Hellhand Rules

**Playing the Game**

Hellhand is a Collectable Card Game in which you play with a deck of 30 cards against the computer opponent.

The game starts by dealing you 3 cards from the deck into your starting hand. Click on any card that you would like to replace with another card from the deck.  Otherwise, click continue to accept all 3 cards.

At random you or your opponent will start and be allowed to play the first cards.

In general, the top portion of the screen represents your opponent and the bottom represents you.

The left side displays each players profile, along with their remaining health and available mana pool.

The cards in your opponent's hands are displayed face down at the top, your hand is displayed face up on the bottom. Each player can only have a **maximum number of 8 cards** **in their hand** at any time. You will not draw a card on your turn if you already have 8 cards. If you play a card whose special effect involves drawing cards, you will only draw up to 8 cards in your hand. Any excess cards will be ignored and remain in your deck.

The remaining cards in your deck are displayed on the right.

The middle section displays two rows, the top for your opponent and the bottom for you. Each row is broken into 5 columns. This section represents cards that are in play. Each player may only have 5 cards at play at any given time.

**At the start of each turn, the player's mana pool is reset and incrementally increased by 1**. Hence, the first turn you can use 1 mana, the second turn 2 mana, independently how much you have used in the previous turn. Hence, mana does not carry over across turns and is essentially lost if not spent. The turn also starts by dealing a player 1 card.

A player can play multiple cards on the same turn. A card can only be placed if a) the mana cost is equal to or less than the player's mana pool and b) there is an open space in play for one of the player's 5 slots. This applies to both spell and minion cards. Hence, if you have five minions in play, you will not be able to play a spell card.

After a card is played, the mana cost is reduced from the player's mana pool. If the card is a spell, the action will take place immediately and the spell card is removed. Both spell and minion cards may require decisions, such as to which minion the action should be applied. Once you are done playing cards, click the end turn button.

At the end of the turn, each minion in play that is available to attack, will attack the space opposite of them. Newly placed minions will only attack the next round, except if they have a special effect such as: 'Can attack the turn it's summoned'. The attacks of the minion's are resolved from left to right.

If an enemy minion is in play in the opposing spot then your minion will attack the opponent's minion.

If no card is in play, then the minion will directly attack the opponent.

The number of life points reduced from the opponent's minion or opponent is equal to your minion's attack damage.

Minions will only attack if they have at least one attack point. With 0 attack points a minion will not attack and special effects triggered by an attack will not happen.

If a minion has its health points reduced to 0 or less, the minion is cleared from play. If either you or your opponents health points is reduced to 0, the game is over. The objective is to reduce your opponents health to 0 before having your health reduced to 0.

*Based on text of UltimateGuts in the Moonshades' Hellhand discord section.*