The Rulebook

Everything you need to play Certamen: The Five Pillars — from building your first Spellbook to winning your first battle.

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The
Official
Rulebook

Certamen · The Five Pillars

First Edition

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— Click to open —

Contents

Certamen: The Five Pillars is a two-player strategic card game in which each player builds a deck — called a Spellbook — and uses it to reduce their opponent's Vitality to zero before their own falls.

The game is set in a world shaped by five ancient pillars of power: Veilflux, Verdance, Umbrage, Aetherlight, and Emberwake. Each pillar represents a distinct philosophy, aesthetic, and approach to combat. Players may build their Spellbooks from one pillar or many, crafting identities as unique as the world itself.

Alongside creatures and spells, players may summon Ascendants — legendary heroes, warlords, and sorcerers of immense power — whose Loyalty abilities and world-altering Ultimates can shift the course of any battle.

Victory Condition: Reduce your opponent's Vitality from 30 to 0. Alternatively, successfully trigger an Ascendant's Ultimate that explicitly wins the game, or force your opponent to draw from an empty Archive.

Every card in Certamen belongs to one of five pillar colors, a neutral Colorless classification, or a Multicolor combination. Understanding each pillar's identity is the first step toward building a powerful Spellbook.

Veilflux

The pillar of illusion, knowledge, and control. Veilflux decks excel at countering spells, drawing cards, and manipulating the flow of battle. Their creatures are often evasive, and their spells strike at the opponent's strategy rather than their Vitality directly.

Verdance

The pillar of life, growth, and overwhelming force. Verdance decks ramp up resources rapidly and flood the Livingfield with large creatures. Their strength lies in numbers and brute power — nature's unyielding momentum.

Umbrage

The pillar of death, shadow, and dark ambition. Umbrage decks destroy, drain, and reanimate. They excel at eliminating key threats and turning the Hollow into an arsenal, raising fallen warriors to fight again.

Aetherlight

The pillar of purity, protection, and divine order. Aetherlight decks shield their creatures, heal Vitality, and punish opponents for aggression. Their resilience makes them difficult to break through and even harder to finish.

Emberwake

The pillar of fury, chaos, and raw destruction. Emberwake decks hit fast and hit hard — their goal is to overwhelm opponents before they can establish a defense. Speed and aggression are their greatest tools.

Before you can play, you must build your Spellbook. The following rules govern all legal Spellbook construction.

Spellbook Rules

A Spellbook must contain exactly 60 cards.
You may include no more than 4 copies of any card with the same name, except Pillar cards, of which you may include up to 20 copies.
A Spellbook must contain at least 20 Pillar cards to ensure consistent resources.
You may include only 1 copy of any Ascendant.
Cards with multicolor costs require the appropriate Pillar cards in your Spellbook to cast reliably. You are not required to run all colors of a multicolor card, but you will need the resources to pay for it.

Choosing Your Pillars

You may build a Spellbook around a single pillar for consistency, or blend two or more pillars for flexibility and power. Multicolor cards often have stronger effects but require careful resource planning.

Recommendation for New Players: Start with a single-pillar Spellbook of 24 Pillars, 20 creatures, 8 spells, and 8 utility cards. Simplicity lets you focus on learning fundamentals before expanding to multi-pillar strategies.

Both players prepare their Spellbooks and agree on who will take the first turn before the game begins. The following steps are performed simultaneously unless noted.

Pre-Game Procedure

Each player places their Spellbook face-down as their Archive (draw pile).
Shuffle your Archive thoroughly. You may ask your opponent to cut your deck.
Each player sets their Vitality tracker to 30.
Each player draws an opening hand of 7 cards from their Archive.
Each player, beginning with the player who will go second, may take a single Mulligan: shuffle your hand back into your Archive, then draw 6 cards instead of 7.
Decide who goes first by any mutually agreeable method (coin flip, dice roll, or agreement).
The first player does not draw a card on their very first Draw Step.

Memory Bank: Your hand of cards. Your maximum hand size at the End Step is 7 cards. Discard any excess to the Hollow at end of turn.

Every turn proceeds through the following seven steps in exact order. No steps may be skipped except where a rule explicitly permits it.

Untap

Untap all tapped permanents you control — creatures, Pillars, and Relics. No cards may be played and no abilities may be activated during this step. Triggered effects that say "at the beginning of your untap step" resolve now.

Upkeep

Upkeep-triggered abilities resolve in this step. Both players may cast Runes and activate abilities in response to these triggers. This is often the last chance to act before your opponent draws.

Draw

Draw one card from your Archive. If your Archive is empty when you must draw, you lose the game immediately. The first player skips this step on the very first turn of the game.

Main Phase 1

The primary action phase. Play one Pillar card from your hand for free. Cast creatures, Runes, Snaps, Rites, and Relics. Activate creature and Relic abilities. Use Ascendant loyalty abilities. Either player may cast Runes at any time.

Combat Phase

Attack with your creatures. Declare attackers → opponent declares blockers → Blazestride damage resolves → regular combat damage resolves → wounded creatures are checked. See the Combat section for full detail.

Main Phase 2

A second action phase, identical to Main Phase 1. You may continue playing cards and activating abilities. You may not play a second Pillar card — only one Pillar per turn is permitted.

End Step

All "until end of turn" effects expire. If you hold more than 7 cards, discard down to 7 — your choice. Discard goes to the Hollow face-up. Your turn then passes to your opponent.

Every card in Certamen belongs to one of the following types. A card's type determines when and how it can be played and what happens to it after it resolves.

Creature Permanent cards with a Power / Vitality score (P/V). Creatures enter the Livingfield and remain until destroyed. They attack, block, and may have activated or triggered abilities. A creature's Power is the damage it deals in combat; its Vitality is how much damage it can absorb before dying.

Rune Instant-speed spell cards. Runes can be cast at any time you have priority — during your turn, your opponent's turn, or in response to another spell or ability on the Stack. They resolve and go to the Hollow.

Snap Sorcery-speed spell cards. Snaps are powerful but restricted — they may only be cast during your own Main Phase when the Stack is empty. They resolve and go to the Hollow.

Rite Permanent enchantment-like cards. Rites remain on the Livingfield after casting and apply an ongoing effect to the game. Unless destroyed, they persist indefinitely.

Relic Permanent colorless artifact cards. Relics provide activated abilities, passive bonuses, or may be equipped to creatures to grant them additional stats or keywords.

Pillar Your primary resource base. Tap a Pillar to add one resource of its color to your pool. You may play one Pillar from your hand per turn for free, at any point in your Main Phases. Pillars are permanent and untap each turn.

Ascendant Legendary characters, each unique. Ascendants enter with Loyalty counters and have three abilities — a Loyalty-building plus ability, a powerful minus ability, and a game-altering Ultimate. Only one copy of each Ascendant may exist on the Livingfield at a time.

Paying for Cards

Each card has a cost shown in the upper right corner as a combination of colored symbols and/or a generic number. To cast a card, tap Pillar cards that produce matching colored resources. Generic costs may be paid with any color of resource.

Resources that remain unspent at the end of a phase are lost — they do not carry over between phases or turns.

The Stack

When a spell is cast or an ability is activated, it does not resolve immediately. It is placed on the Stack. Either player may then cast Runes or activate abilities in response, which are placed on top of the Stack. The Stack resolves last-in, first-out — each effect waits for a response before the one below it resolves.

Example: Your opponent casts a Snap to destroy your creature. You cast a Rune to make that creature indestructible until end of turn. Your Rune resolves first, then the Snap attempts to destroy the creature — and fails.

Summoning Sickness

A creature that entered the Livingfield this turn cannot attack or tap for abilities. This restriction is called Summoning Sickness. However, the creature can still block. Creatures with the Swiftfang keyword are immune to Summoning Sickness and may attack immediately upon entering.

The Hollow

The Hollow is the discard pile, placed face-up beside your Archive. Spells go to the Hollow after resolving. Creatures go to the Hollow when their Vitality is reduced to 0 or less. Some Umbrage cards can retrieve creatures from the Hollow and return them to play or hand.

Combat occurs during the Combat Phase (Step 5). The active player is the attacker; their opponent is the defender. Combat resolves in the following sequence:

Combat Sequence

Declare Attackers. The active player chooses which untapped creatures will attack and taps them. Creatures with Steadfast do not tap when attacking. Attacking is optional — you may attack with none, some, or all eligible creatures.
Declare Blockers. The defending player assigns any of their untapped creatures to block individual attackers. Multiple creatures may block a single attacker (gang-blocking). A blocker can only block one attacker. Blocking is optional — you may choose not to block at all.
Damage Assignment Order. If multiple creatures block a single attacker, the attacking player declares the order in which the attacker's damage is assigned to those blockers.
Blazestride Window. Creatures with the Blazestride keyword deal their combat damage first, before other creatures. Any creature killed during this window does not deal damage back. Both players may cast Runes after Blazestride damage is dealt.
Regular Combat Damage. All remaining creatures deal their Power in damage simultaneously. Unblocked attackers deal their Power directly to the defending player's Vitality (or their Ascendant's Loyalty, if chosen).
Cleanup. Creatures with 0 or less remaining Vitality go to the Hollow. Damage is tracked until end of turn, then cleared from survivors.

Skyborne: Creatures with the Skyborne keyword can only be blocked by other Skyborne creatures or creatures with the Aegis keyword. Unblocked Skyborne attackers deal damage directly to Vitality.

Overwhelm: If a creature with Overwhelm deals more damage to a blocker than its Vitality, the excess damage spills over to the defending player's Vitality.

Keywords are shorthand for common abilities that appear repeatedly across many cards. When a keyword appears on a card, apply the following definition exactly as written. Individual cards may also grant additional conditions or limitations on these abilities.

SkyborneCan only be blocked by other Skyborne creatures or those with Aegis.

SteadfastDoes not tap when it attacks. Can attack every turn without becoming vulnerable.

SwiftfangIgnores Summoning Sickness. Can attack and tap for abilities the turn it enters.

SoulbindWhen this creature deals combat damage, you gain that much Vitality.

OathboundCannot be targeted by your opponent's spells or activated abilities.

DreadmarkedCan only be blocked by Umbrage creatures or equipped Relics.

VeilshroudCannot be the target of any spell or ability — including your own.

BlazestrideDeals combat damage before other creatures in the Blazestride window.

WardenboundCannot attack. Can still block, use abilities, and be targeted normally.

FlickerbornCan be cast at instant speed — treated as a Rune for timing purposes.

OverwhelmExcess combat damage beyond a blocker's Vitality is dealt to the defending player.

EnduringCannot be destroyed by damage or "destroy" effects. Can still be exiled.

AegisYour opponent must pay 2 additional resources to target this creature, or the targeting fails.

SurgeOnce per turn during your Main Phase, tap this creature to activate its Surge ability.

Ascendants are the most powerful and iconic figures in the world of Certamen — legendary heroes, warlords, and sorcerers whose presence on the Livingfield can change the course of a match.

Entering the Livingfield

An Ascendant enters play like any other permanent. When it does, place a number of Loyalty counters on it equal to its printed starting Loyalty value. The Ascendant's size on the Livingfield is represented by this Loyalty total, not a traditional Power/Vitality score.

Loyalty Abilities

+ Ability: Adds Loyalty counters and provides a minor effect. You may activate this once per turn during your Main Phase.
− Ability: Removes Loyalty counters for a powerful effect. You may activate this once per turn if you have sufficient Loyalty to pay the cost.
Ultimate (⬡): A transformative effect that requires many Loyalty counters. Most Ultimates end the game or create an insurmountable advantage. Use wisely — it is often worth building to rather than using the minus ability repeatedly.

Key Rule: Only one Loyalty ability may be activated per turn per Ascendant. An Ascendant that just entered the Livingfield cannot use its − ability that same turn — unless it has Swiftfang.

Damage & Removal

Unblocked attackers may deal damage to an Ascendant's Loyalty instead of the defending player's Vitality (the defending player's choice). If an Ascendant's Loyalty reaches 0 or less for any reason, it is placed in the Hollow immediately.

The Uniqueness Rule

Only one copy of each named Ascendant may be on the Livingfield at any time. If a second copy enters, the controlling player chooses one to send to the Hollow.

A game of Certamen ends the moment any of the following conditions are met. Check for win conditions after every action, spell resolution, and damage step.

Vitality Zero. A player whose Vitality reaches 0 or less loses the game immediately. This is the most common path to victory and the primary goal of most aggressive strategies.
Ascendant Ultimate. Certain Ascendant Ultimate abilities explicitly state they win the game when successfully activated. If such an effect resolves, that player wins immediately.
Empty Archive. If a player is required to draw a card from an empty Archive — whether during the Draw Step or by a card effect — that player loses immediately.

Simultaneous Loss: If both players would lose at the exact same moment (e.g., both reach 0 Vitality from the same damage event), the game ends in a draw.

Concession

A player may concede the game at any time, for any reason. Their opponent wins immediately. Concession is legal even in response to a winning effect — it does not prevent the loss.

Multiple Blockers & Damage Assignment

When two or more creatures block a single attacker, the attacking player must declare a damage assignment order before damage is dealt. Damage must be assigned to the first blocker until lethal, then the remainder flows to the next blocker in order — unless the attacker has Overwhelm, in which case excess damage hits the defending player.

Triggered vs. Activated Abilities

Triggered abilities use the words "when," "whenever," or "at" — they resolve automatically whenever the stated condition is met. They go on the Stack and both players may respond. Activated abilities show a cost separated by a colon (e.g., "Tap: Draw a card") and must be deliberately used by the controlling player.

Tokens

Some cards create token creatures. Tokens are not part of any Spellbook — they are created during gameplay by card effects. Tokens behave like normal creatures in all respects except: when a token leaves the Livingfield for any reason, it ceases to exist rather than going to the Hollow. Tokens cannot be retrieved from the Hollow.

Copy Effects

Some cards create copies of other cards or permanents. Copies have the same characteristics as the original at the time of copying, but are independent objects afterward. Modifying the original does not affect a copy already in play.

Reference: All game terms and card-specific rulings have entries in the Glossary. When a card's text conflicts with a general rule, the card text takes precedence.