Summoner Wars (Second Edition)

Objective and box scope: Each player leads a faction of cards on a battlefield. Destroying the opposing Summoner wins the game. This entry covers Master Set PH3600-5, officially listed for 2 players, ages 9+, and 45–60 minutes, with six prebuilt factions. Second Edition cards and rules are incompatible with First Edition and should not be mixed.

Set up the battlefield: Each player chooses a faction deck, using one of the Master Set prebuilt decks or a legal custom deck. Place the Summoner, starting units, and one 10-life Gate according to the diagram on the Summoner card. Shuffle and draw five cards. The first player starts with 2 Magic and the second player with 3. Gates and the Summoner’s position affect where units can be summoned and where buildings may be placed, so follow the current faction setup diagram.

Current turn phases: The current v1.2 turn has five phases: Summon, Move, Build, Attack, and Magic. An earlier official rulebook listed Draw as a separate phase; the 2024 official FAQ v1.2 removed it and changed the rules to refill the hand to five cards at the end of the turn. Do not use the old six-phase list as the current sequence. Refill occurs before other end-of-turn effects, with card text and the FAQ handling special timing.

Summon and Move: During Summon, pay Magic costs to play any permitted number of units from hand onto empty spaces adjacent to a Gate you control. During Move, move up to three different friendly units, usually one or two spaces each; units cannot pass through cards or enter an occupied space. Unit abilities, terrain rules, or card text may change these general limits, so resolve specific exceptions from the current card.

Build and Attack: During Build, pay for permitted structures from hand and place them according to location rules, including spaces adjacent to your Summoner or within your back three rows. During Attack, choose up to three different friendly units to attack. Melee units attack adjacent cards; ranged units use their attack type and unobstructed line of sight to find a target within range. Declare attackers and targets, then roll dice based on the relevant unit’s strength.

Damage and Magic: The number of dice is generally based on the attacking unit’s strength; dice matching its attack type cause damage. Damage lowers a card’s life, and a card at zero life is destroyed. When a card you control destroys an enemy card, gain 1 Magic. During the Magic phase, discard any number of cards from hand to gain one Magic per card. Summons, buildings, and some events spend Magic; events can only be played in phases allowed by their text.

Cost of Inaction: At the end of your Attack phase, your Summoner takes 1 damage if none of your attacks targeted an enemy card during the entire turn. An attack need not deal damage to satisfy the targeting condition. Some card effects allow attacks outside the normal Attack phase, so check all attacks made during the turn when applying this rule.

End of turn and hand refill: After the Magic phase, the current rules refill the hand to five cards at the end of the turn, before other end-of-turn effects. Magic may come from discarding cards this turn or destroying enemy cards. Keeping or discarding cards affects which units and buildings can be played on a later turn. If a card changes drawing, discarding, or end-of-turn timing, follow its text and the current FAQ.

Winning: A player wins when only one player’s Summoner remains on the battlefield. Destroying ordinary units, buildings, or Gates does not itself end the game; the goal is to use battlefield control, summons, and attacks to reach the enemy Summoner. There is no personal score, turn limit, or team victory condition. The Master Set duel ends when one Summoner is destroyed.

Decks, modes, and updates: Prebuilt decks can be played as supplied; custom decks can be constructed using the Summoner’s faction markers and deck-building limits. Additional faction decks are sold separately. The physical rules are for a two-player contest and have no solo campaign or cooperative mode; AI matches and solo story campaigns belong to Summoner Wars Online. The current FAQ v1.2 removed the Draw Phase, and the official card-adjustment page continues to update some card text; older printings may differ.