Stars are a second currency
Stars sit beside Energy. Regent cards can cost Stars instead of Energy, and every card that does costs 0 Energy.
Sixteen cards generate Stars and 21 spend them. That split is the whole engine: the generators are the cheap plays, and the spenders are what they pay for.
The 21 cards that cost Stars
Each of these costs 0 Energy, so a turn with Stars in hand has more plays in it than the energy bar suggests.
| Card | Cost | Effect | Upgraded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alignment | 3 Stars | Gain 2 Energy. | Gain 3 Energy. |
| Astral Pulse | 3 Stars | Deal 6 damage to ALL enemies twice. | Deal 8 damage to ALL enemies twice. |
| Cloak of Stars | 1 Stars | Gain 7 Block. | Gain 10 Block. |
| Comet | 5 Stars | Deal 33 damage.; Apply 3 Weak.; Apply 3 Vulnerable. | Deal 44 damage.; Apply 3 Weak.; Apply 3 Vulnerable. |
| Crescent Spear | 1 Stars | Deal 8 damage.; Deals 2 additional damage for ALL your cards that have a 1 Stars cost. | Deal 8 damage.; Deals 3 additional damage for ALL your cards that have a 1 Stars cost. |
| Decisions, Decisions | 6 Stars | Draw 3 cards.; Choose a Skill in your Hand and play it 3 times. | Draw 5 cards.; Choose a Skill in your Hand and play it 3 times. |
| Devastate | 4 Stars | Deal 30 damage. | Deal 40 damage. |
| Dying Star | 3 Stars | Deal 9 damage to ALL enemies. ALL enemies lose 9 Strength this turn. | Deal 11 damage to ALL enemies. ALL enemies lose 11 Strength this turn. |
| Falling Star | 2 Stars | Deal 8 damage.; Apply 1 Weak.; Apply 1 Vulnerable. | Deal 12 damage.; Apply 1 Weak.; Apply 1 Vulnerable. |
| Gamma Blast | 3 Stars | Deal 13 damage.; Apply 2 Weak.; Apply 2 Vulnerable. | Deal 18 damage.; Apply 2 Weak.; Apply 2 Vulnerable. |
| Guiding Star | 2 Stars | Deal 12 damage.; Draw 2 cards. | Deal 13 damage.; Draw 3 cards. |
| Meteor Shower | 2 Stars | Deal 14 damage to ALL enemies.; Apply 2 Weak and Vulnerable to ALL enemies. | Deal 21 damage to ALL enemies.; Apply 2 Weak and Vulnerable to ALL enemies. |
| Neutron Aegis | 5 Stars | Gain 8 Plating. | Gain 11 Plating. |
| Particle Wall | 2 Stars | Gain 9 Block.; Return this card to your Hand. | Gain 12 Block.; Return this card to your Hand. |
| Quasar | 2 Stars | Choose 1 of 3 random Colorless cards to add into your Hand. | Choose 1 of 3 random Upgraded Colorless cards to add into your Hand. |
| Reflect | 3 Stars | Gain 15 Block.; Blocked attack damage is reflected to your attacker this turn. | Gain 20 Block.; Blocked attack damage is reflected to your attacker this turn. |
| Resonance | 3 Stars | Gain 1 Strength. ALL enemies lose 1 Strength. | Gain 2 Strength. ALL enemies lose 1 Strength. |
| Royal Gamble | 5 Stars | Gain 9 1 Stars. | - |
| Seven Stars | 7 Stars | Deal 7 damage to ALL enemies 7 times. | - |
| The Sealed Throne | 3 Stars | Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Stars. | - |
| The Smith | 4 Stars | Forge 30. | Forge 40. |
The cards that generate Stars
These 16 are where the resource comes from. Genesis and Gather Light are the reliable ones, because they produce Stars without a condition.
| Card | Cost | Effect | Upgraded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bang | 0 Energy | Draw 1 card.; Gain 1 Energy.; Gain 1 Stars.; Forge 5. | - |
| Black Hole | 1 Energy | Whenever you spend or gain 1 Stars, deal 3 damage to ALL enemies. | Whenever you spend or gain 1 Stars, deal 4 damage to ALL enemies. |
| Child of the Stars | 1 Energy | Whenever you spend 1 Stars, gain 2 Block for each 1 Stars spent. | Whenever you spend 1 Stars, gain 3 Block for each 1 Stars spent. |
| Convergence | 1 Energy | Next turn,; gain 1 Energy and 1 Stars.; Retain your Hand this turn. | Next turn,; gain 1 Energy and 2 Stars.; Retain your Hand this turn. |
| Crescent Spear | 1 Stars | Deal 8 damage.; Deals 2 additional damage for ALL your cards that have a 1 Stars cost. | Deal 8 damage.; Deals 3 additional damage for ALL your cards that have a 1 Stars cost. |
| Gather Light | 1 Energy | Gain 8 Block.; Gain 1 Stars. | Gain 11 Block.; Gain 1 Stars. |
| Genesis | 2 Energy | At the start of your turn, gain 2 Stars. | At the start of your turn, gain 3 Stars. |
| Glow | 1 Energy | Gain 1 Stars.; Draw 1 card.; Next turn, draw 1 card. | Gain 2 Stars.; Draw 1 card.; Next turn, draw 1 card. |
| Hidden Cache | 1 Energy | Gain 1 Stars.; Next turn, gain 3 Stars. | Gain 1 Stars.; Next turn, gain 4 Stars. |
| Knockout Blow | 3 Energy | Deal 30 damage.; If this kills an enemy, gain 5 Stars. | Deal 38 damage.; If this kills an enemy, gain 5 Stars. |
| Radiate | 0 Energy | Deal 3 damage to ALL enemies for each 1 Stars gained this turn. | Deal 4 damage to ALL enemies for each 1 Stars gained this turn. |
| Royal Gamble | 5 Stars | Gain 9 1 Stars. | - |
| Shining Strike | 1 Energy | Deal 8 damage.; Gain 2 Stars.; Put this card on top of your Draw Pile. | Deal 11 damage.; Gain 2 Stars.; Put this card on top of your Draw Pile. |
| Solar Strike | 1 Energy | Deal 9 damage.; Gain 1 Stars. | Deal 10 damage.; Gain 2 Stars. |
| The Sealed Throne | 3 Stars | Whenever you play a card, gain 1 Stars. | - |
| Venerate | 1 Energy | Gain 2 Stars. | Gain 3 Stars. |
Forge
Forge is a separate track. Instead of paying for a single card, it permanently raises the damage of your Sovereign Blade for the rest of the combat.
“Forge 5” means the Blade gains 5 damage. Furnace does that every turn, so over a long fight it outgrows every one-shot card in the deck.
The 12 Forge cards
| Card | Cost | Effect | Upgraded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beat into Shape | 1 Energy | Deal 5 damage.; Forge X.; Forges an additional 5 for every other time you’ve hit the enemy this turn. | Deal 7 damage.; Forge X.; Forges an additional 7 for every other time you’ve hit the enemy this turn. |
| Big Bang | 0 Energy | Draw 1 card.; Gain 1 Energy.; Gain 1 Stars.; Forge 5. | - |
| Bulwark | 2 Energy | Gain 12 Block.; Forge 10. | Gain 15 Block.; Forge 13. |
| Conqueror | 1 Energy | Forge 3.; Sovereign Blade deals double damage to the enemy this turn. | Forge 5.; Sovereign Blade deals double damage to the enemy this turn. |
| Furnace | 1 Energy | At the start of your turn, Forge 5. | At the start of your turn, Forge 7. |
| Hammer Time | 2 Energy | Whenever you Forge, all allies Forge as well. | - |
| Refine Blade | 1 Energy | Forge 9.; Next turn, gain 1 Energy. | Forge 13.; Next turn, gain 1 Energy. |
| Seeking Edge | 1 Energy | Forge 7.; Sovereign Blade now deals damage to ALL enemies. | Forge 11.; Sovereign Blade now deals damage to ALL enemies. |
| Spoils of Battle | 1 Energy | Forge 5.; Draw 2 cards. | Forge 8.; Draw 2 cards. |
| Summon Forth | 1 Energy | Put Sovereign Blade into your Hand from anywhere.; Forge 8. | Put Sovereign Blade into your Hand from anywhere.; Forge 11. |
| The Smith | 4 Stars | Forge 30. | Forge 40. |
| Wrought in War | 1 Energy | Deal 7 damage.; Forge 7. | Deal 9 damage.; Forge 9. |
The Sovereign Blade
The Blade is a token Attack that starts at 2 Energy for 10 damage. Forge is what makes it worth playing.
Five cards change how it behaves rather than how hard it hits. The table lists the Blade itself first, then the five.
| Card | Cost | Effect | Upgraded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conqueror | 1 Energy | Forge 3.; Sovereign Blade deals double damage to the enemy this turn. | Forge 5.; Sovereign Blade deals double damage to the enemy this turn. |
| Parry | 1 Energy | Sovereign Blade now gains 10 Block. | Sovereign Blade now gains 14 Block. |
| Seeking Edge | 1 Energy | Forge 7.; Sovereign Blade now deals damage to ALL enemies. | Forge 11.; Sovereign Blade now deals damage to ALL enemies. |
| Sovereign Blade | 2 Energy | Deal 10 damage. | - |
| Summon Forth | 1 Energy | Put Sovereign Blade into your Hand from anywhere.; Forge 8. | Put Sovereign Blade into your Hand from anywhere.; Forge 11. |
| Sword Sage | 2 Energy | Sovereign Blade gains Replay 1. | - |
How the loop fits together
Early turns go to Stars and Forge. The Blade arrives once and then keeps growing, so the payoff scales with the length of the fight.
Spending Stars aggressively is the usual mistake. They are the fuel for the expensive cards, and a turn that empties the pool early leaves nothing for the Blade.
Where to go next
Regent guide covers the rest of his pool. Cards database lists every card with its cost and upgrade.