Rule actions and losing the game

A rule action is something the engine does by itself, because the rules say so, without any card asking for it.

Two flavours#

• Interrupt type — fires the instant its condition is met, suspending everything else without exception, and performs itself immediately. Where several are pending and the cards or zones involved have different masters, the turn player performs all of theirs first, then the non-turn player.

• Check type — performed only when its condition holds at a check timing. A condition that becomes true and then false again during the resolution of something else never produces the rule action at all. Several check type rule actions due at once are performed simultaneously.

Player damage resolution (interrupt)#

Triggered whenever a player's damage taken is 1 or more. If both players are owed one, the turn player's runs first. The loop:

1. That player puts the top card of their deck into their graveyard.

2. If that card has the Lucky icon, stop and go to step 4.

3. If the number of cards moved during this resolution is at least the damage taken — or the deck is now empty — reduce that player's life by the damage taken, then go to step 4. Otherwise return to step 1.

4. Set that player's damage taken back to 0. The resolution ends.

Two consequences worth stating plainly: a single Lucky card cancels the whole hit, however large; and taking damage always costs you cards off the top of your deck whether or not it costs you life.

Losing verdict resolution (check)#

A player loses if:

• their life is 0 or less; or

• their deck has 0 cards.

Both are checked at check timings. If one player loses, the game ends immediately; if both lose at once, it is a draw.

Lethal damage resolution (check)#

Any Pal or structure in any base whose damage taken is greater than 0 and at least equal to its power (or durability) is put into its owner's graveyard.

Overloaded Pals resolution (check)#

If a player has more Pals in their base than their maximum number of Pals — which starts at 5:

1. If the Pals most recently placed in that base by themselves exceed the limit, choose from among those a number equal to the limit. Otherwise choose all of the most recently placed ones.

2. From the Pals that were not the most recently placed, choose additionally as many as the limit minus the number chosen in step 1.

3. Every Pal in that base that was not chosen goes to its owner's graveyard, all at once.

4. Repeat until the base is at the limit.

The effect of the ordering is that the newest arrivals are the ones kept.

Source: Comprehensive Rules ver. 1.00 (30 July 2026) §11 “Rule Action”.