Energy and Power

Runes make two resources, Energy and Power, and Track 1 introduced both while paying for a unit. This lesson is about telling them apart: what each one pays, and how a card says which it wants.

Two resources

Energy is used to pay numeric Energy costs.¹Rule 163.1. Energy is used to pay numeric Energy costs. Open in the rules browser It has no Domain²Rule 163.1.a. Energy has no Domain. Open in the rules browser and no type.³Rule 163.1.b. Energy has no type. Open in the rules browser

Power is used to pay Power costs, which are tied to a Domain.⁴Rule 163.2. Power is used to pay Domain-associated Power Costs. Open in the rules browser Every Power has a Domain⁵Rule 163.2.a. Power has a Domain. Open in the rules browser, and that Domain usually corresponds to the Domain of the rune that produced it.⁶Rule 163.2.a.1. Power's Domain usually corresponds to the Domain of the Rune that produced it. Open in the rules browser For a Basic Rune there is no "usually": the Power added by recycling it corresponds to the Domain of that rune.⁷Rule 164.2.b.1. The Power added this way corresponds to the Domain of the Rune that is being Recycled. Open in the rules browser There are six Basic Runes, each with its own Domain.⁸Rule 164.1. There are six Basic Runes, each with a Domain corresponding to its name: Fury Rune Calm Rune Mind Rune Body Rune Chaos Rune Order Rune Open in the rules browser

A Power cost of a Domain asks for Power of that Domain, so a Fury symbol in a cost is paid with Fury Power. The exception is Universal Power, which can be used to pay costs of any Domain.⁹Rule 163.2.b. Some Power is Universal and can be used to pay for costs of any Domain. Open in the rules browser

The six Domains

Most cards belong to one or more of six Domains¹⁰Rule 134.1. Most cards belong to one or more of six Domains, identified by one or more symbols in the lower right corner. Open in the rules browser, shown as symbols in the card's lower right corner. Each Domain has a color, a symbol of its own, and a shorthand for writing that symbol in text.¹¹Rule 134.2. Each Domain has an associated color, a unique symbol, and a shorthand used to represent that symbol in written text. Open in the rules browser

• Fury is red, and its shorthand is [R].¹²Rule 134.2.a. Fury is associated with the color red and represented by a circular symbol with three projecting points. Its shorthand is [R]. Open in the rules browser
• Calm is green, and its shorthand is [G].¹³Rule 134.2.b. Calm is associated with the color green and represented by a symbol resembling a leaf. Its shorthand is [G]. Open in the rules browser
• Mind is blue, and its shorthand is [B].¹⁴Rule 134.2.c. Mind is associated with the color blue and represented by a symbol resembling a sun and moon. Its shorthand is [B]. Open in the rules browser
• Body is orange, and its shorthand is [O].¹⁵Rule 134.2.d. Body is associated with the color orange and represented by a blocky diamond-shaped symbol. Its shorthand is [O]. Open in the rules browser
• Chaos is purple, and its shorthand is [P].¹⁶Rule 134.2.e. Chaos is associated with the color purple and represented by a hexagonal symbol with swirls emanating from its center. Its shorthand is [P]. Open in the rules browser
• Order is yellow, and its shorthand is [Y].¹⁷Rule 134.2.f. Order is associated with the color yellow and represented by an angular winged symbol. Its shorthand is [Y]. Open in the rules browser

Reading a cost

A Main Deck card lists its cost in the upper left corner of its front face.¹⁸Rule 131.1. Main Deck cards have a Cost, listed in the upper left corner of the front face of the card. See rule 165. Rune Pools for more information. Open in the rules browser The Energy cost is the numeral in that cost element.¹⁹Rule 131.2.a. The numeral listed in the Cost element in the upper left corner of the card. Open in the rules browser The Power cost is the symbols listed vertically in the same element²⁰Rule 131.3.a. The symbols, listed vertically, in the Cost element in the upper left corner of the card. Open in the rules browser, and that section may not be present on every card.²¹Rule 131.3.b. This section may not be present on every card. Open in the rules browser

Cost3+1 power1

NameEmber, Rallying

Might3

TypeUnit

DomainFury2

Keywordsnone

Rules textWhen I conquer a battlefield, draw 1.

Flavor textnone

Energy—

Power1

TagsEmber, Champion

Collector numberFIX FIX-002

Sample card for teaching. Its text is not official Riot card text; the card library replaces it with official cards from Riot's API.

1. 1
   Cost

   The numeral is the Energy cost: 3. The Power cost is one symbol, and on this sample that symbol is Fury's, [R]. Which Domain a Power cost asks for is shown by its symbol.

   Rules:Rule 131.2.a.Rule 131.3.a.Rule 135.2.e.4.

2. 2
   Domain

   The card's Domain, Fury: the same Domain as the sample Legend every board in this track uses.

   Rules:Rule 134.1.

In written text, costs and resources use brackets. Power of a specific Domain is written with that Domain's shorthand²²Rule 135.2.e.4. Power of a specific Domain is represented by its domain symbol and the corresponding shorthand. See rule 134. Domain for more information. Open in the rules browser, so [R] stands for Fury Power. A number in brackets is Energy, and each Power symbol is one Power. The rules show both by example rather than defining them: "Add [2]." means add 2 Energy, and "Add [1][G]." means add 1 Energy and 1 Calm Power.²³Rule 429.5. This action is formatted as "Add [one or more resources]." e.g., "Add [2]." means "Add 2 Energy." e.g., "[E]: Add [Y]." means "Add 1 Power of the Order domain." e.g., "Add [1], [G]." means "Add 1 Energy and 1 Power of the Calm domain." Open in the rules browser Written the same way, the card above costs [3][R].

Two more shorthands stand for Power without naming a Domain. [A] is Power of any Domain.²⁴Rule 135.2.e.5. Power of any Domain is represented by a swirling rainbow symbol. Its shorthand is [A]. Open in the rules browser When [A] is required as a cost, Power of any Domain can pay it²⁵Rule 135.2.e.5.a. When required as a cost, [A] can be paid by Power of any Domain. Open in the rules browser; when [A] is a resource you have added, rather than a cost, it can be spent to pay a Power cost of any Domain.²⁶Rule 135.2.e.5.b. When Added to a player’s Rune Pool, [A] can be spent to pay a Power cost of any Domain. Open in the rules browser [C] is Power of a card's own Domain.²⁷Rule 135.2.e.6. Power of a domain corresponding to a card’s own Domain is not represented by a symbol, but appears in these rules similarly to other symbols. Its shorthand is [C]. Open in the rules browser That is the shorthand in a Basic Rune's recycle ability, which adds [C]²⁸Rule 164.2.b. Recycle this: [Reaction] — Add [C]. Open in the rules browser, and the Power it adds is of that rune's Domain.⁷Rule 164.2.b.1. The Power added this way corresponds to the Domain of the Rune that is being Recycled. Open in the rules browser