Overview
Keywords are words that carry with them special meaning. This means they’ll have their own rules inherent to all cards that share the keyword. This guide is heavily based on from the HXE guide on keywords with a few personal additions. The original text cann be found here: HEX Shards of Fate website.[www.hextcg.com]
Keywords
Characteristic Allegiance is a keyword power that cards can have. It means: The following power is active while you have another troop of the named characteristic in your hand or in play. Example: Sacred Seekers[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Crush is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: If this troop would deal more than fatal combat damage to all troops blocking it, it deals exactly fatal damage to those troops, and the rest to those troop’s controller instead. Example: Feral Ogre[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Defensive is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: This can’t attack. Example: Worker Bot[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Death Sentence is a keyword power that cards can have. Death sentence doesn’t do anything on its own, it’s a modifier that specific cards can interact with. Example: Reaper Bot[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Flight is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: This can only be blocked by other troops with Flight. Example: Uruunaz[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Invincible is a keyword power that artifacts, constants, and troops can have. It means: This can’t be damaged or destroyed. Example: Blessing of Unicorns[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Lethal is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: Any damage that this troop would deal to another troop is considered fatal damage. Example: Killblade of the Milky Eye[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Lifedrain is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: Damage dealt by this troop also causes you to gain that much health. Example: Paladin of the Necropolis[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Rage X is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: When this attacks, it gets +X ATK. Example: Mazat Spearman[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Shift is a keyword that power that cards can have. It means: BASIC 1-SHOT → This loses the following power and target troop you control gets this power. Example: Chimera Guard Fallen[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Skyguard is a keyword that troops can have. It means: This can block troops with Flight. Example: Sterling Starwatcher[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Speed is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: This can attack and use powers on the same turn it enters play. Example: Baby Yeti[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Spellshield is a keyword power that artifacts, constants, and troops can have. It means: This can’t be targeted by opposing cards and effects. Example: Snarlbrute[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Steadfast is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: This does not exhaust when it attacks. Example: Ambling Bluff[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Swiftstrike is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: This deals combat damage before non-Swiftstrike troops. Example: Quick Strider[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Toxified is a modified state that champions can be in: Toxified champions act no differently than normal champions. Toxified doesn’t do anything on its own, it’s a modifier that specific cards can interact with. Example: The Killipede[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Tunneling is a keyword power that troops can have. It means: You can put this underground by paying its tunneling cost at basic speed. An underground card remains hidden from your opponent until it surfaces. An underground card cannot be affected by cards or powers that effect cards in play. At the start of your turn, each of your underground cards with Tunneling gets a tunneling counter. An underground card surfaces when the number of tunneling counters on it is greater than or equal to its Tunneling number. When a card surfaces, it gets Speed until end of turn, and is played for free immediately. Example: Reese the Crustcrawler[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Unblockable is a keyword that troops can have. It means: This troop can’t be blocked. Example: Spiderling[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Tag Keywords
Tag Keywords are keywords that don’t hold meaning on their own. These are special words that are bolded still so that they can be referenced back to. Tag Keywords are always spelled out how they work on a card by card basis, but the jest of them can be seen by their definition below. Tag keywords are distinguishable from normal keywords by a hyphen used directly after the keyword.
Escalation is a tag keyword that cards can have. It means: Put this into your deck, then add X to the bold number of all your in all zones. Example: Ragefire[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Inspire is a tag keyword that cards can have. It means: When another troop with cost greater than or equal to this troop’s cost enters play under your control, it gets the following power. Example: Jags the Blademaster[cards.hex.gameforge.com], Protectorate Clergyman[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Prophecy is a tag keyword that can be found on any card. It means: The top card of the specified type gets the following power. Example: Lanupaw, Prophet of Fate[cards.hex.gameforge.com], Earthcaller[cards.hex.gameforge.com]
Keyword Combinations
By reading the previous sections of this guide you might think that cards can only have 1 keyword, but you’d be wrong!
Cards can have more than one keyword, whether by native design or by the player playing actions or using abilities.
Native Combinations:
For example, the Angel of Dawn[cards.hex.gameforge.com] uses both Flight and Steadfast, so it has both of it’s powers.
Or, some cards such as the Living Totem[cards.hex.gameforge.com] allows you to pay resources in order to gain the keywords.
Via Abilities:
Players can use Inspire, Prophecy and Shift to grant other cards specific keywords.
Through Inspire, if a player may have a Ruby Enchantress[cards.hex.gameforge.com] and Lord Alexander, the Courageous[cards.hex.gameforge.com]. By the laws of Inspire, if the player were play a troop that cost 3 or more, for example a War Bot[cards.hex.gameforge.com] that card would end up gaining Speed and Switftstrike.
Through Prophecy, a player should just play two cards in succession that grants keyword powers, for example Thunderfield Enchanter[cards.hex.gameforge.com] and Redfur Ranger[cards.hex.gameforge.com] the next troop in the players deck would have both Spellshield and Crush.
Through Shift, a player simply shifts powers from the source card to a target card. However, once you’ve shifted the power 2 things happen. Firstly, the source card will lose the power/keyword ability and secondly the target card (that gains the power/keyword) will not be able to shift that to anyone else.
Hint: If you have a way to revert your source card, then you can shift its power again!
Special Combinations
Lethal + Crush.
If you manage to get a troop with Lethal and Crush, damage works slightly differently when your opponent blocks it. When being blocked, the defending troop will take only 1 damage then die (due to the Lethal keyword), and the remaining damage will go directly to the champion (due to the Crush keyword).
This is unlike normal Crush behaviour where on its own the defending troop absorbs as much damage as its defence value and anything exceeding it is sent to the champion.
Lethal + Swiftstrike
When being blocked by more than one troop, each of them will take 1 damage then die (due to the Lethal keyword). If the attacking lethal troop has an attack value equal or greater than the number of defending troops they will all die. If not only a number of defending troops equal to the lethal troop attack value will die.