s in discard since T1). Fast elements = Minor’s contribution (e.g., Haunts 1M+1F+1A).
• Fast innate check (with Haunts drafted): 1M+1F → still short of 2M+1F. L1 still does NOT fire. Needs Concealing back in hand (T3 reclaim) plus the Fast M+F Minor to combine for 2M+1F.
• Slow phase plays: Crops Wither and Fade (1E, Range 0 — target one of your Presence lands with a Town or City) + Favors Called Due (1E, Range 1 — target a Dahan-dense Invader-present land).
  • T2 gain from Crops: +2 Fear . Immediate replace: City→Town OR Town→Explorer in target land. Material this turn: the replaced unit is gone; downstream: when T3 Ravage hits that land, Damage is 1 lower than it would have been.
  • T2 gain from Favors: Gather up to 4 Dahan into target. Material this turn: Dahan positioning for T3+ counterattacks. If post-gather Dahan > Invaders in target, +3 Fear conditional.
• Slow elements (Fast innate already resolved): Crops 1M+1F+1P + Favors 1M+1A+1An = 2M+1F+1A+1P+1An. Darkness Swallows can’t use these (Fast innate only checks in Fast phase).
• End of T2: 2–5 Fear generated (2 Crops + 0–3 Favors conditional) · 2E spent · 1E banked · 0 CP left · 5 Presence on board · Hand: 1 Unique (Concealing in discard, Crops+Favors now also in discard; Mantle discarded T1) · Tracks: CP at card2, Energy at energy1.
• Pause-point (pre-Favors-target): Favors’s 3-Fear conditional is not free — it needs post-gather Dahan to strictly outnumber Invaders. Before committing, count: Invaders in target + Dahan in R1 of target = enough to gather past Invader count? If no, change target or save Favors for T3.

Turn 3

Growth

G1 — Reclaim (all played back to hand) + Gain 1 Minor

Income

1E banked + 1E income = 2E 2CP

Fast plays

Concealing Shadows (target Ravage land w/ Dahan) + drafted Fast Moon+Fire Minor (if in hand) → L1 may fire

Key T3 note

First Ravage turn — Concealing's protection now material

Invader card

Stage I+II+III — first Ravage

• Growth: G1 — Reclaim (all 3 discarded Uniques back to hand) + Gain 1 Minor. No presence placed. State: 1E banked + 1E income = 2E / 2CP, hand = 4 Uniques + 2 Minors.
• Invader state: T3 is the first Ravage turn. Identify the Ravage-target land from the current Invader card’s Ravage column (the card that was in Build slot last turn has advanced).
• Fast phase plays: Concealing Shadows (target the Ravage-incoming land, with Dahan in it, if any) + drafted Fast Moon+Fire Minor if in hand (e.g., Land of Haunts).
  • T3 gain from Concealing: +1 Fear + Ravage-protection now material — Dahan in target land take 0 Damage from this turn’s Ravage. Fast elements 1M+1A.
  • T3 gain from Haunts (if played): +2 Fear + Push up to 2 Explorers /Towns from R2 target. Fast elements 1M+1F+1A.
• Fast innate check (Concealing + Haunts): pool = 2M+1F+2A → L1 fires for the first time this game. Gather 1 Explorer into a land at R1 of your presence or Sacred Site. Fast, so the gather happens before the Ravage — can pull an Explorer out of the Ravage target (one fewer Invader taking the Ravage).
• Slow phase plays: 1 more Slow card if CP remains — e.g., Crops Wither (another City→Town downgrade). Depending on hand: Mantle of Dread for +2 Fear + another push.
• End of T3: 5+ Fear generated (1 Concealing + 2 Haunts + 2 Crops/Mantle + possible 1-Fear L1 if destroy-variant) · 1 Explorer gathered (L1 innate) · Ravage Damage in one land reduced or neutralized (Concealing or Haunts push) · ~0E / ~0CP depending on plays · 5 Presence on board · Hand: mixed reclaims + drafts · Tracks: CP at card2, Energy at energy1.
• Pause-point (pre-Fast-plays): Concealing’s Ravage-protection is material T3+ only if the target land actually Ravages this turn AND has Dahan to protect. If the Ravage target has 0 Dahan , Concealing’s protection clause is still dormant — consider targeting a Dahan-adjacent Ravage land (use Shadows of the Dahan’s 1E range extension) or playing Concealing elsewhere for its Fear + elements alone.

Turn 4 — state audit

After T3, you should have:

• Presence: 5 on board (3 starting + 1 T1 G3 + 1 T2 G2).
• Energy / CP: 1E income (from energy1 slot) / 2CP.
• Engine: All 4 Uniques available + 2 Minors drafted. L1 firing conditional on Fast M+F Minor in hand.
• Fear pool: ~8–12 (solo — Terror 2 should flip around end-T4 or T5, not T3 as the prior opener claimed).
• Blight: 0–1 (depends on T3 Ravage outcomes; Concealing + L1 Gather mitigation should keep this low).

Pivot triggers (if any of these, deviate from the opener):

• No Fast Moon+Fire Minor drafted by T3 — L1 firing stays blocked. Keep leaning on Crops + Favors for Fear; L1 is “nice to have” not “required”.
• Ravage target T3 has no Dahan — Concealing’s protection is still dormant; use Concealing purely for Fear + elements, and save the real defense for T4+ when Dahan density increases.
• Favors never triggers 3-Fear conditional — Fear pool is running 3–4 under target. Prioritize Minor picks that generate Fear directly (e.g., 2-Fear Moon Minors from the full pool).

Opening B — G2-via-CP Minor-Draft-Dependent 🟥

When to pick this: Habsburg Mining L5+, Russia L5+, or long-game matchups where Minor-draft density pays off. Trades T1 Fear output for hand depth. Gated on drafting a 0-cost Fast Moon+Fire Minor (Land of Haunts and Embers) by T1 — otherwise this opener under-delivers.

Target arc: If Haunts drafted T1 → L1 fires T1 (unique to Opening B among the three) · 2 Minors drafted by T2 · Reclaim T3 → 4 Uniques + 3 Minors in hand · matchup-specific Minor picks scale T4+.

Turn 1

Growth

G2 revealing CP track — gain 1 Minor + 1 Presence Range 1

Income

0E 2CP

Best-case Fast plays

Concealing Shadows + Land of Haunts and Embers (drafted 0-cost Minor)

Fast-phase elements

2 + 1 + 2 · L1 FIRES T1 → Gather 1 Explorer

End of T1

3 Fear 1 gathered by L1 up to 2 pushed by Haunts

• Growth: G2, revealing CP track (uncover card2). Post-growth: 0E / 2CP, 1 Minor drafted.
• Draft priority T1 Minor: absolute top pick Land of Haunts and Embers (0E Fast, 1M+1F+1A). Second pick: Shadows of the Burning Forest (0E Slow, 1M+1F+1P). If neither appears: Opening B is underpowered T1 — consider pivoting to C (see Opening Decision tree).
• Fast phase plays (with Haunts drafted): Concealing Shadows (0E) + Land of Haunts and Embers (0E, target a Mountain or Jungle with Invaders for the push rider, else any Invader land for the 2-Fear base).
  • T1 gain from Concealing: +1 Fear . Dormant Ravage-protection (no Ravage T1). 1M+1A Fast elements.
  • T1 gain from Haunts: +2 Fear . Push up to 2 Explorers /Towns from target land. 1M+1F+1A Fast elements. (Haunts “Add 1 Blight ” clause is card-text — read the full card; if playing the 0-cost base version, blight consequences apply.)
• Fast innate check: pool = 2M+1F+2A → L1 fires T1. Gather 1 Explorer to a R1 land. The only Opening that gets L1 T1.
• Slow phase plays: none (0 CP remaining; both CP used on Fast cards).
• Invader phase: Explore only.
• End of T1: 3 Fear + 1 Explorer gathered (L1) + up-to-2 units pushed by Haunts · 0E banked · 0 CP left · 4 Presence on board · Hand: 3 Uniques + 0 Minors (Haunts played) · Tracks: CP at card2, Energy still at energy0.
• Pause-point (pre-Haunts-target): Haunts’s push clause triggers only on Mountain or Jungle; its base 2-Fear + 2-push works on any Invader land. If target isn’t Mountain/Jungle, the push-up-to-2 doesn’t fire — pick a Mountain/Jungle Invader land if you have range, else accept the 2-Fear-only output. Also check Haunts’s “Add 1 Blight if Blight present” clause on the physical card — some versions add Blight unconditionally.

Fallback T1 (Haunts NOT drafted): Play Concealing alone. Fear = 1. L1 does NOT fire (Fast phase elements = 1M+1A). 1 CP unused. This is Opening B underperforming — expect T2–T3 Minor draft to compensate.

Turn 2

• Growth: G2, revealing Energy track (uncover energy1 → 1E income). Post-growth: 1E / 2CP, +1 Minor drafted (2 total).
• Draft priority T2 Minor: if Haunts was T1, look for Moon+Fire next (Visions of Fiery Doom 1E Fast) to chain L1 firings; otherwise Haunts.
• Fast phase plays: Fast cards in hand (Concealing discarded T1 if played; Fast Minors drafted).
  • If drafted Fast M+F Minor this T2 and have 1E to spare: play it. Elements contribute to L1 threshold (but Concealing is in discard — only 1M from the Fast play typically, unless a 2M-on-one-card Minor was drafted).
  • Typically: play nothing Fast T2; L1 defers to T3 reclaim + Fast M+F Minor combo.
• Slow phase plays: 1 Slow Unique at 1E — Crops Wither (+2 Fear , downgrade) OR Mantle (+2 Fear , self-push) OR Favors (+0–3 Fear , Dahan gather).
• T2 material gain: typically 2–3 Fear + one material board effect (downgrade / push / gather). L1 does not fire T2 reliably — Fast pool depends on which Minors were drafted and playable.
• End of T2: 2–5 Fear · ~0E banked · 0 CP left · 5 Presence · hand typically 2 Uniques + 2 Minors.
• Pause-point (pre-T2-plays): T2 introduces first Build. Check the Invader card’s Build column — which terrain Builds? Any land with Town/City on that terrain gets a new Town/City. Crops’ing a Town on that terrain T2 Slow phase (or Mantle pushing from it) pre-empts the Build’s upgrade path.

Turn 3

• Growth: G1 — Reclaim + Gain 1 Minor. State: ~0E + 1E income = 1E / 2CP, hand = 4 Uniques + 3 Minors.
• Fast phase plays: Concealing + Fast M+F Minor (Haunts if reclaimed, or Visions if drafted). Elements = 2M+1F+… → L1 fires T3.
• Slow phase plays: best Fear/material combo from hand. Typically Crops + Mantle, or Crops + Favors if Dahan-outnumber is triggerable.
• T3 material gain: 3–5 Fear + L1 Gather + 2× Slow-card effects. First turn with Ravage + Concealing protection becomes material.
• Pause-point (pre-Concealing-target): same as Opening A T3 — Ravage-protection is material only on the Ravage target with Dahan. If Ravage lands don’t have Dahan, use Concealing purely for Fear + elements.

Turn 4 — state audit

• Presence: 5 on board.
• Energy/CP: 1E income / 2CP.
• Engine: L1 firing reliably if Fast M+F Minor in hand; L2 conditional on additional Moon or Fire Minors.
• Fear pool: 6–10 (slower than Opening A if Haunts missed T1; comparable if Haunts hit T1).
• Hand depth: 7 cards (4 Uniques + 3 Minors) — deepest of the three openers.
• Strategy note: Opening B’s payoff is late — T5+ benefits from Minor-draft breadth for matchup-specific picks (e.g., Dahan-summoning, Blight-removing, Strife-adding). Fear-rush numbers lag Opening A by ~3–4 Fear through T4.

Opening C — G3-via-Energy Energy-Bank (Fear-Suppression) 🟥

When to pick this: Sweden L3+, Russia L3+ — where fear-card penalties reduce the value of a Fear-rush opener. Opening C leans on energy depth for (a) aggressive Shadows-of-the-Dahan range extension (1E/use budget), (b) 1E Slow Uniques played every turn, (c) potential Major acquisition via fear-card Events when they do fire.

Target arc: Mantle T1 (2 Fear ) · double-Slow T2 · L1 first fires T3–T4 via reclaim + drafted Fast M+F Minor · Terror 2 flip delayed to T6–T7 (accepted).

Turn 1

Growth

G3 revealing Energy track — 1E income perm + 3E growth effect

Income

4E 1CP

Slow plays

Mantle of Dread (self) 1E · 2 Fear + push

Fast-phase elements

0 — no Fast card · L1 does NOT fire

End of T1

2 Fear 3E banked 1 + 1 pushed

• Growth: G3, revealing Energy track (uncover energy1 → 1E permanent income). Post-growth: 1E income + 3E growth-effect = 4E / 1CP.
• Fast phase plays: none (CP budget of 1 is best spent on a higher-material-effect Slow card).
• Fast innate check: pool = 0 elements. L1 does NOT fire.
• Invader phase: Explore.
• Slow phase plays: Mantle of Dread (1E, self-target).
  • T1 gain from Mantle: +2 Fear + Push 1 Explorer + 1 Town from one of your Presence lands. 1M+1F+1A Slow elements (irrelevant for Darkness Swallows since it’s Fast).
• End of T1: 2 Fear · 1E spent · 3E banked · 0 CP left · 4 Presence on board · Hand: 3 Uniques (Mantle in discard) · Tracks: CP at card1 (still 1 CP), Energy at energy1 (1E sustained).
• Pause-point (growth choice): G3-via-Energy gives deeper Energy income long-term (energy1 permanent = +1E/turn from T2 onward) vs. G3-via-CP (card2 permanent = +1 CP/turn). Over 6 rounds that’s 6E vs. 6 extra card plays. Pick based on matchup: fear-suppression adversaries benefit from energy depth (more Shadows-of-the-Dahan range extensions; more Minor cost-curve flexibility); fear-friendly adversaries benefit from CP depth (more Fear-generating card plays per turn). If unsure, G3-via-CP (Opening A) is the tighter fear-rush; G3-via-Energy (Opening C) is the slower, more flexible play.

Turn 2

• Growth: G2, revealing CP track (uncover card2 → 2 CP from now). Post-growth: 3E banked + 1E income = 4E / 2CP, +1 Minor drafted.
• Fast phase plays: none likely (Concealing in hand but saving for T3 Ravage turn; or play Concealing for 1 Fear + element cycle).
  • Optional Concealing T1-style 1-Fear + element-pool play: 1M+1A. Doesn’t fire innate alone.
• Slow phase plays: Crops Wither (1E, Presence-land target with a Town or City) + Favors Called Due (1E, R1 Dahan-dense target).
  • T2 gain from Crops: +2 Fear + City→Town OR Town→Explorer. (Material THIS turn; reduces next-turn Ravage damage in that land.)
  • T2 gain from Favors: Gather up to 4 Dahan into R1 target; conditional +3 Fear if post-gather Dahan > Invaders.
• Slow elements: Crops 1M+1F+1P + Favors 1M+1A+1An = 2M+1F+1A+1P+1An. (Fast innate already resolved with 0 elements; Slow elements not usable here.)
• End of T2: 2–5 Fear · 2E spent · 2E banked · 0 CP left · 5 Presence on board · Hand: 1 Unique (Concealing) + 1 Minor · Tracks: CP at card2, Energy at energy1.
• Pause-point (pre-T2-plays): T2 is first Build. Same check as Opening A/B — Crops + Favors together handle one Build-threat land (downgrade + gather counter-Dahan). If two lands are about to Build-into-City, one of them is not handled — prioritize the worst one; accept the other.

Turn 3

• Growth: G1 — Reclaim + Gain 1 Minor. State: 2E banked + 1E income = 3E / 2CP, hand = 4 Uniques + 2 Minors.
• Fast phase plays: Concealing + drafted Fast M+F Minor if in hand → L1 fires. Otherwise Concealing alone (1 Fear , elements pool 1M+1A, L1 does not fire).
• Slow phase plays: 1–2 cards from 3E budget. Typical pick: Crops + Mantle for 4 Fear + downgrade + push; OR Crops + Favors if Dahan-outnumber still triggerable somewhere.
• T3 material gain: 4–6 Fear + material board effects + Ravage-protection on Concealing’s target (material T3+).
• End of T3: ~0E banked · energy bank depleted for the big-swing turn.
• Pause-point (T3 Ravage targeting): same Ravage-protection check as Openings A/B. Additionally, Opening C’s energy-bank advantage lets you spend 1E on Shadows-of-the-Dahan range extension to place a Slow-effect card (Crops / Favors / Mantle) on a non-Presence Dahan land — consider if the highest-leverage target is outside R0.

Turn 4 — state audit

• Presence: 5 on board.
• Energy/CP: ~1E income / 2CP.
• Engine: L1 firing conditional on Minor draft (same as Openings A/B); L2 element threshold 3M+2F rarely reached without multiple Moon-heavy Minors.
• Fear pool: 4–8 (lowest of three openers; accepted for fear-suppression matchups).
• Blight: 0–2.
• Strategy note: energy depth will continue paying dividends T5+ — Shadows-of-the-Dahan range extensions multiply over the game. Accept slower Terror; target Terror 2 T6–T7.

Opening Decision

graph TD
  Start[Round 1 — Shadows] --> Adv{Adversary?}
  Adv -->|Brandenburg-Prussia| A[Opening A - Standard Fear]
  Adv -->|England| A
  Adv -->|Scotland| A
  Adv -->|Habsburg Livestock| A
  Adv -->|Sweden L0-L2| A
  Adv -->|Sweden L3+| C[Opening C - Fear-Suppression Resistant]
  Adv -->|Russia| C
  Adv -->|Habsburg Mining L5+| B[Opening B - Minor-Draft Dependent]
  Adv -->|Multi-handed with board-carry partner| A
  Adv -->|Other| A

Card Priority Ratings

Uniques

The spirit’s own 4 Unique Power cards (always in hand; always A-tier by default — see Uniques section above for full text):

• Concealing Shadows
• Crops Wither and Fade
• Favors Called Due
• Mantle of Dread

Top 10 Minor Draft Picks (from full pool)

#	Card	Cost	Speed	Elements	Effect (truncated)	Why this pick
1	Animated Wrackroot	0	Slow	Moon, Fire, Plant	1 Fear . Destroy 1 Explorer . OR Add 1 Wilds.	elements fire+moon → 7.8
2	Lure of the Unknown	0	Fast	Moon, Fire, Air, Plant	Gather 1 Explorer /Town.	elements air+fire+moon → 8.4
3	Roiling Bog and Snagging Thorn	0	Fast	Moon, Fire, Water, Plant	1 Fear . Isolate. Defend 2. 1 Dahan does not participate in Ravage. (Check when ra…	elements fire+moon → 7.8
4	Land of Haunts and Embers	0	Fast	Moon, Fire, Air	2 Fear . Push up to 2 Explorers /Towns. If Blight is present, 2 Fear and Push up to 2 Explo…	elements air+fire+moon → 8.4
5	Rites of the Land’s Rejection	1	Fast	Moon, Fire, Earth	Invaders do not Build in target land this turn. 1 Fear per Town/City or 1 Fear per Dahan,…	elements fire+moon → 7.8
6	Shadows of the Burning Forest	0	Slow	Moon, Fire, Plant	2 Fear . If target land is a Mountain or Jungle, Push 1 Explorer and 1 Town .	elements fire+moon → 7.8
7	Visions of Fiery Doom	1	Fast	Moon, Fire	1 Fear . Push 1 Explorer /Town.	elements fire+moon → 7.8
8	Prowling Panthers	1	Slow	Moon, Fire, Animal	1 Fear . Add 1 Beasts. OR If target land has Beasts, Destroy 1 Explorer /Town.	elements fire+moon → 7.8
9	Sunset’s Fire Flows Across the Land	1	Slow	Sun, Moon, Fire, Water	1 Fear . 1 Damage. You may pay 1 Energy to deal 1 Damage in an adjacent land.	elements fire+moon → 7.8
10	Unquenchable Flames	1	Slow	Moon, Fire, Earth	1 Fear . 1 Damage to Towns/Cities. Invaders do not heal Damage at end of turn.	elements fire+moon → 7.8

Top 5 Major Draft Picks (from full pool)

#	Card	Cost	Speed	Elements	Effect (truncated)	Why this pick
1	Transform to a Murderous Darkness	6	Slow	Moon, Fire, Air, Water, Plant	Target Spirit may choose one of their Sacred Site. In that land: Replace all their Presen…	elements air+fire+moon → 8.4
2	Settle Into Hunting-Grounds	3	Fast	Moon, Fire, Plant, Animal	Your Presence may count as Badlands and Beasts. (Decide per Presence, per Action.) Your P…	elements fire+moon → 7.8
3	Unearth a Beast of Wrathful Stone	5	Fast	Moon, Fire, Earth, Animal	After the next Invader Phase (on any turn) with no Ravage/Build Actions in target land:</…	elements fire+moon → 7.8
4	Pent-Up Calamity	3	Fast	Moon, Fire, Earth, Plant, Animal	Add 1 Disease and 1 Strife. OR Remove any number of Beasts/Disease/Strife/Wilds. For …	elements fire+moon → 7.8
5	Vengeance of the Dead	3	Fast	Moon, Fire, Animal	3 Fear . After Towns/Cities/Dahan are Destroyed in target land, 1 Damage per Town/City/Dah…	elements fire+moon → 7.8

HoSI Beginner Deck Bundle — for reference only

Card	Type	Cost	Speed	Elements	Effect (truncated)
Dark and Tangled Woods	Minor	1	Fast	Moon, Earth, Plant	2 Fear . If target land is a Mountain or Jungle, Defend 3.
Shadows of the Burning Forest	Minor	0	Slow	Moon, Fire, Plant	2 Fear . If target land is a Mountain or Jungle, Push 1 Explorer and 1 Town .
The Jungle Hungers	Major	3	Slow	Moon, Plant	Destroy all Explorers and all Towns. Destroy all Dahan.
Land of Haunts and Embers	Minor	0	Fast	Moon, Fire, Air	2 Fear . Push up to 2 Explorers /Towns. If Blight is present, 2 Fear and Push up to 2 Explo…
Terrifying Nightmares	Major	4	Fast	Moon, Air	2 Fear . Push up to 4 Explorers /Towns.
Call of the Dahan Ways	Minor	1	Slow	Moon, Water, Animal	Replace 1 Explorer with 1 Dahan .
Visions of Fiery Doom	Minor	1	Fast	Moon, Fire	1 Fear . Push 1 Explorer /Town.

Cards to Avoid (anti-synergy flagged)

Aspects (all 5, Wiki-verified mechanics)

All 5 Shadows aspects replace the Shadows of the Dahan special rule. Four raise complexity; one lowers it.

Amorphous (Promo Pack 2 — Feather and Flame) — Higher Complexity

Replaces: Shadows of the Dahan.

Shadows Partake of Amorphous Space: During each Fast phase, you may move 1 of your Presence to an adjacent land, or to a land with Dahan anywhere on the island. During each Slow phase, you may move 1 of your Presence to an adjacent land, or to a land with Dahan anywhere on the island.

Strategic shift: converts the 1-Energy-per-range-extension tax into 2 free presence-moves per turn. Plays as a mobility-specialist variant — physical presence motion instead of virtual range-extension.

Foreboding (Promo Pack 2 — Feather and Flame) — Higher Complexity

Replaces: Shadows of the Dahan with a new Innate, Stretch Out Coils of Foreboding Dread (Fast · Range 2 · Any Land):

• 2 Air: Your other Powers may ignore Range when targeting the target land.
• 1 Moon: After an Action generates Fear in target land (incl. Town/City destruction): Push up to 1 Explorer per Fear / 1 Town per 2 Fear .
• 2 Fire: 1 Fear .
• 2 Moon + 4 Air: 2 Fear .

Strategic shift: swaps a per-Power spatial rule for a land-targeted innate. Range-ignoring is gated to one targeted land (rather than all Dahan lands). Converts fear-on-destruction into pushes for control value.

Madness (Jagged Earth) — Higher Complexity

Replaces: Shadows of the Dahan. Adds 2 new rules:

Shadows Cast a Subtle Madness: When you add Presence during Growth, you may also add 1 Strife in that land.

Glimpse of the Shadowed Void: When your Presence is Destroyed, if Invaders are present, 1 Fear per Presence Destroyed there.

Strategic shift: this is where strife enters Shadows (previous chapter revisions wrongly put strife on base Shadows). Madness monetizes presence-destruction into fear, incentivizing aggressive presence deployment + Choke-style self-sacrifice plays.

Reach (Jagged Earth) — Lower Complexity

Replaces: Shadows of the Dahan with a simpler, single rule:

Reach Through Ephemeral Distance: Once per turn, you may ignore Range. (Anything for which there’s a Range arrow or the word “Range” is used. Affects a single Action.)

Strategic shift: energy-free range ignore, capped at once per turn. The beginner-friendly aspect — arguably the first aspect to try on Shadows for newer players.

Dark Fire (Nature Incarnate) — Higher Complexity

Replaces: Shadows of the Dahan. Adds 2 new rules:

Dark and Fire as One: You may treat each Moon available to you as being Fire, or vice versa. (Choose during each Action for each Moon/Fire you have.) You may discard or Forget Powers that grant Moon to pay for Fire Choice Events, and vice versa.

Frightful Shadows Elude Destruction: The first time each Action would destroy your Presence, you may Push 1 of those Presence instead of destroying it.

Strategic shift: Moon↔Fire interchangeability is exceptional on a spirit whose innate requires both elements heavily. Plus presence-push-instead-of-destroy offers a Madness-style defensive safety net. Arguably the most powerful Shadows aspect.

Aspect selection heuristic

Adversary Matchup Matrix

Grades directional [VERIFY] — individual cell confirmations pending playtest.

Strategy Cliff — England L5

Strategy Cliff — Sweden L2+ / Russia L3+

Board / Map Configuration

[VERIFY via play — pending] — no community-consensus board ratings for Shadows surfaced from the Wiki spirit-template. Directional hypotheses:

• Likely favorable: jungle-dense boards (starting setup puts presence in jungle; innate L3 Moon+Fire+Air threshold matches Shadows’s element profile without requiring specific terrain).
• Likely favorable: boards with dense starting Dahan clusters (Shadows of the Dahan targeting benefits).
• Likely neutral: coastal-heavy boards (Shadows is terrain-flexible but coast-agnostic).
• Likely unfavorable: sparse-Dahan layouts.

Ratings per board letter (A–H) deferred to physical-play data.

Game-Phase Strategy

Early (T1–3)

• Grow with G2 or G3 to extend card pool and energy.
• Play Concealing Shadows every turn (0 Energy is free value).
• Use Innate L1 (Gather) to reposition Explorers away from Build targets.
• Draft Moon + Fire Minors.

Mid (T4–6)

• Innate L2 firing (destroy 2 Explorers + 2 Fear per turn).
• Crops Wither softens City turns.
• Favors Called Due’s 3-Fear trigger becomes available.
• Fear pool heading toward Terror 2 flip.

Late (T7+)

• Terror 2 → Terror 3 transition.
• Gain Terrifying Nightmares Major if offered; forget Mantle of Dread (weakest in solo) or the weakest-matchup Unique.
• Innate L3 available if 4 Moon + 3 Fire + 2 Air reliably on track.

Synergy Partners (Multiplayer)

Common Mistakes

Tempo Profile

Round-by-round targets, with per-turn Fear contribution confirmed by one authored playthrough (solo, Brandenburg-Prussia Level 6, Board A balanced, 8-round win). Early rounds may hit the low end; the R4 major-draft (Moon-aligned) is the inflection point where per-turn fear jumps from ~2 to 5+.

Cliff turn: T4. Innate L2 must fire; Fear pool at 4+/8 (solo).

Major vs. Minor

Draft bias: Mixed (Minor-heavy T1–T3; 1 Major T5+).

Expansion Sensitivity

• Base only: fully functional — 4 Uniques + Innate engine + 1 Special Rule.
• + Branch & Claw: Amorphous + Foreboding aspects unlock; event + blight decks add turn-by-turn variance.
• + Jagged Earth: Madness + Reach aspects unlock; Minor/Major pool deepens.
• + Nature Incarnate: Dark Fire aspect unlocks.

Aspect mechanics now Wiki-verified (see Aspects section above); parser extended 2026-04-19.

Stat Snapshot

Source Notes

Physical-copy verified: Uniques, innate thresholds, aspects (2026-04-19). Remaining [VERIFY]: Play Difficulty (spirit panel), aspect mechanics (pending parser extension), board ratings (physical play), live mindwanderer stats.

Last revised: 2026-04-19 — v0.2.4 (full Wiki-scripted rewrite with suggested-cards, growth, presence tracks, power summary)