Round 3 - The Reckoning

The first player will be the one with the most stars in the Bank; in case of a tie, the first player will be randomly selected from among those tied. Subsequent players then take their turn in a clockwise direction.

Setup Phase

At the start of Round 3, all cards currently in the Open Pool are moved to the Rugged Zone.

• This transfer is fully public and should be represented by a clear public-seat animation, showing all cards moving from the Open Pool to the Rugged Zone.

• After this step, the Open Pool starts empty for Round 3.

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Purpose: Enable final reads and last disruptive plays before Lock-in. Earlier players gain more control over shaping their own hands, while later players gain increased influence over Open Pool decisions, which apply only within this round.

Each player has up to 90 seconds to choose one of the following actions:

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A) Discard & Buy (2 Cards)

This action follows the same mechanics as in Rounds 1 and 2, with an expanded capacity:

• Discard up to 2 hero cards from your hand to the Open Pool.

  • All discarded cards are placed face up and are publicly visible.

• After discarding, acquire exactly 2 hero cards, choosing one of the following options:

  • Draw 2 random hero cards from the Hidden Pool, or

  • Select 2 hero cards from the Open Pool.

• Both acquired cards must come from the same pool (no mixing).

• All acquired cards are placed face up and are publicly visible.

• Discarded heroes add their full star value to your Star Bank.

This option allows for powerful late-stage hand shaping while creating significant public information.

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B) Use Your Joker (If Unused)

• If your Joker has not yet been used, you may activate exactly one Joker effect.

• Resolve the chosen joker action immediately.

Refer to the Joker section for details on available effects.

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C) Pass

• Take no action.

• Your hand and star bank remain unchanged.

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End of Round Resolution

At the end of Round 3, all cards added to the Open Pool during this round are moved to the Rugged Zone.

• This transfer is public and face up.

• Round 4 (Lock-in) begins with an empty Open Pool.

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Strategic Note

Round 3 is the final opportunity to:

• Reshape your hand using the Open Pool,

• Increase player's bank stars,

• Apply disruption through Joker effects,

• Or preserve high-star heroes ahead of Lock-in while managing public information exposure.

For details on final hand resolution, see Round 4 - Lock-in.