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KEEPS

Game Guide

Contents

  1. Goal of the Game
  2. The Battlefield
  3. The Cards
  4. The 6 Colors
  5. Resources & Mana
  6. Card Types
  7. Combat & Damage
  8. Phases of a Turn
  9. Keywords

1. Goal of the Game

Destroy 2 of your opponent's 3 Keeps to win the game!

Each player starts the game with 3 Keeps — mighty fortresses standing on the three lanes of the battlefield. Each Keep has 15 health points. Once a player loses 2 of their 3 Keeps, they lose the game.

Each player starts with 7 cards in hand.

Armory W 1
Keep — Weapons
All your armies on this lane gain +1 attack.
❤ 15
Library of Knowledge B 1
Keep — Knowledge
Draw an additional card during your Upkeep phase.
❤ 15
Forest Sanctuary L 1
Keep — Lands
Your armies on this lane gain +1 defense.
❤ 15

2. The Battlefield

The battlefield consists of 3 Lanes. On each lane, two Keeps face each other — yours and your opponent's. Armies from both players fight between the Keeps.

⚔ Opponent
Lane 1
Enemy Keep (15 HP)
Enemy Armies (max. 4)

Your Armies (max. 4)
Your Keep (15 HP)
Lane 2
Enemy Keep (15 HP)
Enemy Armies (max. 4)

Your Armies (max. 4)
Your Keep (15 HP)
Lane 3
Enemy Keep (15 HP)
Enemy Armies (max. 4)

Your Armies (max. 4)
Your Keep (15 HP)
🛡 You

On each lane you can summon up to 4 armies. Armies can only attack enemies on the same lane.

Keeps

At the start of the game, your Keeps are placed face-down on their lanes. You can activate a Keep during your Build phase by paying its resource cost. Flip it to its face-up side. The Keep's effect is now active and persists until it is destroyed.

Hidden Keep
Temple of Faith
Heal all armies on this lane for 1.
❤ 15
Activated Keep
Important: When a Keep is destroyed, it is played as a Resource. The player receives it as a permanent mana source.

3. The Cards

Each card has various properties. Here is an example using an Army card:

Warlord W W 1
Army — Weapons
Leads his troops into battle.
⚔ 4 🛡 3
1
Name: The name of the card.
2
Mana Cost: Top right. Here: 2 Weapons mana + 1 colorless mana. The cost must be paid to play the card.
3
Art: The card's illustration.
4
Type & Color: Shows the card type (Army, Tactic, Reaction, Keep) and the color.
5
Description: The effect text or flavor text of the card.
6
Attack / Defense: Only on Armies. Left: Attack value (⚔), Right: Health points (🛡).

4. The 6 Colors

In Keeps there are 6 different colors. Each color has its own playstyle:

Weapons (Red)
Aggressive & direct. Strong attackers and damage spells.
Power (Purple)
Control & manipulation. Dark magic and shadow creatures.
🌳
Lands (Green)
Growth & strength. Large creatures and healing.
Faith (White)
Defense & healing. Protects armies and Keeps.
📖
Knowledge (Blue)
Knowledge & magic. Reactions, card advantage and counters.
Gold (Yellow)
Neutral & flexible. Can be used in any deck.

5. Resources & Mana

To play cards, you must pay Mana. You get mana from your Resources.

Playing Resources

Once per turn you can play any card from your hand as a Resource. The Resource produces mana in the color of the card.

Shadowwalker
Army
⚔ 1 🛡 2
Card in hand
M
1 Power Resource
Gold cards always produce only Gold mana as a Resource.

Mana Conversion

You can convert mana flexibly:

G G 1  (or any other color)

2 Gold mana = 1 mana of any other color

1 1  (any 2) G

2 mana of any other colors = 1 Gold mana

Player 2 Bonus

Starting bonus: Player 2 receives a one-time Resource Token at the start that can produce mana of any color. This compensates for Player 1's advantage of going first.

6. Card Types

⚔ Armies

Armies are your fighters on the battlefield. They have attack points and health points. They can attack enemy Keeps and exhausted armies. After being summoned, armies have summoning sickness and cannot attack until the next turn.

Militia W
Army — Weapons
Simple warriors.
⚔ 2 🛡 1
Earth Colossus L L 2
Army — Lands
Mighty earth giant.
⚔ 5 🛡 5
Mercenary 2
Army — Gold
Fights for the highest bidder.
⚔ 2 🛡 2

📜 Tactics

Tactics are one-time spells that take effect immediately and then go to the Graveyard. They can only be played on your own turn (during the Build phase).

Firestorm W 1
Tactic — Weapons
Deal 3 damage to an army.
TACTIC
Soul Drain M 1
Tactic — Power
Draw 2 cards.
TACTIC
Nature's Healing L
Tactic — Lands
Heal a Keep for 3.
TACTIC

⚡ Reactions

Reactions are special spells that can be played at any time — even during your opponent's turn! They are the perfect answer to your opponent's actions.

Lightning Strike B
Reaction — Knowledge
Deal 2 damage to an army.
⚡ REACTION
Counterspell B 1
Reaction — Knowledge
Counter: Prevent a card's effect.
⚡ REACTION

🏰 Keeps

Keeps are your fortresses. Each has 15 health points and a unique effect. They start face-down and must be activated by paying their mana cost. A destroyed Keep is automatically played as a Resource.

Dark Tower M 1
Keep — Power
All enemy armies on this lane get -1 attack.
❤ 15
Golden Fortress G 2
Keep — Gold
Gain 1 additional Gold mana during your Upkeep phase.
❤ 15

7. Combat & Damage

Declaring Attackers

During the Attack phase, the active player declares which of their armies attack. Attacking exhausts the army (it is turned sideways).

Armies can attack:

Blocking

The defending player can block with their active (non-exhausted) armies. A block redirects damage to the blocking army instead of the Keep.

Damage Calculation

When two armies fight, they deal damage simultaneously:

  • Each army places its attack points as damage counters on the opposing army.
  • Damage counters remain permanently on the army.
  • If an army has damage equal to or greater than its health points, it is destroyed and goes to the Graveyard.

Example:

Berserker
Army
⚔ 3 🛡 2
Attacker
3 damage ➡
⬅ 2 damage
Treeguard
Army
⚔ 2 🛡 4
Blocker
Result: The Berserker (3/2) attacks and the Treeguard (2/4) blocks.
  • Berserker takes 2 damage → 2 damage on 2 health → Destroyed!
  • Treeguard takes 3 damage → 3 damage on 4 health → Survives with 1 health!

Keep Damage

When an attacking army is not blocked, its full attack value hits the enemy Keep as damage. With 15 health points, it takes multiple attacks to destroy a Keep.

8. Phases of a Turn

Each turn is divided into 6 phases that are played in a fixed order:

1

Draw Phase

Draw a card from your deck. (Each player starts with 7 cards in hand.)

2

Upkeep Phase

All your exhausted Resources and Armies are activated (untapped). Additionally, one-time per-turn effects of your Keeps are triggered here (e.g., draw a card, heal armies).

3

Attack Phase

Declare which of your armies you want to attack with. Attacking armies become exhausted.

4

Block Phase & Damage Phase

The defending player declares blockers. Afterwards, damage is distributed. Armies with enough damage are destroyed.

5

Build Phase

Play new armies, tactics, or activate face-down Keeps. You can also play a card as a Resource here (once per turn).

6

End Phase

Final effects are triggered. The turn ends and it becomes your opponent's turn.

Tip: Reactions can be played during any phase — even during your opponent's turn!

9. Keywords

Many cards have keywords — special abilities with fixed rules:

Flying
Can only be blocked by flying armies or armies with Reach.
Reach
Can attack and block flying armies.
Wall
Can block any number of armies but cannot attack.
Haste
This army can attack immediately (no summoning sickness).
Heal
Removes damage counters from an army or Keep.
Rebirth
Can be returned from the Graveyard.
Counter
Completely prevents the effect of a played card.
Cultivate
Place the top X cards of your deck into your resource zone.
Equip
Attach equipment to an army to increase its stats.
Barkskin
Gains +1/+1 counters. When damaged, counters are removed instead.

KEEPS

The strategic collectible card game