Rulings are official clarifications on how ambiguous rules or card texts should be interpreted.
Below is a list of all rulings. Global rulings that apply to the game as a whole appear first, followed by rulings specific to certain cards or card interactions.
You can search the rulings by typing in the search form below then pressing the search button.
If you're looking for a rules clarification but can't find a ruling that answers your question, ask the community on Discord or IRC for advice. It might even lead to a new ruling!
The order in which cards are sent to the bottom of one's arsenal
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
I play an action. To help pay for its cost, I recycle three cards from my scrap pile. As an additional cost, I must place one of my deployed ships under my arsenal. In which order are the cards placed under my arsenal? Does the order matter?
Ruling:
Yes, the order in which cards are placed under your arsenal does matter. Effects are processed one by one. You first place the three recycled cards under your arsenal, in any order you choose. Then, you pay the action's extra cost by placing one of your deployed ships under your arsenal. Finally, you resolve the action’s effects and place the action card under your arsenal.
Being wary of marked cards or suspicious shuffling
Ruling issued on November 17th 2024
Situation:
A player suspects that their opponent has made some of their cards visually distinct from the rest of their arsenal, allowing them to predict what they will draw. Alternatively, a player may suspect that their opponent is using shuffling tricks to control which cards will be on top of their arsenal at the start of the game.
Ruling:
Both of these situations are clear violations of the fair play rule. In a friendly setting, this should be addressed amicably. In a competitive setting, a neutral third party should be called upon to resolve the situation. If a player is found cheating, they should be disqualified.
Poor communication causing a misunderstanding
Ruling issued on November 17th 2024
Situation:
An opponent is playing a mono-Terran arsenal. They have a resource tracker in front of them, showing they have 1 Terran resource remaining. Confident that the cheapest reaction to my card costs 2 Terran resources, I play a card. They then claim they forgot to update their resource tracking and react to my card using a Terran reaction costing 2 Terran resources. Are they allowed to use it?
Ruling:
The opponent should have communicated more clearly. In the spirit of fair play, it is their responsibility to provide accurate information about their board state. Even if they do have the required resources, their failure to update the resource tracking creates confusion at best and could be seen as deceitful at worst. Since this is their error, they are not allowed to play their reaction.
Resolving an action without checking for reactions
Ruling issued on November 17th 2024
Situation:
Another player plays an action. You have a reaction that causes the action to fail. However, they begin resolving the action right away, without giving you a chance to react. What should you do?
Ruling:
It is the other player's responsibility to check if anyone has a reaction before resolving their action. You should ask them to stop and play your reaction. Once you've played it, their action fails. Any steps taken as part of resolving the action must be undone.
Rewinding time to play an action
Ruling issued on November 17th 2024
Situation:
A player finishes combat and then states out loud that their turn is over. The next player says, "Before your turn ends, I choose to use my remaining resources on an action". Is the second player allowed to do this, even though the first player clearly declared their turn was over?
Ruling:
No, the second player cannot do this. Action cards pause the game in its current state. They cannot be used to respond to events such as a turn ending. However, the second player could achieve the exact same outcome by saying, "At the start of my turn, before resetting my resources, I choose to use last turn's remaining resources on an action".
A replacement fails to deploy
Ruling issued on November 16th 2024
Situation:
A player is replacing one of their own ships. An opponent reacts to the deployment by using the neutral action Crash. The ship fails to deploy. What happens to the ship being replaced?
Ruling:
The new ship is destroyed before it can replace the old one. The ship being replaced is unaffected and remains in play.
Card effects contradicting the game's rules
Ruling issued on November 16th 2024
Situation:
I destroy my opponent's only base, reducing its durability to zero. They respond by playing the Neutral reaction Mutually Assured Destruction, which states they do not lose the game. Why would a card contradict the game's rules like that? Have I won the game or not?
Ruling:
Card effects can override the game's rules. If a card's effect states that something happens, it does, even if it contradicts the rules. In this case, you have not won the game yet. However, the effect of your opponent's card indicates that they will lose on their next turn. Survive one more turn, and victory will be yours!
An effect has no valid target
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
The only card I have in play is the Invader structure Black Hole. At the start of each of my turns, it causes a durability loss to one of my ships. I have no ships. What happens?
Ruling:
As the effect has no valid target, it fails. The Black Hole remains in play, and nothing happens.
This ruling applies to:
Are wasted resources spent
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
My Invader ship Energy Collector is running low on durability. The card's effect says that whenever I spend invader resources, its durability is restored. I have unspent invader resources. Can I decide to spend them on nothing to repair the Energy Collector? Could I maybe use the Invader action Energy Bomb to use all my remaining Invader resources and thus repair the Energy Collector?
Ruling:
Wasted resources are not considered spent. To repair the Energy Collector, resources must be spent by paying for a cost. Using Energy Bomb spends the card's cost of one invader resource, restoring one durability to the Energy Collector. However, the additional resources lost due to Energy Bomb are not spent, so they do not count toward repairing the Energy Collector.
This ruling applies to:
Avoiding unpreventable durability losses
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
My Invader structure Black Hole cannot lose durability. It gets attacked by the enemy Organic ship Infestor, whose durability losses cannot be prevented. What happens?
Ruling:
The Black Hole does not lose any durability. Even though the Infestor's effect makes its durability losses unpreventable, the Black Hole's inability to lose durability is an inherent characteristic, not a preventative effect.
This ruling applies to:
Choosing to ignore a reaction
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
I deploy the Pirate ship Mecha Suit, which has a reaction that causes a durability loss to another ship when it is deployed. My opponents currently have no ships in play. Am I forced to cause a durability loss to one of my own ships?
Ruling:
No. Since this effect is a reaction, you can choose whether or not to activate it.
This ruling applies to:
Destroying a structure which cannot lose durability
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
I have a Reinforced Cruiser in play, a Pirate ship which prevents the structure located behind it from losing any durability. An opponent uses the Terran action Missile Strike to destroy the structure behind my Reinforced Cruiser. Is it destroyed?
Ruling:
Yes. Instant destruction effects are not durability losses. The Missile Strike destroys the structure despite the Reinforced Cruiser's ability.
This ruling applies to:
Overriding my own reactions
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
My Organic ship Moon Eater gets destroyed. It has a reaction that destroys the enemy structure in front of it when it's destroyed. I also have the Organic structure Flesh Mender, which has a reaction that restores durability to my base when one of my ships is destroyed. Do both reactions trigger?
Ruling:
No. When a reaction triggers in response to an event, it creates a chain reaction. After the first reaction triggers, no further reactions can occur directly from that event, only in response to that reaction. Therefore, only one of the reactions will trigger. As the owner of both, you can choose which one activates (the Moon Eater or the Flesh Mender).
This ruling applies to:
Untangling multiple simultaneous triggers
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
I destroy an enemy Ammunitions Depot, a Terran structure that causes all structures in play to lose durability when destroyed. This results in the destruction of several structures: my Warp Core and Protective Shell, which both have destruction reactions, and an enemy Warehouse, which has the Cheap Repairs ability triggered upon destruction. In which order are these triggers resolved?
Ruling:
As per the rules, priority is followed. Since it's your turn, your opponent has priority, and resolves their Warehouse's Cheap Repairs first. Once it is resolved, you decide the order in which you resolve your reactions.
This ruling applies to:
What happens to actions waiting to be resolved
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
I use the Terran action Siphon Funds during my turn. Its effect resolves at the beginning of the chosen opponent's turn. Do I have to keep the card around until the effect resolves, or can I place it under my arsenal?
Ruling:
Keep the card somewhere visible until its effect resolves. Only after the effect is fully applied can the card be moved to the bottom of your arsenal.
This ruling applies to:
When is a structure in front of a ship
Ruling issued on November 22nd 2024
Situation:
An opponent has the Terran ship Assault Ship facing me, which has a reaction that triggers when I deploy a structure in front of it. If I already have a ship in front of the Assault Ship and deploy a structure behind that ship, does the reaction trigger?
Ruling:
Yes. The Assault Ship's reaction triggers whenever a structure is deployed in its lane, even if a ship is already occupying the space directly in front of it.
This ruling applies to:
Bombarding through a gap
Ruling issued on November 21th 2024
Situation:
Using the Terran ship Scout, I attack an opponent. In front of my Scout is an enemy ship, with no structure behind it. When my Scout attacks, its Bombard ability activates. Does it hit the opponent's base?
Ruling:
Yes. Bombard affects the next structure or base in a straight line ahead of the attacking ship. If no structure is present, the enemy base loses durability.
This ruling applies to:
Deploying a ship after drawing a second card
Ruling issued on November 21th 2024
Situation:
The rules state that if I draw a second card, I cannot deploy ships or structures during that turn, and can only play actions or reactions. I have the Terran ship Carrier in play, which has an action that allows me to deploy a ship. Can I use this action to draw a second card and still deploy a ship?
Ruling:
Yes. The Carrier's action is not a deployment but an ability, allowing you to deploy a ship even after drawing a second card, provided the deployed ship meets the requirements of the Carrier's action.
This ruling applies to:
Recycling cards to help pay for an effect
Ruling issued on November 21th 2024
Situation:
An opponent reacts to one of my actions with the Organic reaction Shell. It asks me to pay 3 neutral resources, but I have no resources available. Can I recycle cards from my scrap pile to help pay for the effect?
Ruling:
Yes. Although not explicitly stated in the rules, effects function like actions and reactions: you may recycle cards to generate the resources needed to pay their cost.
This ruling applies to:
Spread shot against multiple opponents
Ruling issued on November 21th 2024
Situation:
In a game with multiple opponents, I attack using the Neutral ship Heavy Cruiser. Does the Spread Shot ability hit all opponents?
Ruling:
The Spread Shot ability causes a durability loss on all enemy ships facing you. It affects only the four lanes of your grid, potentially hitting up to two ships belonging to the player to your left, and up to two belonging to the player to your right.
This ruling applies to:
What counts as an effect
Ruling issued on November 21th 2024
Situation:
The Organic reaction Appropriation can be used in response to an effect. But what exactly qualifies as an effect?
Ruling:
An effect refers to anything triggered by a card, including actions, reactions, or any other element described in the card's text.
This ruling applies to:
When is the beginning of my turn
Ruling issued on November 21th 2024
Situation:
The Terran structure Orbital Cannon states that it triggers an effect at the beginning of each of my turns. When exactly is that?
Ruling:
According to the rules, you start your turn by resetting your resources then drawing a card. Effects that occur at the beginning of your turn, such as the Orbital Cannon's, must be resolved at the very start of your turn, before resetting your resources.
This ruling applies to:
Two reactions to the same event triggering simultaneously
Ruling issued on November 20th 2024
Situation:
I deploy the Invader ship Scrap Synthetizer in front of an opponent's Terran ship Assault Ship. My ship has a reaction when deployed, and my opponent's ship has a reaction when a ship is deployed in front of it. Which reaction triggers first?
Ruling:
The Assault Ship's reaction allows it to override reactions of enemy ships or structures deployed in front of it. As per the rules, when two players' reactions occur simultaneously, priority goes to the player not taking their turn. The Assault Ship's reaction resolves first, creating a chain reaction, and leaving no event for the Scrap Synthetizer to react to. Its reaction does not resolve.
This ruling applies to:
A ship using an action replacing attacking when they are unable to attack
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
A player deploys the Neutral ship Mobile Base, which has the keyword Slow, preventing it from attacking the turn it is deployed. The Mobile Base also has an action stating that if the action is used, the ship cannot attack that turn. Can the player use this action on the turn it is deployed?
Ruling:
Yes, the action does not require the Mobile Base to be able to attack. It can be used on any turn, including turns when the Mobile Base is unable to attack.
This ruling applies to:
Additional costs as part of a failed action
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
I have a Trading Station in play, which has an action allowing me to place a card at the bottom of my arsenal in exchange for a resource. I activate this action, but an opponent uses a reaction, causing its action to fail. Do I still need to place the card at the bottom of my arsenal?
Ruling:
No. If the action fails, none of its effects occur. You keep the card in your hand.
This ruling applies to:
An unscrappable card is sent to a scrap pile
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
I play the Neutral action Crash, which asks me to send a ship from my hand to my scrap pile. Can I choose a Rocketship, even though it provides no income and therefore cannot go into a scrap pile ?
Ruling:
The Rocketship is a valid choice to Crash into another ship, as the card does not explicitly require the ship to be scrappable. Since the Rocketship cannot remain in your scrap pile, it is instead placed under your arsenal.
This ruling applies to:
Changing the target of an action which changes the game's rules
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
A player uses the Invader action Scrap Payloads, which alters the behavior of their scrap pile until the end of the turn, causing durability losses when cards are scrapped. They scrap several cards, targeting an opponent's structure. The targeted opponent holds the Invader reaction Swap Places. Can they use it to redirect these durability losses to another structure?
Ruling:
No, they cannot. Scrap Payloads modifies game rules temporarily and does not have a specific target, so Swap Places cannot redirect it. Recycling cards is not an action, therefore it cannot be targeted by Swap Places either. Thus, the structure cannot be saved using this reaction.
This ruling applies to:
Changing the target of an action with two interwoven targets
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
A player uses the Pirate action Targeted Charge, which requires them to destroy one of their ships to destroy an enemy ship with less maximum durability. I react with the Invader reaction Swap Places, allowing me to change the target of an action. Can I force the player to destroy a different ship than the one they originally chose?
Ruling:
Yes, you can use Swap Places to change the first target. However, the second part of the action is conditional on the first. Swap Places cannot alter that condition. Therefore, the new first target must still have more maximum durability than the second target.
This ruling applies to:
Destroying a ship before it self-destructs
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
I deploy the Pirate ship Scrapper, which requires me to destroy another one of my own ships when it is deployed. I have a Stolen Cruiser in play, which says it is removed from play when I deploy another ship. Can I choose my Stolen Cruiser to be destroyed by the Scrapper before it self-destructs?
Ruling:
Yes, you can do that. Effects are resolved in order, one by one. First, the Scrapper is deployed, and you resolve its effect by destroying your Stolen Cruiser. Once it is done, any other effects are processed, which would have included the Stolen Cruiser destroying itself if you had not chosen to destroy it.
This ruling applies to:
Drawing the game by destroying all bases simultaneously
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
The action of the Organic ship Living Asteroid is triggered, causing all bases to lose durability. As a result, both remaining players' bases drop below 0 durability. Does this result in a draw?
Ruling:
Both bases are at 0 durability or below and are destroyed simultaneously. The game ends in a draw.
This ruling applies to:
Recovering from negative base durability through a card's effect
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
My base has 1 durability remaining. I control the Organic structure Flesh Mender, which restores durability to my base whenever one of my ships is destroyed. My opponent attacks with a Missile Cruiser, which has the Bombard keyword, reducing my base's durability when it attacks a ship with no structure behind it. The Missile Cruiser destroys one of my ships and bombards my base simultaneously. Do I lose the game, or does my Flesh Mender save me?
Ruling:
In Future Invaders, effects are resolved one at a time, in the order they are triggered, rather than using "state-based" logic. The Missile Cruiser's bombardment reduces your base's durability below 0, destroying it. The Flesh Mender's effect would trigger afterward, but too late to save your base. You lose the game.
This ruling applies to:
Resources spent on a failed action or reaction by a deployed card
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
I have the Terran structure Overseer Station in play. I activate its second action, which requires me to spend resources and destroy the Overseer Station in order to deploy a ship. An opponent uses a reaction, causing the Overseer Station's action to fail. Do I have to spend the resources?
Ruling:
As stated in the rules, when an action or reaction fails, the player who activated it loses the resources spent on it. The Overseer Station's action fails, and you do lose the resources spent. However, you do not have to destroy the Overseer Station, as the only part of a failed action which occurs is the loss of resources.
This ruling applies to:
Using a conditional action after it has failed
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
I have the Neutral ship Mobile Base in play, which can use an action up to once per turn. I activate its action, but an opponent uses the Terran reaction Power Surge to cause it to fail. Since the action did not actually happen, can I use it again?
Ruling:
No. Even though the action failed, the Mobile Base's action has already been used for the turn, so it cannot be used again this turn.
This ruling applies to:
Using a reaction to help pay the cost of another reaction
Ruling issued on November 19th 2024
Situation:
An opponent plays a reaction. I would like to react to it. I have resources in my scrap pile which could help pay for my reaction, but they are not the correct type of resources. However, I do have the card Swap Resources in hand, which allows me to change the type of resources I scrap. Could I pay for my reaction by scrapping cards and using Swap Resources ?
Ruling:
No. When a reaction is played, the game pauses, and you may only react to the last played action or reaction. Scrapping resources to help pay for the cost of a reaction is allowed, but playing Swap Resources would start a parallel chain reaction, which is not allowed.
This ruling applies to:
One card with two effects triggering two different reactions
Ruling issued on November 18th 2024
Situation:
A player uses the Organic action Wild Charge, which requires them to destroy one of their own ships to harm an enemy ship. They choose their own Mind, which has a reaction when destroyed, and destroy an opponent's Rustwing, which also has a reaction when destroyed. In what order do the two reactions resolve?
Ruling:
The text on cards is resolved in the order it is written. First, the Mind is destroyed, and its reaction must be resolved. Then, the Rustwing is destroyed, and its reaction must be resolved.
This ruling applies to:
Using a durability restoring effect during combat
Ruling issued on November 18th 2024
Situation:
I have an Energy Collector, which is about to be destroyed in combat. Spending Invader resources restores my Energy Collector's durability. Can I play an action to spend Invader resources, restoring my Energy Collector's durability and saving it from being destroyed in combat?
Ruling:
Actions pause the game in its current state. If you play the action before your opponent attacks your Energy Collector, then yes, you can restore its durability and potentially save it. However, if you wait until after your opponent has announced their attack, it is too late: the Energy Collector will already have been destroyed.
This ruling applies to:
Forgetting to do something until it is too late
Ruling issued on November 17th 2024
Situation:
A player forgot they have a ship with Regeneration, which regains durability at the beginning of each of their turns. Later during their turn, they remember their ship could regenerate. Is it too late to regenerate the ship?
Ruling:
It is the player's responsibility to keep track of their card's effects. In the spirit of fair play, if all opponents agree to allow the player to regenerate the ship, they may do so. However, if even one opponent objects, it is considered too late, and the ship will not regenerate this turn.
This ruling applies to:
Self-destruction effect on a ship that fails to deploy
Ruling issued on November 17th 2024
Situation:
A player attempts to deploy the Neutral ship Mobile Base, which states that if it is destroyed, they lose the game. An opponent responds by using the Pirate reaction Sabotage, causing the Mobile Base to fail to deploy. Has the player lost the game?
Ruling:
A ship that fails to deploy is neither deployed nor destroyed. It is returned to the bottom of its owner's arsenal. Since the Mobile Base was not destroyed, the player does not lose the game.
This ruling applies to:
Touching an opponent's cards without their consent
Ruling issued on November 17th 2024
Situation:
A player uses an action with the Deny keyword, allowing them to look at the top card of an opponent's arsenal and decide whether to place it back on top or move it to the bottom. The player reaches for the opponent's arsenal, but the opponent dislikes others touching their cards. Are they required to let the player handle their cards?
Ruling:
No, the opponent is not required to let the player touch their cards. The player must respect their opponent’s preference and avoid handling the arsenal. Instead, the opponent must assist in resolving the action by showing the player the top card of their arsenal (without looking at it themselves), asking whether it should go on top or bottom, and placing it in the chosen position (still without looking). Consent matters!
This ruling applies to: