Home
Here you can learn more on how to play the game and how to help on the game development.
In order to play DotaCard all you need is an opponent, two decks, a few 20-sided dice (or an dice app), a paper and a pencil.
1 - Board setup
The first thing to do is to separate the heroes and units cards from skill cards. Tower cards and tree cards should be placed on the board. Separate the creeps from the heroes, then separate the ultimate skills and the temporary skills from the ones you will buy. In the end each player will have 6 decks: heroes, creeps, items, ultimate skills, temporary skills and the skills to buy. If a card is placed on the bottom left spot (aka fountain area), it will regenerate 10 hit points per turn.
2 - Choose phase
A coin is tossed and the loser will start playing. Next, choose five heroes from the heroes deck and place them on the board in their proper positions. Then both calculate their skill cards pre turn (ManaSum/5). This number will define the number of skill cards each player can buy each turn. First sum up all your 5 heroes mana and divide it by 5. The total skill cards related to mana that a player can hold in his hand is 10 cards (Maximum skill cards at left hand = 10). Here is a table that shows all possible mana per turn scenarios:
**Skill Cards per Turn** = ManaSum/5
10 to 12 total mana = 2 cards;
13 to 17 total mana = 3 cards;
18 to 20 total mana = 4 cards;
3 - Turns
The game is turn based and you are only able to perform actions during your turn. Every unit under the player control can move, attack and cast skills during their turn. In order to attack or cast a skill, the targets must be within range of the attacker/caster. Each turn a player can buy skill cards and move, attack, buy items and cast with his five heroes, as long as the hero ain't disabled (stunned, cycloned, sleeping, etc). If a unit is disabled, it won't be able to make any actions (there are a new exceptions like Ursa's ultimate). If a unit is silenced, it wont be able to cast active skills. If a unit is rooted, it won't be able to move or cast movement skills: Blink, Teleportation, Charge of Darkness, etc. If a unit is disarmed, it won't be able to attack or use attack skills like Wind and Bambi ultimates.
4 - Creeps
On the first turn both players buy 2 melee and one ranged creep. Creeps can be summoned under the tower range and will not be able to act after spawning. Only after the enemy turn, the creep can attack or move, and if it dies the tower takes 1 pure damage. Creeps can be denied and, in this case, it will not take any tower HP. On the 8th turn, players buy another couple of melee creeps, one ranged creep and the catapult.
5 - Movement
Two cards can never be placed at the same position (Keeper Illuminate ghost is kind of an exception) . Movement follows the same mechanic as ranges. It's only allowed to move through units if you have Phase Boots. Besides the range limit, a unit can only move half of the steps listed on the "RANGE/MOVEMENT List" below.
6 - Range
The range system is used to check units within attack/cast. It can be increased with Aether Lens for skills and Dragon Bow for attacks.
7 - RANGE/MOVEMENT List
Steps: 0 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Range: Disarmed| Small | Melee | Short | Long | Ranged | Far | Away | Max
Speed: Rooted | Max Slow | -1 Slow | Normal | +1 Speed | +2 Speed | +3 Speed | +4 Speed | +5 Speed
▒ ▒▒▒
▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒░▒▒ ▒░░░▒
▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒░▒▒ ▒░░░▒ ▒░░░░░▒ ▒░░░░░▒
▒ ▒▒▒ ▒░▒ ▒░░░▒ ▒░░░▒ ▒░░░░░▒ ▒░░░░░▒ ▒░░░░░░░▒
▓ ▒▓▒ ▒▓▒ ▒░▓░▒ ▒░▓░▒ ▒░░▓░░▒ ▒░░▓░░▒ ▒░░░▓░░░▒ ▒░░░▓░░░▒
▒ ▒▒▒ ▒░▒ ▒░░░▒ ▒░░░▒ ▒░░░░░▒ ▒░░░░░▒ ▒░░░░░░░▒
▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒░▒▒ ▒░░░▒ ▒░░░░░▒ ▒░░░░░▒
▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒░▒▒ ▒░░░▒
▒ ▒▒▒
8 - Attack
In order to attack an enemy, he must be within range of the attacking unit. All default attacks will deal physical damage and will be reduced by the target armor (Final damage = Attacker damage - Target armor). No matter how big is the target's armor, the damage cannot be reduced lower than one.
If a hero is killed, it will be moved to the heroes cemitery. After 3 turns he will reborn, removing 4 HP points from the tower then, the hero is placed on the first free spot among the heroes starting row, left to right. If there is no available spot in the row, the hero will have to wait for the next turn to respawn.
9 - Skills
Skill cards are randomly picked at the beginning of each turn. If a passive skill card is used, it should be removed from the board since it will not be used again. If a temporary skill is used, it should be placed back at the temporary skills deck. If an active skill is used, it should be placed at the skills cemetery. At the fourth round the ultimate skills should be shuffled along the skills available to buy and the ones in the skills cemitery. If there are no more skill cards to buy, the skills cemitery should be shuffled and used thereafter. Most skills will deal magical damage and will be reduced by the target's resistance (Final damage = Magical damage - Target resistance). No matter how big is the target's resistance, the damage cannot be reduced lower than one. If a player don't take any action with a hero that's channeling an ability, the channel will continue at the end of the turn. Stunning or silencing a hero that's channeling an ability interrupts the target channel.
10 - Towers
At the beginning of each turn, if there are enemy cards within tower range, the enemy with the lowest HP will be attacked by the tower. If your tower's HP reach 0 you lose, and you win by destroying the enemy tower.
This is a work in progress, feel free to help!
