Order 05

The Abyssals

The tide. Frail alone, overwhelming in numbers.

Play for free See the ability ↓
  • 6highest rank
  • 16rank total
  • IIIStory chapter
  • 6games for the Herald

Ability

What the Abyssal does

Each Abyssal in play strengthens the others by +1.

Each Abyssal you own on the board gives +1 to all the others: alone, an Abyssal gets no bonus; two of them, +1 each; three, +2; four, +3. The bonus applies before the fight, on all four ranks, and is recounted as soon as an Abyssal changes sides.

With 6, 6, 2 and 2, 16 points in all, a lone Abyssal is the weakest card in the game. That is the price of the tide: with four of them, its 6s are worth 9 and its 2s are worth 5.

HeraldStarts at +2, even alone in play.

Demo
Two Abyssals: +1 for each. The 6 becomes a 7 and beats the 6.

Four cards

The four cards of the Abyssals

The four Abyssals carry the same numbers, 6, 6, 2 and 2, each a quarter turn further on: what is on top on one is on the right on the next. Choosing the right card means choosing which rank will face the enemy.

  • 6622Card 1
    top 6 · left 6
    right 2 · bottom 2
  • 6262Card 2
    top 6 · left 2
    right 6 · bottom 2
  • 2266Card 3
    top 2 · left 2
    right 6 · bottom 6
  • 2626Card 4
    top 2 · left 6
    right 2 · bottom 6

In a duel, your eight cards come from your two Orders, four per Order, plus one card from each Order kept in Reserve for Sudden Death.

Strategy

Playing the Abyssals well

  • The first one is a gamble

    Your first Abyssal has no bonus and is easy to take. Place it in a corner, with its two 6s facing inward, or keep it for later: it exists for the ones that follow.

  • Chain them quickly

    Every Abyssal that joins the board strengthens all the others, immediately. Two Abyssals placed back to back are worth more than two Abyssals spaced out by losses.

  • Steal theirs

    Against an opponent who also plays the Abyssals, every captured Abyssal changes sides and changes the count: it gives you +1 and takes as much away from them. That is the Treaty The Rising Tide.

  • Dig the pit

    Surround your Abyssals with poisoned squares: whatever comes to attack them arrives at −1, while they grow. That is the Treaty The Pit, with the Plagued.

  • The Herald starts at +2

    The Herald of the Abyssals starts at +2, even alone: 8, 8, 4 and 4 from the very first placement. The tide no longer has to wait.

Facing them

Countering the Abyssals

Take the first Abyssal before the second one arrives: without its bonus, a 3 is enough to take its 2. A line of Abyssals side by side is a prime target for a Pike. And against an Abyssal raised to +2, the Archer's 9 strikes over the empty squares, no questions asked.

Two per duel

The alliances of the Abyssals

Before each duel, you choose two Orders. Some pairs have a name: these are the Treaties, which your profile tracks game after game. The Abyssals sign two of them.

  • The Rising Tide (the Abyssals alone)

    Each Abyssal stolen from your opponent joins your side and feeds the next one you place.

    The signAn enemy Abyssal captured while you field Abyssals.

  • The Pit with the Plagued

    The venom makes the area unlivable while your Abyssals, the frailest cards in the game, become untouchable.

    The signAn Abyssal placed next to a square you poisoned.

What no Treaty recommends. A lone Abyssal opening: at 16 total and alone, it feeds your opponent's Rising Tide.

Story mode

The Herald of the Abyssals

Starts at +2, even alone in play.

The Herald is the superior version of the Order: its four cards keep their numbers, but its ability changes. It is earned by finishing chapter III of Story mode: six games, from the Drowned Man to the Leviathan. It is played against the Echo, in Classic matches and in challenges between friends, never in Ranked or in tournaments.

Chapter III in detail · The eight Heralds

Questions

The Abyssals in three questions

Does the bonus depend on where the Abyssals are?

No. It counts every Abyssal you own on the board, wherever it is.

Is the bonus permanent?

It follows the count: if you lose an Abyssal, all the others drop by 1; if you take one, they go up.

How do you earn the Herald of the Abyssals?

By finishing chapter III of Story mode: six games, from the Drowned Man to the Leviathan.

Ten Orders

The nine other Orders

Each Order has its own page: its ability, its four cards, how to play it and how to counter it.

All the Orders on one page · The rules of the game

Play the Abyssals

Two Orders, eight cards, one duel. Choose the Abyssals and an ally, and see their ability at work.

Play for free

No account needed, in English, in your browser or on iPhone · The iPhone app