Order 06
The Chimeras
The molt. The enemy stays where it is, but no longer the right way round.
- 6highest rank
- 20rank total
- 4cards, same numbers
- 2Treaties to its name
Ability
What the Chimera does
Flips the rank of each adjacent enemy on its axis.
A Chimera, once placed, flips each neighboring enemy on the axis that faces it: placed to the left or right of a card, it swaps that card's left and right ranks; placed above or below it, its top and bottom ranks. The flip is permanent, and the enemy is judged at once with its new rank.
So the Chimera doesn't strike hard, it strikes true. Its own ranks, 4, 6, 5 and 5, are ordinary; its strength is choosing which of the enemy's numbers will face it.
Four cards
The four cards of the Chimeras
The four Chimeras carry the same numbers, 4, 6, 5 and 5, 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.
- 4655Card 1
top 4 · left 6
right 5 · bottom 5 - 6545Card 2
top 6 · left 5
right 4 · bottom 5 - 5564Card 3
top 5 · left 5
right 6 · bottom 4 - 5456Card 4
top 5 · left 4
right 5 · 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 Chimeras well
Aim for lopsided cards
Cards with a very high rank on one side and a very low one on the other are its prey: the Archer (9 on top, 1 at the bottom), the Cursed card (8 and 2), the Plagued card (7 and 2), the Gilded card (2 and 7). Place the Chimera on the side of their big number: the flip turns the small one to face it.
Read the rank opposite
Before placing, look at the rank the enemy will show after the flip, not before: that's the one your Chimera will have to beat.
Set up the next move
A flipped enemy stays flipped. Even if the Chimera doesn't take it, its big rank is now on the wrong side: a Gilded card comes to trade it away (The Rigged Mirror), a Pike drives in (The Breach).
The 6 on the left, the 4 on top
Its 6 is on the left: flip from that side when the rank you'll face is middling. Its 4, on top, is its weak point: turn it toward the edge or toward an ally.
The Ripple sets it off again
A Chimera captured by a Resonance changes sides and in turn flips the neighboring cards of its former side, before attacking. A Ripple with a Chimera in it can tip a whole board.
Facing them
Countering the Chimeras
Near a Chimera, play cards whose ranks are close together: a flipped Pike (6, 5, 4, 6) barely changes. Keep your lopsided cards (Archers, Cursed, Plagued) out of reach of its axes, especially vertically. And attack it through its 4, on top: a 5 is enough.
Two per duel
The alliances of the Chimeras
Before each duel, you choose two Orders. Some pairs have a name: these are the Treaties, which your profile tracks game after game. The Chimeras sign two of them.
The Rigged Mirror with the Gilded
The Chimera flips the enemy to expose its strong rank, then the Gilded card comes to trade it away.
The signAn Awakening triggered on a card already flipped by a molt.
The Breach with the Pikes
The molt opens the weak flank; the Pike drives into the line.
The signA successful pierce on a card flipped by a molt.
Questions
The Chimeras in three questions
Is the molt permanent?
Yes. The flipped card keeps its new ranks until the end of the game, even if it changes sides.
Does the Chimera flip allied cards?
No, only neighboring enemies.
Do the Chimeras have a Herald?
No. Like the Gilded, the Chimeras have neither a Story chapter nor a Herald.
Play the Chimeras
Two Orders, eight cards, one duel. Choose the Chimeras and an ally, and see their ability at work.
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