MORANA › How to Play › Sample Game
WATCH A DUEL

A Full Duel, Annotated

Rules make more sense once you see them move. Here is a complete game of MORANA, played from the first turn to the last, with the key decision drawn out at every step. The cards are described by their role rather than by name, so the lesson is the play, not the list.

If you have not met the rules yet, read How to Play or the Rules Reference first. The short version: you both secretly place cards at three Sites, flip together, and score +1 Slava for every Site where you have strictly more Power. First to 13, or the most by the end of Turn 8, wins. You gain Embers equal to the turn number, and a defeated Spirit crosses to Nav to be Reborn later.

We will call the players You and Rival, across three Sites: Left, Centre and Right.

Turn 11 Ember eachYou 1 · Rival 1

With one Ember apiece, you each afford one cheap Spirit. You commit a Power 2 Spirit to Left; Rival commits one to Centre. At Dusk, Left resolves 2 to 0 in your favour and Centre 2 to 0 in theirs. Right sits empty and scores no one.

Lesson: on a low turn you cannot cover every Site. Take one cleanly rather than spread thin and win nothing.
Turn 22 Embers eachYou 3 · Rival 2

You spend both Embers to reinforce Left and contest Centre at once. Rival commits a single stronger Spirit to Right. You out-power Left and Centre; Rival takes Right. You score two Sites to their one.

Lesson: the Ember curve rewards playing to the turn. Two Embers bought you two contested Sites while Rival banked everything into one.
Turn 33 Embers eachYou 4 · Rival 4

Rival answers hard. They reveal a Spirit with Clash 2 at Left and send your Power 2 Spirit to your Nav before Power is even compared, then take Left and Right. You hold only Centre. The score is level again, 4 to 4.

Lesson: Clash removes before scoring. A well-timed Clash does not just win a Site, it strips the body you were counting on.
Turn 44 Embers eachYou 6 · Rival 5

Here is the Turning. The Spirit that fell last turn is sitting face-up in your Nav, and its Reborn effect is stronger than its first life. You Reborn it to Right for a bigger body, and commit a fresh Spirit to Left. You reclaim two Sites; Rival holds Centre. You edge ahead, 6 to 5.

Lesson: death was a setup. Losing that Spirit on Turn 3 let you bring it back bigger on Turn 4. Nothing dies in MORANA, it waits.
Turn 55 Embers eachYou 6 · Rival 7

Rival fires their Warden Invocation, the once-per-game power that has been waiting all match. Paid during Commit, it swings two Sites their way in a single stroke. They take Centre and Right; you are shut out at Left. Rival edges ahead, 7 to 6.

Lesson: the Invocation is a held threat. Rival waited until it flipped two Sites at once instead of spending it early for less.
Turn 66 Embers eachYou 8 · Rival 8

Now being behind pays off. With less Slava, you resolve first at every Site. You lead with your own Clash to clear Rival's key Spirit at Centre before they can act, then out-power Left. You take Left and Centre, Rival holds Right, and the score is level again, 8 to 8.

Lesson: the comeback lever. Trailing hands you first resolution, so falling behind is never the end. It is your turn to act first.
Turn 77 Embers eachYou 9 · Rival 9

Both of you go wide. You commit face-down and bluff at Centre to bait a defence that never needed to come, then use Step to slide a Spirit to the undefended Right after the reveal, taking it. Rival answers by winning Left, and Centre resolves to an equal-Power tie that scores no one. Still dead level, 9 to 9, with one turn left.

Lesson: the only hidden move is the face-down Commit. A bluff and a Step after the flip can win a Site your opponent thought was safe. A Power tie, remember, scores nobody.
Turn 88 Embers eachYou 11 · Rival 10

The last turn, level at 9, eight Embers each, everything on the table. You out-power Left and Centre; Rival takes Right. You score two Sites to their one and finish on 11 Slava to 10. Neither of us reached 13, so the game ends here at the close of Turn 8 and the most Slava wins. It is yours by a single Site.

Lesson: a game is a race to 13 or the most by the end of Turn 8. Had we finished level, the tiebreak would have been most Sites controlled, then most total Power on the board.

What that game showed

In eight turns you saw nearly the whole engine: the Ember curve deciding how wide to play, a Clash stripping a body before scoring, the Turning turning a loss into a bigger threat, a held Warden Invocation swinging two Sites, the trailing player's first-resolve comeback lever, a bluff plus Step stealing a Site after the flip, a Power tie scoring no one, and a game decided on the most Slava at the close of Turn 8. No draw luck decided any of it. Every swing came from a decision.

This is why MORANA calls itself a game of skill. Both players had the same Embers on the same turns and complete information about each other's Nav. The winner was simply the one who read the hidden move better.

Frequently asked

How long does a game take?
Until a player reaches 13 Slava or the end of Turn 8, whichever comes first. A duel is tight and contained, and most games are decided in the final turns.
How do you come back when behind?
Being behind is an advantage. The player with less Slava resolves first at each Site, so you can Clash a threat or seize a Site before your opponent acts.
Why let your own Spirit die?
A defeated Spirit crosses to Nav face-up and can be Reborn for a stronger second effect, so a loss is often a setup for a bigger play next turn.
Play the First Duel Strategy guide Rules reference

More MORANA guides

All GuidesHow to PlayRules ReferenceQuickstartGlossaryStrategyDeckbuildingNo Blind PacksSkill vs LuckFor Two PlayersThe GrimoirePlay Free

This example uses generic Spirits to teach the flow of play. Exact card names, costs and Power values are printed on the cards; see the Grimoire. Rules summarized from the official Rules Reference for the First Turning set; details may change before the campaign.