Play

Learn the rules. Master the flow. Bend fate to your will.

Spirit Astral is easy to learn and deep to master. Two players summon Spirits, cast Incantations, and wield Relics to reduce their opponent’s Soul Flame to zero. Every card can be played upright or reversed, offering meaningful choices on every turn.

How do you play Spirit Astral?

What is Spirit Astral?

A tarot-inspired collectible trading card game of strategy and fate.

Spirit Astral is a two-player game where you act as a seer, summoning Spirits, casting Incantations, and shaping destiny through upright and reversed cards. The rules are easy to learn, but mastery comes from foresight, timing, and bold decisions.
What is the goal of the game?

Reduce your opponent’s Soul Flame from 20 to 0.

You do this by:

  • Summoning Spirits to battle
  • Casting Incantations
  • Using Relics and Omens
  • Managing Essence (your energy)
  • Choosing when to play cards upright or reversed

When a Soul Flame reaches 0, the game ends immediately.
What do I need to be able to play?

Each player uses:

  • A 40-card Spirit Astral deck
  • A rulebook
  • A playmat with marked zones
  • Dice to track (d20): Soul Flame (1 red), Essence (1 blue), Power (3 green), and Guard (6 black).

Everything needed to play is included with the Starter Deck Bundle.
How do I set up?
  • Each player uses a 40-card deck (starter or custom).
  • Shuffle your deck and place it face down as your draw pile.
  • Set Soul Flame to 20 and start first turn with 1 Essence.
  • Draw a starting hand of five cards.
  • Roll a dice to decide who goes first.
  • Use the playmat to manage zones: up to 3 Spirits (Active Zone) and 3 Support cards (Support Zone).
  • Use dice to track Essence, Soul Flame, Power, Guard, and Durability during play.
What are the card types?

Spirits
Your main combat units. They have Power, Guard, and Speed, and battle during the Combat Phase.

Incantations
One-time spells. Play them, resolve the effect, then discard.

Relics
Ongoing support cards with Durability. Their effects remain active until destroyed.

Omens
Condition cards that trigger immediately or over multiple turns.
What does upright vs reversed play mean?

Every card can be played in two ways:

  • Upright: Harness harmony, growth, and control
  • Reversed: Invoke shadow, sacrifice, and risk

Reversed effects are often powerful—but dangerous. Some harm your own board or Soul Flame to gain a greater advantage. Knowing when to reverse a card is key to mastery.
What is the basic turn structure?

Each turn follows the same flow:

  1. Refresh- Ready your cards and clear temporary effects.
  2. Draw- Draw one card (the starting player skips this on turn one).
  3. Gain Essence- Your Essence increases by 1 each turn, up to a maximum of 10.
  4. Main Phase- Play cards by spending Essence. Summon Spirits, cast Incantations, or place Relics and Omens. Choose upright or reversed as you play each card.
  5. Combat Phase- Your Spirits may attack once each turn. Attacks resolve in order of Speed (highest first).
  6. End Phase- Resolve end-of-turn effects. Destroy cards with 0 Guard or Durability.
What are the basics of combat?
  • Spirits attack other Spirits first
  • If your opponent has no Spirits, you may attack their Soul Flame
  • Damage equals a Spirit’s Power
  • Spirits reset to their printed stats at the end of each turn if not destroyed
  • Relics take permanent damage until destroyed

Attacking is always optional.
What are the zones and limits?
  • Active Zone: Up to 3 Spirits
  • Support Zone: Up to 3 Relics or Omens
  • Deck & Discard: Draw and used cards
  • Essence Pool & Soul Flame: Tracked with dice

Managing space is as important as managing power.
What is essence?

Energy used to pay the cost of cards.

  • Start with 1 Essence on turn one
  • Gain +1 Essence each turn
  • Essence refreshes fully at the start of your turn
  • Unused Essence does not carry over
  • Maximum is 10 Essence (temporary effects may exceed this briefly)
How do you win the game?

You win when your opponent’s Soul Flame reaches 0.
Can you play the game with more than two people?

Yes, the typical gameplay is 1 vs 1, similar to a game of chess, but you can play one team vs another team.

How is Spirit Astral different from other collectible trading card games?
  • Tarot-inspired mechanics with real strategic weight
  • Upright & reversed play on every card
  • Accessible for ages 6+, deep enough for competitive play
  • Cards double as a full Tarot deck (cards 1-78/major & minor arcana) and a traditional 52-card deck (cards 23-78/minor arcana)
  • Designed for both collectors and players
Ready to play?

Everything you need to start playing is included with the Spirit Astral Starter Deck Bundle.

Learn the rules. Shape fate. Claim victory. Let's get back to making quality, lifelong memories with family and friends.

Buy Starter Deck Bundle