MORANA Glossary

Every term and keyword in MORANA, defined plainly. Bookmark it, or jump to the word you need. For the rules in full, see How to Play.

Winning and resources

Slava

Victory points, the goal of the game. Reach 13 Slava, or hold the most when Turn 8 ends, to win. You score Slava by controlling Sites. If both players cross 13 on the same turn, the less-Slava player's effects resolve first, so comebacks are real.

Embers

Your resource each turn. On turn N you have exactly N Embers, and unspent Embers do not carry over. This fixed curve is why MORANA has no mana screw and no runaway snowball. See the Ember curve in deckbuilding.

Site

One of the three contested locations on the board. You score a Site only by committing strictly more Power there than your opponent; a tie scores nobody. Sites resolve left to right, which matters for Clash and Step timing.

The core mechanic

The Turning

MORANA's signature mechanic and its namesake. When a Spirit is defeated it does not leave the game; it crosses to Nav face-up, where it can be Reborn for a second, often stronger, effect. Death is a doorway, not an end. Explored in the folklore.

The three worlds

Yav

The living world: the board where Spirits are played and Sites are fought over.

Nav

The world of the dead: the face-up zone where defeated Spirits wait to return. Both players' Nav zones are public, so you can always count what your opponent could Reborn next turn.

Prav

The world of law and fate in the game's cosmology of three worlds, the order that governs the duel.

Your leader

Warden

Your deck's face-up leader, chosen before the game and present all game. It carries a passive Vigil ability and one Invocation. Because it is public and permanent, the Warden is your single most important deckbuilding choice.

Reborn

Returning a defeated Spirit from Nav to the board for its second effect. At most two Spirits per turn, minimum cost one. The Reborn loop is the engine of the value archetype.

Invocation

A Warden's once-per-game special ability, usually a decisive swing. Hold it for the turn it flips two Sites or secures the win, not the first turn you can afford it.

The six keywords

Omen

An ability that triggers when the card enters play. An immediate effect on arrival.

Vigil

A passive ability that stays active while the card is in play, compounding turn after turn. Land Vigil effects early.

Clash X

Removal: defeat an enemy Spirit of Power X or less, sending it to the opponent's Nav. Time it when they cannot afford to Reborn what you send them.

Ward

Protection: the Spirit cannot be defeated or moved by enemy effects. Perfect for parking a threat on a contested Site.

Step

Movement: the Spirit may move between Sites after the reveal, enabling bluffs and last-moment repositioning.

Rooted

Anchor: the Spirit cannot be moved from its Site, the backbone of a Site-control wall.

Definitions summarize the official MORANA Rules Reference (First Turning set). Exact card wording is printed on the cards; see the Grimoire. Details may change before the campaign.