I've created (and will be maintaining) this geeklist to help players better understand the various cards and rules of Nightfall. I will attempt to keep this list up to date with the answers provided in the forums. Feel free to comment with questions etc on the list as a whole or on individual cards and I will get back with you asap.
I'll be keeping the more general points contained at the top of the first page of the list and individual cards in alphabetical order. The card images link to image galleries for easy viewing and the game titles link to the set that the cards are included in.
Thanks to Bobby Warren for pointing out the BGG XML API and Oliver Graf for inspiring me to improve my script, including a daily cache to take some of the load off of BGG. This FAQ is now viewable in 4 other views:
There is now also a format designed for use on portable devices such as cell phones etc that is being maintained by Oliver Graf: Portable Nightfall FAQ
Also note that each of these URL's can be used via Google Translate for a rough translation should English not be your preferred language.
For determining a first player, I recommend either flipping over wounds until someone gets a Bleed, rolling a die or a friendly game of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock.
Some Basic Terms
All cards are "cards". There are 2 types of cards: orders and wounds. There are 2 types of orders: actions (Blood Rage) and minions (Alton Hickman). Cards that are exiled are removed from the game. Discarding a card means to move it from your hand to your discard pile.
Cards with the Feed keyword are able to have their text repeated by paying a cost. The first resoluton of the card is both free and mandatory. Any further resolutions are optional. Example:
"Chain: Target order in the chain does not resolve its chain text. Feed: Discard 2 cards." - Bait and Switch
Here you will always have to target a single order and negate its chain text. You may then optionally discard 2 cards as many times as you like. For each time you discard 2 cards you also repeat the effect.
Some have requested a sort of Change Log for this geeklist. Instead of having all that info cluttering up the actual geeklist, I've opted to use the forums instead. Subscribe to the Official FAQ Subscription Thread to be alerted whenever something has changed about the FAQ. Feel free to discuss these changes in the Official FAQ Discussion Thread.
Latest Change Log Entry: 5/16/2012 Clarified the timing of combat text.
Each minion you currently control must attack an opponent, even if that means that a minion may be attacking its original owner.
You may only select defending minions from those you currently control.
If you are attacked, you may opt to not block with your minions, however, if you have a "Bad Smoke" or Vulko in play, you must use their ability to block damage when possible.
Defending minions do not damage attackers and so attacking minions cannot be destroyed from combat.
When attacking and defending with multiple minions, the attacker chooses the order in which each of his minions attack when they are first assigned to attack a player. The defending player then assigns blockers and the order in which they block each individual attacker. The timing of attack/defense can matter with cards such as Ahmad Hassan in play.
Text prefixed with "Combat" or "Your Combat" can be activated by discarding the card. Some cards specify that they must be discarded during the beginning of the phase. Should multiple players wish to activate Combat text at the same time, players take turns resolving 1 effect starting with the active player and moving around the table clockwise (passing once does not prevent you from playing later).
Combat text must be activated between steps of the phase:
- Before declaring attackers
- After declaring attackers, but before declaring defenders
- After declaring defenders, but before applying combat damage
- After applying combat damage
You cannot complete part of a step (apply half of the combat damage), stop to use combat text (restore health) and then finish the step (allowing a low health minion to live).
If the active player does not begin a chain, no one may play any orders.
Players link to the most recently played order, regardless as to who it may belong to and kickers are activated so long as the previous order is the indicated color, regardless as to who owns the previous order.
You may link orders with "Your Chain" effects, but you will only resolve them if they are played on your turn. "Your Chain" effects that are played on another player's turn do not benefit the active player (they aren't resolved at all).
All targets are chosen as the card resolves, not when the cards are first added to the chain. Note that cards such as Flank Attack cannot target themselves.
Effects that damage a player such as Death Grip cannot be blocked by minions unless they have specific text to do so such as "Bad Smoke" and Vulko.
Cards that receive their kickers should generally be resolved in a top-down manner with the main effect taking place first. There are however, some cards such as Death Grip which modify or otherwise change the card's chain text. Therefore it is important to read the entire card before resolving any of it to ensure that the overall card text is followed.
Resolved actions are placed in their owner's discard piles. Resolved minions are placed into play in front of their owner.
The active player may discard as many cards (including wounds) from their hand as they like to gain 1 influence per card discarded.
The active player may claim as many orders as they like, so long as they have enough influence to claim them all. You may also claim multiple copies of the same order in a single turn if you like.
You do not have to spend all of the influence generated. Any unspent influence is lost.
Players may not count the number of remaining orders in an archive.
Any card effect using the "claim" keyword also carries the rules that you may only purchase from your own private archives as well as those in the commons, regardless as to any cost or timing adjustments that the effect may make. Such effects do combo with others that would allow for purchasing from opposing archives as expected.
If you have less then 5 cards in your hand, you must draw cards until you have 5 cards if possible. If your entire deck contains less then 5 cards, draw what you can, shuffle your discard pile into a new deck and finish drawing. Do not shuffle your discard pile unless you need to draw and can not.
After you've drawn your cards, you may activate 1 wound effect.
In Play: When a friendly minion is destroyed, inflict 1 damage on target player.
Kicker: All of your cards in the chain resolve their kickers.
The kicker causes your remaining cards in the chain to receive their kickers as they resolve even if they were not linked to their kicker color. Do not resolve the kickers immediately, resolve them as their cards resolve. Receiving the kicker on 2 Ahmad Hassan's does not cause your other kickers to resolve twice. The kicker does not let you go back and resolve kickers from cards that have already resolved prior to Ahmad Hassan.
Effect Stacking: In Play text does not stack ( sets a value ).
Kicker: Place target card from your discard pile on top of your deck.
Cards such as "Bad Smoke" and Vulko cannot be assigned to block Alton during combat, however, they can (and must) still block the damage that would be assigned to the player from Alton Hickman's attack.
In Play: This card blocks damage inflicted on you.
In Play: This card stays in play until destroyed. Exile when destroyed.
"Bad Smoke" must be used to block damage that would be dealt to the player. "Bad Smoke" must be used to block the damage that Alton Hickman would inflict on a player via combat. "Bad Smoke" cannot block effects that cause a player to receive wounds such as Death Grip's kicker.
Damage must only be blocked once, so if you have multiple "Bad Smoke"'s in play only one of them need block (assuming it has enough remaining health to block it all).
Using multiple "Bad Smoke"'s to block damage works the same as in combat: you must use a single "Bad Smoke" until all of the damage has been blocked or "Bad Smoke" has been destroyed, at which time another "Bad Smoke" could continue on with the blocking.
"Bad Smoke" can be returned to the top of a player's deck via Ivan Radinsky.
"Bad Smoke" does attack each turn even though he normally inflicts 0 damage. Mixing cards from Martial Law such as the ML Wound or Koi Jiang does allow "Bad Smoke" to inflict damage.
Chain: Target order in the chain does not resolve it's chain text. Feed: Discard 2 cards.
Kicker: Shuffle 1 card from each private archive into a new common archive.
The first resolution of the chain text is both free and mandatory. The effect may optionally be repeated as many times as the player wishes by discarding 2 cards each time. Cards effected by this text remain in the chain, can still resolve their kickers and if a minion they still come into play.
When shuffling the new archive, shuffle the cards face down to prevent stacking the archive. Cards in the archive must be claimed in order, the players may not look through nor rearrange the archive.
Combat: Place this card from your hand into play with 1 health.
Chain: Draw 1 card.
Kicker: Target player discards 1 card.
Yes, you can place this guy into play any time during the combat phase, but keep in mind: a minion placed after declaring attackers will not attack and a minion placed after declaring defenders cannot defend.
Chain: Exile target wound from your discard pile. Place this card into play with 2 health.
Kicker: Place this card into play with 4 health.
When Blaine Cordell is resolved as part of a chain, choose a wound from your discard pile and remove it from the game. If you do not have any wounds in your discard pile, you still resolve the remainder of the card normally.
Due to Blaine Cordell's chain text, he will normally come into play with only 2 health. To put him into play with 4 health you need to activate his kicker or use a card effect to bring him into play such as Dark Awakening.
Chain: Place target minion from your discard pile into play. Feed: Discard 1 card.
Kicker: Exile all minions destroyed by the previous order in the chain.
You must choose a minion and put it into play if possible, otherwise nothing happens. You may repeat this effect as many times as you like by discarding 1 card. You may discard a minion to pay the Feed cost and immediately target that minion with the chain text.
The previous order in the chain would be the red or blue order linked to Bleak Resurrection. Be careful to not exile your own minions!
Blood Rage's chain text only damages players that are not friendly to you. In a normal game this will be every player aside from yourself. If you are playing a team game variant, this will not damage your teammates. This damage can be blocked by "Bad Smoke" and Vulko.
Blood Rage's kicker must target a minion if there is a minion in play, even if that means targeting one of your own minions. Any excess damage is lost, it does not carry over to the player.
In Play: Draw 1 card at the end of your Cleanup Phase. This card stays in play until destroyed.
Kicker: Place target minion into its owner's hand.
During your Cleanup Phase, first draw until you have 5 cards. If you wish to resolve a wound effect, do so. Then draw the additional card. Do not discard this card after combat. This card can be affected by effects such as Ivan Radinsky.
The "this card" bit in the In Play text is referring to "Brynna & Taylor", not the card that was just drawn.
Minions targeted by the kicker return to the player who owns the card, not necessarily the player who currently has control over the card.
Effect Stacking: The In Play text does not stack (sets a value).
In Play: When this minion attacks, target minion must block this minion.
Kicker: Claim 1 minion from target archive at no cost.
The kicker allows the player to make the claim immediately. If the archive targeted does not have a minion on top, no orders are claimed. You may target any archive (even opposing) with this effect, however you must still follow the rules for claiming cards (only your own private archives and the commons, unless you've used another effect to enable opposing archives) which means you could intentionally target an opposing archive to avoid claiming a minion should you so wish.
Charlotte Reyes is not exiled when you discard her for influence as she was never in play. Effects that return her to your hand or deck do not exile her as she was not destroyed or discarded.
Chain: Place target minion from your discard pile into play.
Kicker: Resolve that minion's chain text.
You must select a minion from your discard pile and put it into play if possible. This would allow you to place Blaine Cordell into play with 4 health.
Dark Awakening's kicker does not allow you resolve the minion's kicker text. "Your Chain" text is also considered Chain text, however, you may only resolve it if you played Dark Awakening on your turn.
Enraged Wight is not exiled when you discard him for influence as he was never in play. Effects that return him to your hand or deck do not exile him as he was not destroyed or discarded.
Chain: Target order in the chain does not resolve. Place it in your discard pile instead. Exile this card.
Kicker: Reverse the direction in which you resolve the remainder of the chain.
The chain text does indeed allow you to permanently steal a card in the chain.
The first time the kicker is resolved in a chain, discard Exit Strategy normally and then move to the very first card played in the chain and begin resolving them in reverse order. Make sure to check if the next card should receive its kicker before removing the current card, since they will no longer be in the chain to refer to. Should a 2nd Exit Strategy receive its kicker, move back to the end of the chain and resume resolving it normally.
Chain: Target order in the chain does not resolve (place it in the discard pile instead).
Kicker: Claim target order at no cost.
You must select an order in the chain (aka has not yet been resolved) if able, even if it means having to target one of your own orders. Note that Flank Attack cannot target itself. The targeted order is not discard until when it would normally be resolved. This does not prevent other orders that were linked to the targeted order from receiving their kickers. The targeted order is placed in its owner's discard pile.
Flank Attack's kicker allows you to immediately claim an order, even on another player's turn, without paying its cost. When the kicker resolves you must select an archive and claim 1 order from it. This does not allow you to claim an order from other player's private archives (unless you resolve some other effect prior to this that would enable it).
In Play: Minions blocked by this card lose 2 strength.
Kicker: Target player receives 1 wound. Place this card into that player's discard pile.
The strength loss occurs prior to assigning damage, so a minion with 3 or more strength would be needed to actually inflict any damage on Flayed Ghoul's health. A minion's strength cannot go below zero, though multiple Flayed Ghoul's can both block a single minion to decrease its strength by 2 per Flayed Ghoul.
The kicker does indeed give permanent ownership of Flayed Ghoul to the targeted player.
Effect Stacking: The In Play text does stack (modify).
Chain: Exile target order from your discard pile. Inflict damage on target player equal to its cost.
Kicker: Inflict damage on target minion equal to that order's cost.
If you resolve Forlorn Hope, you must select an order to be exiled if possible. Wounds are not orders. If you select a starting minion, no damage is dealt. If you are unable to select an order, no damage is dealt.
The kicker deals the same amount of damage as the chain text, just to a minion instead of a player.
You must target a minion so long as there is one in play, even if that forces you to target an opposing minion. If there are no legal targets, discard this card. This card will always return to your own discard pile when it leaves play, even if it was attached to an opposing minion.
This action stays in play attached to its minion until that minion leaves play. When its minion leaves play, regardless as to where the minion goes, this action is always placed in your discard pile.
You must select a card from your discard pile if able. You can select literally any card, even a wound.
"Genesis One" is not exiled when you discard him for influence as he was never in play. Effects that return him to your hand or deck do not exile him as he was not destroyed or discarded.
Chain: Place target order from your discard pile into your hand.
Kicker: Resolve that order's chain text.
You must select an order (non-wound) from your discard pile and place it in your hand, if possible.
The kicker references the card you returned to your hand. You do not resolve kicker text. "Your Chain" text is considered Chain text, however, you may only resolve it if you played Ghoul Summoning on your turn. The card is still placed into your hand after resolving it. Ghoul Summoning will cause Blaine Cordell to be put into play with 2 health.
Kicker: Actions you discard are worth 2 influence.
This card can be affected by effects such as Ivan Radinsky's.
The kicker effect does not allow you to gain influence outside of your own Claim Phase. It simply causes actions that you discard for influence to generate 2 influence instead of 1.
In Play: Whenever a player places a minion into play, he may discard 1 card. If he does not or cannot, he receives 1 damage.
Kicker: If you have fewer than 3 cards in your hand, draw until you have 3.
The in-play does affect the player owning "Harley Doberman". "Harley Doberman" does not count himself for his in-play text. Note that the damage from this effect can be stopped by minions such as "Bad Smoke".
Effect Stacking: The in-play does not stack (sets a value).
Your Chain: You may claim 1 order from target opposing archive.
Kicker: Your influence is worth double.
You do not have to play "Indigo Six" on your turn to bring him into play, however, you may only resolve his chain text if you do play him on your turn. You do not claim the order immediately; you still wait for your claim phase and you must still pay the cost of the order you claim. You may not use multiple copies of this effect to repeatedly claim the same card in one turn as each time you resolve him he sets the number of copies you may claim to 1. You may, however, use multiple copies to claim 1 copy from different archives.
His kicker is an effect that lasts for the remainder of the turn and doubles the "worth" of all of your influence. Essentially, every point of influence you generate will act like 2 influence while claiming orders that turn. Example: Playing a Mesmeric Presence and discarding 2 cards would bring you to a total of 6 influence which can be used to claim up to 12 influence worth of orders that turn.
Effect Stacking: Chain does not stack (value), though you can target different archives to simulate a stackable effect. Kicker does not stack (value).
Chain: Place target minion on top of its owner's deck.
Kicker: Exile 1 card from your hand.
You must select a minion that is currently in play, even if the only minions in play are your own. Ivan Radinsky cannot target himself as he does not come into play until after he has finished resolving. This does not cause the starter minions such as "Bad Smoke" to be exiled as they were not destroyed or discarded.
Ivan Radinsky can be used to return "Bad Smoke" to the top of a player's deck.
If you resolve the kicker, you must exile 1 card of your choice (even a wound) if possible.
You must select a minion in play if possible, even if you are the only player with minions currently in play. You cannot target the copy of J.J. McTeague you are currently resolving as he does not enter play until after you have finished resolving him. Any excess damage is lost; it does not carry over to the player.
J.J. McTeague is not exiled when you discard him for influence as he was never in play. Effects that return him to your hand or deck do not exile him as he was not destroyed or discarded.
In Play: This card remains in play until discarded. This card cannot be targeted by "destroy" effects.
Kicker: Restore 2 health to target minion. Feed: Discard 1 card.
This card can still be reduced to zero health, but is not destroyed at that time. It remains in play until after your combat, at which time it is discarded normally. It can be affected by effects such as Ivan Radinsky's.
A minion's health cannot be raised above the number of health slashes on the top edge of their card.
Chain: This minion comes into play with health equal to the number of cards in your hand (up to 4).
Kicker: Inflict 2 damage on target minion. If that minion was destroyed, its controller receives 1 wound.
He comes into play with health depending on how many cards you're holding at the time that he resolves. If you have more then 4 cards in hand, he comes into play with 4 health. If you have no cards in your hand, he comes into play with zero health and is immediately destroyed.
In Play: At the start of any phase, you may inflict 1 damage on this card to make the active player lose 1 influence.
Kicker: Draw 1 card. Target order in the chain will resolve its kicker.
You cannot make a player go below zero influence.
The kicker must target an order still in the chain (has not yet resolved). The kicker can still be prevented if a card such as Flank Attack resolves after LeShawn Wallace and targets the same card.
Chain: You choose the target(s) in target order's text.
Kicker: Resolve the text of that order twice.
You must select an order in the chain (one that has yet to resolve) if possible. When it comes time for the chosen order to resolve, each time the term "target" is read (including in kicker text, if it was activated), you choose that target. If Leave Me! is used to target an order that does not contain the term "target", Leave Me!'s chain text has no effect on that order. If multiple copies of Leave Me! are used to target the same order, the player who played the one last to resolve gets to choose the target(s).
The kicker refers to the order you targeted with the chain text. Resolve all of that order's text (including kicker, if it was activated) a 2nd time. You choose all of the target(s) again and can choose different target(s) then were chosen the first time if you wish. If multiple Leave Me!'s target the same order and receive their kickers, the targeted order still resolves just twice.
In Play: This card absorbs all damage from minions it blocks (it is still destroyed).
Kicker: All players exile the top card of their deck.
The in play affect is only for blocking combat damage. This does not allow a single copy of "Legion Ten" to block multiple attacking minions.
The kicker affects the player who played "Legion Ten" as well, so be careful with your timing! If your deck is empty when this kicker is activated, do not shuffle your discard pile into a new deck (you will be unaffected).
In Play: When this minion attacks, exile 1 card from your hand.
Kicker: Destroy target minion.
You may exile any 1 card, including a wound. If you do not have any cards in your hand, nothing is exiled and you still attack with "Lone Hound".
Effect Stacking: The In Play text sets a value, which is specific to each copy of the card. Thus you will need to exile 1 card per copy of "Lone Hound" that you have in play.
Your Combat: Discard this card. Increase the strength of target minion by 1. Feed: Discard 1 wound. Limit 1 wound effect per turn.
This effect may only be used on your own turn, during your combat phase. You may activate it anytime during the phase, even after defending minions have been assigned. You may use any type of wound (original or Martial Law) to feed the effect. You may select different targets each time the effect is resolved. If you activate this effect, you cannot use the original Nightfall wound effect to draw cards during your cleanup phase.
In Play: Wounds you discard are worth 3 influence.
Kicker: Discard the top card of your deck. If that card is a minion, place it into play.
The "In Play" effect is referencing when you discard wounds during your Claim Phase, as in: when you discard a wound to generate influence, it generates 3 influence instead of the 1 it normally would.
Effect Stacking: The In Play text does not stack (sets a value).
Your Cleanup: You may discard all wounds from your hand and draw 2 cards for each. Limit 1 wound effect per turn.
During your cleanup phase, either before or after you've drawn back up to 5 cards, check your hand for wound cards. If you have any in your hand at that time, you may activate 1 of them for this effect. Any further wounds drawn from this effect must be kept and can be used for influence, held onto until the following cleanup phase, etc.
The subtypes of wounds: Bite, Bleed and Burn are only used for tie breaking purposes in the base game. When two players have the same number of wounds, they then compare their highest subtype. Example: If I have 3 bites and 3 bleeds, but Tom has 2 of each, his highest (2) beats my highest (3) and he would win the tie breaker.
Players may not count the number of remaining face up wounds, nor should the face up and face down wounds be separated during play.
Kicker: Target player's minions cannot block damage from card text.
The kicker prevents minions such as "Bad Smoke" and Vulko from blocking damage that would be inflicted directly on a player like the damage from Death Grip. This effect ends at the end of the active player's turn.
Chain: Shuffle the bottom 2 wounds from the wound stack into target archive. They must be claimed at no cost when possible.
Kicker: Inflict 1 damage each on up to 3 target minions.
Note that when an archive is emptied, it ceases to exist, so you may not simply place the 2 wounds into an empty archive to be forcefully claimed that turn. This effect does not cause players to claim outside of their own claim phases.
You may choose to target zero minions with the kicker if you want. You may not target the same minion twice (without resolving another copy of the card that is).
In Play: When this minion attacks, inflict 2 damage on target minion.
Kicker: Each player discards 1 card.
When "Queen's Bishop" is declared as an attacker, inflict 2 damage on a target minion ( excess damage from this effect does not carry over to the player ). Then he attacks normally and the defending player may declare minions to block.
If "Queen's Bishop" is the only card in play, it destroys itself without inflicting any damage on the defending player.
Chain: Target player discards down to 5 cards and receives 1 wound per card discarded.
Kicker: Double all damage inflicted by the next order in the chain.
The targeted player discards until they have 5 cards remaining in their hand. If they already have 5 or less cards then they do not discard any and receive no wounds.
The kicker doubles the current damage of the card, not necessarily the base damage. Should the doubled card have In Play text that can inflict damage, that effect is also doubled until the end of the turn.
Kicker: Target player receives target wound from your discard pile.
This card only prevents you from being chosen by text that includes "target player". It does not prevent your minions from being targeted. If all players have "Shadow Seven" in play and a card is played that targets a player, that text is negated.
You must select a minion that is currently in play if possible, even if that means damaging one of your own. Same goes for the kicker, though you may select a different minion then you chose with the chain text if you wish.
Any excess damage is lost; it does not carry over to the player.
Chain: Target minion in play resolves its chain text. You choose all targets.
Kicker: The active player gains 1 influence for each wound in his discard pile.
The player controlling the targeted card is still the player to resolve the text. Targeting an opposing Charlotte Reyes for example will cause that opponent to draw 2 cards, not you. To benefit from Shut Up and Soldier, you'll need to target one of your own cards, an opposing card that helps the controlling player's opponents or a card with the "target" keyword so that you can manipulate it.
In Play: When this card is destroyed, exile target wound from your discard pile.
Kicker: Destroy target lycanthrope.
Note that when "Sierra Two" leaves play after your combat that she is "discarded", not "destroyed". Her In Play text will only take effect if she is destroyed from blocking in combat or if she is destroyed from card text.
Resolve as much of the chain text as possible, even if that means targeting your own minions or having to skip a section due to no vampires or lycanthropes being in play.
In Play: Orders you claim cost 1 less influence (min. 1).
Kicker: Resolve text on the next order in the chain twice.
For each copy of Sir John Travail you have in play, each card you claim will cost 1 less influence, but can never cost zero. With the current cost scheme it takes exactly 3 copies of Sir John Travail to reduce the cost of every card in the game to 1 influence (4 with Martial Law).
If you activated the kicker the next order in the chain (next to resolve) must be resolved twice (including the kicker if it was activated). This effect does not give you control over the card. The owning player may choose different targets each time they resolve the card if they wish. Sir John's kicker does not override Flank Attack.
Effect Stacking: In Play does stack (modifier). Kicker does not stack (value).
In Play: While this card is attacking, it gains 1 strength. Feed: Discard 2 cards.
Kicker: if it is your turn, begin a Combat Phase between the Chain and Claim phases.
Yes, this means that if you kick the card on your own turn that he'll immediately get to attack. After the special combat phase you still discard all of your minions like you would at the end of a normal combat phase.
In Play: While this card is attacking, its strength is equal to the number of minions the defending player controls.
In Play: Exile when destroyed or discarded.
This card's strength does adjust if minions leave or enter play during the combat phase. His final damage is calculated after defenders are declared, as that is when minion strength is converted into damage.
In Play: Do not discard this minion at the end of the Combat Phase.
Kicker: Each time a minion leaves play, its controller receives 1 wound.
If you are unable to target a minion, place the card in your discard pile. If you were to attach this card to another player's minion, you still "own" the card and it will still return to your discard pile when the minion leaves play.
The first time you resolve the chain effect (draw 1 card) is free (do not discard any cards). You may then repeat the effect as many times as you wish, by discarding 2 cards each time. You may use the card just drawn as 1 of the 2 cards required to feed the effect.
If the kicker is activated, each player chooses one of their own minions to be destroyed, including the player who played Sweep and Clear.
You must select a minion that is currently in play if possible, even if that means destroying one of your own minions.
Each opponent must receive a wound; minions such as "Bad Smoke" and Vulko cannot be used to block this effect. If you are playing a team game variant, your teammates do not receive any wounds.
Chain: Destroy target minion. You may discard a bite wound to place that minion into play under your control until it is destroyed or discarded.
Kicker: Place up to 2 target cards from your discard pile on top of your deck.
As the chain text implies, this effect potentially lasted longer then the end of the turn. If the minion is in your control at the start of your turn, it attacks someone just like your own minions would and is discarded at the end of your Combat Phase normally unless it has specific text saying otherwise. When the minion is destroyed or discarded, it is place in its original owner's discard pile.
In Play: This card blocks damage inflicted on you.
Kicker: Inflict 1 damage on each minion in play.
Vulko must be used to block damage that would be dealt to the player. He can be used to block the damage that Alton Hickman would inflict on a player via combat. Vulko cannot block effects that cause a player to receive wounds such as Death Grip's kicker.
Damage must only be blocked once, so if you have multiple Vulko's in play only one of them need block (assuming it has enough remaining health to block it all).
Using multiple Vulko's to block damage works the same as in combat: you must use a single Vulko until all of the damage has been blocked or Vulko has been destroyed, at which time another Vulko could continue on with the blocking.
If you activated the kicker, every minion currently in play (not the currently resolving copy of Vulko) receives 1 damage, including your own minions.
In Play: Destroy this card at the end of the next Combat Phase.
Kicker: Destroy target hunter.
He hits hard, but you have to chain him when the opponent previous to you makes their chain, else he'll self-destruct before getting the chance to attack.
You may play Yuri Koroviev on another player's turn to bring him into play, but you can only resolve his chain text if you played him on your own turn.
Yuri Koroviev is not exiled when you discard him for influence as he was never in play. Effects that return him to your hand or deck do not exile him as he was not destroyed or discarded.
Effect Stacking: "Your Chain" does stack (modifier).
You must select a minion in play if possible, even if that means damaging your own minion. Any excess damage is lost; it does not carry over to the player.
The kicker is referencing the minion that was targeted by the chain text.
In Play: This card's strength is equal to the number of minions in play.
Kicker: Place 1 minion from your hand into play.
Zombie Horde counts as a minion for his in play effect, so will always have at least 1 strength unless another effect reduces it.
If you activated the kicker you must select a minion in your hand and place it into play. Do not resolve that minion's chain or kicker text. This is another way to get Blaine Cordell into play with 4 health.
Nightfall Cards
Kicker: All of your cards in the chain resolve their kickers.
