The large numbers in green are how many units of that resource you will get each turn.

The small numbers in black are how many unit you have total.

The small black numbers in the circle at the bottom right of each card are how much in resources that card costs to use. Watch your numbers.

Cards which you cannot currently afford to use will be grayed out.

The word "damage" by itself means damage to enemies wall. “Damage to Tower” will indicate special damage. The same is true of pluses to your wall and tower.

a) Build your tower to (number)
Bring your tower height to this number. Ignore damage cards unless enemy tower is better off than yours. Watch your resources.

b) Destroy enemy's tower
Reduce enemy's tower to zero. Ignore building your tower unless you get dangerously low. Watch your resources.

c) Raise one of your resources to (number)
This is the one most people forget. Know this number. It may seem very high to you, but in a long, evenly matched game, this can be the winner, especially if the “good” cards are equally distributed.

Avlee: Start at Tower 10/Wall 20 - Win with Tower at 125/Resources to 350
Bracada Desert: Start at Tower 25/Wall 10 - Win with Tower at 75/Resources to 200
Barrow Downs: Start at Tower 20/Wall 50 - Win with Tower at 100/Resources to 300
Celeste: Start at Tower 30/Wall 15 - Win with Tower at 100/Resources to 300
Deyja: Start at Tower 25/Wall 10 - Win with Tower at 75/Resources to 200
Evermorn Isle: Start at Tower 20/Wall 10 - Win with Tower at 150/Resources to 400
Harmondale: Start at Tower 15/Wall 5 - Win with Tower at 30/Resources to 100
Nighon: Start at Tower 20/Wall 10 - Win with Tower at 200/Resources to 500
The Pit: Start at Tower 30/Wall 15 - Win with Tower at 100/Resources to 300
Erathia: Start at Tower 20/Wall 5 - Win with Tower at 50/Resources to 150
Stone City: Start at Tower 50/Wall 50 - Win with Tower at 100/Resources to 300
Tatalia: Start at Tower 10/Wall 20 - Win with Tower at 125/Resources to 350
Tularean Forest: Start at Tower 20/Wall 5 - Win with Tower at 50/Resources to 150

Gems
Bricks
Beasts

Blue cards use gems as fuel. They revolve around improvement and things mystical. The blue set has the most powerful and expensive cards in the game. Most power blues are beneficial to you. They are often the game winning cards. Keep your gem count up at all costs.

Green cards use beasts as fuel. They involve manpower and luck. The green set has cards at either extreme. Most are low power or high power, few medium. Most green power cards hurt your enemy. Careful, green cards often cost other resources in addition to beasts. Read description carefully.

Red cards use bricks as fuel. They involve physical maintenance and planning. The red set contains mostly minor cards, few power cards here, but the constant use of these cards which help and damage a little at the same time or give extra turns are invaluable.

...a long game (win at 200 or more) use resource building cards first, and keep an Eye on your wall. Drop building once resources reach about 80. Save tower building cards for the final crunch.

...a medium length game (win at around 100) start by doing a little damage, then intersperse damage with building and resource building. Once resources get to about 50, you can leave off building. Keep at least one big power card in reserve for a killing stroke when the time comes.

...a short game (win a 30 to 75) attack enemy's tower early. get your magic up (but start to ignore at 30) but mostly ignore resources, favoring cards that build and harm at the same time. Use big power cards as soon as you can afford to do so and have a little resource left over.

Always, always save before entering tavern as Arco frequently hangs some people's computers.

Read victory conditions carefully. Always, until you are used to the various game durations.

Read card descriptions carefully.

Take your time. The designers have done well to create the feel of a real card game, but it is not! The visual and sound effects tend to make you want to rush. Don't! Your opponent isn't strategizing in the interim.

Resources matter early in the game, not late. Normally, you would build resources early and evenly.

Keep an eye on your wall and your enemy's wall. Most damage cards only damage the wall, unless a wall is zero, the damage comes out of tower! If your wall is low or at zero, put all your effort into building it.

Remember that the game is random, with no AI, but the makeup of cards in enemy's hand can shape something which may read like a strategy.

Look to which of enemy’s resources is low and hit there.

Don't not discard a power card unless absolutely necessary.

Try not to bankrupt yourself of a resource with one big card, unless you're sure it is a game winner. Otherwise, save it till you will have a little in reserve.

Use "Play Again" cards in succession to keep your enemy at a disadvantage. They usually do little by themselves, but two or three in a row can give you a tremendous advantage in power cards which you opponent would ordinarily get.

You don't have to use a big power card right away. You can save it until you are in a good position to use it.

Don't discard a card in lieu of using a minor or simple card on the current turn. Use what you have to build resources even if you don't need to, or take a little hit with a card which damages across the board.

Card which damage all players equally can buy you time if your opponent is very close to winning.

If a card which damages your opponent hurts you too, don't hesitate to use it if you have the resources to burn or the end is close.

Keep cards which say "All players (resource) equals the highest player's (resource)" as these can come in extremely handy if your opponent is way ahead of you, and if not, this is an excellent card to discard if you need to. Even if you have to play it toward the end of the game, it won't matter. Resources don’t matter at the end of the game.

Good luck, all.

MMMcV