ALTERNATIVE GAME MODES
The general balance of the game revolves around the standard gameplay. However, it is always fun to explore new ways to play, and we encourage creative thinking to get the most enjoyment out of your Shrines’ experience.
Here are a few alternative game modes that we suggest trying out:
RUSH
Rush would use all of the Standard Gameplay mechanics but with one caveat - you cannot play creatures on sites with opposing creatures. First come, first serve in terms of damage. This would greatly decrease playing time and change the dynamic of when/how you play/move your creatures. This probably favors more aggressive decks but should be fun to try. Side note: Unstoppable and Flying are able break this new rule due to the nature of these specific static abilities.
KING OF THE HILL
King of the Hill is probably the mode we have done the most internal play testing with and it has always been fun. In King of the Hill, there are no life totals. The objective is to get 20 points, starting from 0. You get points by racing your opponent to the neutral row and keeping as many creatures/structures there as possible. At the end of your turn, you get 1 point for each creature/structure you have on the neutral row. For every additional interval of 5 strength or resilience a creature/structure has, you get an additional point. For example, a 4/4 creature would grant you 1 point, while a 5/4 or a 4/5 would grant you 2 points. Additionally, a 10/5 creature would grant you 3 points and a 1 resilience structure would grant you 1 point.
IMPERIAL/CONQUEST
Imperial and Conquest have been concepts for alternative game modes since pretty much the inception of Shrines. We are still hammering down the exact numbers for balancing but we really like the idea (and hope you do too). Imperial and Conquest combine standard gameplay with King of the Hill. Instead of just getting points to win, or bringing your opponent’s life total to 0, it is a combination of both. Imperial gives you two ways to win: Starting from 0 points, get 20 points, just like King of the Hill, or you can also go face to try and eliminate your opponent from 20 life to 0, just like you would in standard gameplay. In Conquest, the numbers are shared. You start with 15 ‘points’ and can win by either getting to 30 points (granted like King of the Hill) or by bringing your opponent down to 0 points, where damage reduces points and life gain grants additional points.
Note: These are just preliminary rules and game modes. If you have any suggestions, questions or feedback on specific gameplay, please reach out to us on discord.